The Trump phenomenon's most telling and defining occasions – not its most important, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most senseless, but potentially its most enlightening – came earlier this autumn. Over the span of multiple weeks, the US president started showing the public his designs for an ornate dance hall twice the size than the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the East Wing portion to construct it.
He has performed deeds ten thousand times worse – the existing assessment of casualties from his cuts to USAID stands at 600,000 and increasing, and recently an analysis forecast his energy policies would cause deaths another 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No other president would have attempted – really, no previous leader would have conceived – independently wrecking major areas of the executive mansion to build a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of multiple the nation's most affluent, the majority of whom conduct transactions with public institutions.
We went from 'the meek shall inherit the planet' toward 'the humble will perish of cholera'
As bewildering as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the traditional concept of democracy and replace it with its polar opposite, there exists a significant segment of Americans who might not perceive it totally unfamiliar. That encompasses people such as ourselves – in older age cohorts almost a majority – who were brought up within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have observed across decades as rightwing evangelical churches transformed the Christ we grew up with into the complete reverse of who we understood him to be. At its most basic, they converted a persona of love into an icon of animosity who endorses specifically the brutality that he denounced in the Gospel; this change developed more slowly, across decades instead of months, yet it remains disturbing via comparable methods, a confusing personal impact for many of us.
A Damaging Christianity Gains Ground
Hence I shall explain the Christ from my upbringing, since in theory Christ is the focus of Christian religion, and because the rapidly expanding group of Americans might have little sense about him since they are atheists or agnostics or nones. I raise no objection with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; however I believe that there are pearls of great price in biblical accounts.
It is emphatically definitely not the account of a mighty king arising; conversely, a baby is born to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to escape undercover officers. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his doctrine focuses on affection for other people, particularly for the poor – not simply tender feelings, but practical compassion, shown by providing food and protecting. Christ's response to hostility is to present the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of submissive tolerance, but as a way to instruct the aggressor; his crime policy indicates that whenever a person pilfers your jacket you should give him your sweater as well.
The evident and clear reality that the Savior from scripture calls for a form of radical love centered on the poor has perpetually caused Christian religion something of a controversial faith: appealing to the masses, but because of its natural unconventionality demanding to be controlled. In the 1950s it was restrained via weakening – The Protestant faith was so prevalent that it basically sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Highest Within Us
Therefore I have felt encouraged to witness the steadfast resistance against Trump develop in this past year. It has been substantial consolation to help build the movement that has taken to the streets through repeated demonstrations, and appears to have motivated electorate to participate in numbers during minor elections. We must have 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 ... about how you treated the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or reject?
The nation is most protected, to put it differently, by relationship to the finest within national tradition, just as Christianity is best defended through connection to that which renders it unique and beautiful, which is the example of Christ. In all circumstances does it suggest pretending the worst about the nation and religious tradition never occurred; it means both humility and belief, a blend that serious national faithful should be comfortable with.
