Make America Great Again. When was it great? Pre 1960s.
Before civll rights. Before hippies.
That is why evangelical Christians' support Trump. Trump is the counter revolution.
America is still fighting the two cultural revolutions that happened in the 1960's. In the 1960's open legal segregation and expressions of racial prejudice became illegal. The end of "Whites Only" signs did not end racial prejudice.
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| Hillary Clinton, 1969 |
I saw white backlash firsthand in Boston in 1974. It wasn't OK in white, ethnic Boston to say "N-----". That would be prejudiced, but white neighborhoods didn't want black school children going to school in them, and whites rioted, boycotted schools, and sent their children to white private schools rather than have their kids go to school with blacks.
The 1960 saw the emergence of the counter-culture. It was a revolt against traditions and authority. Long hair. Peace. Sexual revolution. Women's rights. Black power. Drugs. Revolt against authority.
There were protests on campuses. Students criticized the curriculum. They asserted power. They demanded the right to speak at graduation. Hillary Clinton was the first woman in the history of Wellesley to speak. She was voted by her classmates to do the speech.
I was at Harvard then. I saw no sign of Wall Street recruiting graduates.
One of the conundrums of the Trump phenomenon is the strong support evangelical Christians voters give Donald Trump.
How can they support him of all people?
Some answers become apparent in an improbable book, one written by a Washington Times editor and a political correspondent for the Christian Broadcast Network, a book that pieces out of Trump's biography presumed documentation of Trump's deeply authentic Christianity. Trump nominated Neal Gorsuch, a triumph for evangelicals opposed to abortion on religious grounds, and a milestone in the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. Gorsuch on the Supreme Court is proof that Trump is attempting to "live out his faith in deeds."
The authors define Christian not as a matter of faith, salvation, or spiritual connection, but as a matter of cultural norms and political policy. They write:
"Trump's view of America benefits evangelicals immensely. His traditional views translate into traditional policies more in line with a pre-1960s America that comports itself more in line with biblical Christianity than the watered-down Christianity of today."
Amazon's summary: "The book reveals how he has surrounded himself with believers who think he is the one guiding future who can return us to the traditional values--hard work, discipline, duty, respect, and faith, that have long been the foundation of American life, and truly make America great again in all ways."
Cultural conservatives respond to the moral values of respect for authority and the sanctity of cultural symbols. Conservatives saw Obama as failing to respect those symbols. He was criticized for not wearing a flag pin, although he did. He was criticized for not being Christian, although he is. I received emails showing Obama with his feet on a foot stool; how dare he disrespect the White House. And, of course, he was black.
Trump's attack on the NFL and on Colin Kaepernick is perfect cultural symbolism for Trump. Trump represents "Christianity" defined as a return to pre-civil rights, pre 1960s respect for authority and national symbols. Trump defines the national anthem as sacred, he criticizes the players for offending the authority of their employers, he criticizes a black man, and he criticizes a black man with a 60's style afro showing pride and defiance of white police power.
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| A perfect opponent for Trump |
The political side of evangelical Christianity is not about faith or salvation or piety or moral improvement. The book admits that Trump is not a perfect vessel, and it doesn't matter. Politically engaged Christianity is not about religion. It is about politics and tradition.
Political Christianity is an expression of the counter revolution to the 1960s.
1 comment:
Trump is a pagan. He worships money and power over others.
I would ask that you consider a distinction between Christianity as practiced sincerely and the posturing of Regressives like Trump and his cult. It's more tent revival hucksterism than anything remotely spiritual. This is exactly the cynical intertwining of church and state that the founders feared.
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