This era of Donald Trump and Trumpism has unleashed a wave of physical and emotional violence so venomous that by now, it’s clear that this is more a form of spiritual assault than an aberrant political ideology. It contains a lust that won’t be satisfied by attacking any particular group of victims because it really seeks to destroy values. Donald Trump himself and those around him seem to delight in smashing the ethical norms and traditions that have historically provided the spiritual foundations for the healthy functioning of civil society. Peter Wehner, a conservative commentator, has accurately summed up this new zeitgeist: “Donald Trump is a transgressive personality. He thrives on creating disorder, in violating rules, in provoking outrage. He is a shock jock.”1
For those of us who consider ourselves both spiritual and progressive, or perhaps simply people of good will: How do we respond? What...
