Never before in my short lifetime has there been more political hostility than what we are experiencing right now. Having recently come out of an election year we saw a nation divided against itself, almost directly down the middle. We find ourselves living in a time where politics divide homes and generations. And in the midst of all this division and partisan politics, people are left standing at either side pointing fingers for the failure of the other parties policies and stances.
For far too long the church has been engulfed in the culture wars of politics. All too common in the church is the disregard and lack of respect for those who hold differing views. Facebook posts, and tweets spew out ridiculous rhetoric opposing, not just to policies, but authority figures themselves. And no one takes more center stage to these attacks than President Obama himself. What might be most disconcerting is these comments and attitudes seem to be a source of pride, worn as a badge of honor by conservative evangelicals. Priding themselves on their public disrespect for their leader and president. In all of this what seems to be lost in the partisan propaganda is an understanding that the heart of God does not lean left or right politically.
Listen to the words of Paul in Romans 13:1-7,
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
In my experience the church has a tendency to read this passage with a bit of selective reading. Generally, there is no issue in subjecting to authority, or understanding the purpose of government, there is usually not an issue with paying taxes (even if it is begrudgingly). However, what seems to most commonly be glazed over or ignored entirely, is the end of verse 7; “respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” It is clear that Paul is calling for followers of Jesus to respect and honor those who are in authority over us because those politicians have been instituted by God.
What makes these words even more compelling is the context in which Paul was writing. During Paul’s day the ruling authority was the Roman Empire. For the Israelite, their entire way of living was decided by Rome, and more specifically Caesar. The Romans enforced unbearbly high taxes to build Roman style cities which would threaten the very culture and existence of Israel. In order to control the people and deter mass rebellion, anyone who opposed Rome would be publicly put to death, generally through crucifixion. Around the time of Jesus’ birth, and near his hometown, thousands were crucified so Rome could make a statement that no one would resist their reign of terror and if they did they would be killed. The people of Israel were experiencing political oppression at levels we can not even begin to imagine. What Israel was hoping for and what they needed was a political revolution.
It is into this context that Paul commands the believers living under this oppression to give “respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” I believe it is fair to say that what Israel was facing was a vastly more oppressive time than we will ever face, and yet Paul commanded respect from the believers.
The call of the Christian is to respect and honor the authorities, recognizing that they have been instituted by God. It is a call to not slander the president but honor and respect him. Not questioning his intelligence simply because he holds a differing political stance on certain issues. What is needed is not more hatred and disrepect but time spent in prayer for our president. No one alive will effect more change in our world than the President of the United States. What is needed and commanded of followers of Jesus is prayer for our leaders.
Fellow believer...Pray for Obama, for his family, for his marriage, for his protection, for his relationship with Jesus. Whether you love or hate him, we can not begin to understand the complexities and stress of his position. Pray for wisdom, pray for his strength. Whether you agree or disagree with his policies is beside the point, you are called to pray, to respect him, and to honor him.
May we become a church that spends more time in prayer for their leaders than in slander. May we learn to humbly pray for governing authorities, regardless of political stance. May we learn to not place our hope in earthly kingdoms but in building the kingdom of God with love and respect. May we become a kingdom focused less on policies and more on the hearts of all people.