The Trump phenomenon's most telling and defining instances – not its most important, nor most brutal, nor most dangerous, nor most senseless, but possibly its most revealing – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of a few weeks, the nation's leader started showing the public his intentions for an ornate dance hall twice the size of the White House and then commenced independently demolishing the East Wing portion to construct it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the current estimate of fatalities from his cuts to USAID is 600,000 and rising, and recently a study forecast his energy policies would result in fatalities another 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have attempted – really, no other president would have conceived – independently wrecking large sections of the executive mansion to construct a royal-themed celebration hall, with the direct cooperation of some of the richest Americans, nearly all of which conduct transactions with public institutions.
We transitioned from 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' toward 'the gentle will succumb to cholera'
As confusing as it is to observe the chief executive try to upend the established notion about democracy and substitute it with its complete opposite, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That is those of us – in older age cohorts close to half – who were raised as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have witnessed throughout the years while conservative evangelical congregations converted the Savior we were raised with into the complete reverse of our understanding of him. At its most basic, they converted a persona of affection into a symbol of hostility who endorses precisely the cruelties that he denounced in scripture; this transformation occurred more gradually, through multiple decades as opposed to months, however it is still disturbing through similar means, a confusing personal impact for numerous individuals.
A Toxic Christianity Takes Hold
So let me first describe the Savior from my childhood, because theoretically the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and because the quickly increasing segment of Americans could have minimal awareness regarding him as they consider themselves non-believers or uncertain individuals or nones. I take no issue with these various perspectives, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that there are pearls of significant worth within Christian narrative.
It is decidedly definitely not the story of an authoritative monarch appearing; instead, an infant arrives to homeless parents in a storage space, who are forced to hastily depart to another nation to evade undercover officers. The child matures in modest conditions, a laboring woodworker; his doctrine focuses on affection for others, specifically for the impoverished – not simply tender feelings, but a concrete one, shown by providing food and housing. Jesus' answer to violence is to turn the opposite cheek – not as a demonstration of passive acceptance, but as a way to teach the attacker; his method regarding offenses states that when a person pilfers your coat you should give the person your additional clothing as well.
The apparent and clear fact that the Jesus in biblical accounts calls for a kind of profound affection concentrated on the needy is what has always made Christianity somewhat of a scandalous religion: appealing to the masses, but owing to its natural unconventionality needing to be contained. In the fifties it was restrained via weakening – Protestant Christianity was so prevalent that it essentially sanctified existing conditions.
A Conflict for the Finest of Us
Therefore I have felt heartened to witness the steadfast resistance to Trump emerge during the previous year. It has served as substantial consolation to participate in developing the movement that has taken to the streets in rally after rally, and appears to have motivated voters to participate in large quantities in interim political contests. We must have to maintain it, and in the same spirit, with American flags at every demonstration and calls to the best parts in US history.
We're going to be asked ... how did you receive the immigrant? Did you accept these individuals and welcome him or reject?
The nation is most protected, to put it differently, by relationship to the best about American history, just as Christianity is most protected through connection to what makes it distinctive and beautiful, particularly the pattern of the Savior. In all circumstances does it suggest pretending the worst about the nation and Christianity never occurred; it means both humility and belief, a mixture that genuine US believers should embrace.
