Responding to the Next Trump Era
January 20th will be a scary day with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States. His cabinet picks for top governments posts suggest that loyalty to the President was the only qualification that mattered. These picks are not only unqualified for the important government departments they will manage, but their backgrounds suggest they were chosen to carry out his vendetta against “perceived enemies” and to further his authoritarian aims. Let’s look at a few.
When Matt Gaetz withdrew his name for Attorney General because of reports of sex trafficking and extensive drug use, Trump nominated Pam Bondi. Bondi has been quoted on several occasions as saying that the legal cases against Trump prove the justice system was weaponized against him. She is known to be Trump loyalist through and through.
To head the FBI, Trump plans to fire the current director, Christopher Wray, and replace him Kash Patel, a known conspiracy theorist who promises a deep FBI purge. John Ratcliff, Trump’s pick to head the CIA, is a well-known flame thrower with little or no experience in intelligence. Tulsi Gibbard, his pick to become director of national intelligence, has strong ties to both Russia and Syria and would most likely have difficulty getting a security clearance under normal circumstances. (1)
Moving on to other areas of government policy, the earth is crying because of Trump’s stated aim to end the Biden administrations policies to deal with the climate change crisis. Minorities of all types should begin to worry about the many Trump appointees who believe the government has been discriminating against white men for the last fifty years or more and who have expressed a determination to reverse these inclusion policies. Citizens who rely on the social safety net will most likely see significant benefit reductions.
The world from a progressive Christian perspective seems to be coming apart. The long view of history, however, provides a more hopeful outlook.
I’m a sixties kid. My college years saw an explosion of human rights—civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, animal rights, planetary rights. A huge value change in the culture occurred at that time sparked by anger at the war in Vietnam. Important laws were passed throughout the 60s and 70s to implement these values. Racism declined, minorities were far less demonized, interracial marriages became common, and women were allowed to take out credit cards in their own names. Far more important, rape and domestic violence declined significantly. Laws were passed to clean up the air and water. It was an exciting time.
Steven Pinker takes a longer view of history. In The Better Angels of Our Nature, he presents overwhelming evidence to document the dramatic decline of global violence of all kinds over the long span of human history. Over the last sixty years, wars have exhibited a marked decline. Homicide, genocide, and violence against woman have also declined significantly.
Pinker gives several reasons for this decline in violence throughout history, but I want to focus on values because of remarks I will make concluding the essay. Pinker points out that values in Europe underwent a dramatic change in the 17th and 18th centuries. A culture of honor based on revenge and the glorification of war was replaced by a culture emphasizing human dignity. The Enlightenment that spread throughout Europe at this time spawned movements to end slavery, dueling, superstitious killings, (witch hangings) and sadistic punishments. The UN Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 has led to a growing revulsion against violence. Violence is no longer seen as a rational means to accomplish some end, but a problem that needs a solution.
Values make a difference. As the evidence above suggests, they can help make the world a better place, and that’s where we come in. An important part of the work of ProgressiveChristianity.Org is to make sense of the teachings of Jesus for the modern world. We present a vision of the Christian faith that is radically inclusive, with a focus on economic and social justice, as well as a commitment to resolve conflict with nonviolent means. That is our work—to present these values to the members of our churches and to anyone outside them willing to listen.
Progress in history is never made in a linear, straight-line direction. It is always a messy process with two steps forward and one step back. The next four years will inevitably be that one step back, but MAGA Republicans are not going to win the battle over values and the ultimate direction of American society.
I have long argued on this website that God whispers to us, that God sends out gentle messages of goodness and love which float through our awareness. These messages can influence our decisions if we are willing to listen and to act on them. God’s messaging is a major contributor to the humanizing process Pinker documents in his book, which is why I am confident Trump’s return to power will be nothing more than a temporary setback on God’s long march to make the world a better place. So, keep the faith and continue the good work of presenting God’s values of goodness and love to the larger world. Your work will make a difference.
——
- Heather Cox Richardson, “Letters from an American,” December 1, 2024.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Rick Herrick (Ph.D., Tulane University), a former tenured university professor and magazine editor, is the author of six published novels and two works of nonfiction. His latest books are A Christian Foreign Policy, A Man Called Jesus, Jeff’s Journey, A Second Chance. and Moving Beyond Belief. His musical play, Lighthouse Point, was performed as a fundraiser for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Herrick is currently retired, living in Bluffton, SC. He is married with three children and seven grandchildren. You can find him at https://rickherrickauthor.com.
