19) Trump Embraces Christian Nationalism

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Reason #19 to Vote Blue on Nov 5

Jesus said that you can distinguish those who are his real followers from false prophets by looking at their fruit. (Matthew 7:15-20). An apostle later listed examples of “fruit of the Spirit”: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23). Does that sound like the Donald Trump you know? Is Donald Trump a Christ-follower?

Consider- Jesus said to pray, “forgive us our trespasses [debts].” Yet Trump said he does not ask God to forgive him.

Consider- could not answer a simple question – “What does your faith mean to you?” See video below for yourself.

In truth, Christianity was not a part of his life until he decided to run for President. He had no interest in religion as an adolescent in military school where he is remembered as a bully, nor while he was in real estate discriminating against black families, or later running TV shows and invading the dressing rooms of the teenage women participants. No, Trump’s embrace of Christianity began in 2015-16 as he sought the support of the largest block of voters in the Republican Party: the evangelicals. You could say he had a political conversion, not a spiritual one.

During his first administration his embrace of the Christian nationalist agenda grew. It became a factor in domestic policy (abortion, for example) and foreign policy. An example of the latter was moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv (where most other countries’ embassies are located) to Jerusalem. This was entirely to satisfy certain American evangelicals’ theological views of the “end times” even though it was disruptive to the peace process.

Trump, with little knowledge of either American history or jurisprudence, rubber-stamped the work of Christian nationalist “originalists” that brought about the confirmation of 245 judges throughout the country, including 3 associate justices of the US Supreme Court, adding to the Bible Belt of the Court. This huge advance in the number of people that think the Bible is of equal or greater importance than the US Constitution in interpreting the laws of the land is a serious threat to our country. It ignores the establishment of religion clause of the 1st Amendment. Christian nationalists seek to eliminate the concept of “separation of church and State.” And Trump has aided and abetted in this process that I consider dangerous.

Is the John Winthrop governorship of the Massachusetts Bay Colony the high point of American history to these people?  Winthrop was a wealthy landowner and a devout Puritan. He left England with many other families and established an oligarchic theocracy over new towns erected around Boston. Had he remained in England a few more years, he would have been part of Oliver Cromwell’s ruthless Puritan theocracy. Such attitudes breed conspiracies. Keep in mind that the witchcraft conspiracy that resulted in 20 deaths took place in Massachusetts – not in the other colonies.

Have these so-called originalists forgotten that the American Revolution was against George III and his established church?

Currently, and moreso due to the the assassination attempt, Trump’s embrace of Christian nationalism grows as a huge number of supporters have gone goofier with many online memes citing Bible verses and artwork elevating Trump to the level of “idol worship.” Examples here. And here.

Goofy – but dangerous. I remember the Jim Jones massacre, where nearly 1000 died because of a blend of crazy ideas taught by a persuasive speaker. That’s where we got the expression, “Don’t drink the Kool Aid.” Or read about another theocratic kook from the middle ages, John of Leiden. Or consider life under the Taliban in Afghanistan. These are valuable stories – warnings – of letting matters of faith determine one’s commitment to a particular group, city, or country leader.

Not all Evangelicals are fooled by Christian nationalism. Listen to this 10 minute warning about Christian nationalism from Skye Jethani, a Bible teacher, former pastor, former editor at Christianity Today, and now a speaker and author:

There is patriotism (Great!), Christian nationalism (Not good at all), and there is a subgroup of Christian nationalists that are really Christofascists (Scary!) This term was first used half a century ago by the theologian Dorothee Sölle. It is explained very well in a 5 min slide presentation below by Robert Reich. It is worth your time.

Reich says: “Fascists rise to power by characterizing their opponents as subhuman. Christofascists take it a step further by casting opponents as not just subhuman, but actually demonic.”

Framing opponents as enemies of God makes violence against them not only seem justifiable, but divinely sanctioned, and almost inevitable. 

What is at stake?  Consider:

Christian nationalists want to strip away a wide range of rights Americans take for granted. Plans for a second Trump term have called for overturning marriage equality, restricting contraception, and imposing “Biblical” tests on immigration among other things.  

MAGA-aligned judges seem to set their dogma ahead of the Constitution. Example: in his concurring opinion on the case that declared frozen embryos are people, Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker cited God more than forty times and quoted the Book of Genesis and other religious texts.

The first words of the Bill of Rights are a promise that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Insisting to the point of requiring on one specific religious lens by which to legislate, execute the law, and interpret the law is clearly establishing a religion.

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