The Trump movement's most telling and defining moments – not its most crucial, nor most harsh, nor most hazardous, nor most foolish, but possibly its most revealing – occurred earlier this fall. During the period of multiple weeks, the US president started showing everyone his intentions for a lavish reception room double the dimensions compared to the White House and then commenced solo dismantling the East Wing portion to erect it.
He has done things countless times more severe – the present calculation of casualties resulting from his reductions to foreign assistance amounts to 600,000 and rising, and recently a study projected his fossil fuel policies would cause deaths 1.3 million more. Yet nothing as characteristic. No other president would have attempted – truly, no former commander would have imagined – solo demolishing significant portions 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 conduct transactions with federal agencies.
We went from 'the gentle will obtain the world' toward 'the meek shall die of cholera'
As bewildering as it is to witness the president attempt to overturn the established notion about democracy and exchange it with its complete opposite, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it completely novel. That encompasses people such as ourselves – in older age cohorts almost a majority – who were educated as mainline Protestant Christians.
We have witnessed throughout the years as rightwing evangelical churches transformed the Christ we grew up with into the total contrary of our perception of his character. Fundamentally, they transformed an image of love into a symbol of hate who blesses precisely the cruelties that he criticized in scripture; this has happened at a slower pace, over decades as opposed to months, but it is nonetheless disturbing through similar means, a bewildering emotional blow for many of us.
A Damaging Christianity Establishes Itself
Therefore allow me to outline the Jesus that I grew up with, since in theory Christ is the focus of any Christian faith, and because the quickly increasing segment among Americans may possess limited understanding about him as they consider themselves non-believers or doubters or spiritual independents. I raise no objection with these different approaches, nor with any other faith; yet I maintain that contain precious wisdom of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is decidedly not the story of an authoritative monarch emerging; rather, a child comes into the world to homeless parents in an automotive shelter, who must quickly flee to a foreign land to escape secret police. The child matures in simple surroundings, a working carpenter; his doctrine is about love for others, especially for the impoverished – not merely emotional affection, but tangible care, demonstrated through nourishing and housing. The Savior's reaction to aggression is to turn the other cheek – not as a demonstration of compliant endurance, but as a method to educate the attacker; his crime policy indicates that whenever a person pilfers your outer garment you ought to provide him your sweater as well.
The apparent and clear reality that Christ from scripture requests a kind of profound affection focused on the poor has consistently rendered the Christian faith something of a scandalous religion: engaging for the populace, but because of its intrinsic extremism requiring to be restrained. In the fifties it was contained through watering down – Protestantism was so widespread that it essentially sanctified existing conditions.
A Struggle for the Finest Among Us
Therefore I have felt inspired to observe the persistent defiance against Trump emerge in this past year. It has served as significant comfort to help build the campaign that has demonstrated publicly via continuous gatherings, and seems to have inspired electorate to participate in large quantities during minor elections. We will need to maintain it, and in the same spirit, featuring US banners throughout each rally and requests to the best parts in US history.
We're going to be asked ... regarding how you welcomed the immigrant? Did you accept these individuals and receive them or reject?
The nation is most protected, essentially, by reference to the best in US heritage, similar to Christianity is optimally secured through connection to elements that cause it to be distinctive and beautiful, specifically the model of Jesus. In neither case does it suggest pretending the worst about the nation and religious tradition was nonexistent; it means both modesty and faith, a combination that genuine national faithful ought to accept.
