They're Doing across America What They Performed within Christianity

The Trump movement's most illuminating and distinctive instances – not its most significant, nor cruelest, nor most dangerous, nor most senseless, but perhaps its most illuminating – occurred earlier this fall. Over the span of several weeks, the American president started showing all observers his designs for an ornate dance hall double the dimensions of the White House and then began independently demolishing the eastern section to erect it.

He has done things ten thousand times worse – the current estimate of fatalities due to his slashing to USAID amounts to 600,000 and increasing, and presently a study predicted his fossil fuel policies would kill an additional 1.3 million. But nothing as definitional. No former leader would have dared – really, no former commander would have imagined – solo demolishing major areas of the presidential residence to build a palace-inspired entertainment space, with the enthusiastic participation of numerous the nation's most affluent, almost all of whom maintain dealings with the government.

We transitioned from 'the humble will receive the world' into 'the humble will perish of cholera'

As disorienting as it is to witness the leader attempt to overturn the traditional concept about democracy and replace it with its polar opposite, there remains a substantial portion among Americans who wouldn't consider it entirely new. That encompasses people such as ourselves – within elder demographics close to half – who were brought up as mainline Protestant Christians.

We have witnessed throughout the years as politically conservative religious groups transformed the Christ we were raised with into exactly the opposite of who we understood him to be. Essentially, they converted a persona of love into an icon of hate who approves exactly the harshness that he condemned in scripture; this transformation occurred more gradually, over decades as opposed to months, but it is nonetheless unsettling via comparable methods, a bewildering emotional blow for numerous individuals.

A Damaging Christianity Takes Hold

So let me first describe the Savior that I grew up with, as conceptually Christ is the focus of any Christian faith, and given that the fastest-growing cadre of Americans could have minimal awareness regarding him as they consider themselves non-believers or doubters or religiously unaffiliated. I have no problem with these different approaches, nor with any other faith; but I do think that contain precious wisdom of significant worth in the Christian story.

It is unquestionably absolutely not the story of an authoritative monarch arising; rather, a baby is born to displaced parents in a garage, who are forced to hastily depart to a different country to avoid undercover officers. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, a working carpenter; his teaching focuses on affection for other people, especially for the poor – not simply tender feelings, but a concrete one, shown by providing food and protecting. The Savior's reaction to violence is to present the other cheek – not as a demonstration of passive acceptance, but as a way to educate the aggressor; his approach to wrongdoing states that when someone steals your outer garment you ought to provide the person your additional clothing too.

The obvious and direct fact that the Jesus from scripture calls for a type of extreme compassion concentrated on the impoverished is what has always made the Christian faith rather a provocative belief system: appealing to the masses, but owing to its inherent radicalness demanding to be controlled. In the 1950s it was restrained through watering down – Protestantism was so prevalent that it essentially baptized the status quo.

A Battle for the Highest of Us

Hence I have become heartened to see the steadfast resistance against Trump arise over the last twelve months. It has provided great solace to help build the initiative that has protested openly via continuous gatherings, and likely has encouraged citizens to participate in numbers in interim political contests. We shall require to continue it, and through comparable resolve, displaying national flags during all protests and appeals to the finest aspects of American history.

We will be questioned ... regarding how you welcomed the foreigner? Did you welcome them and welcome him or reject?

The country is optimally secured, essentially, by relationship to the highest within national tradition, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended through connection to elements that cause it to be unique and wonderful, which is the example of the Savior. In both situations does it mean pretending the most negative regarding America and Christianity did not happen; it signifies both humility and conviction, a combination that serious US believers should embrace.