Trumpism's most illuminating and defining instances – not its most crucial, nor cruelest, nor most threatening, nor most senseless, but perhaps its most illuminating – came earlier this autumn. In the course of multiple weeks, the nation's leader commenced revealing the public his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions compared to the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the East Wing to erect it.
He has performed deeds countless times more severe – the present calculation of deaths from his cuts to foreign assistance is 600,000 and increasing, and presently research projected his fossil fuel policies would cause deaths an additional 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have risked – really, no previous leader would have contemplated – solo demolishing major areas of the executive mansion to build a royal-themed celebration hall, with the enthusiastic participation of numerous the richest Americans, nearly all of which have business with federal agencies.
We moved from 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' to 'the meek shall die to cholera'
As bewildering as it is to witness the chief executive attempt to overturn the traditional concept of democracy and replace it with its polar opposite, there is one large group among Americans who might not perceive it completely novel. That is those of us – among senior generations close to half – who were brought up as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have watched across decades while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we grew up with into the complete reverse of who we understood him to be. At its most basic, they transformed an image of love into a figure of animosity who endorses specifically the brutality that he criticized in scripture; this change developed more slowly, over decades rather than months, however it is still disconcerting through similar means, a confusing personal impact for many of us.
A Damaging Christianity Gains Ground
Therefore allow me to outline the Jesus from my childhood, as conceptually the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and since the rapidly expanding group within America could have minimal awareness about him because they identify as atheists or uncertain individuals or spiritual independents. I take no issue with any of these traditions, nor with any other faith; however I believe that exist valuable insights of substantial value in biblical accounts.
It is emphatically absolutely not the story of a mighty king emerging; instead, an infant arrives to parents without shelter in a storage space, who are forced to hastily depart to a different country to escape undercover officers. The infant develops in modest conditions, a working carpenter; his message is about love for fellow humans, specifically for the poor – not merely emotional affection, but a concrete one, expressed by feeding and protecting. Christ's response to violence is to turn the other cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a means to teach the attacker; his method regarding offenses states that when an individual takes your coat you should give the person your additional clothing also.
The obvious and straightforward reality that the Jesus from scripture calls for a form of radical love concentrated on the needy has perpetually caused Christianity rather a scandalous religion: appealing to the general public, but due to its inherent radicalness needing to be contained. In the 1950s it was controlled by dilution – Protestant Christianity was so dominant that it practically blessed current circumstances.
A Conflict for the Best Among Us
So I have been heartened to witness the steadfast resistance to Trump arise during the previous year. It has served as significant comfort to participate in developing the campaign that has protested openly via continuous gatherings, and appears to have motivated voters to participate in numbers in interim political contests. We will need to maintain it, and with identical determination, displaying national flags throughout each rally and appeals to the best parts within national heritage.
We're going to be asked ... how did you receive the stranger? Did you welcome them and receive them or reject?
America is best defended, essentially, by reference to the finest within national tradition, just as Christianity is best defended by relationship to elements that cause it to be distinctive and beautiful, specifically the model of Jesus. In neither case does it mean feigning the most negative about the nation and religious tradition did not happen; it represents both humility and faith, a mixture that genuine US believers should be comfortable with.
