Kneeling as a sign of veneration is clearly not something Trump feels in his bones. In his disdain for kneeling to express devotion to something transcendent, he keeps company with some eminent pagans. The ancient philosophers Plutarch and Theophrastus considered kneeling to be an expression of superstition, while Aristotle viewed it as a barbaric behavior.

This country is many things, but one thing it is not is pagan. Indeed, many of those who side with Trump claim an affiliation with Christianity. Yet theologically, their criticism of the football players could not be more wrong. The posture of the players is an act of faithfulness.

Jesus kneels as part of the suffering and struggle he endures at Gethsemane on the eve of his crucifixion, with his posture serving as a sign of anguish as well as a mark of his true faithfulness. Other New Testament stories describe people who kneel before Jesus in supplication or lament. With their kneeling, these biblical figures say: Something is desperately wrong, please hear us and use your power to help us. Their act of submission signals their faith that healing will come and their prayers will be answered.

For athletes, kneeling in protest echoes both these gestures. Like a hopeful fiance, they are inviting those they kneel before to enter a new kind of relationship, one built on mutual respect and recognition of the dignity and worth of black lives. (Indeed, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid decided on kneeling as an act of protest because, as Reid wrote in the New York Times, “it’s a respectful gesture.”) But this new relationship can be entered into only if everyone stops and pays attention to what is wrong, ensuring that those who are injured or traumatized by institutional racism are cared for. To carry on as if nothing has happened, while fellow citizens writhe in pain, is callous. Failure to take a knee is an act of disrespect.