I still love Donald Trump

As a straight white man in the modern United States, I live a privileged life. I do not worry about sexual harassment. I do not worry about being killed for a traffic violation. I do not fear being killed for my sexual orientation. I live in a society that makes good assumptions about me because I am a white man. Yet, I want to empathize with my brothers and sisters of color. I want to empathize with my sisters. I want to empathize my LGBTQ neighbors. I listen to their stories. I read their tweets. I read their blogs. The voices of the minorities are the voices in many of the Psalms, most written while the Jewish people were in exile. The Psalms are the blues hymnbook of the Bible. But I have been blind, as a majority male to the power of these songs of lament. I do not feel the weight of oppression.

But because of Donald Trump, I begin to really know the soul of the Psalmists as I read through the lectionary. The Advent readings are chosen for the anticipation of a deliverer. Until one feels the need for rescue, though, one can't feel the desperation in them. Here is Psalm 52 for today.

Psalm 52

1  You tyrant, why do you boast of wickedness *

against the godly all day long?

2  You plot ruin;

your tongue is like a sharpened razor, *

O worker of deception.

3  You love evil more than good *

and lying more than speaking the truth.

4  You love all words that hurt, *

O you deceitful tongue.

5  Oh, that God would demolish you utterly, *

topple you, and snatch you from your dwelling,

and root you out of the land of the living!

6  The righteous shall see and tremble, *

and they shall laugh at you, saying,

7 “This is the one who did not take God for a refuge, *

but trusted in great wealth

and relied upon wickedness.”

8  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; *

I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

9  I will give you thanks for what you have done *

and declare the goodness of your Name in the presence of the godly.

This is biblical poetry I get. When I read this I am reminded the more things change, the more they stay the same. Judaism really congealed in the exile. In the same way, Christianity blossomed in persecution. Because of Hitler the church got the writings of Barth and Bonhoeffer. Because of the genocides of WW2 the church's theologians realized their theology needed to stop dehumanizing the Jews.

Because of Trump, I get the Psalms better. Because I get the Psalms better I get my fellow non-majority neighbors better. I love him for that. I think Trump is all those things the poet is ranting against in Psalm 52, but because of that tyrant we have this poetic prayer. I will pray this with the Psalmist. So I'm also thankful the Trump has made me someone who prays more.

May his administration of greed and wickedness end soon. May he come to repentance for greed and lies and deception soon.