Trumpism's most illuminating and characteristic moments – not its most crucial, nor most brutal, nor most hazardous, nor stupidest, but perhaps its most illuminating – emerged earlier this harvest season. Over the span of a few weeks, the American president commenced revealing everyone his intentions for a gilded ballroom double the dimensions of the White House and then began independently demolishing the East Wing to erect it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the current estimate of deaths resulting from his reductions to international aid is 600,000 and rising, and this week an analysis forecast his petroleum strategies would cause deaths 1.3 million more. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have attempted – genuinely, no former commander would have conceived – unilaterally destroying significant portions of the White House to build a Versailles-style party room, with the enthusiastic participation of some of the richest Americans, nearly all of which conduct transactions with federal agencies.
We went from 'the gentle will obtain the world' toward 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As confusing as it is to watch the president try to upend the old idea regarding democracy and replace it with its direct contrary, there exists a significant segment within America who might not perceive it entirely new. This includes individuals like us – within elder demographics a near majority – who were raised as conventional Protestant believers.
We have witnessed across decades while conservative evangelical congregations turned the Jesus we grew up with into exactly the opposite of our perception of his character. At its most basic, they turned a figure of compassion into a figure of animosity who approves specifically the brutality that he criticized in the Gospel; this has happened at a slower pace, through multiple decades instead of months, yet it remains disconcerting via comparable methods, a bewildering emotional blow for many of us.
A Harmful Christianity Gains Ground
So let me first describe the Savior from my upbringing, since in theory the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and because the rapidly expanding group of Americans might have little sense of him since they are non-believers or agnostics or spiritual independents. I take no issue with these different approaches, nor with alternative spiritual paths; yet I maintain that contain precious wisdom of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is decidedly absolutely not the story of a mighty king arising; rather, an infant arrives to parents without shelter in a garage, who are forced to hastily depart to a different country to escape covert authorities. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his doctrine focuses on affection for other people, specifically for the poor – not merely emotional affection, but practical compassion, shown by providing food and housing. Christ's response to hostility is to offer the other cheek – not as a gesture of compliant endurance, but as a means to educate the assailant; his crime policy indicates that whenever an individual takes your outer garment you ought to provide them your pullover too.
The evident and direct truth that the Savior of the gospels calls for a kind of extreme compassion centered on the needy has perpetually caused the Christian faith something of a provocative belief system: appealing to the general public, but owing to its inherent radicalness needing to be restrained. During the 1950s it was controlled through watering down – Protestant Christianity was so widespread that it practically blessed current circumstances.
A Battle for the Best Within Us
Hence I have become inspired to observe the steadfast resistance against Trump arise over the last twelve months. It has served as great solace to assist in constructing the movement that has protested openly through repeated demonstrations, and appears to have motivated voters to participate in large quantities in the off-year elections. We will need to continue it, and in the same spirit, displaying national flags during all protests and calls to the highest qualities within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... how did you receive the stranger? Did you accept these individuals and welcome him or reject?
The country is optimally secured, to put it differently, by relationship to the best about American history, just as Christianity is best defended by relationship to elements that cause it to be special and magnificent, which is the example of Jesus. In neither case does it imply feigning the worst regarding America and Christianity did not happen; it signifies both humility and faith, a combination that serious national faithful should be comfortable with.
