Pray for Obama to Be the Most Successful President Ever? Well, No.

There was an op ed of sorts in the religion section of the N&R today by Reverend Joseph Moore entitled "Will Conservative Christians Pray for President Obama?"

Rev. Moore rightly reminded Christians of the necessity and requirement that (among other things) we honor our leaders - in this case now President Obama. He cited 1 Peter 1:17, rightly noting our habit (going back to our founding) of ignoring the last bit:

1 Peter 2:17 "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

And yes, this includes honoring leaders of all parties. Why? Because the civil authority is ordained by God. It is ordained with a purpose by God (Romans 13:1ff). Therefore I will pray for that purpose to be realized.

The last two Presidents have each been dishonored to such a degree it has been shameful. It is hard to dishonor the person without dishonoring the office, and, in either case there is a requirement incumbent upon the Christian to honor our leaders, even leaders like Nero.

As I have written on several occasions it is the duty of the Christian to pray for all who lead and exercise authority over men. We have been doing this in our church for fifteen years, for Republicans and Democrats alike.

This is explicitly commanded in Paul's letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

I have recently written myself about the need to pray for President Obama. The problems before him are stupendous in magnitude, and it is in all of our interest that he do well in addressing them.

But I take issue with Rev. Moore's closing comments:

"Our obligation is to pray fervently that that President Obama will be the most successful president in history. Our civic duty requires no less. Our religious faith may require much more."

Well, to say the least, that closing exhortation goes well beyond the requirement of the passages cited.

I will pray that President Obama have wisdom, strength, and safety. I will pray that his administration fulfills his oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States of America. This is the oath he will take. I pray that he will do as he will vow to do.

But pray for his success? What does that mean? Am I to pray that he succeeds in his stated intent to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act? Am I to pray that he succeeds in his stated intention to reverse the ban on Partial Birth Abortion? Am I to pray that he succeeds in establishing a domestic security force? Am I to pray that he succeeds in re-instituting the Fairness Doctrine? I could go on and on.

Well, I cannot possibly pray such things. The only way I can pray that he be the most successful president in US history would be for him to have a radical reversal of many of his stated intentions and policies. So, yeah, if praying for his success means such a reversal, then fine.

I think it is right that all Americans give their presidents an opportunity to reveal their intentions and to have a crack at our common problems in a way consistent with their own political philosophy. I have been ashamed at how most Presidents in my lifetime have been disrespected. This goes back to the first President I voted for - Jimmy Carter.

Obama has huge challenges ahead, the primary one being the economy. Yes, of course I hope he can do some things that will help us all in that regard, but Presidents have less power in controlling the economy than is generally assumed, in my opinion. Obama will have huge pressure to "deliver" for the Democratic Party base, which is its more liberal side. I cannot possibly pray that they, working through him, will be successful.

I will pray that Obama successfully upholds his public oath of office, and I will pray daily and sincerely for his wisdom, strength, and safety.

But, no, I cannot really pray for Obama's success in the manner in which Rev. Moore exhorts me to do. And neither is that my obligation.

Younger Evangelicals - The World Watches and Waits

I originally entitled this piece "Younger Evangelicals Are Stupid." I don't really believe that. I just wrote it to get attention.

In fact I think that Younger Evangelicals are just as intelligent as Older Evangelicals, though that may not be saying a whole lot, as anti-intellectual as American Evangelicalism has been the last fifty years.

Truth be told I pity the generation of Evangelical Christians that have had to grow up in and have had to bear with so much of the nonsense of my generation of Baby Boomer Evangelical Christians.

Younger Evangelicals have rebelled against Baby Boomer Evangelicals and their antics. Younger Evangelicals are WAY more hip and TOTALLY more emotionally authentic.

Though I do not think that Younger Evangelicals are less intelligent, I do worry that they may be even less informed, as hard as that is to imagine. I am certain that they drink more Starbucks, and are WAY better at rattling off all the different kinds of lattes and such. I am sure they even own more iPhones.

Some Younger Evangelicals have rebelled into a more Biblically solid foundation than their Baby Boomer parent's Evangelicalism. For this I can only give thanks. Indeed, a shout out to RUF and many other such organizations that have made that possible.

All too many Younger Evangelicals have developed mere slicker versions of Baby Boomer Mega Churches. Yet, Others, seeing the shallowness of Baby Boomer Evangelicalism, and with a yearning for the transcendent, have run into the waiting arms of Emergent Church Gurus (such as have been mentioned in many recent political articles loving the attention as they tend to do). There Younger Evangelicals have come to reverence the old paths, well, minus the content thereof. One chuckles at the whole notion of "Emergent Church," as if there did not exist a church already. From what did this Emergent Church emerge? The hubris drips...

But into the waiting arms of Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones and Brian McClaren all too many of these Younger Evangelicals have run. There they have embraced a form of Biblical Christianity without its, well, content. Not having received a greater or deeper foundation from Baby Boomer Evangelicals, they really just don't know better.

And the big question of the day is whom will they vote for? They're undecided. The world awaits, breathless.