Saturday, November 30, 2019

Musings on Trump's Corruption of Military and Political Legitimacy

  By Rudy Barnes,Jr.


When Donald Trump became president and commander-in-chief of America’s military, I was concerned that he would draw America into a war.  Now I’m concerned that Trump will corrupt the military ethic and undermine military legitimacy by meddling in military justice and administrative matters that should be the prerogatives of military commanders.

Military legitimacy has external and internal dimensions.  How we use military force is its external dimension, while maintaining an effective authoritarian military force within a libertarian democracy is its internal dimension.  The latter is a prodigious challenge for commanders who must provide good order and discipline through administrative actions and military justice.    

Military values and standards of military justice support the premise that might must be right to meet the standards of military legitimacy and mission success.  America has learned painful lessons in legitimacy in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, where excessive force converted military victories into political defeat, refuting the Machiavellian principle that might makes right.

Trump’s derisive Tweet, “We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!” sent a false and dangerous message.  The military only prosecutes those who violate the law in their use of lethal force. In both the military and law enforcement, the use of lethal force must be restrained to prevent collateral damage that undermines its legitimacy.    

Trump doesn’t understand that.  As a self-centered draft dodger, Trump knows nothing about the military ethic of selfless service and the duty to support and defend the Constitution.  Trump’s recent pardons and interventions in command prerogatives and military justice have threatened the integrity of military justice and undermined military legitimacy.

Military values are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.  They are altruistic values grounded in the greatest commandment to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, including those of other races and religions.  That’s a common word of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims, all of whom serve in the U.S. military.

When Trump recently learned that the Navy planned a peer-review board to consider the misconduct of Chief Eddie Gallagher that could revoke his SEAL qualifications, Trump tweeted: “The NAVY will NOT be taking away Warfightrer and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident pin.  This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”

Gallagher is a renegade SEAL who was convicted of posing for a trophy picture with the corpse of an Iraqi fighter.  But he impressed Trump, who then intervened to prevent the review board from considering Galagher’s SEAL status. It showed Trump’s contempt for those in the command structure who were responsible for preserving the high standards of SEAL personnel.  

Trump’s insistence on unwavering loyalty to obey his personal desires goes beyond the military to all in the Executive Branch and to all Republicans in Congress.  In addition to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo know that Trump expects them to put their loyalty to him ahead of their loyalty to the rule of law and the Constitution; and so far they have met Trump’s expectations.
         
Trump’s Thanksgiving visit to American troops in Afghanistan should not disguise his corruption of America’s military and political legitimacy.  Trump seeks absolute control of the military and Executive branch to bolster his political power. The military must remain subject to the joint control of the President and Congress to preserve freedom and democracy.  Voters gave Trump his powers in 2016; if they value their freedom and democracy, they will revoke his powers in 2020.


Notes:

On what Donald Trump doesn’t get about Eddie Gallagher and being “tough” former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said of Trump, "I don't think he really understands the definition of a war fighter.  A war fighter is a profession of arms, and a profession of arms has standards that they have to be held to.” See 

Navy SEALs are primarily a direct action force focusing on quick and dirty raids.  The Army Special Forces have a direct action force (Delta), but Army SF is also tasked with extended special operations that include training and advisory missions that require language and cultural skills to build trust and confidence with their indigenous counterparts.  They must be more than competent warriors; they must be diplomat warriors to achieve mission success in sensitive and unforgiving cultural environments. For military legitimacy and professional leadership requirements in operations other than war, see chapter five of Military Legitimacy: Might and Right in the New Millennium (Frank Cass, 1996) posted in Resources at http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/.
  
On Esper demanding the resignation of Navy Secretary over SEAL case, see  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/24/us/politics/navy-secretary-richard-spencer-resign.html.

On how Trump ordered the Pentagon to let convicted Navy SEAL keep his elite status, see https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-seals-pin/trump-ordered-pentagon-to-let-navy-seal-keep-trident-pin-idUSKBN1XZ1YY.
   



On Trump clearing three service members in War Crimes cases, see 

On how pardoning servicemembers under Article II powers can undermine the rule of law, see  


On loyalty and duty in politics, the military and religion, see  


Related Commentary on Military Legitimacy:
(12/29/14): Religion, Violence and Military Legitimacy
(11/1/15): A Containment Strategy to Defeat Islamist Terrorism
(11/8/15): Tough Love and the Duty to Protect Life and Liberty
(11/15/15): American Exceptionalism: The Power of Persuasion or Coercion?
(8/27/16): A Containment Strategy and Military Legitimacy (see also #49, 11/1/15)
(9/3/16): The Diplomat-Warrior: A Military Capability for Reconciliation and Peace
(11/5/16): Religion, Liberty and Justice at Home and Abroad
(3/25/17): National Security and Military Legitimacy: When Might must Be Right
(4/1/17): Human Rights, Freedom and National Security
(5/6/17): Loyalty and Duty in Politics, the Military and Religion
(9/2/17): The Legitimacy of Engagement and Containment National Security Strategies  
(4/14/18): Musings of a Maverick on Military Legitimacy
(4/21/18): The Legitimacy of an Authoritarian Military in a Libertarian Democracy
(6/1/19): Musings on Military Legitimacy and Murder in Wartime
(10/19/19): Musings on the Meltdown of Military Legitimacy in the Middle East
http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2019/10/musings-on-meltdown-of-military.html.


Saturday, November 23, 2019

Musings on Jesus and Christ as Conflicting Concepts in Christianity


  By Rudy Barnes, Jr.

Jesus was a Jewish rabbi who called his disciples to follow him.  Christ (Greek for messiah) is a divine concept of Jesus created by the church to be worshiped as the only means of salvation.  Today most Christians worship Christ without following Jesus. The result is that belief in Christ has subsumed following Jesus, and the church has lost its moral compass.

That’s evident in politics.  In 2016 most white Christians voted for Donald Trump, whose morality is the antithesis of that taught by Jesus.  Their belief in Christ enabled them to ignore the moral teachings of Jesus. The gospels have a mixed message on the human and divine nature of Jesus (Christology).  They describe Jesus as a radical rabbi who sought to reform Judaism with his teachings on love over law and also as a divine miracle worker.

Paul’s atonement doctrine emphasized that salvation required belief in Christ as God’s blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of all believers.  That archaic and exclusivist doctrine has remained at the heart of Christianity even though the teachings of Jesus were universal. Jesus never promoted any religion, not even his own, and he never suggested that he was divine.

Jesus announced the coming kingdom of God, and called his disciples to follow his altruistic and universal teachings. They are summarized in the greatest commandment to love God and to love our neighbors, including our neighbors of other races and religions, as we love ourselves.  It’s a common word of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

Judaism and Islam recognize Jesus as a prophet, but they reject the divinity of Christ.  The church has promoted exclusivist Christian beliefs over discipleship to gain popularity and power.  But for Christianity to coexist in a world of increasing religious diversity, following the universalist teachings of Jesus should take precedence over exclusivist beliefs in Christ.

The emphasis on exclusivist beliefs in a divine Christ to the exclusion of the universal teachings of Jesus has allowed evangelical charlatans like Jerry Falwell, Jr., Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress and Paula White to sacrifice Jesus on the altar of partisan politics with distorted doctrines of “family values” and  a prosperity gospel that conflict with the teachings of Jesus.

Allowing exclusivist beliefs in a mystical Christ to supercede the universalist teachings of Jesus has left Christianity bereft of moral standards of legitimacy.  That has made the church irrelevant to democracy and caused an increasing number of nones to leave the church.  Unless Christianity restores following Jesus over exclusivist beliefs in Christ, it’s destined to fail.  

Mystical beliefs in Christ cannot save the church from its moral failure.  Jesus must be restored to prominence over Christ to save the legitimacy and relevance of Christianity to democracy; but since discipleship has never been popular (Matthew 7:13, 14), it’s not likely to be promoted by a church that depends on its popularity to maintain its power in America.             

The church is between a rock and a hard spot.  It must reconcile its exclusivist doctrines with the universal moral teachings of Jesus and a mystical cosmic Christ.  It should begin by rejecting belief in the archaic atonement doctrine as the only means of salvation, and then emphasize the message of Jesus as the divine word of God--and John’s gospel does just that.

John’s gospel presents Jesus as the Logos, or mystical Word of God (John 1:1-14), and its new command to love one another (John 13:34) restates the moral imperative of the greatest commandmentA Modern Affirmation affirms the service of love as a matter of Christian faith, but it is preempted by The Apostles Creed that asserts exclusivist church doctrines as the essentials of Christianity, and it omits any reference to loving others. (see Notes below).               
  

Notes:

Marcus Borg has acknowledged “the distinction between the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith that I learned about in my first seminary course remains of first importance.” Marcus J. Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. (HarperSanFranciso, 1995, p 15).    

The title to Robin Meyers book, Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus, sums up his distinction between Jesus and Christ.  (Harper One, 2009). 

The cosmic Christ elaborated by Matthew Fox and Richard Rohr is a mystical concept inspired by the medieval mystic Meister Eckhardt that contemplates a universal spiritual power that unites Christ with God and the cosmos, but has little to do with the moral imperatives taught by Jesus.

Paul’s atonement doctrine asserts redemption for sinners (salvation) through belief in the crucifixion of Jesus as God’s atoning blood sacrifice. (Romans 3:25-31).  Paul also affirmed love over law by asserting that “Love does no harm to is neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.“ (Romans 13:8-10).

Matthew’s story of the last judgment counters Paul’s Christology in the atonement doctrine with a final judgment based on how we treat “the least of those” among us. (Matthew 25:31-46).  Jim Wallis addressed that issue of discipleship in https://sojo.net/articles/discipleship-question-when-following-jesus-gets-put-trial.

Affirmations of faith illustrate the dichotomy of Jesus and Christ in Christianity.  The Apostles Creed is the traditional affirmation of Christian faith and asserts orthodox Christian belief in a divine Jesus Christ to the exclusion of following the altruistic teachings of Jesus.  By way of contrast, A Modern Affirmation asserts faith in both Jesus Christ and Jesus as the word of God .  For a comparison of the two affirmations, see http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/12/trump-and-apostles-creed-is-it-prayer.html.
    .    



Related commentary:

On the greatest commandment and love over law:
(1/11/15): The Greatest Commandment: A Common Word of Faith
(1/18/15): Love over Law: A Principle at the Heart of Legitimacy
(1/23/16): Who Is My Neighbor?
(1/30/16): The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves
(3/31/18): Altruism: The Missing Ingredient in American Christianity and Democracy
(10/13/18): Musings on a Common Word of Faith and Politics for Christians and Muslims
(2/23/19): Musings on Loving Your Enemy, Including the Enemy Within
(7/20/19): Musings on Diversity in Democracy: Who Are Our Neighbors? 
(7/27/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Love Over Law and Social Justice
(8/31/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Politics of Christian Zionism
(9/21/19): An Afterword on Religion, Legitimacy and Politics from 2014-2019
(10/5/19): Musings on the Moral Relevance of Jesus to Democracy
(10/12/19): Musings on Impeachment and Elections as Measures of Political Legitimacy
(10/26/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Discipleship in a Democracy
(11/9/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Virtual Alternative to a Failing Church
(11/16/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Irrelevance of Morality in Politics

On Christian universalism:
(12/8/14): Religion and Reason
(1/4/15): Religion and New Beginnings: Salvation and Reconciliation in the Family of God http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/religion-and-new-beginnings-salvation.html
(2/8/15): Promoting Religion Through Evangelism: Bringing Light or Darkness?
(2/15/15): Is Religion Good or Evil?
(4/5/15): Seeing the Resurrection in a New Light
(4/19/15): Jesus: A Prophet, God’s Only Son, or the Logoshttp://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/04/jesus-prophet-god-only-son-or-logos.html
(1/2/16): God in Three Concepts
(1/21/17): Religion and Reason Redux: Religion Is Ridiculous
(1/28/17): Saving America from the Church
(4/22/17): The Relevance of Jesus and the Irrelevance of the Church in Today’s World
(8/5/17): Does Religion Seek to Reconcile and Redeem or to Divide and Conquer?
(8/12/17): The Universalist Teachings of Jesus as a Remedy for Religious Exclusivism  
(9/29/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Resurrection of Christian Universalism
(10/6/18): Musings on Moral Universalism in Religion and Politics http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/10/musings-on-moral-universalism-in.html.
(10/13/18): Musings on a Common Word of Faith and Politics for Christians and Muslims
(12/1/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Mystical Logos
(12/15/18): Musings on the Great Commission and Religious and Political Tribalism
(12/22/18): Musings on Faith and Works: The Unity of All Believers and The Last Judgment
(3/2/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Post-Christian America
(3/9/19): Musings on the Degradation of Democracy in a Post-Christian America
(3/16/19): Musings on the Evolution of Christian Exclusivism to Universalism
(4/20/19): Musings on the Resurrection of Altruistic Morality in Dying Democracies
(5/11/19): Musings on the Relevance of Jefferson’s Jesus in the 21st Century
(5/25/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Divinity and Moral Teachings of Jesus
(6/8/19): The Moral Failure of the Church to Promote Altruism in Politics 
(6/15/19): Back to the Future: A 21st Century Pentecost for the Church
(6/22/19): The Universal Family of God: Where Inclusivity Trumps Exclusivity
(6/29/19): Musings on a Politics of Reconciliation: An Impossible Dream?
(7/20/19): Musings on Diversity in Democracy: Who Are Our Neighbors? 
(8/3/19): Musings on the Dismal Future of  the Church and Democracy in America
(8/31/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Politics of Christian Zionism
(9/7/19): Musings on the Self-Destruction of Christianity and American Democracy
(9/21/19): An Afterword on Religion, Legitimacy and Politics from 2014-2019
(9/28/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Polarized Politics of Climate Change
(10/26/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Discipleship in a Democracy
(11/9/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Virtual Alternative to a Failing Church
(11/16/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Irrelevance of Morality in Politics

On the future of a church that has lost its moral compass and the end times:
(2/8/15): Promoting Religion Through Evangelism: Bringing Light or Darkness?
(2/15/15): Is Religion Good or Evil?
(4/5/15): Seeing the Resurrection in a New Light
(4/19/15): Jesus: A Prophet, God’s Only Son, or the Logoshttp://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/04/jesus-prophet-god-only-son-or-logos.html
(10/4/15): Faith and Religion: The Same but Different
(7/9/16): Back to the Future: Race, Religion, Rights and a Politics of Reconciliation
(8/5/16): How Religion Can Bridge Our Political and Cultural Divide http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/08/how-religion-can-bridge-our-political.html
(9/17/16): A Moral Revival to Restore Legitimacy to Our Politics
(9/24/16): The Evolution of Religion and Politics from Oppression to Freedom
(11/5/16): Religion, Liberty and Justice at Home and Abroad
(12/31/16): E Pluribus Unum, Religion and a Politics of Reconciliation
(1/7/17): Religion and Reason as Sources of Political Legitimacy, and Why They Matter
(1/21/17): Religion and Reason Redux: Religion Is Ridiculous
(1/28/17): Saving America from the Church
(3/18/17): Moral Ambiguity in Religion and Politics
(4/15/17): Easter and the Christian Paradox
(4/22/17): The Relevance of Jesus and the Irrelevance of the Church in Today’s World
(4/29/17): A Wesleyan Alternative for an Irrelevant Church
(6/24/17): The Evolution of Religion, Politics and Law: Back to the Future?
(7/1/17): Religion, Moral Authority and Conflicting Concepts of Legitimacy
(7/15/17): Religion and Progressive Politics
(7/22/17): Hell No! 
(8/12/17): The Universalist Teachings of Jesus as a Remedy for Religious Exclusivism  
(10/7/17): A 21st Century Reformation to Restore Reason to American Civil Religion http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/10/a-21st-century-reformation-to-restore.html.
(12/23/17): If Democracy Survives the Trump Era, Can the Church Survive Democracy? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/12/if-democracy-survives-trump-era-can.html.
(3/3/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on America’s Holy War
(3/17/18): Jefferson’s Jesus and Moral Standards in Religion and Politics
(3/31/18): Altruism: The Missing Ingredient in American Christianity and Democracy
(4/7/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Need for a Moral Reformation
(4/28/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Virtues and Vices of Christian Morality
(5/5/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Nostalgia as an Obstacle to Progress
(5/12/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Christianity and Making America Great Again
(7/14/18): Musings on Why Christians Should Put Moral Standards Over Mystical Beliefs
(8/4/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Religious Problems and Solutions in Politics
(8/11/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Changing Morality in Religion and Politics
(9/1/18): Musings on the American Civil Religion and Christianity at a Crossroads
(9/29/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Resurrection of Christian Universalism
(10/6/18): Musings on Moral Universalism in Religion and Politics http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/10/musings-on-moral-universalism-in.html.
(11/3/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist: Has God Blessed Us or Damned Us?
(11/10/18): Musings on the End Times: God’s Rapture or Satan’s Rupture?
(12/1/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Mystical Logos
(12/15/18): Musings on the Great Commission and Religious and Political Tribalism
(12/22/18): Musings on Faith and Works: The Unity of All Believers and The Last Judgment
(2/9/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Hypocrisy of American Christianity
(3/2/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Post-Christian America
(3/9/19): Musings on the Degradation of Democracy in a Post-Christian America
(3/16/19): Musings on the Evolution of Christian Exclusivism to Universalism
(3/23/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Thinking Outside the Box
(5/4/19): Musings on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
(5/11/19): Musings on the Relevance of Jefferson’s Jesus in the 21st Century
(5/18/19): Outsiders Versus Insiders in Religion, Legitimacy and Politics
(5/25/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Divinity and Moral Teachings of Jesus
(6/8/19): The Moral Failure of the Church to Promote Altruism in Politics 
(6/15/19): Back to the Future: A 21st Century Pentecost for the Church
(6/22/19): The Universal Family of God: Where Inclusivity Trumps Exclusivity
(7/6/19): Musings on Democrats, Busing and Racism: It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
(7/13/19): Musings on Sovereignty and Conflicting Loyalties to God and Country 
(8/3/19): Musings on the Dismal Future of  the Church and Democracy in America
(8/10/19): Musings on Christian Nationalism: A Plague on the Church and Democracy
(8/31/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Politics of Christian Zionism
(9/7/19): Musings on the Self-Destruction of Christianity and American Democracy
(9/14/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Chaos as a Prelude to a New Creation
(9/21/19): An Afterword on Religion, Legitimacy and Politics from 2014-2019
(10/5/19): Musings on the Moral Relevance of Jesus to Democracy
(11/9/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on a Virtual Alternative to a Failing Church
(11/16/19): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Irrelevance of Morality in Politics