Trump, South Park, & Christianity

Thanks for letting us take a few weeks off to enjoy the summer.

Aaron spent some time in the Nordics while I was with my family back in the United States and then with some friends in Scotland.

It was really great, and hopefully you've been getting some much-needed rest, too.

But now we’re back! 

And I can’t think of any better way to return than talking about one of the most obscene and inflammatory television shows in history…

South Park

The adult animated show South Park premiered its 27th season and, in the US at least, it made some serious waves.

In a nutshell, the episode parodied the presidency of Donald Trump, going to great and grotesque lengths to do so.

(Given the kind of content we produce here at Theophilus, I’m going to refrain from going into any more details than that.)

The episode was over-the-top and inappropriate, but also timely, addressing a particular element of the Trump presidency relevant to people of faith.

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone used their season opener to highlight the strange juxtaposition of Trump’s emphasis on Christianity with the President’s brash and irreverent attitude.

After all, you don’t need to look far to see the discrepancies between Trump’s behavior and the faith he claims to hold so dear.

Surprisingly, such a contrast isn’t unique to the US and certainly isn’t anything new.

What’s been happening with Trump in the US has, however, brought this topic to the forefront of many discussions, presenting it under the banner of something called - Christian nationalism.

Why This Topic?

So, why spend an entire week talking about Christian nationalism? 

Well, I certainly have no interest in a long rant about the US government - it’s certainly been done before.

Nor am I looking to “politicize” Theophilus either.

What South Park did was bring to attention an issue that’s been important in Christian history for about 1700 years:

The issue of Christianity getting too close to earthly power. 

The reality is, every Christian is a member of the Kingdom Jesus inaugurated 2000 years ago.

However…

Each one of us is also living in an earthly “kingdom” with its own government, culture, customs, and more.

We all come from a country and culture that, inevitably, shaped foundational aspects of our identities. 

And, believe me, the relationship between these two kingdoms hasn’t always been clear. 

That’s what we’ll check out this week.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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