Dear Roger,
I am a Christian and I hate (Is “hate” too strong a word?) our governmental leadership. I don’t trust our political leaders or the news media either.
I know, as a Christian, I am to love and forgive. But, come on, when can Christians stand up and stop the madness? Or, are we going to sit idly by and let our freedoms circle down the drain?
I want a biblical answer, not a political one. I don’t expect you to expose your political leanings. What does God say, and, as a Christian, what am I supposed to do?
Sincerely,
Disgruntled and Depressed Christian
Dear D.D.Christian,
I sympathize with your pain and fear. But before I continue, I must remind you that God has given us a wealth of Scripture to use to pray for our country and for our leaders. One of the very best sites is a list of Scripture prayers. It is a comprehensive and extremely helpful guide.
www.prayingscriptures.com/government.shtml
Regardless of who leads our country (or any country), I wonder if we are getting what we deserve. In the Bible book of First Samuel, Israel began asking for a king (1 Samuel 8-12). The Lord God Jehovah had protected Israel and given them great victories. However, the people clambered for Samuel to give them a king like all the other nations.
God said to the people, “OK. If you don’t want me then I’ll give you a king. Let me tell you what the king will do to you. Your enemies will take your fields and your vineyards. He will take your sons and make them serve in the Army where they will be killed and mutilated. He will take your daughters and they will be raped and made slaves. The king you want will take a 10th of all your grain and of all your wine. He will take for his own use the best of your flocks, donkeys and cattle. And the day will come when you will cry out for relief, but I will not answer you”.
On the day of anointing, Saul, the King Elect, was nowhere to be found. Three days later he was located hiding among the donkeys. Poor leadership here! Such was the first king of Israel.
In my (and Jesus’) opinion we are not to hate our leaders, nor speak ill of them. But we certainly can sympathize with them.
Without a doubt, our nation’s problems (and the world’s) seem insurmountable. Without a doubt we have the right to disagree with policies, leadership, attitudes and refusal to compromise. By the way, it is not the job of one party or another to blame their opponents for refusing to negotiate. Securing beneficial compromise is one of the first orders of business. Solomon wrote in Proverbs that we are to seek wise counsel, and fear God.
Everything that God said to Israel came true. As the years passed, and the people continued rejecting God, the entire nation slid into chaos. You can read all about Israel’s inadequate leaders in the Book of Judges. The nation was a wreck.
Many Christians are wondering when God is going to judge America for its sin and debauchery. According to Romans Chapter One, our nation is already under the judgment of God. “If you don’t want me, then you are on your own,” says God.
Mrs. Billy Graham said, “If God does not judge America, he will have to explain why not to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
In my opinion, when great leadership and integrity was called for, Israel got King Saul instead. For years, we may have gotten the leaders we deserve.
However, some believe that Christian leaders have more influence in this government than they have had in many years.
Many Christian groups and churches proactively pray for our nation and its leaders. One example is the Presidential Prayer Team: www.presidentialprayerteam.com. Don’t fret alone. Find a prayer group and get busy.
One of the characteristics people look for the most in their leaders is integrity. We want a person who is honest and fair.
In Genesis chapter eighteen we see that God will stay his hand as long as there is a greater proportion of God-followers compared to God-rejecters.
We are entering what sociologists are calling “Generation None”. The rise of the “Nones” suggests the end of religion as we know it. Forget churches; forget priests and pastors; forget the Bible; forget Jesus, and on goes the list. None of us know the time schedule when, finally, the weight of the Nones out balances the number of Christians in America. But when that day comes, the fire will fall.
I don’t believe that it’s hopeless. You ask what should we Christians do to stand up to this madness?
Let me give you several suggestions of what we can do.
First, we can pray and do all we can to support our government and its leaders (Romans 13:1-7).
We are to obey our elected officials, the laws of our land, and the Constitution. Paul tells us that governments are ordained by God to keep law and order. So we pray for our president and politicians because when life is easier for them, the better it will be for us.
Of course, civil disobedience is always a consideration in a democracy. When a government leans toward totalitarianism, it has lost its right to lead.
Second, We Can Run For Political Office and Vote.
At the very least we can volunteer to help politicians who have the same values as we. Everyone knows that the real power in America is at the grassroots level which determines who wins and who loses.
Third, Remember Love.
This is our best chance to win our country to Christ and bring in the Kingdom of God on earth.
D.D. Christian, I sense much emotion in your email. I think that the bottom line of your question revolves around loving the man, or at the very least feeling compassion for him, while hating the things he does that you don’t like.
I hope that you find my response helpful. We could talk politics for hours. My greatest hope is that our political leaders will lay aside personal agendas, return to godly values and lead with wisdom, humility and integrity. Otherwise, we will slip further and further into abysmal destruction. We need God’s mercy and a revival.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Sincerely,
Roger
