The Trump phenomenon's most telling and distinctive moments – not its most important, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most senseless, but potentially its most enlightening – came earlier this autumn. In the course of several weeks, the American president started showing all observers his plans for a lavish reception room two times larger than the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the East Wing to build it.
He has done things ten thousand times worse – the current estimate of casualties from his cuts to international aid stands at 600,000 and growing, and recently an analysis predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill another 1.3 million. Yet nothing as characteristic. No former leader would have attempted – genuinely, no previous leader would have contemplated – unilaterally destroying significant portions of the White House to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the active collaboration of multiple America's wealthiest, nearly all of which conduct transactions with federal agencies.
We went from 'the humble will receive the planet' toward 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As confusing as it is to observe the president try to upend the old idea regarding democracy and replace it with its complete opposite, there remains a substantial portion among Americans who might not perceive it completely novel. That encompasses people such as ourselves – within elder demographics almost a majority – who were educated within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have observed throughout the years as politically conservative religious groups turned the Jesus we learned about into the complete reverse of our understanding of him. Essentially, they converted a persona of love into an icon of hostility who blesses precisely the cruelties that he condemned in the Gospel; this has happened at a slower pace, over decades as opposed to months, however it is still disturbing through similar means, a bewildering emotional blow for countless people.
A Damaging Christianity Takes Hold
Hence I shall explain the Savior from my childhood, since in theory the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and since the quickly increasing segment among Americans might have little sense about him since they are skeptics or agnostics or spiritual independents. I have no problem with these different approaches, nor with different religions; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of substantial value within Christian narrative.
It is emphatically not the story of an authoritative monarch emerging; instead, an infant arrives to displaced parents in an automotive shelter, who need to rapidly escape to a foreign land to avoid covert authorities. The child matures in modest conditions, a working carpenter; his teaching is about love for others, particularly for the disadvantaged – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and housing. Christ's response to hostility is to present the opposite cheek – not as an act of compliant endurance, but as a means to educate the attacker; his method regarding offenses is that if an individual takes your jacket you should give them your pullover also.
The evident and direct fact that the Savior of the gospels calls for a form of extreme compassion concentrated on the impoverished is what has always made Christianity something of a provocative belief system: engaging for the general public, but owing to its inherent radicalness requiring to be controlled. In the fifties it was contained via weakening – Protestant Christianity was so prevalent that it basically baptized the status quo.
A Struggle for the Best of Us
Therefore I have felt heartened to witness the determined opposition against Trump arise during the previous year. It has been substantial consolation to assist in constructing the campaign that has demonstrated publicly through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged citizens to turn out in large quantities during minor elections. We will need to maintain it, and with identical determination, displaying national flags throughout each rally and appeals to the highest qualities within national heritage.
We shall be interrogated ... regarding how you welcomed the foreigner? Did you accept these individuals and receive them or not?
America is best defended, essentially, by reference to the best in US heritage, just as Christianity is most protected by reference to that which renders it special and wonderful, specifically the model of the Savior. In both situations does it imply feigning the worst about the nation and religious tradition never occurred; it signifies both meekness and faith, a mixture that committed national faithful should be comfortable with.
