Image from video screenshot
If God is Love, then it seems much of the recent rhetoric from a former President of our country is at odds with the Bible he has been holding in his hands these past few weeks. My hope is that his duplicity and deceit will become increasingly apparent and to that end, I am including in this Substack several quotes from and references to articles written on by several friends and acquaintances. I think you’ll find their perspectives to be a strong reminder of what Principle needs to be at the base of many of our decisions, particularly those which are political.
You may be surprised at this opening and subject material because so far we have dealt with songs, ethical concerns, history, our writing process of the book For the Love of it All (working title), and lessons learned. But now as we continue working on the last part of our book, we are turning toward larger present concerns like threats to democracy and what faith has to do with justice.
Jeanne and I have come to recognize a parallel between the continual development of metaphor to express my faith journey in music and the world's hunger for broader, more inclusive terms to describe a loving Creator. And while this cultural movement toward spiritual openness and understanding is heartening, there is an increasingly rigid response occurring as much of this nation and particularly the faith community finds itself being asked to accept a political agenda cloaked in cherry-picked religious language that is far from open and understanding.
I am particularly moved and thus persuaded to post a link here to an “open letter to Donald Trump” on the website of Religion News Service (RNS), written by Jim Wallis, Director of Georgetown University’s Center on Faith and Justice and the author, most recently, of The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy. Jim is a long-time acquaintance, the founder of Sojourners magazine and the author of a series of articles on El Salvador that inspired my song “El Salvador” and ultimately drew me (and the trio) to visit that country in the late ‘80s.
In this most recent writing, Wallis points out how little the former President knows about the core teachings of Jesus—like the power of truth and love of neighbor—and for good measure, he lifts up some important teachings from the Hebrew scriptures, like the commandment against idolatry and the notion from Genesis that all people are made in the image of God. He calls Trump “...a serious threat to both democracy and the integrity of faith communities, and the future of faith for a new generation.”
That sentiment is echoed by another acquaintance, Diana Butler Bass, a historian of Christianity and one of America's most trusted commentators on religion and spirituality. In a recent essay, she described some of the ways Donald Trump abused Christianity on Easter Sunday, posting stories "claiming that he is the 'Chosen One' and likening his legal troubles to those of Jesus' crucifixion." She points out that many evangelical followers "embrace the theology of Trump the Savior, a new political Jesus." Pointing out that "the religious nature of Trump's campaign has intensified in recent months, she argues that he "isn't just about politics any more . . . [but about] a profound corruption of Christianity that is now clearly heretical, if not idolatrous."
Her message is primarily directed to mainline churches, laity and clergy who have been silent and who say, “Trump isn’t our problem; he’s an evangelical problem.” No, she says,
Donald Trump is a Christian problem. Outside of the church, people don’t make distinctions between Christians who love Trump, those who are going with the flow, and those standing up and saying “no.” And many, of course, don’t know the difference between a fundamentalist, an evangelical, a Pentecostal, a mainliner, and a Catholic . . . . Nobody cares if you go to the most progressive UCC congregation in Texas or are a liberal Lutheran from Minnesota. If you are any kind of Christian with European ancestry, you are, according to the national narrative, a white Christian nationalist. You are part of the Trump cult.”
In a new best selling book, The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church,” Sarah McCammon, a national political correspondent for NPR, defines exvangelicals as “a loosely organized movement of former evangelicals who “began connecting online to discuss their disillusionment with Trumpism, anti-LGBT+ sentiment, racism, religious abuse, skepticism of science, and a host of other concerns about white evangelical beliefs and culture.”
At one point in my faith history, I’m sure I was considered evangelical—relying as I did upon the simplest and most familiar of terms from the Christian community for describing what was happening in my heart and in my soul. But at the same time, I began to recognize that certain kinds of God-talk turned many people away from faith, and so, more and more I began to rely on the word Love in my lyrics to express the presence and action of the Divine.
Admittedly, the writing of an autobiography is essentially calendar-driven. And, necessarily mine draws on many of my experiences throughout life; touching on early childhood, the creation of a high school rock band in Michigan and the move to Greenwich Village which established to a large degree my career as one third of Peter, Paul and Mary. However, in the recalling of some of these life-forming moments, they assume new significance when reviewed through the lens of that spiritual awakening that occurred in 1969.
“The Wedding Song,” a musical answer to a prayer later that same year paraphrased the New Testament sense of the Divine lyrically in this line " . . . whenever two or more of you are gathered in My name, there is Love...there is Love.” In the face of this latest attempt to hijack the Gospel, I maintain a certainty that Love will prevail.
Let us gather . . .
CONNECTIONS:
Read the Jim Wallis open letter to Donald Trump, titled “What That Bible Trump Is Selling Says about Truth,” on the RNS site.
Read Diana Butler Bass’s essay, “Donald Trump’s Political Idolatry: Just Say No,” in The Cottage.
Randall Balmer’s review of The Exvangelicals appeared in the Los Angeles Times and may require a subscription.
Listen to a North Carolina Public Radio interview with Sarah McCammon about her book, The Exvangelicals.
VIBRATIONS:
Watch and listen to Noel’s introduction and performance of “The Wedding Song (There Is Love)” from his album At Home and a video made in his basement of “Love with a Capital L” (opening with a surprise musical reference).
RESONANCE:
Many people think of love as a personal (and solely a person-to-person) emotion. Have you ever experienced or recognized the possibility of a larger definition?
Thank you for this piece. You make me feel better!
So well put Noel. I am unable to keep myself from shouting to all of those people who, like lemmings, follow this man. He is a polished huckster, a flim flam man, a snake oil salesman, a fraud who is only interested in what he can gain. Have we as a people, especially those who consider themselves children of God, sunk so low as to accept anything that come from the mouth of this pretender? I am fearful but I BELIEVE that LOVE will prevail.