Trump says God is on his side
Reflections from our chaplain, Andrew Norman
Talking about the assassination attempt which might easily have taken his life Donald Trump said in his Republican National Convention nomination acceptance speech in Milwaukee yesterday: “I felt very safe because I had God on my side”, and later added “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God”. But I wonder how should we feel about politicians claiming that God is on their side? Aren’t such claims highly manipulative and liable to play into popular hysteria?
Though don’t we feel that God is on our side? After all, what does it mean to call ourselves Green Christians? Isn’t God on the side of those who want radical change in response to the climate and nature crisis?
The Climate Change Committee, formed under the Climate Change Act to advise the Government, has just published its assessment of the UK’s progress towards reaching Net Zero. It finds that only one third of emissions reductions required to meet the 2030 target have credible plans. They recommend further urgent actions which need to cover buildings, industry and transport with ten key recommendations for the new Government. And we might feel hopeful that a more adequate response might now begin to be made by the new Government. But I don’t believe that God has now moved from the Conservatives to be on the side of Labour.
I don’t believe that God is on the side of the Republicans in the US. But neither do I believe that God is on the side of the Democrats. I do believe that God is the mystery of creative love in which the whole world and the entire universe is enfolded, and that God – who is beyond any personalised image we might have – is thereby on the side of all people and of all that is. And I do believe that Donald Trump stood before the Republican National Convention only by the grace of almighty God. As do we all from moment to moment.
And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazel nut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, “What may this be?” And it was answered generally thus, “It is all that is made”.
Julian of Norwich
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Comments on "Trump says God is on his side"
Andrew Norman:
Yes. The operation of thinking tends to exclude. For we form our picture of reality by excluding some information. But spiritual awareness includes in allowing for there always being more and the fullness of reality being transcendent. As Green Christians participating in the highly polemical field of the climate and nature crisis the challenge is to stay open to this awareness.
Ruth Jarman:
Ah so true
Staffan Engstrom:
Andrew, you are absolutely right! As humans we are all so prone to falling into dualistic side-taking, which, when it happens, should always be a warning shot! ‘God’ does not take sides, but we tend to do so. Every fibre in my body tends to want to say “no!” to everything that DT stands for and yet… God does not. God is on the side of all humanity… on the side of all creation coming together into wholeness and has promised that this will happen.So, how should we respond? We must avoid living dualistically - in opposition to lots of things that are bad - but instead in support of the good. This means calling out what harms without judging those that do them, it means living in hope of the coming together of all things, it means living with integrity for the good of all without judging those who don’t do that.This is why I need the help of people in Green Christian and elsewhere… because it’s tough to do this alone in a rapidly changing world! I seek the kind of deep, non-judging community where the issues can be tabled in safety, and where there is help for living as Green Christians today.
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