BLOG 4/6/18. THE ENIGMA OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

BLOG 4/6/18. THE ENIGMA OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

It inevitably comes up in conversation, once that conversation turns to politics, and that is how so many ostensible Christian persons can be so dedicated to a person whose whole demeanor contradicts everything that Jesus taught and demonstrated: immoral, obscene language, untruthful, prejudiced, greedy, arrogant … and on, and on. In the recent web journal: Salon Magazine, the author offers a clue that I had never considered, and I commend it to you.

[https://www.salon.com/2018/04/05/have-christian-nationalists-staged-a-soft-coup-with-trump-as-their-figurehead/]

The author, Andrew Whitehead offers the proposal of the quest for a Christian nationalism, i.e., that these persons have the vision of a ‘Christian America’, and see this president as one who can implement their illusion of such. The problem is that this has never been a “Christian nation” even though it has been significantly influenced by Christian values (or maybe Hebrew-Christian values) which often form its politicians. But the founding fathers were more often deists—one thinks of Ben Franklin, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, etc.

Politics is never neutral ground. There are always selfish motives, aggressive egos, pressure groups, huge financial interests, so much so that even the most sincere and principled persons find themselves prone to compromise. And compromise is the art of politics—give a little and get a little, win some and lose some, betrayal by those whom one trusts, dishonesty among colleagues. Often the most principled and skillfully crafted policies come from those who are essentially secular in their orientation, and vice-versa.

Representative government is just that: representative of those who are the electorate and their interests. And the political process can be messy, or as someone likened it: to watching the making of sausage. What makes a country such as ours to have the flavor of Christian ethics and interests is the responsible engagement of those of us who are the citizens by our voting, and being significantly formed and informed both by the life and teachings of Jesus, but also the issues before us politically, socially, and culturally.

I once did a term paper seeking to understand how Scotland, after the Protestant Reformation, with its very dogmatic principle of the separation of church and state, could become so influenced by the Christian faith. The answer was that Christians, with strong and principled vision, ran for and were elected to the Scottish parliament, and used their ethical and moral vision to implement the policies of that country. They were, as it were, salt and light in a deliberative body that reflected the vision of those who made the policy. Many who were not at all Christian became co-belligerents with the Christian parliamentarians in bringing about peace and order and justice (which their confessions stated was the purpose of civil government).

There was also that aborted attempt by the English Puritans to establish a Christian government under Oliver Cromwell, which didn’t really work. The government, after that, became a constitutional monarchy, under the rule of a parliament made up of representative members—some Christian, and many not so. It is interesting to note that under that government, right down into the 19th century, the slave trade flourished, seemingly to the non-concern of many Christian parliamentarians. But there was that small group of Christians who were appalled at it, and who each weekend retreated to their home parish of Clapham to pray and plan. It was that small ‘Clapham sect’ who ultimately prevailed and caused the cessation of the slave trade. Those few were the responsible Christian “salt and light” in that moral darkness. So, it is all of our responsibility, not to Create a so-called Christian nation, but to live responsibly as citizens incarnating Christ’s teachings in responsible voting.

About rthenderson

Sixty years a pastor-teacher within the Presbyterian Church. Author of several books, the latest of which are a trilogy on missional ecclesiology: ENCHANTED COMMUNITY: JOURNEY INTO THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH, then, REFOUNDING THE CHURCH FROM THE UNDERSIDE, then THE CHURCH AND THE RELENTLESS DARKNESS. Previous to this trilogy was A DOOR OF HOPE: SPIRITUAL CONFLICT IN PASTORAL MINISTRY, and SUBVERSIVE JESUS, RADICAL FAITH. I am a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, a graduate of Davidson College, then of Columbia and Westminster Theological Seminaries.
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2 Responses to BLOG 4/6/18. THE ENIGMA OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

  1. Bill Serjak says:

    Jesus converts people not nations or organizations. A man once called me a pre-Constantinian Christian. After I figured out what that meant, I realized it was an accurate description.

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