Long Overdue Thoughts on Trump
I think I'm probably not an unusual American when I say that I am horrified and terrified by what's going on in my country. And I think I'm even more horrified by how I've adapted to it. When Trump so heartlessly responded to the devastation in Puerto Rico, I wasn't even surprised. And while I was angry and fearful for the people in Puerto Rico, I didn't even know what to do. It seemed...dare I say it...normal.
There is one thing I feel comfortable saying at this point. Trump's work in this country is evil. My quick Google search says that evil is defined as "profoundly immoral or malevolent" and I have no problem saying that his current actions and policies fit that definition. I also am now comfortable saying that there is no way to support him while claiming to expect Christian values from government leaders. But I say that with a heavy heart, not meant to condemn. I say that knowing that I often am inactive in response to his actions. I see posts about ways to fight the travel ban and think, "I should do that stuff" and then I get caught up in things that seem more important.
So what makes me convinced that he is profoundly immoral or malevolent? Because of the battles he picks and the ones he leaves untouched. I find it profoundly immoral to leave members of your own country without water, power or medical care and then to blame them. I find a person to be malevolent when he refuses to call Nazis and racists evil. And, if I'm going to be totally honest, I can no longer pretend that his actions aren't racist. He goes after people of color and protects white members of society. As a debate coach, I do everything I can to keep from making assumptions, and I research and analyze things carefully before attaching -isms, but I can't find another common thread. His policies consistently benefit affluent white people and only directly impact people of color--the travel ban, DACA, his anger at the NFL protests.
And I feel like this is a moment when the church can rise up and show who Christ is by standing up to clear evil. We can truly live in to the call to love our neighbors and to fight oppression. So often in the Old Testament, I see God promising to fight for the oppressed and to bring justice. He tells his people to care for the foreigner and the poor. If anything gives me hope in this situation it is the great opportunity the church has to be the light and love we are called to be. To be different. To stand with those that are being bullied. And it's in our DNA. The church has a long history of loving, even among our major failings. Christians cared for the sick in their communities even when it cost them their lives. There are stories of Christians staying behind in Roman cities during plagues to care for and bury those who were sick. They fed the destitute and opened their communities to those that had been left out before. My heart, even as I type this, beats a bit faster at the thought of the ways the church can continue to really embrace this role--as care takers and community builders. Of the church making an impact by being a force for change, for good, for love and justice.
And that's what I now wrestle with--with what this looks like. How to move from anger and fear to action. How to resist the urge to be angry at those that accept his statements and rationalize them. How to be part of the church stepping up, being who we were at the beginning. I find that any time I read about the young church I think "I want to be part of that. I want to be that focused and committed. I want to be that different." And I typically then shrink back in to my "normal" day and "normal" level of willingness to step up and step out of my current routine. But now it's time. So maybe I'm writing this mostly so I'll be forced to change. If I say this then I have to do something about it. I so want this to be a time in church history that isn't marked by Trump, but instead is full of stories of Christians speaking up, running for office, starting initiatives, building programs at churches, using whatever they have to love those that have been isolated, bullied, or hated during this time.
There is one thing I feel comfortable saying at this point. Trump's work in this country is evil. My quick Google search says that evil is defined as "profoundly immoral or malevolent" and I have no problem saying that his current actions and policies fit that definition. I also am now comfortable saying that there is no way to support him while claiming to expect Christian values from government leaders. But I say that with a heavy heart, not meant to condemn. I say that knowing that I often am inactive in response to his actions. I see posts about ways to fight the travel ban and think, "I should do that stuff" and then I get caught up in things that seem more important.
So what makes me convinced that he is profoundly immoral or malevolent? Because of the battles he picks and the ones he leaves untouched. I find it profoundly immoral to leave members of your own country without water, power or medical care and then to blame them. I find a person to be malevolent when he refuses to call Nazis and racists evil. And, if I'm going to be totally honest, I can no longer pretend that his actions aren't racist. He goes after people of color and protects white members of society. As a debate coach, I do everything I can to keep from making assumptions, and I research and analyze things carefully before attaching -isms, but I can't find another common thread. His policies consistently benefit affluent white people and only directly impact people of color--the travel ban, DACA, his anger at the NFL protests.
And I feel like this is a moment when the church can rise up and show who Christ is by standing up to clear evil. We can truly live in to the call to love our neighbors and to fight oppression. So often in the Old Testament, I see God promising to fight for the oppressed and to bring justice. He tells his people to care for the foreigner and the poor. If anything gives me hope in this situation it is the great opportunity the church has to be the light and love we are called to be. To be different. To stand with those that are being bullied. And it's in our DNA. The church has a long history of loving, even among our major failings. Christians cared for the sick in their communities even when it cost them their lives. There are stories of Christians staying behind in Roman cities during plagues to care for and bury those who were sick. They fed the destitute and opened their communities to those that had been left out before. My heart, even as I type this, beats a bit faster at the thought of the ways the church can continue to really embrace this role--as care takers and community builders. Of the church making an impact by being a force for change, for good, for love and justice.
And that's what I now wrestle with--with what this looks like. How to move from anger and fear to action. How to resist the urge to be angry at those that accept his statements and rationalize them. How to be part of the church stepping up, being who we were at the beginning. I find that any time I read about the young church I think "I want to be part of that. I want to be that focused and committed. I want to be that different." And I typically then shrink back in to my "normal" day and "normal" level of willingness to step up and step out of my current routine. But now it's time. So maybe I'm writing this mostly so I'll be forced to change. If I say this then I have to do something about it. I so want this to be a time in church history that isn't marked by Trump, but instead is full of stories of Christians speaking up, running for office, starting initiatives, building programs at churches, using whatever they have to love those that have been isolated, bullied, or hated during this time.
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