Living in post-Trump America

I’ve seen multiple opinion pieces that state that Trump is not the problem, he is simply a symptom of a much greater systemic issue. He has given a voice to a group of people who will not easily be silenced going forward.

I am a member of a “liberal” church. We have a rainbow banner out front. Our signage boasts “Hate Has no Home Here, Black Lives Matter, Children belong in Classrooms Not Cages” and many more along this same line.

This weekend our denomination issued a this warning: “A Notice to Our Churches: While we are hesitant to raise the alarm and/or overreact recent events compel us to inform you about what we are hearing regarding potential threats that have come to our attention. There are reports that “liberal” churches will become targets of possible attacks in the coming week, with the dates Jan. 17 and Jan. 20 featured more prominently. We strongly encourage you to be attendant to all safety concerns for ministers and congregants, even if it means meeting in a way that is other than in person at a church building this week. – United Church of Christ”

I presume this warning was issued based on this FBI warning to churches. In a very real sense it does not matter if the threat is real or not, what matters is that we as well as those in positions of power must behave as if it is. Welcome to post-Trump U.S.A.!