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‘Wandered lost in nights so black. Now I am sure, no turning back. Jesus, lift my soul so high. Break my chains, let me fly-y-y-y…’ With t...
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On Monday, Donald Trump was inaugurated as US President for the second time. What does Trump 2.0 mean for Christians in the UK? Here are my top three predictions for how the new presidency may influence the UK church.
First, I think a large part of Trump’s victory was down to his ability to capture the disenfranchised demographics in America. Many white, working-class, Christian Americans have proven frustrated by a growing social narrative that paints these demographics as privileged and oppressive. Trump tapped into this disenfranchisement by promising to be the champion of white middle America. Although less dramatic, we can see similar trends in the UK with the rise of parties such as Reform and the popularity of figures like Jordan Peterson. In the UK church, I think we need to carefully avoid the traps of these culture wars. Rather than dichotomising society into oppressors and oppressed, we need a clear doctrine of sin that says, in the words of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, ‘the line separating good and evil passes… right through every human heart.’
Second, Trump normalises nationalism. His language of ‘America First’, threats of hiking tariffs on imported goods, and bizarre proposals to annex Greenland and Canada, have led to many other world leaders instinctively defending the sovereignty and significance of their own nations. We need to be cautious about this normalisation of nationalism. When patriotism and love for one’s country turn into a preoccupation with national and cultural superiority, we distort the vision of the global church, where those ‘from every nation, tribe, people and language’ are glorified in their diversity, not their uniformity (Revelation 7:9–10).
Thirdly, Trump’s close relationship with X CEO Elon Musk is cementing social media as our dominant global reality. Even before the inauguration, Musk’s obsessive posting about the Yorkshire grooming gangs scandal, which first came to light over a decade ago, catapulted it to the top of the political agenda in the UK. Because of social media, the ideas and events of America, and indeed the world, will inevitably begin to influence the culture in the UK. As churches we need to be constantly listening to, and taking seriously, what is coming across the pond via our social media feeds. The ideas and ideologies of the next US presidency, whether about trade, race, guns, faith, or anything else in between, will be influencing minds here at home. The question is, will we be ready to respond?
Dr Ben Chang
Ben is a speaker, writer, and emergency medicine doctor. He is the author of the book Christ and the Culture Wars: Speaking for Jesus in the World of Identity Politics, and blogs at benchangblog.com.
Ben for Prime Minister?
You seem to be advocating just rolling over and let Trump do whatever he wants!
The better, and more Biblical approach, is to do what Bishop Mariann Budde did and call him out for the nasty, divisive person he is.
You have to stand up to bullies, Ben.
Many white Christians are indeed frustrated by the narrative that certain characteristics in our society give you an advantage……….white, male, (in the UK) Southern………the list could go on………BUT we also have to acknowledge honestly that there is truth in that. Trump not only normalises an idolatry of nationalism but he also promotes here a “me first, America First” ideology that is the opposite of “love your neighbour as yourself” and thus deeply anti-Christian.
I had to read your article more than twice as I could not believe what I was reading. The Dr’s first point is all about perspective. And of course the author of this article clearly had to bring in a race issue. Does he not know how much Trump is respected by Americans from all over the ‘skin-colour’ spectrum? But with the article as a whole, I get the feeling the Dr. is trying to paint the American nation as far right – and their choice of leadership.
Then to throw in nationalism, there is absolutely no issue when people are proud as a nation, standing together as a nation, protecting what they know is taking away their identity whether American, Dutch, Iranian, Palestinian or Welsh. That is part of our make-up and of course who we are. It has been like that since the beginning of time.
What does he mean by global church? And the scripture verse he used is completely out of context, completely.
There is definitely some truth in being aware of what is being thrown out in social media, but that goes for everything. It is such a shame that we here in the UK had to be prodded by a non-UK citizen of what is still an ongoing issue in our cities. Something we as Christians, the church, and the general public are too scared to talk about for the fear of being called out as bigoted, islamophobic, homophobic, and all the other phobias.
Yes, the church was too silent around what happened around the Yorkshire groom scandal, and we are still too silent! Where are we? Waiting to pick up the pieces in the aftermath? The church does not even listen to what the people here in the UK is crying out for…that is the reason why ‘far right’ political movements gain momentum, when the people are not listened to – no other reason.
Finally, yes, whatever happens across the pond will affect us regardless. But let us rather focus on our own issues here in the UK and get ourselves sorted out first before we lecture other citizens on what to do in their own country, by their own elected leaders. Rather focus on our own issues and our own weak leadership, both political and ecumenical.
Just to clarify a couple of points here. (1) If Trump can find people of other races that respect him fine, but when on Holocaust memorial day (as I write) you have a man labelling non-white European immigrants as the enemy within who need to be deported as they are “poisoning our blood” I want to call that out as racist, and it is the same narrative that Hitler used to justify the Holocaust. No problem if he wants to act on illegal immigration. I don’t know anyone in any country who wants and supports illegal immigration.(2) We face in our country a dreadful epidemic of violence and sexual abuse of girls and women. That is the scandal. To single out , horrific as it is, one very small element of a huge problem (grooming gangs from over 10 years ago) is not helpful as it glosses over the true scale of the problem, and feeds racist narratives that it’s just men of Pakistani heritage who do this
I am a the son of a brave Czech Jew and a Zimbabwean in exile out of a wish to serve
We need less talk of Sovereignty more of unity .