They're Applying to America What They Performed within Christianity

Trumpism's most telling and defining instances – not its most important, nor cruelest, nor most dangerous, nor most senseless, but possibly its most revealing – emerged earlier this harvest season. Over the span of several weeks, the nation's leader started showing all observers his plans for a lavish reception room double the dimensions compared to the White House and subsequently started independently demolishing the eastern section to erect it.

He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the existing assessment of deaths from his cuts to USAID amounts to 600,000 and growing, and recently a study predicted his energy policies would cause deaths another 1.3 million. Yet nothing as characteristic. No other president would have dared – really, no former commander would have contemplated – independently wrecking significant portions of the White House to build a Versailles-style party room, with the direct cooperation of multiple the richest Americans, almost all of whom have business with federal agencies.

We moved from 'the humble will receive the world' toward 'the humble will perish from cholera'

As disorienting as it is to watch the leader attempt to overturn the traditional concept of democracy and substitute it with its complete opposite, there exists a significant segment within America who might not perceive it completely novel. That is those of us – among senior generations almost a majority – who were raised as mainline Protestant Christians.

We have observed over the years as rightwing evangelical churches turned the Jesus we learned about into exactly the opposite of our perception of his character. At its most basic, they transformed an image of affection into a symbol of animosity who blesses exactly the harshness that he criticized in scripture; this transformation occurred more slowly, over decades rather than months, yet it remains disturbing through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for many of us.

A Harmful Christianity Establishes Itself

Hence I shall explain the Jesus that I grew up with, since in theory the Savior is the core of any Christian faith, and given that the quickly increasing segment among Americans may possess limited understanding of him since they are non-believers or agnostics or religiously unaffiliated. I have no problem with any of these traditions, nor with different religions; but I do think that contain precious wisdom of substantial value in biblical accounts.

It is emphatically absolutely not the story of a mighty king emerging; instead, a child comes into the world to displaced parents in a garage, who are forced to hastily depart to a different country to evade undercover officers. The baby grows up in humble circumstances, a working carpenter; his message focuses on affection for other people, especially for the impoverished – and not a sentimental love, but tangible care, demonstrated through nourishing and housing. The Savior's reaction to violence is to present the opposite cheek – not as a gesture of compliant endurance, but as a method to instruct the assailant; his crime policy states that when someone steals your jacket you should give them your pullover also.

The obvious and clear reality that the Jesus in biblical accounts advocates for a kind of extreme compassion centered on the needy is what has always made the Christian faith something of a scandalous religion: engaging for the general public, but because of its natural unconventionality demanding to be contained. During the 1950s it was controlled by dilution – The Protestant faith was so prevalent that it practically baptized the status quo.

A Struggle for the Finest of Us

Hence I have become inspired to witness the persistent defiance against Trump develop in this past year. It has been significant comfort to participate in developing the movement that has protested openly in rally after rally, and appears to have motivated electorate to turn out in numbers during minor elections. We must have to persist with it, and in the same spirit, displaying national flags at every demonstration and calls to the highest qualities within national heritage.

We're going to be asked ... about how you treated the immigrant? Did you receive him and embrace them or refuse?

America is best defended, in other words, by relationship to the best in US heritage, just as Christianity is best defended by reference to that which renders it special and beautiful, which is the example of Christ. In both situations does it imply feigning the most damaging of both America and religious tradition did not happen; it represents both humility and conviction, a mixture that genuine US believers should be comfortable with.