What else can explain why Trump is so popular? This is the "keep it real" culture, the anti-politician and the anti-religious leader culture. We want to be led from below--apparently way below. For all his transparent flaws, Trump is real. He loves his women and his golf and his money. He says stupid things, but at least we know what the man thinks. He doesn't hedge, doesn't game people. He doesn't ask what the polls say and then let us know what he thinks. He tells us what he thinks; the polls be damned. And because of that, the scores of people who appreciate authentic a-holes love him.
Trumps popularity signals a shift in what people seem to value. His brand of shameless self-promotion and grandstanding takes place everywhere today in American culture, with varying degrees of success. Narcissistic people are now seen as merely confident. The only people seen to have deep character flaws are those like me--that is, people who call other people on things like narcissism. The only character flaw that counts today is judgmentalism, unless one is authentically judgmental like Trump, whatever "authentically judgmental" even means.
There is clearly little interest in the suffering servant model of leadership. Jesus is out, indeed has been out for years. No one remotely approximating his leadership style would ever be voted into office. In point of fact, Trump has said that he seeks no mercy and gives none. Now that is strong leadership that will assure American superiority. He may be totally godless, but then again, there is such a thing as the "separation of Church and state." The problem is that my fellow citizens, including many Christians, prefer a "separation of Church and everything." Perhaps this separation involves voting for people we know are not even remotely informed by Christian values, but are the strongest leaders when it comes to matters like American exceptionalism and asserting national advantage. Perhaps the Church can operate more freely insulated by a wall of alpha leaders. After all, the Church and state matter is insufferably complicated, and surely this interpretation rivals any other.
Trump is a national experiment in the feeble nature of American religious conviction. If you saw his pathetic declaration of love for the Bible, then you will know what I'm talking about. And yet Christians have no problem supporting the man. Perhaps that is because, in their own Christian lives, the Bible is a mere accessory. We are at that strange place in American history where no unabashed atheist can be voted into the high office of the presidency, and yet no uncompromising Christian can be voted in either. We want someone who will give lip service to religious conviction, but at the same time won't be "too Christian." In short, we want someone like Obama and not like Ben Carson.
It bears reflection to ask the question, "What kind of nation would vote a man like Trump into office?" Only a nation that would revere cold monuments to its founders, but would utterly forget their ideas! Lincoln may have his parthenon, but the slaughter of his worldview is the end of the man.
Trumps popularity signals a shift in what people seem to value. His brand of shameless self-promotion and grandstanding takes place everywhere today in American culture, with varying degrees of success. Narcissistic people are now seen as merely confident. The only people seen to have deep character flaws are those like me--that is, people who call other people on things like narcissism. The only character flaw that counts today is judgmentalism, unless one is authentically judgmental like Trump, whatever "authentically judgmental" even means.
There is clearly little interest in the suffering servant model of leadership. Jesus is out, indeed has been out for years. No one remotely approximating his leadership style would ever be voted into office. In point of fact, Trump has said that he seeks no mercy and gives none. Now that is strong leadership that will assure American superiority. He may be totally godless, but then again, there is such a thing as the "separation of Church and state." The problem is that my fellow citizens, including many Christians, prefer a "separation of Church and everything." Perhaps this separation involves voting for people we know are not even remotely informed by Christian values, but are the strongest leaders when it comes to matters like American exceptionalism and asserting national advantage. Perhaps the Church can operate more freely insulated by a wall of alpha leaders. After all, the Church and state matter is insufferably complicated, and surely this interpretation rivals any other.
Trump is a national experiment in the feeble nature of American religious conviction. If you saw his pathetic declaration of love for the Bible, then you will know what I'm talking about. And yet Christians have no problem supporting the man. Perhaps that is because, in their own Christian lives, the Bible is a mere accessory. We are at that strange place in American history where no unabashed atheist can be voted into the high office of the presidency, and yet no uncompromising Christian can be voted in either. We want someone who will give lip service to religious conviction, but at the same time won't be "too Christian." In short, we want someone like Obama and not like Ben Carson.
It bears reflection to ask the question, "What kind of nation would vote a man like Trump into office?" Only a nation that would revere cold monuments to its founders, but would utterly forget their ideas! Lincoln may have his parthenon, but the slaughter of his worldview is the end of the man.
