“…Trumpism is a thoroughly religious movement”, David French wrote in a November 16 op-ed in the New York Times. A self-described evangelical Christian, French went on to say that since Trumpism is a religious phenomenon, it requires a religious answer. I agree.
And yet.
I don’t think Mr. French goes far enough. What I see, and what so many of us are experiencing, is that Trumpism is more than a religious movement. It is a Crusade.The distinction is important.To my mind, a movement is an enterprise that seeks to gather people to join in a common purpose. A movement is invitational. A Crusade is coercive; embedded in its ethos is a right – often expressed as a divine right – to attack opponents. A Crusade is a campaign devised to vanquish opponents by silencing voices, publicly and forcefully removing people to places where they often cannot be found, vengefully ridiculing people who dare to dissent, or – in the case of suspected drug traffickers — literally blowing them out of the water. Fueled by a toxic combination of certainty and self-righteousness, Crusaders brook no ambiguity and are reluctant to take any prisoners. The opposition needs to be destroyed.That is what we are seeing today.
The original Crusades were a series of military campaigns launched by the papacy between 1095 and 1291 against Muslim rulers for the recovery and defense of the Holy Land (Palestine). They were directed by various popes, and even though most of the eight Crusades failed to retake Jerusalem, they nonetheless successfully evoked religious fervor in the Christian West — a passion that cemented the rightness of their belief system.
There are legions in the Trumpist world who subscribe to the theology of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) which seeks dominion over what they describe are the seven mountains (education, family, religion, entertainment, education, government and media). It has all the elements of a 21st century Crusade. Many NAR advocates are in the President’s cabinet.Some are in Congress.The NAR is engaged in spiritual warfare against those who don’t subscribe to their unique brand of theology.
Which includes so many of us who identify ourselves as Christians.
There are some troubling tendencies which lie beneath the cruelty of the current Crusade. The first has emerged from my conversations with a growing number of evangelical Christians. While they express sincere respect for their siblings in the Abrahamic faith tradition – Jews and Muslims — they claim that faith in Jesus is the only truth. This exposes an incompatibility between respect on the one hand and dismissing on the other. Citing John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me,” many evangelical Christians insist that this scriptural reference ultimately dismisses the truth of Judaism, Islam and the many other religious traditions that don’t fall under the Abrahamic umbrella. Two distinct results can arise from this interpretation of Jesus’ words: for those who don’t subscribe to Jesus as the ultimate and exclusive truth, be they non-Christians or Christians with a more expansive scriptural perspective, they soon recognize that their faith is regarded as an inferior if not illegitimate truth and end up feeling condescended to. The second result is that a Christianity that is built on superiority, exclusivity, and accompanied by a theological rigidity can easily become an incubator for Crusade activity.
For my entire adult life I have comfortably and confidently identified myself as a progressive Christian, which for me means that I am deeply committed to the witness of Jesus and the power of the risen Christ. At the same time, I am deeply committed to the truth of the other Abrahamic traditions (which I have the closest and most abiding relationship with) and have found that their ultimate truths are not only legitimate but have immeasurably contributed to my understanding of faith. I treasure their wisdom and witness. That said, I recognize in me – and in many others – the tendency to be so open and affirming that a core set of beliefs and practices can be seen more as an obstacle rather than a foundation.
I have occasionally been directly and indirectly accused by some fervent and passionate Christians, whose faith is clearly defined and unambiguous, that I am not a legitimate believer because I don’t subscribe to the exclusivity of the Christian witness. That I am naïve, that my faith is an affectation and not really grounded in what they regard as the Christian core. I find these perspectives hurtful and irritating, yet in some ways I understand where they come from.
Years ago, one of my mentors, an Episcopal priest, observed that so many of his parishioners regarded their faith and their practice as dessert. “Pretty to look at, sweet to the taste. An unneeded but welcome addition to the real meal. Doesn’t last long. And can take it or leave it.” His was an observation made after decades of ministry. These days it could be received as an indictment.
David French argues that a religious answer is required to respond to Trumpism. I agree. But religion as dessert is not going to cut it. Yes, countless people have left religious practice and belief because of its perceived rigidity and ruthlessness. I get that. But so many others have regarded faith as a fanciful distraction, disconnected from how the world works. A dessert that is pleasant to look at but not needed. We can show up for it, engage in it for special occasions, but then leave it. Which then gives more kindling for the fire that religious crusaders are lighting in more places than we can count.
For me, faith is based on compassion and justice. There is nothing naïve about that. Faith points to a hope and a promise that I believe has been offered, but needs to be embraced and shared. Not just on special occasions but over and over again. It is important to keep drilling down on the values that have shaped us, the stories that have guided us, and the witnesses – from Jesus to Gandhi to Tutu to King — who have challenged us.
The Crusaders seek to dominate. Their opponents are effectively denied their humanity – and therefore can be dismissed, deported or in many instances, destroyed. A faithful witness is needed in response. It needs to be the main meal.
