Evangelicalism and Trumpism

It’s now official, Donald Trump is the President elect and will once again assume state power and leader of the free world in January next year. I’m confident, unlike events which occurred when he demitted office the last time, there will be a smooth transition from the Biden Harris administration to the Trump Vance term of office. Indeed, in what many are anticipating will be much of the same kind of leadership which characterized the previous Trump Pence administration and given the place and position of the global realities at present, with in excess of fifty wars across the globe, it would not be surprising if some hold the view not much will be improved. At the same time and given the previous attempts at blocking Obama Care or the affordable Care Act, which would deprive millions of Americans of well needed medical care, there is renewed concern that while the policy benefitted millions, and was in favour of the vulnerable and poor, a new policy direction will bring radical change.

Priority for the vulnerable and poor

 Moreover, some are of the view the Biden Harris administration was very complicit in the war in Gaza and the genocide being perpetuated there, and now with additional conflicts in Lebanon, attacks on Israel by Iran and the ongoing war in Ukraine, there is the need to pause and consider whether the new administration will change or reverse the present trend. No one knows for certain how things will evolve, however, with references to project 2025, dubbed a manifesto for a new Trump administration, though there were pockets of denial that this is in fact not the case, nevertheless, there is some indication that a very conservative agenda will be driving the new administration. Yet, the project provides a source of hope for some as they consider the threat of immigrants a serious issue, while for others policies which produce economic and social deprivation in countries that were described as sh*t hole countries by the former, and now soon to be President, keep these issues in the forefront. Indeed, these are not small matters, as they are critical in how we view those who are vulnerable, not just within the United States but also in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, South Sudan and other areas, especial since children, the disabled, the elderly and generally vulnerable people around the world, especially in war torn areas, are adversely affected.

Evangelism and Trumpism

With the election of President Trump, the push back against abortion, migration and cannabis will be kept in the forefront. Here there seems to be an alignment with what I would refer to as evangelicalism and Trumpism, with the former made up of leaders of the evangelical tradition, and the latter represented by a political ethos based on promoting the wealthy at the expense of the poor. This was addressed psychologist Stephen Lewandowsky, Chair of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol. He points out in an article entitled Why people vote for politicians they know are liars, that there is a general disillusionment with the establishment and the need for alternate reality which takes the needs of people seriously. He uses for example the popularity of the former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who, though making light the situation of a young boy with Pneumonia having to sleep on the floor at a hospital, and though he misrepresented the details of the deal which resulted in Brexit, he was still voted in as Prime Minister, as voters required radical change in the status quo.

In the final analysis therefore, while the issue at hand now is the election of President Trump and the overwhelming support by evangelicals, the real issue to be addressed is the lack of trust in institutions generally and political parties and the governments they form. These governments are seen as corrupt, foster inequality, pursue policies which favour the wealthy while marginalizing the middle class, the poor, migrants and other vulnerable groups. With change understood as inevitable, voters, be they conservatives or liberals, are looking for new ways to live in the world and the view is the present global political and economic systems are not working in favour of the majority. How then does the Church, which acclaims Jesus as Lord, addresses these issues, especially in the present climate?

Here I recommend a re-reading of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book The Cost of Discipleship in which he speaks of costly grace. Measured against cheap grace, which spiritualizes the gospel, keeps it in the realm of the soul, makes it devoid of social justice and insensitive to the transformation of society, costly grace, rooted in the incarnation, that is God in flesh in Jesus, places the gospel in the midst of people’s fears, anxieties and struggles. It is aligned with the disillusionment of people while offering Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection as hope for a transformed life.

A church on the margin, the title of one of his book is proposed by Rev Dr Burchell Taylor, Baptist Minister, who refers to such a church as one which embraces the prophetic tradition, accepts that it’s numbers will not necessarily evolve into mega churches but will be responsive as disciples. It’s a church committed to follow Jesus, not in a populist sense, but willing to literally and figuratively lay down their lives for the sake of those on the margins of society. Children, the mentally ill, the homeless, migrants, those living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, and on a broader scale, those affected by climate change, to include rising sea levels, increased storms and hurricanes and the rise in temperatures, must be at the forefront of advocacy for improved quality of life. Only churches and institutions which are proactive and responsive to these issues will be taken seriously in the age of evangelicalism and Trumpism.

Rev. Garth Minott is the Suffragan Bishop of Kingston.