For several days there has been a growing concern in my mind over the vitriolic comments about our current government in power. To my horror, much of it comes from those who call themselves Christians. Obviously, if the government enacts policies that are against God’s commands, Christians should stand up against them. That is a given. The diatribe these days is political and not always on moral grounds. What is the Scriptural injunction? It is to obey the laws of the land, to respect our leaders, and to pray for them.
Our obedience to the laws of the land needs to be run through the grid of God’s Law. Only when there is conflict between the two, do we stand against the law of the land. For instance: God’s law says, “You shall not commit murder.” Abortion would fall into that category. It is right to take a stand against abortion. If we cannot get such laws repealed, we must rightfully speak out against it, and we can refuse to obey it on a personal level. To judge and condemn those who disagree with us is not our prerogative; it is God who will do this in His perfect time.
The harangues I hear these days are not only disrespectful, but are done in the name of patriotism and (perish the thought) religion. Political cartoons show our leaders as buffoons, off color jokes are told about them, and elaborately constructed e-mails portray them as ogres. These people have been elected, and if we are unsatisfied with their policies, it is our responsibility and privilege to tell them what is on our mind. If we disagree, we vote against them when the opportunity returns.
We are to pray for our leadership. It is difficult to pray for someone that you have otherwise treated in a non-Christian-like manner. A few days ago a friend sent me a refreshing prayer for our leadership. The prayer asked for God to give “optimum health, mental clarity and political prosperity” to our president, and that “what he lacks in political ‘experience’ (God) make up for with supernatural wisdom and power.” If we would so pray, no matter which side of the political fence we travel, we will be doing as well as we should.
Yes, we should be discerning when we vote, we must scrutinize the actions of our law makers, and we must speak out against immoral laws or that which is not good for our country. What we should not do is slander our elected leaders.
