This was a Disgrace!
“This was a disgrace!” Yes, indeed. But a dis-grace of a special sort.
When on May 30, 2024, Donald J. Trump received the Manhattan court verdict – guilty on 34 counts of felony falsification of business records to cover up a crime – exclaimed, “This was a disgrace!”
“This was a disgrace – a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt. We will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over! … My civil rights have been totally violated with this highly political, unconstitutional, and election interfering witch hunt.”
Now, precisely what is the former U.S. president saying here? The focal point is clear: Mr. Trump is innocent of all charges. Worse: he is the victim of malfeasance and maleficence on the part of Judge Juan Merchan, who is both “conflicted” and “corrupt.” Trump’s “civil rights” have been “violated.” Finally, and most importantly, Mr. Trump is a just and good person because he fights for “our Constitution.”
If what the defendant in this trial says is true, then it follows that a just person has been treated unjustly. The sheer fact that he is the victim of personal prejudice and institutional injustice makes his cause just. We should expect social activists, the ACLU, and liberation theologians to take up Trump’s cause and demand justice, real justice.
We have a choice. On the one hand, we could recognize in Trump’s infantile rhetoric the mechanism of self-justification accompanied by scapegoating. “It’s not my fault, Mom! My sister stole the cookies from the cookie jar.” This must be a lie. At least according to the discerning ear.
On the other hand, we could believe what Trump says here. We could view this political leader as a victim of an unjust social system by which all Americans are victimized. We could justify in the name of justice retaliation, revenge, and revolution.
What might be our own motivation for electing the first or second option?
Conclusion
Was this a disgrace? Yes, indeed. But a dis-grace of a special sort. No tone or mood or feeling of graciousness was present here. This was a graceless moment.
As a public theologian I’d like to point out that self-justification combined with scapegoating makes sin what it is. Self-justification and scapegoating do not merely cover up other sins. No. This mixture baked in a lie is the New Testament recipe for human sinning. It’s what got Jesus crucified.
But how do we distinguish between genuine cries for justice rising from those oppressed by real injustice? Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth?
Let’s ask: what does stand-for-justice at this moment require? Defending victim Trump from those who treat him unjustly? Or accepting the jury’s verdict and demanding appropriate retribution from the judicial system?
Patheos ST 2162. SIN 12 This was a Disgrace
Here are some other entries in this Patheos series on sin.
SIN 7 The true story of Satanic Panic
SIN 8 How can Satan cast out Satan?
SIN 9 Ted’s Tips on Satan and Demons
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For Patheos, Ted Peters posts articles and notices in the field of Public Theology. He is a Lutheran pastor and emeritus professor at the Graduate Theological Union. He co-edits the journal, Theology and Science, with Robert John Russell on behalf of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, in Berkeley, California, USA. His single volume systematic theology, God—The World’s Future, is now in the 3rd edition. He has also authored God as Trinity plus Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society as well as Sin Boldly: Justifying Faith for Fragile and Broken Souls. See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com. His new 2023 book, The Voice of Public Theology, has recently been published by ATF Press.
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