The Trump phenomenon's most revealing and defining moments – not its most important, nor most brutal, nor most hazardous, nor most foolish, but perhaps its most illuminating – came earlier this autumn. During the period of multiple weeks, the US president started showing all observers his plans for a gilded ballroom twice the size of the White House and subsequently started independently demolishing the eastern section to construct it.
He has performed deeds countless times more severe – the existing assessment of deaths resulting from his reductions to foreign assistance amounts to 600,000 and growing, and presently research projected his fossil fuel policies would kill 1.3 million more. Yet nothing as characteristic. No other president would have attempted – genuinely, no previous leader would have imagined – unilaterally destroying large sections of the presidential residence to construct a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of numerous the nation's most affluent, almost all of whom maintain dealings with the government.
We transitioned from 'the meek shall inherit the world' into 'the meek shall die from cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the chief executive attempt to overturn the established notion of democracy and substitute it with its direct contrary, there remains a substantial portion within America who should not find it totally unfamiliar. That encompasses people such as ourselves – in older age cohorts close to half – who were brought up as conventional Protestant believers.
We have witnessed throughout the years as politically conservative religious groups turned the Jesus we learned about into exactly the opposite of who we understood him to be. Fundamentally, they turned a figure of compassion into a symbol of hostility who endorses specifically the brutality that he criticized in the Gospel; this has happened at a slower pace, through multiple decades rather than months, but it is nonetheless disconcerting through similar means, a confusing personal impact for countless people.
A Harmful Christianity Establishes Itself
Hence I shall explain the Savior that I grew up with, since in theory Christ is the focus of any Christian faith, and since the rapidly expanding group among Americans could have minimal awareness of him since they are atheists or doubters or spiritual independents. I have no problem with these various perspectives, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of substantial value in biblical accounts.
It is emphatically absolutely not the account of a mighty king appearing; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who are forced to hastily depart to a different country to escape secret police. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, a working carpenter; his doctrine concerns compassion for fellow humans, specifically for the poor – not merely emotional affection, but tangible care, shown by providing food and protecting. Christ's response to hostility is to present the opposite cheek – not as a demonstration of compliant endurance, but as a way to instruct the aggressor; his method regarding offenses indicates that whenever an individual takes your jacket you should give him your sweater also.
The obvious and direct fact that the Jesus from scripture advocates for a form of profound affection focused on the needy is what has always made Christianity somewhat of a scandalous religion: engaging for the general public, but because of its intrinsic extremism demanding to be restrained. In the fifties it was controlled through watering down – The Protestant faith was so prevalent that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Finest Within Us
Therefore I have felt inspired to witness the persistent defiance to Trump arise during the previous year. It has been great solace to help build the campaign that has taken to the streets in rally after rally, and seems to have inspired electorate to turn out in large quantities in the off-year elections. We must have to maintain it, and through comparable resolve, displaying national flags during all protests and appeals to the best parts in US history.
We shall be interrogated ... about how you treated the stranger? Did you welcome them and welcome him or reject?
The nation is most protected, to put it differently, by reference to the highest in US heritage, similar to Christianity is optimally secured through connection to that which renders it distinctive and wonderful, specifically the model of Jesus. In both situations does it imply pretending the most damaging of both America and Christianity never occurred; it signifies both modesty and belief, a blend that serious US believers should be comfortable with.
