'Every living generation' needed to resist Trump’s 'fascist visions of the future': Baptist minister

Although the religious right and far-right Christian nationalists have been celebrating President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, not all Christians are happy with the outcome.

The Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews, a Baptist minister and People for the American Way activist, regards the incoming second Trump Administration as a dangerous threat to civil liberties.

In an op-ed published by Religion News Service on December 6, Mathews argues that multiple generations will be needed in the anti-Trump struggle that lies ahead.

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"This is not the work of any single generation; it is the work of every generation alive today," Mathews argues. "Whether we are Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers or elders in our 80s and 90s, we are all part of the living body that occupies this planet. Together, we face existential challenges that demand co-creation…. Resisting fascist visions of the future and building something better will require the alchemic energy of every living generation."

The Baptist minister continues, "We must leverage the faith and creativity of young people, the endurance and pragmatism of middle-aged folks and the wisdom and perspective of elders. The work is too vast and too urgent for any one group to carry alone."

Matthews cites a variety of reasons he considers the incoming Trump Administration so dangerous.

"The new administration promises to decimate hard-won civil rights protections, pass corporate tax cuts that drive income inequalities and introduce reductions to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid that threaten people with chronic conditions and no insurance," Mathews warns. "It backs court systems fashioned to streamline policies detrimental to our communities. As we recall from its first iteration, the Trump Administration to come is likely to continue to normalize racially charged rhetoric that threatens the safety and wellbeing of people of many backgrounds and identities."

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The Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews' full op-ed for Religion News is available at this link.