On Thursday morning, President Donald Trump appeared via video conference in front of a packed crowd at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump\u2019s statements leading up to his inauguration and in the days that followed were the talk of the conference, despite the fact that he was unable to attend in person. So when given the chance to hear from him directly<\/a>, the audience of diplomats, human rights advocates, academics, and business leaders from around the globe were eager to see what he had to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n Among the points most emphasized<\/a> were:<\/p>\n Much of Trump\u2019s speech touched on familiar grounds to any who listened to his inaugural address or the interviews that followed (for more on the president\u2019s executive orders and first days back in office, see this week\u2019s episode of Culture Brief<\/a>). Yet, the context at the World Economic Forum makes quite a difference in how those thoughts were received.<\/p>\n Instead of speaking directly to the people he was elected to lead, as has been the case for most of this week, the majority of those in attendance at Davos stand outside of the president\u2019s direct influence. As such, when he spoke as though America could do what it wants, with the implication that the rest of the world would have to either fall in line or deal with the consequences, it struck a nerve with some in attendance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Agnes Callamard, secretary general for Amnesty International, spoke for many when she described Trump\u2019s speech as conveying an \u201cabsolute determination<\/a> to \u2018make America great again\u2019 at the expense of the rest of the world . . . It\u2019s favoring American workers at the expense of workers everywhere . . . There\u2019s nothing, nothing about the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the implication behind Callamard\u2019s critique is that Trump should be concerned about the rest of the world, and that belief highlights the disconnect between the president and many who view the world through a much different lens.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump is not president of every nation and he should be focused on America first. At the same time, every world leader should say the same about the countries they represent. Trump should not be surprised when his America First policies don\u2019t find universal acceptance among the world leaders whose countries do not benefit from those policies.<\/p>\n That said, the stated goal of this year\u2019s World Economic Forum is \u201cCollaboration for the Intelligent Age<\/a>,\u201d so Trump\u2019s message of America first was not quite in line with much of what the conference\u2019s attendees had been hearing all week. However, collaboration is typically built upon the principle of a mutually beneficial relationship, and Trump clearly feels that America\u2019s relationships with much of the world fail to meet that standard.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the president reiterated Thursday, he believes that even the nation\u2019s European allies \u201ctreat the United States very, very unfairly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The problem with that line of thinking is that \u201cfair\u201d can be a rather nebulous concept. And, while there are a number of lessons we can take from the president\u2019s speech and the global response, that understanding of fairness is, perhaps, the most relevant to each of our lives today.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dennis Wholey once quipped \u201cExpecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack because you are a vegetarian.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet, despite the recognition that fair treatment is not always an option in this life, there\u2019s something in us that gets angry when we\u2019re denied the treatment we think we deserve. It\u2019s tempting to even see that lack of fairness as a mark against the goodness of God.\u00a0<\/p>\n From Job to David and a host of other biblical characters, anger toward the Lord is a common response when people are treated in ways that don\u2019t seem just. And that\u2019s alright. We should be angry when sin and the realities of living in this fallen world inflict injustices upon ourselves or others. Such instances remind us that this world is not what God intended it to be and that those who inhabit it are in desperate need of his salvation.<\/p>\n But this issue gets really tricky when we recognize that there will be times when God not only warns us that the world will treat us unfairly but also calls us to volunteer for that fate.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, Christ\u2019s call to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile is intended to teach us that there will be times when prioritizing what we deem to be fair treatment will come at the expense of helping others to know Jesus (Matthew 5:38\u201342). In such moments, preserving our witness needs to be our highest priority, even if it comes at the cost of being treated unfairly.\u00a0<\/p>\n And if we need help understanding what such a sacrifice looks like, we need only turn our eyes to the sinless Son of God who died on the cross to pay a debt that was not his own. Now he calls us to follow his example.<\/p>\n Ultimately, none of what we\u2019ve discussed today means that Trump is inherently wrong for pursuing a more aggressive approach to America\u2019s trade agreements. The governance of a country will not always mirror the calling or responsibility of individual Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the moment we begin to treat Trump\u2014or any other person for that matter\u2014as our example of what it means to live a moral and Christ-centered life, we\u2019ve strayed from the standard to which God holds each of us. After all, the definition of a Christian is quite literally a \u201clittle Christ,\u201d and we are meant to live out that identity every day.<\/p>\n So whose example will you follow today? And how will you react the next time this world or the fallen people in it decide to treat you in a manner you don\u2019t deem fair?\u00a0<\/p>\n Scripture is clear as to what our answers to those questions should be.\u00a0<\/p>\n Will you listen?<\/p>\n \u201cThe Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.\u201d \u2014C.S. Lewis<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Thursday morning, President Donald Trump appeared via video conference in front of a packed crowd at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump\u2019s statements leading up to his inauguration and in the days that followed were the talk…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4396,"featured_media":6890,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Is America treated unfairly?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Witness or justice?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Will you be a \u201clittle Christ?\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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