The Trump phenomenon's most revealing and characteristic moments – not its most important, nor most brutal, nor most hazardous, nor stupidest, but possibly its most revealing – emerged earlier this harvest season. Over the span of multiple weeks, the American president started showing all observers his plans for an ornate dance hall double the dimensions of the White House and then began unilaterally ripping down the eastern section to erect it.
He has done things countless times more severe – the current estimate of deaths due to his slashing to international aid is 600,000 and rising, and this week an analysis predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill 1.3 million more. Yet nothing as characteristic. No former leader would have attempted – genuinely, no former commander would have conceived – solo demolishing major areas of the White House to construct a royal-themed celebration hall, with the active collaboration of some of the nation's most affluent, nearly all of which have business with federal agencies.
We went from 'the gentle will obtain the Earth' toward 'the meek shall die from cholera'
As disorienting as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the traditional concept about democracy and replace it with its direct contrary, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That is those of us – in older age cohorts a near majority – who were brought up as conventional Protestant believers.
We have witnessed over the years while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we learned about into the total contrary of who we understood him to be. Essentially, they converted a persona of affection into a symbol of hostility who blesses specifically the brutality that he criticized in biblical teachings; this has happened at a slower pace, through multiple decades instead of months, yet it remains disturbing through similar means, a bewildering emotional blow for countless people.
A Damaging Christianity Takes Hold
Hence I shall explain the Jesus from my upbringing, because theoretically Christ is the focus within Christian belief, and because the quickly increasing segment within America may possess limited understanding of him since they are skeptics or uncertain individuals or religiously unaffiliated. I raise no objection with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of significant worth in biblical accounts.
It is unquestionably not the account of an authoritative monarch arising; instead, a baby is born to displaced parents in an automotive shelter, who are forced to hastily depart to another nation to escape covert authorities. The baby grows up in simple surroundings, a laboring woodworker; his message focuses on affection for other people, especially for the disadvantaged – not simply tender feelings, but a concrete one, shown by providing food and housing. Jesus' answer to hostility is to offer the opposite cheek – not as an act of submissive tolerance, but as a way to teach the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing is that if someone steals your jacket you ought to provide the person your additional clothing also.
The evident and direct reality that the Savior from scripture advocates for a form of radical love focused on the needy has perpetually caused the Christian faith rather a controversial faith: attractive to the general public, but because of its natural unconventionality 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 Highest Among Us
Hence I have become inspired to witness the persistent defiance against Trump arise over the last twelve months. It has been great solace to assist in constructing the campaign that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and likely has encouraged voters to participate in numbers in the off-year elections. We will need to continue it, and with identical determination, with American flags throughout each rally and appeals to the finest aspects in US history.
We will be questioned ... how did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or refuse?
America is best defended, in other words, by relationship to the finest in US heritage, similar to Christianity is most protected by relationship to what makes it unique and magnificent, particularly the pattern of Christ. In both situations does it suggest feigning the most negative regarding America and Christian faith never occurred; it signifies both meekness and faith, a mixture that genuine American Christians should be comfortable with.
