One year on gives us some pause to reflect on Trump's first year in office. My interest isn't to delve into politics but rather reflect more on how the nature and character of national leadership has changed, and what Trump's rise to power says about us. I came across this article - while more than a year old now - I was surprised at how relevant it still is today. It clearly describes the stark choice made by many Christians.
Time: Donald Trump and the Transformation of White Evangelicals
Essentially the argument goes something like this. Many supported Trump as a lesser of 2 evils, as a means to an end. The end was hope that more conservative, Christian policies might be implemented, even if it means tolerating some distasteful antics by the leader. After all, politics is a dirty game. All this sounds much like a recent article about why Russians support Putin. Sure he is a bit of a thug, but he's Our thug.
There are 2 problems with this. First, at some point, the moral disconnect between the leader and the so called Christian friendly policies can get stretched so far that cost exceeds any potential benefit. The question is how much immorality can be tolerated in the name of morality? The second problem is that when you take away all the politics and religion, what you are left with is just a form of glorified tribalism. Maybe Christian tribalism, but all it really is wanting a thug that will be more effective at defending the narrow self-interests of one specific group against those of everyone else. The problem with both these points is any authentic Christian values get lost in the process, and my real concern is where will that leave the Church and its role in society once Trump leaves office?
As for Trump, how he acts sets an example for so many. The question should be what basic principles should leaders respect, and human decency they should model, not to cast about looking for examples of leaders that were worse. This has nothing to do with Rep vs Dem. I can appreciate that people have their reasons for voting across the spectrum depending on the issues of the day, and for many this time around may have been a protest vote. I have a much harder time understanding this religious 'support Trump no matter what' philosophy that some Christians seem to have. As to the truth, time will tell what was truth and what was lies, but I'm fairly certain Trump will not be serving a second term, if he's lucky enough to complete this one.
I do think that many ardent Trump supporters, particularly in the Christian community, have trouble objectively seeing the stark choices they are making when they continue their blanket support. I think it is ultimately a choice about power vs principle, exclusion vs inclusion. The power play is to look the other way when basic principles are violated so long as the right supreme court justice is approved to protect our interests. The exclusion or us vs them approach signifies a shift towards narrowing the definition of who is 'us', and then building up barriers to protect us from 'them'.
One problem is you never know when you will become one of 'them'. The bigger problem is that in the process, the first and second commandments are lost: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind ... Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:30-31). "What good does it do to gain the whole world and lose your soul?" (Mark 8:36). Ultimately love is traded for fear, and its attempted antidote, the search for self - security, means the interests of others are increasingly ignored. What the world needs is leadership by example, not legislated morality. Neighbors that care for each other, not build walls and deport those that look different. Blanket support for Trump might gain a few seats on the supreme court, but it will cost the American church any legitimacy in the court of public opinion.
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