Trumpism's most telling and characteristic moments – not its most important, nor most brutal, nor most hazardous, nor most foolish, but possibly its most revealing – came earlier this autumn. Over the span of multiple weeks, the American president began displaying all observers his plans for a gilded ballroom double the dimensions of the White House and then commenced independently demolishing the eastern section to build it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the current estimate of casualties from his cuts to foreign assistance amounts to 600,000 and rising, and recently a study predicted his energy policies would cause deaths another 1.3 million. Yet nothing as characteristic. No former leader would have dared – really, no previous leader would have contemplated – unilaterally destroying large sections of the White House in order to erect a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of multiple the richest Americans, almost all of whom have business with the government.
We transitioned from 'the gentle will obtain the planet' to 'the gentle will succumb from cholera'
As disorienting as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the established notion of democracy and exchange it with its direct contrary, there remains a substantial portion among Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That is those of us – in older age cohorts close to half – who were raised as conventional Protestant believers.
We have watched across decades as politically conservative religious groups converted the Savior we were raised with into exactly the opposite of our perception of his character. At its most basic, they turned a figure of affection into a symbol of animosity who endorses exactly the harshness that he criticized in the Gospel; this transformation occurred more gradually, over decades instead of months, however it is still disturbing through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for countless people.
A Toxic Christianity Takes Hold
Therefore allow me to outline the Jesus that I grew up with, because theoretically the Savior is the core within Christian belief, and given that the quickly increasing segment within America could have minimal awareness of him because they identify as skeptics or uncertain individuals or nones. I have no problem with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; however I believe that exist valuable insights of significant worth in biblical accounts.
It is decidedly definitely not the narrative of a powerful ruler arising; rather, a child comes into the world to homeless parents in a storage space, who must quickly flee to a different country to avoid covert authorities. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his message is about love for others, especially for the disadvantaged – not merely emotional affection, but a concrete one, demonstrated through nourishing and protecting. Jesus' answer to hostility is to present the opposite cheek – not as a demonstration of submissive tolerance, but as a means to educate the assailant; his approach to wrongdoing states that when an individual takes your outer garment you should give him your sweater too.
The evident and straightforward truth that the Jesus of the gospels advocates for a form of radical love focused on the impoverished has consistently rendered the Christian faith somewhat of a provocative belief system: attractive to the populace, but due to its inherent radicalness needing to be controlled. In the fifties it was controlled through watering down – The Protestant faith was so widespread that it practically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Highest Among Us
So I have been encouraged to see the persistent defiance against Trump develop during the previous year. It has been great solace to participate in developing the movement that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and seems to have inspired electorate to show up in large quantities during minor elections. We shall require to continue it, and with identical determination, featuring US banners throughout each rally and calls to the finest aspects within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... regarding how you welcomed the stranger? Did you welcome them and embrace them or not?
The country is optimally secured, to put it differently, by relationship to the highest within national tradition, similar to Christianity is optimally secured through connection to that which renders it special and beautiful, which is the example of the Savior. In both situations does it suggest pretending the most negative regarding America and Christian faith never occurred; it signifies both humility and belief, a mixture that genuine national faithful should be comfortable with.
