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A disciple of Jesus explains the great sin of MAGA Christians, and points us all toward redemption [1]

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Date: 2022-09-02

Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) in Rio De Janeiro. Source: Wikimedia Commons

In his Independence Hall speech yesterday, Joe Biden tried to show the nation the importance of our founding documents and tried to illustrate the aspects of our history that should still unite us — by contrasting them with Trumpism, which continues to divide us. It was a good attempt, but he didn’t quite hit the bullseye:

This is where America made its Declaration of Independence to the world more than two centuries ago with an idea, unique among nations, that in America, we’re all created equal.



This is where the United States Constitution was written and debated.



This is where we set in motion the most extraordinary experiment of self-government the world has ever known with three simple words: “We, the People.” “We, the People.” ... We just need to remember who we are. We are the United States of America. The United States of America. (Applause.)

Perhaps coincidentally, the Washington Post published a literary masterpiece by Michael Gerson early yesterday morning with the same basic subject matter as Biden. Gerson is currently a WaPo columnist, but notably was a speechwriter for both Bushes (41 and 43). He was raised in an evangelical family and graduated from Wheaton College. From his background, it would appear that he fits nicely into Biden’s category of “mainstream Republican” — and I think his writring affirms this label. His writing also makes it very easy to discern that he has studied the story of Jesus better than most of us.

This knowledge of the New Testament should give him great credibility among the white Christians who form a sizable portion of Trump’s base. He doesn’t mince words when he talks about their grievous errors, but he approches those sins with the open arms of Cristo Redentor. You are worth redeeming. I think Biden was trying to say this yesterday, but Gerson said it with far more grace and elegance.

Gerson begins his treatise by explaining the “how” of evangelicals’ digression away from good character and toward a convenient but corrosive populism:

Anxious evangelicals have taken to voting for right-wing authoritarians who promise to fight their fights — not only Donald Trump, but increasingly, his many imitators. It has been said that when you choose your community, you choose your character. Strangely, evangelicals have broadly chosen the company of Trump supporters who deny any role for character in politics and define any useful villainy as virtue. In the place of integrity, the Trump movement has elevated a warped kind of authenticity — the authenticity of unfiltered abuse, imperious ignorance, untamed egotism and reflexive bigotry.

I had never previously understood Trumpism to represent any authenticity whatsoever, but after hearing this, I feel Gerson’s ideas may help us build bridges to the cadre of Red voters who are clamoring (perhaps mistakenly) for authenticity and are longing (perhaps shortsightedly) for blue Americans to tolerate their traditions (at least the ones that are not harmful).

Next, Gerson masterfully asserts a truism that Biden would approve, “The destinies of rural and urban America are inextricably connected.” And he brings Jesus into the discussion by asserting that today’s America is very similar to 1st-Century Judaea. Yes, he is saying (persuasively) that Red (rural conservative) and Blue (urban liberal) geographical areas existed in that part of the Roman Empire 2000 years ago — and that a culture war pitted one against the other.

The Holy Land was riven by a culture war. On one side were Greek cultural imperialism and Rome’s brutal occupation. On the other was a Jewish people committed to preserving its identity but divided between accommodation and violent resistance. Conflict often played out along an urban-rural divide. Cities were relatively cosmopolitan. The countryside was religiously conservative. And it was from the latter — the Galilean cultural backwater — that Jesus emerged.

Now he’s got my interest! I’m visualizing that Jesus emerged from a poverty stricken area with little or no social graces. Nazareth was perhaps a tiny enclave on the dusty outskirts of Bakersfield. Tell me more!

Gerson goes on to succinctly summarize the rest of Jesus’s earthly life by contrasting his teachings about righteousness against the ritualistic piety of the Pharisees (“A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.” Matthew 15:11), and by highlighting his inclusive acts (“...when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed. Luke 14:13”). This summarization is important because wayward evangelicals know the verses well and will measure their discipleship against the standard set by Jesus (as we all ought to attempt).

Gerson’s analysis goes on to deliver long list of “Instead of...” admonitions to religious conservatives. Here is the first example:

Imagine if today’s believers were to live out the full implications of their faith. Instead of fighting for narrow advantage, they would express their love of neighbor by seeking the common good and rejecting a view of greatness that makes others small.

Gerson’s column has far too many excellent and surprising quotes for me to repeat here, but in their gentle way, they tug at the reader’s heart by whispering, “Repentance? Do I need that?”

One of the hopeful refrains that adorns the smashing 2021 ABBA hit song, “I Still Have Faith in You”, has Anni-Frid rhetorically asking the question “Do I have it in me?”. The final expression of this (at 4:50 in the video) is magnificently juxtaposed just after her climactic assertion “It all comes down to LOVE.”

Gerson wants Red Americans to ask themselves if they still have the love of Jesus in their hearts — in part because the future of our nation depends on it.

And by implication, he puts Blue Americans on notice that we too have an obligation to love our neighbors — even the ones wearing Roman MAGA helmets and fiercely beating Jesus with Trump flagpoles.

Do I have it in me?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/2/2120342/-A-disciple-of-Jesus-explains-the-great-sin-of-MAGA-Christians-and-points-us-all-toward-redemption

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