On November 7th and 8th, a number of my Christian Facebook friends posted some variation of the following:
“I voted for the right candidate, Mitt Romney, and he lost. We are stuck with four more years of that guy and it just makes me sick. He has not, does not, and will not speak for me. He does not represent me as president because he isn’t my president. He’s never been mine and never will be. I look forward to the day when I have a president in the Oval Office.”
You know what you call a country in which leaders and citizens disown one another? Venezuela.
President Hugo Chavez has traditionally made no bones about his support of only certain segments of Venezuela society. He has announced laws by saying, “And this one’s really gonna hurt my opponents…” During El Jefe’s rule, officials and departments routinely turn blind eyes towards the illegal actions of his supporters and fabricate charges against many who vote against them. President Chavez openly responds to shouts of “Not my president!” by saying, “Darn right, I’m not! Watch me, and I’ll prove it to you!”
Want to see an even more extreme example of leaders and followers who hold each other in contempt? Fly to Rwanda.
Hutu and Tutsi groups have struggled with one another for years. Eventually, the Rwandan government responded to people who said, “That guy is not my president” by saying “And you aren’t our people.” The government’s response was a bit heavy-handed: 1,000,000 dead.
We head down a dangerously greased slope when we react badly to the election of Obama or anyone else. I realize it is hard for us as Americans, possessors of a stable democracy, to envision anything truly negative resulting from a simple rejection of an elected official. I realize there’s quite a bit of milage between our current situation and that of Rwanda or Venezuela, but it’s really only a matter of degree.
In my opinion, the fastest way to see the US goverment continue its hostility towards the issues that most politically conservative Christians hold dear is for Christians to declare, “Any president who disagrees with me on these issues isn’t my president. He lacks legitimacy, and I’ll do nothing more than tolerate him.”
In my opinion, politically conservative Christians who disown President Obama are no better than political liberals who contacted the Canadian Embassy after George W. Bush was elected.
In my opinion, any Christian (liberal or conservative) who disavows a president (liberal or conservative) is acting a way that dishonors the divinely-ordained command that we respect and obey our leaders. I don’t think I need to expound on that too much, since most readers here are familiar enough with Paul’s writings to see my point.
In my opinion, any Christian who claims to love the nation and society in which he lives cannot summarily reject a president without hurting that nation and society. Our rejection does not take place in a vacuum, and it will have consequences.
I’m not saying we must agree with all of Bush’s actions or Obama’s policies. Instead, I’m calling for Christians to understand that we cannot – must not – overlook the dangers of rejecting the legitimacy of a duly-elected president who legally represents us, whether we like him or not.
He is my President.
A lousy one. One with un-American ideals. But, nevertheless, he is the President. I pray for him and all leaders in government, that they may do the right thing and ask that God guide them in their actions.
We need a “like” button on here. Dave????
“…divinely-ordained command that we respect…”
Please do expound our the command to “respect” our leaders…
While it comes in the same passage that says to honor everyone, 1 Peter 2:17 does command honor for the emperor, which is transferrable to a command to honor those in authority, which in our case would be the president. I don’t think there would be much difference between honor and respect in this case. It’s the same honor we are to give everyone, but Peter does make the point that emperors (and presidents) are not to be exempted from honor.
That does not seem to be what he is saying. I agree that we should give “timeo” to whoever is President, as well as whoever is our neighbor and whoever is in local prisons.
Jeremy is indicating a “respect” due to the fact that Obama is in a leadership position. I am not familiar with this in Scripture.
Donald,
You mention, “timeo.” This word is related to the word for finances. It is also NOT used in the Romans 13 passage.
I believe we are to “submit,” and pay taxes, and be a generally good citizen. I don’t think it means we honor Mr. Obama with anymore respect than we would give any other citizen.
I think there may be some confusion of terms.
Frank,
But it is in 1 Peter 2:17 brought up by Chris Roberts and I agreed that it applies to everyone, including Obama. I disagreed that Jeremy intended this in his post.
For a week, people have been reeling with disappointment and wondering how this could happen, as they had been told by trusted media voices that Romney would most definitely win. Even Romney himself, was blind-sided, by his own admission, as he too trusted relied on those sources. The result: utter disappointment, even a time of ‘grieving’ for what was not to be . . . AND a need to express those feelings.
This post offers some opportunity for that expression, which is needed.
For those people who were totally blind-sided by this election result, I highly recommend Ed Stetzer’s post, this:
http://www.edstetzer.com/2012/11/rachel-maddows-comments-a-refl.html#comments
oops, this is the correct reference to the article by Ed Stetzer:
http://www.edstetzer.com/2012/11/rachel-maddows-comments-a-refl.html
I will say Amen! to your article. We justify the actions of those who do not like “our president” when we do not accept “their president” as our own.
T.A.
“In my opinion, the fastest way to see the US goverment continue its hostility towards the issues that most politically conservative Christians hold dear is for Christians to declare, “Any president who disagrees with me on these issues isn’t my president. He lacks legitimacy, and I’ll do nothing more than tolerate him.””
Now that is a mistaken statement. The “US government” (interesting turn of phrase) will not cease its “hostility” (another intereting turn of phrase) even if we honor and respect the president. The president and his party (now clearly endorsed by a majority of Americans) control the government and nothing we do will stop the hositility and the continuing march of what I call postmodernism. We are commanded to respect and honor the president and to pray for him, but we do so because, as Dave said earlier, God ordains government and those in authority over us. However, if you believe that government (like Caesar) will somehow turn benign toward the believing church if we are respectful, you are seriously mistaken.
Jim: It all comes down to why people oppose us. Sometimes it is because we are faithful, and sometimes it is because we’re jerks. We can’t help the first and should expect it, but we need to minimize the second. Unfortunately any disrespect we receive is often worn as a badge of honor, even if it is deserved.
Bill Mac: I agree with you. We are commanded to be good citizens to the extent we can remain faithful. Being respectful of the president is appropriate and something we can do and remain faithful. Quite frankly I don’t get this he is “my president” and “he is not my president”. The presidency is an office, not a person. Nothing more; nothing less. Thus, not being jerks is important and there is no badge of honor. However, hostility of the government towards us comes (or ought to come) from our faithfulness and will not stop simply because we are respectful.
Well said. I was trying to find the words to say something similar.
I would add that as we should submit to the governing authorities, it’s not likely to happen across the board. Christians in America don’t do well with submission in Ephesians 5. While we should continue to point out the scripture’s admonitions in this respect, it’s even harder to find the heart to respect in submission in Romans 13 where so many government leaders today despise our Lord, kill babies, and teach people to sin in all manner of ways. Nevertheless, things aren’t as bad as Rome was when Paul wrote it… yet.
I still submit that when the haters of God become the super-majority it won’t take long before they turn on each other.
Jeremy Parks,
I agree 100% with your blog. The President is my President. I’m always amazed at how we Christians get so easily confused about the issues, and
rightly so.
It’s like the country boy who went to the city and got him a wife. He brings her back to the country and goes deer hunting. While the couple is in the deer stand, the country boy sees a deer about five hundred yards away, he takes a careful aim, shoots, and the deer falls. He tells his wife to stay in the stand while he goes after the deer. On his way back to the stand with deer over his shoulder he hears another loud boom, he says to himself, my wife got her a deer. When he get’s back to the stand, he sees his wife with her gun drawn on some guy, he is shouting, “Lady, Lady,”
you can have the deer, just let me get my saddle off from it.
That is the way it was with this past Election, people didn’t know what to shoot for. Neither canditate was the right species in our eyes.
Every year around this time I inevitably think about the assassination of President Kennedy. There is usually some news article or tv documentary to remind me.
I agree very little with Kennedy’s philosophy of governent, or even his personal ethics, for that matter. But I cant help but respect the office of the President regardless of whomever is in it. When I think of the violation of that respect of authority that occurred 49 years ago (conspiracy or not) I always forget about the disagreements I have with Kennedy’s views and just get sick to my stomach over the injustice.
I have heard so many statements referring to assassination during this presidency (undoubtedly NOT-serious). It is hard to ignore the contempt and flippancy. The Office of the President is to be respected and defended. Even if we dont agree with the human being that sits in that chair.
I can’t stand Obama. I particularly can’t stand the people who (a) voted for him or (b) didn’t vote for Romney since no 3rd party person was going to be able to unseat Obama.
However, because he is the President I will submit myself to the authority of his office and I will pray for him as Paul instructed in I Timothy–specifically he will come to true, saving faith in Christ.
Joe, this means you can’t stand over half of the people in the United States. What is your definition of “can’t stand”?
“…the legitimacy of a duly-elected president who legally represents us…”
Everything you said prior to this statement hinges on the veracity of this statement. That is, IF this statement continues to go unproven, then I can sympathize with all those citizens who choose to “put on hold” all the things you said prior to laying down this all-important litmus test. Are you going to say that anybody who appoints themselves to have authority over you should be submitted to?
But besides all this, you never mentioned the truth about “obeying God over men” when the two are in conflict. When the authorities tell you to sin, you must disobey to obey God, but in as peaceful a way as possible.
If Obama orders me to stop preaching, I will resist. If he declares by executive order that calling homosexuality is a sin is hate-speech (as some European countries have), I will resist. If he ordered Guidestone to offer coverage for abortion (not an unlikely occurrence) then we would resist.
I think we all know that in the “respect those in authority” proposition there is a “line.” We may draw that line in different places, but I think most Christians understand there is a “line” that we WILL cross, even as Bonhoeffer finally felt compelled to do.
We should do so reluctantly, but resolutely, should the need arise.
non-compliance is one thing. Marching up and down the streets with signs and bullhorns is another.
Just a thought
Just throwing this out….IN what sense were the Jews supposed to respect Adolf Hitler as he sent them to the gas chambers? IN what sense were the Jews to respect Pharaoh as they served him as slaves?
As Christians, we understand that God has all power to change political structures by setting up & removing whomever He may wish, but we certainly do not turn a blind eye to those who perpetrate evil. When I say evil I mean what God calls evil….like “abomination” evil….Like Proverbs 6 evil which says that those who shed innocent blood are an abomination to Him…..like the 1 million babies we as a nation abort annually…and which our President has vocally proclaimed that he will continue to advocate such practice. The evil that “man shall not lie with man as with a woman…it is an abomination”, and which our President and govts continue to mock through their legislation.
We as a the citizenry obviously submit to the authority….else we are anarchists. However, we do not bend in recognizing that the actions and positions of our elected officials are contrary to what God has revealed, and are outright evil in many cases.
Jeremy,
Your post has generated some good discussion. In the military I was taught you respect the rank (office) regardless of your personal feelings about the individual. I don’t se the Bible teaching anything different but let me turn our attention to us as pastors. I have been contacted by church members who are upset with the pastor and stated they refused to support him (ie the church). How is the actions of my fellow believers the same or different from these disgrunted members? Unfortunately the majority of times I see them drop out of church, cause strife within the body, move to another church or split the. Church they are in. As Americans, what are our options? Shouldn’t we pray and work within the system we have to bring about the things we feel need to be done while realizing that government has no mandate to help Christianity, or any faith?
First I have not made any such statement. However, knowing some folks who have I can say that the statement “He is not my President” is not questioning the legitimacy of the election. What they are saying is that this President is an extremist and nothing he says or does represents me. When you have a President who supports the unfettered slaughter of unborn children then we have a big problem that is not to be overlooked just to be compromising or cooperative. When we have a President that refused appropriate security in Bhengazi so that he could make the false claim that he has “put terrorism on its heals” then we have A problem that should not be overlooked just to get along. When we have a President that is so incompetent that he cannot see the real danger of the debt we have and only wants to continue to gain more debt that there is no room for working under such extremist views. Let’s not misrepresent people who have real concerns over serious problems. And let’s be careful not to falsely accuse them.