The Trump phenomenon's most revealing and defining occasions – not its most crucial, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most foolish, but potentially its most enlightening – came earlier this autumn. In the course of multiple weeks, the nation's leader began displaying everyone his intentions for a gilded ballroom twice the size of the White House and subsequently started solo dismantling the eastern section to erect it.
He has done things ten thousand times worse – the existing assessment of casualties resulting from his reductions to international aid amounts to 600,000 and rising, and recently research forecast his petroleum strategies would cause deaths another 1.3 million. However nothing as distinctive. No former leader would have attempted – truly, no former commander would have contemplated – solo demolishing large sections of the White House to construct a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of some of America's wealthiest, nearly all of which maintain dealings with federal agencies.
We transitioned from 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' to 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As bewildering as it is to witness the chief executive try to upend the traditional concept regarding democracy and substitute it with its direct contrary, there is one large group among Americans who might not perceive it completely novel. This includes individuals like us – within elder demographics almost a majority – who were brought up as conventional Protestant believers.
We have observed across decades while conservative evangelical congregations transformed the Christ we were raised with into exactly the opposite of who we understood him to be. At its most basic, they turned a figure of love into a symbol of hate who approves exactly the harshness that he denounced in biblical teachings; this transformation occurred at a slower pace, through multiple decades as opposed to months, however it is still unsettling through similar means, a confusing personal impact for many of us.
A Harmful Christianity Establishes Itself
Therefore allow me to outline the Jesus from my childhood, since in theory the Savior is the core of Christian religion, and because the quickly increasing segment of Americans could have minimal awareness about him because they identify as atheists or uncertain individuals or spiritual independents. I have no problem with these different approaches, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that there are pearls of significant worth in biblical accounts.
It is decidedly definitely not the story of an authoritative monarch appearing; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in a storage space, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to avoid undercover officers. The child matures in modest conditions, an employed craftsman; his message is about love for others, particularly for the disadvantaged – not merely emotional affection, but practical compassion, demonstrated through nourishing and protecting. Jesus' answer to aggression is to present the other cheek – not as a gesture of compliant endurance, but as a method to educate the assailant; his method regarding offenses is that if someone steals your outer garment you must offer the person your additional clothing too.
The evident and direct reality that the Savior of the gospels advocates for a form of radical love concentrated on the impoverished has consistently rendered the Christian faith somewhat of a controversial faith: attractive to the masses, but due to its natural unconventionality requiring to be contained. In the fifties it was contained by dilution – The Protestant faith was so widespread that it basically blessed current circumstances.
A Battle for the Finest Within Us
So I have been heartened to witness the persistent defiance to Trump arise over the last twelve months. It has been great solace to help build the campaign that has taken to the streets via continuous gatherings, and seems to have inspired electorate to show up in significant amounts in interim political contests. We will need to persist with it, and in the same spirit, displaying national flags at every demonstration and calls to the finest aspects of American history.
We shall be interrogated ... about how you treated the foreigner? Did you receive him and receive them or reject?
America is best defended, in other words, through connection to the best in US heritage, similar to Christianity is optimally secured through connection to that which renders it special and beautiful, which is the example of Christ. In neither case does it mean pretending the worst about the nation and religious tradition did not happen; it signifies both humility and conviction, a combination that genuine national faithful should be comfortable with.
