A Brief Reflection on Trumpism

I made a big mistake today. I signed into Facebook. Within seconds I noticed several posts from those I know from evangelical church circles making comments intending to direct attention away from the atrocity that occurred at the capital (much of it done in Jesus' name), advance baseless claims of election fraud and justify elements of Trumpism. This post is my therapy.

First, a brief clarification of what I mean and don't mean when I say "Trumpism". Trumpism is not synonymous with republican politics as a whole or your average run-of-the-mill American who tends to vote for the elephant. A statement that comes from the group Christians Against Trumpism and Political Extremism summarizes what I mean by Trumpism well:

"Trumpism includes the intentional division and gleeful degrading of others made in God’s image. This emanates from the top but has infected many of Trump’s followers and supporters, including influential Christian leaders. So few Christians in leadership have been willing to publicly decry the president, though they are quick to point it out among others who disagree with their political positions. Political extremism, whether from the “left” or the “right,” uses violence, chaos, and degrading language as tools for social change."

We're talking more about an ethos than a person, a set of values rather than a specific group of individuals. Amidst this conversation we must recognize that Donald Trump himself, and even his most angry and conspiratorial supporters, are made in the image of God.

With this important distinction in place, the church in America has a prophetic role to play in distinguishing what is Christ and what is anti-Christ even if it makes a few people with money to drop in the offering basket upset.

We can agree to disagree on so much as Christians when it comes to politics. We have different positions on economic policies that best support the poor. We disagree on small v. big government, the best approach to healthcare, the policy platform that most consistently promotes a pro-life ethic, etc. We often feel incredibly passionate about our position while recognizing that other thoughtful and responsible Jesus followers disagree. There is so much to have civil disagreement over as we live out our faith in the political sphere.

One thing that is necessary for all who profess Christianity is to believe that God looks like Jesus. More specifically, we see God most clearly in Jesus on a cross. The Christian worldview is a cruciform one. The cross emphatically illustrates that God is non-coercive love, self-sacrifice, enemy love and radical servanthood. If there's ever something to get dogmatic on this is it. This is core to the story of Jesus and how He reveals God to us (the gospel). God doesn't look like Caesar, a Pharisee, a group of disciples arguing about who is the greatest, or Peter picking up a sword. He looks like Jesus on a cross. This paradigm for God and power makes no sense to us from a human perspective. Even those who journey with God for a long time can struggle to trust this is the best way to live. I am one of them.. Even Jesus' core group of disciples couldn't get it. At times they were clearly formed more by their culture's understanding of power than by Jesus' vision. For example, three times in Mark's gospel Jesus predicts His death on the cross. Each time this prediction is met with pride and misunderstanding from the disciples. In a power-over world it's hard to trust Jesus and take his teachings seriously. But that's no excuse. As disciples we are called to constantly reevaluate our affairs and values to ensure allegiance to Jesus.

In the age of Trump Christians must recognize and be willing to challenge Trumpism. Fundamental characteristics of Trump culture look nothing like Jesus on a cross. Instead of power-under, Trump culture is power-over. Instead of sacrificial love it is violent rhetoric. Instead of truth it is lies. Instead of humility it is bigotry. Instead of looking out for the needs of others it is filled with arrogance and self-promotion. Of course Christians can continue to lean conservative in their politics and vote for Republican candidates. To say otherwise is to engage in political idolatry on the left. But if we are unable to recognize and clearly challenge dynamics of Trumpism that run the opposite way of Jesus on a cross then we have lost our prophetic voice. We have fit our faith into our politics instead of our politics into our faith. Never has it been more clear to me that large swaths of white evangelicalism have been discipled more by conservative American political ideology than by the life of Jesus portrayed in the gospels.

Contempt isn't going to get us anywhere. Hating the MAGA hat wearing person isn't the way of Jesus. Neither is assuming the worst about every Trump supporter. But the way forward is not found in side-stepping the truth. Who among us will have the courage to speak up? As David French, a conservative political commentator who has also consistently spoken out against Trumpism has said in a recent essay,

"The rebuttal has to come from within. The New York Times isn't going to break this fever. Vox won't change many right-wing minds. But courageous Christians who love Christ and His church have a chance."

If Jesus were in the flesh today he would likely get crucified (figuratively...but perhaps literally too) for relentlessly teaching on a cross-shaped vision of the Kingdom in the face of Christian nationalists who claim His name. If we don't do the same we will botch our witness, lose moral credibility and expedite the mass exodus of the next generation from church. Let's be clear, good Christians can and must have robust disagreement on policy platforms that impact the common good. Christians can tend to lean left or right but must never be seduced into partisanship. As I've reflected on before, we ought to feel profoundly spiritually homeless in the American political binary if we are to remain faithful to Jesus. The politic of Jesus is neither left nor right. It's kingdom. And this kingdom is built by sacrificial love that looks like Jesus.

Followers of Jesus cannot look at something that runs the opposite direction of Jesus' kingdom ethic and call it Christian. This is idolatry. If it's power-over it's not Christianity. If it's lies, bigotry, hatred, demonization and violence it's not Christianity. Christians who tend to vote blue or red must be united on this front. Those who claim to follow Jesus must shed the shackles of partisanship, give allegiance to Jesus and call a spade a spade.