We should certainly pray for the president. We should pray for wisdom for him, for strength for him, for protection for him and his family. But where his plans clearly oppose righteousness, we should pray they fail. Where his plans clearly are intended to do harm to the people he leads, contrary to the oath he swore BEFORE GOD, God’s people should pray that those plans do not succeed.
Reasonable men are now beginning to question whether or not Barack Obama is intentionally acting to harm the interests of the American people. (See the American Enterprise Institute’s Kevin Hassett, and mainstream media pundit Howard Fineman). Can God’s people stand idle and allow their elected leader to undermine righteousness? To do so is to be complicit in the unrighteous deeds of our elected leader. We have an obligation to hold him to account, and Barack Obama is ultimately accountable to the Judge of all the earth.
During his first 50 days in office, President Obama has clearly acted in opposition to righteousness by lifting the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, reversing the Mexico City Policy which forces the use of your tax dollars to fund abortions at overseas abortion facilities, and by acting to rescind the “conscience clause” which protects doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical personnel from participating in abortions against their personal, private convictions.
He has elevated science above God by appealing to science rather than to morality in deciding to sacrifice the lives of future generations of unborn children for the false promise of “cures” for the present generation.
His economic policy, which has been touted as a ‘stimulus,’ puts an unfair burden on future generations as they assume the responsibility for repaying the debt he is amassing, and unfairly takes the income from those who have worked hard to earn it and gives it, in some cases, to the slothful, a vice the word of God clearly says should not be rewarded, but punished.
His planned closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay places the security of every American in jeopardy, as does his announced plans to negotiate with terrorist states like Hamas and Iran.
His call for mandated day care for children as young as two years old removes children from the care and nurture of their parents and turns them over to the state, undermining parental authority which is given by God.
We could go on (we haven’t even touched on Obama’s plans to destroy the institution of marriage and the family through his legitimizing homosexual practice, the lobbyists he has appointed to his administration after promising NOT to do so, the corruption of some of his cabinet members who knowingly evaded paying their taxes, and on and on).
There is solid evidence that Barack Obama is the enemy of God and the enemy of God’s people. God enjoins us to pray for our enemies, therefore we should pray for Barack Obama, but not that his plans succeed, but rather that they fail.
There is scriptural precedent for praying that the ungodly plans of God’s appointed leader fail. David repeatedly prayed that King Saul’s plans against him would fail.
But there is also scriptural precedent for praying not only that the plans of an unrighteous leader would fail, but that the Sovereign God who placed the leader in authority over God’s people would remove him.
And that’s what I am praying for. I want God to remove Barack Obama from office. After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter cited two Psalms as scriptural justification for God removing Judas from his appointed position as an apostle: “May his place be deserted; let there be none to dwell in it,” and “May another take his place of leadership” (Acts 1:20; Psalm 69:25; Psalm 109:8).
Because Barack Obama has given clear evidence that he does not fear God, I am encouraging all God-fearing followers of Jesus Christ to begin praying these Psalms with me in the hope that God in his grace would remove from office through constitutional means the man He has appointed to be our President. Will you join me?
By the way, I love the new design.
Here are some things that you quote in your blog post that I think the conservative movement is in opposition to Christian faith:
“puts an unfair burden on future generations as they assume the responsibility for repaying the debt he is amassing, and unfairly takes the income from those who have worked hard to earn it and gives it, in some cases, to the slothful, a vice the word of God clearly says should not be rewarded, but punished.”
First off, GWB already created massive debt over the last 8 years. Much bigger than anything Obama is doing. This is though, not a spiritual issue.
One of the things that Jesus was pretty clear about was helping those who are in need. Feeding the hungry. Taking care of the sick, widowed, etc. It’s a conservative lie that poor people are just lazy. There are plenty of rich people who are lazy and plenty of middle class people who are laze.
Many Christians, like myself, believe this to be a much higher calling than railing against abortion. I am pro-life, but I think if you are going to be pro-life, you should also be working to do whatever you can to make sure that that live succeeds.
“His call for mandated day care for children as young as two years old removes children from the care and nurture of their parents and turns them over to the state, undermining parental authority which is given by God.”
You make this sound as if he’s going to force parents to put their children into a state run facility that will brainwash children. Far from it. What he’s doing here is making sure those who are poor and chose life for their children have a place for their children to be so they can actually have a job and try to better their family. Again, taking care of the poor.
You should do some reading on The Harlem Children’s Zone (http://www.hcz.org/programs/the-hcz-project) and about the studies this group has done on early childhood development and the work they are doing on a massive scale for poor people and poor children.
Now, what if Focus on the Family was the one who setup this organization, and spent their millions on educating thousands of poor black children in Harlem, instead of railing against abortion and gay marriage? Which do you think would bring more people into the Kingdom?
“His planned closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay places the security of every American in jeopardy, as does his announced plans to negotiate with terrorist states like Hamas and Iran.”
These people will still be in prison and will get their day in court. Gitmo has become synonymous with torture and human rights abuses. If these guys are evil and have done terrible things, which I believe most of them have, then they should be tried for their crimes.
Our country stands for something better than torture. That’s what Pol Pot did. That’s what the Vietnamese did to our soldiers. We are better than that.
We should not hold people without charges and without trying them for crimes. That’s what the USSR did. That’s what other countries do. That should not be what the USA stands for.
Closing Gitmo is symbolic of washing away that which was not what USA should stand for. It does not make us less safe. It makes us the country we should be.
Being just and lawful is much more difficult than being vengeful and in fact is probably not as satisfying. HOWEVER, we should be better than those that are strictly vengeful.
“There is solid evidence that Barack Obama is the enemy of God and the enemy of God’s people”
I could say this about anyone. Doesn’t make it true. What is your solid evidence? I’d be willing to debate that.
“There is scriptural precedent for praying that the ungodly plans of God’s appointed leader fail. David repeatedly prayed that King Saul’s plans against him would fail.”
If you remember, Saul fell out of favor with God before David came onto the scene. Could we make the correlation that GWB was God’s appointed leader and that since his plans were not godly they also failed?
My overall point here is again, that being a Christian does not mean that you have to be a republican or a conservative. There are things on BOTH sides of the political spectrum that go against the values of Christianity. By painting one as righteous and one as evil, you are creating a new belief system and no longer following the tenets of Christianity.
when people say such and such action is against God it reminds me of what the Puritans did against the alleged witches in the late 17th century. Not by action, but by mindset.
And that is different from other politicans, how exactly? Is saying “God bless America” the same as believing it…surely Bush’s actions and ideologies weren’t always in-line with God and surely there are Conservative principles that are opposed to Biblical teachings (torture violates the Golden Rule, we are commanded to care for the orphans and widows and be wary of the rich and we fought a war based on falacies). Can’t we say there are aspects of every political ideology and belief that violate God’s decree and that there have been very very few politicians who have ever ruled for God’s glory? Abortion and homosexuality are definitely issues I’m against…but if I start praying for every politician who supports beliefs contrary to the Bible then I’m going to have to start praying for the removal of politicians who don’t make it a crime to be drunk, don’t make it a felony to commit adultery, don’t make it illegal to tell lies…see where I’m getting at? What sins are okay to “let slide” in our rules?
I don’t expect my President to uphold the Bible because I don’t believe America is a Christian country…Christians are a minority in this world and, honestly, the power and influence of the mainstream chrisitanity in our culture is the reason why the church is irrelevant these days–the church was never intended to be a minority or power in the world and Christ never sought political office as a means to change culture. We need to be focused on changing hearts, not laws.
But agree to disagree, right? Would you agree that Conservatives and Liberals need each other to balance each others out? I think Conservatives need liberals to temper their prudence with compassion and liberals need conservatives to never forget morality. If you swing too far one way, you’re going to lose balance and that’s what I fear is happening here. I don’t think it’s ever right to swing too far one way…the truth is always in the center in matters like this (but not in theology, which is why I do keep listening even if we disagree politically. It’s possible to disagree and still respect someone’s viewpoint, isn’t it?)
The issue is not that Obama has a different ideology than mine, it’s that he has a different ideology than God’s. Clearly he is more in fear and awe of what science can do for us than he is what God can for us. I fully expect him to start closing his speeches by saying, “Science bless America!”
Chris, where once in my post did I mention Obama should be removed because he is acting against Conservative principles? I stated clearly the BIBLICAL reasons why Obama is acting against God’s word.
Paul, I love ya man. You have strong convictions and you’re one of the few religious commentators out there who takes cultural conversation–especially with film and music–seriously.
But sometimes you step on the wacko wagon.
Let me preface by saying that I honestly don’t care if someone’s politics are different than mine. I’ll say again what I’ve said before–politics are man-made and inherently flawed. No one ideology does a better job of solving problems and the truth in politics is probably a mixture of liberal and conservative values. Yes, it’s okay to be pluralistic in your political beliefs…politics are not doctrine, they are not God-inspired, there is no “thus sayeth the Lord” in the U.S. Constitution.
I understand the concerns you have about President Obama. I believe you have the freedom to voice your concerns. But I’m very very concerned that what you are doing here is elevating Conservatism as being equal with Christianity.
I make no claims to know whether President Obama is a Christian–although I’ve seen more compassion, patience and flexibility in the way he deals with his oppositon than I did with our previous President–saying you go to church and pray and that God told you to go to war does not quality as a fruit of the spirit. I also don’t know that I would ever vote for an outspoken Christian for President simply because I don’t feel the love of the Gospel is most effective in politics–the most self-serving and inhumane domain in human affairs.
What you perceive as President Obama’s blatant war on God (and if he’s not a believer, he is just as much an enemy of God as Rush Limbaugh–who I don’t believe is a Christian, so I will toss tht in) is really just a disagreement in the WAY he is addressing issues.
I don’t believe President Obama is rubbing his hands together thinking that “oh, let’s kill us some babies.” I think, more realistically, is he’s thinking “how can we see the number of abortions decrease and see progress on helping single mothers instead of getting tied up in the same bickering we’ve been doing for decades.” You may disagree with his methods in reducing or stopping abortions, but that does not mean he is plotting to see more abortions or that he thinks abortion is a good, even moral thing. And the reality is that the Democrats have a plan to substantially reduce the number of abortions over the next ten years–the Republican answer tends to be “we’ll make it illegal but until then there’s nothing we can do.”
Or the issue of Guantanamo Bay–you may disagree with his decision to close it by saying it puts Americans at risk. I think America–and the majority of the civilized world–was put at a greater risk due to President Bush’s actions in invading Iraq. I’m not asking you to agree with me…what I’m asking is that does my perspective hold more sway with God than yours, as we are both born again Christians? Ultimately one is “right” but more to the point I think there was a lot of unintentional right and wrong in both decisions.
Or homosexual marriage. This is a tricky area. And while I disagree with President Obama’s stance, I also have to say that if I’m going to pray that he’s taken out of office for this belief then I would have to pray that every pastor in any congregation with a 50% divorce rate be removed from their office because I think divorce, alcoholism, gambling, poverty and others are MUCH greater and more relevant dangers to the American family than if gays get married. And if a pastor can’t keep his congregation under control, I wonder if they have any right to be condemning unbelievers for their actions.
What I take issue with Paul, is not your political beliefs. I believe in the grand scheme of things, politics are largely irrelevant to God, although certain issues must be dealt with seriously. I believe that God is the God of the Democrat, Republican, Socialist, Communist, Constitutionalist, Libertarian and anarchist (but not the Green Party…who are they trying to kid? j/k).
What I take issue with is your belief that because a President has a different ideology than yours that that ideology is ultimately evil and must be removed. What about Christians who just as fervently believed Bush should be removed from office because of the thousands of American deaths under his command? You would say “they’re wackos.” But was their belief any less valid? If they are professing Christians, then isn’t it just as valid that God was laying that on their heart?
You’re stumbling very close to the precipice of creating an idol out of Conservatism–that God is a Conservative or that the Conservative Party is more made in God’s image. Don’t you think in Heaven you’ll feel a bit sheepish to see probably just as many socialists and liberals as conservatives…and that God was glorified by aspects of both ideologies and shamed by actions of both as well?
By the way, Paul, I like the new layout!
If you hold that “` the powers that be are ordained of God““ then perhaps this should be our request;
AND THE LORD REPENTED OF THE EVIL WHICH HE THOUGHT TO DO UNTO HIS PEOPLE” (Ex. 32:9-14).
Jeff,
You know I care about you, Bud. And you are right on the Bush quote. But the question is now, don’t the actions of President Obama exhibit the same disdain for the Constitution as the Bush quote? Paul has laid out a well documented and reasoned case to ask God for his removal. My prayer is that God will either change the President’s heart and stop these destructive policies, remove him from office, or give us the grace to endure what will most certainly be a new era of socialism. And the great concern with socialism is that in order for a socialistic nation to survive, there must be a strong capitalist country as the economic bedrock of the world economy. Like it or not, the United States has been that bedrock of the world economy since the end of World War II. Michigan auto workers have been a huge part of that stability and many now are on the verge of losing their jobs and finding that because of the combination of bad business practices, government interference, and union greed have brought the auto industry to it’s knees.
But with this disaster in waiting that has happened since the inauguration, I’m afraid that the Democrat are scheming to tank the economy, nationalize any industry they can get their power-hungry hands on, and ultimately, totally reshape American society into the socialist “utopia” they are trying to sell us. This is the only explanation that I can find that has any plausibility whatsoever. Socialism has never worked wherever it’s been tried. When the government controls the means of production, it robs it’s citizens of any incentive to actually produce anything. If you are getting paid a certain amount no matter what you do, human nature kicks in and most people will at the most will only do the bare minimum and some will not even do that.
If you will not join us and pray for God to remove President Obama from office, can you at least pray that God will change his heart so that he will do what is best for the country and not what is best for him to tear down the society and rebuild it in his own image? Is that a reasonable prayer?
Paul, my brother, again, you have stated the issues clearly and given us all much to pray and think about. I will be joining you to pray, first of all for President Obama’s salvation (as well as President Bush, because he has said some things lately, along with the quote to which Jeff referred, that would indicate a universalist mindset), not that I know a man’s heart but that the issue is clearly settled and that it would manifest itself in his life. Second, I will be praying that the President will be open to God changing his heart on these matters of policy. And third, I will be praying that if God in His sovereign wisdom decides that he will continue his judgement on our nation and it’s people (we are already in the middle of judgement because God is allowing us to continue in our sin and we are reaping the consequences), I pray that He will give us as His people, the grace to endure until the end and bring Him all of the honor and glory that He alone deserves.
Why am I not surprised, Jeff?
Funny how the constitution is all of a sudden an issue when the previous 8 years it was to quote Bush “a G – D piece of paper”. No, I will not join you. I am definiately a God fearing born again christian, but I was praying more for Bush’s removal than I am Obama.