Trumpism's most telling and distinctive instances – not its most significant, nor cruelest, nor most dangerous, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – emerged earlier this harvest season. Over the span of a few weeks, the US president began displaying everyone his intentions for an ornate dance hall twice the size of the White House and then began independently demolishing the East Wing to erect it.
He has performed deeds ten thousand times worse – the existing assessment of casualties due to his slashing to USAID stands at 600,000 and rising, and recently an analysis predicted his fossil fuel policies would result in fatalities another 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have risked – genuinely, no previous leader would have imagined – unilaterally destroying large sections of the presidential residence to build a royal-themed celebration hall, with the enthusiastic participation of some of the nation's most affluent, nearly all of which maintain dealings with public institutions.
We went from 'the meek shall inherit the world' to 'the humble will perish from cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the leader attempt to overturn the established notion of democracy and exchange it with its polar opposite, there is one large group among Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That is those of us – in older age cohorts a near majority – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have witnessed over the years as rightwing evangelical churches converted the Savior we learned about into exactly the opposite of who we understood him to be. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of affection into a symbol of animosity who blesses precisely the cruelties that he criticized in scripture; this change developed more gradually, across decades instead of months, yet it remains disturbing through similar means, a confusing personal impact for countless people.
A Harmful Christianity Takes Hold
Hence I shall explain the Jesus that I grew up with, because theoretically Jesus is the center of any Christian faith, and because the fastest-growing cadre among Americans might have little sense of him because they identify as skeptics or uncertain individuals or nones. I raise no objection with any of these traditions, nor with alternative spiritual paths; yet I maintain that there are pearls of significant worth in the Christian story.
It is unquestionably definitely not the story of a powerful ruler appearing; conversely, a child comes into the world to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who must quickly flee to a different country to evade undercover officers. The baby grows up in modest conditions, an employed craftsman; his teaching focuses on affection for others, especially for the poor – and not a sentimental love, but practical compassion, shown by providing food and protecting. Christ's response to aggression is to offer the opposite cheek – not as an act of passive acceptance, but as a method to instruct the attacker; his method regarding offenses is that if an individual takes your outer garment you must offer them your pullover also.
The obvious and straightforward reality that Christ of the gospels advocates for a type of extreme compassion centered on the needy has consistently rendered the Christian faith somewhat of a controversial faith: attractive to the general public, but due to its inherent radicalness requiring to be controlled. During the 1950s it was controlled by dilution – Protestantism was so prevalent that it essentially blessed current circumstances.
A Conflict for the Best Among Us
So I have been inspired to observe the determined opposition against Trump develop in this past year. It has served as substantial consolation to assist in constructing the initiative that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and seems to have inspired citizens to show up in significant amounts in interim political contests. We must have to maintain it, and through comparable resolve, displaying national flags during all protests and requests to the finest aspects in US history.
We shall be interrogated ... regarding how you welcomed the stranger? Did you receive him and welcome him or reject?
The country is optimally secured, to put it differently, by reference to the finest in US heritage, similar to Christianity is most protected by relationship to what makes it distinctive and wonderful, which is the example of the Savior. In both situations does it mean acting as if the most damaging about the nation and religious tradition never occurred; it represents both modesty and conviction, a blend that genuine American Christians should embrace.
