Faith in the age of Trump

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This article was published 15/02/2025 (232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Politicians are talking about it. So are entertainers, comedians and the media. Even hockey fans are sharing their feelings about Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada when they boo the U.S. national anthem at hockey games.

Everyone is talking about it, it seems — in coffee shops, stores, workplaces, you name it. What about in places of worship?

That was the question on my mind as I saw the crescendo of conversation rise in Canada over the first few weeks of Trump’s presidency. In particular, I wondered what local clergy are saying about it to their members. I reached out to some for their thoughts.

Michael Pahl, executive minister for Mennonite Church Manitoba, sent a pastoral letter to churches in his denomination about what he described as a “consequential moment,” that will lead to economic and social turmoil.

“This is a time for courage in the way of Jesus,” he said, criticizing the rise of Christian nationalism in the U.S. with its “narrow understanding of Christianity within political power structures.” He also was critical of recent Trump decisions that have “a significant impact on many around the world who are most vulnerable to harm.”

This is a time to remember that Christians are not to operate according to the dictates of political powers, he said, but to follow the way of Jesus by being concerned for those who are vulnerable and marginalized.

For Chris Palmer, president of the Winnipeg West Stake or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it’s a difficult topic to address since that worldwide church has members from all walks of life and political persuasions — in the U.S., a majority of LDS members voted for Trump.

Despite that, the goal of the LDS Church is to “come together united in a testimony of Jesus Christ,” he said.

While the issue of tariffs and Canadian sovereignty are of concern to him and many other Canadian LDS members, his message is to find ways to overcome political contentions at the individual levels in Canada and across the border.

“I may not be able to influence the powers that be which are threatening Canada myself, but I can certainly do my part to make our corner of the world a better place for those that are here,” he said.

Ismael Mukhtar is an imam at the Grand Mosque in Winnipeg. His advice to local Muslims is to not lose hope during this time, but to put ultimate trust in God; to be patient since hardship doesn’t last forever; to pray; and to “reach out and support one another—the essence of faith is to be available for each other during hardship.”

For Michael Wilson, the minister at Charleswood United Church, it’s all about love for neighbours.

“I love my neighbour to the south. I love their big cities and abundant natural attractions,” he said.

But loving his neighbour in the U.S. “doesn’t mean turning a blind eye to what is happening in my neighbour’s backyard,” he said. “There is a crisis of Spirit and compassion which is disheartening and anxiety inducing.”

As a result, his church will continue to struggle with the question of what loving the U.S. neighbour means and to pray for their well-being and renewal. “And our prayers will most undoubtedly include more of thanksgiving for Canada,” he added.

At Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Rabbi Anibal Mass is focusing on “timeless moral and ethical principles rather than the politics of the day,” as he put it.

“Our tradition teaches that righteousness is not dependent on any particular leader or political movement, but on the eternal values of Torah,” he said, adding his role is to bring peace by uniting people “through timeless values rather than divide them over political disputes.”

For him, this doesn’t mean ignoring issues of justice and ethics, or that he isn’t addressing people’s fears and anxieties. “It means we approach them with a perspective that transcends partisanship,” he said.

For Rabbi Allan Finkel of Temple Shalom, the “madness trying to spill across our southern border” also causes him to turn to the Torah and the Ten Commandments, including the last one about not coveting things that are not yours.

“There are no exceptions offered to this rule,” he said, adding it applies not only to relationships between equals “but perhaps even more so where there are power imbalances between the strong and the weak, or the economically advantaged over the disadvantaged.”

“I’d like to think that these are not simply Jewish ideas but universal ones that I would hope that our American neighbours might learn to heed,” he added.

In her Instagram message to the Jubilee Mennonite Church, pastor Janessa Nayler-Giesbrecht said to look for hope, despite the “blatantly evil and callous” things being done by the Trump administration.

“We don’t always see the places God is at work,” she said. “Hold on to the belief that God is there.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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