Christians and the Obama Administration

America has a new President-elect—one to whom most evangelicals (myself included) were opposed during the election due to his stance on abortion. So what?

* So we rejoice and rest in God’s sovereignty (Dan 2; 4:34-35; Psalm 75:5-7; Prov 21:1).

* So we start praying for our new leaders (1 Tim 2:1-4).

* So we put to rest the hysteria that I’ve heard from many Christians and pastors. Some have suggested that the future of the church and our ability to minister the gospel hung in the balance along with Oval Office during this election (and the ones in 2000 and 2004). Well, here’s a news flash: The gates of hell are no closer to prevailing against Christ’s church today than they were last week, last century, or during any political regime of the last 2000 years (Matt 16:18). The church will be fine. Mercy, it might be better off. The progress of the gospel has never depended on governmental leaders. It has thrived under Presidents, Kings, Emperors, and Dictators (2 Tim 2:9b). It will continue to do so.

* So we learn a hard lesson regarding the limitations of political activism. The church has never been more active in American politics than in the last 3 decades. Starting with the founding of the Moral Majority and continuing to the recent flexing of political muscle by the religious right, a lot of Christians’ time and energy has been invested in promoting a conservative political agenda. What do we have to show for it? Abortion continues. Pornography has moved from dicey parts of town to the family room. Television and movies are open sewers. The homosexual agenda is thriving. We’ve really accomplished none of the goals the leaders of the religious right set out to achieve. And frankly, even if we had succeeded at passing laws restricting abortion and gay marriage, I wonder (a) if those temporal victories would have survived this administration anyway, and (b) if our victories would have been any more successful than prohibition was? Sure, you can point to the abolition of the slave trade that Wilberforce heroically won as an example of using legislation for a moral purpose, but he did so primarily by convincing a God-fearing public that it was immoral. It remains unlawful to own slaves today because society at large recognizes the abhorrence of slavery. The same is true of neither homosexuality or abortion. But I digress. Meanwhile—and more tragically—as the American church has been striking out at politics, Christians have never been more worldly nor the church more impotent in spiritual matters.

* So we vote and exert influence on our legislators as our laws allow (thankfully), but remind ourselves that our ultimate goal must be saving sinners, not ending (or making more difficult) sins.

* So we remind ourselves that we are commanded by Christ to save Americans (and others), not America.

* So we remind ourselves that the cause of Christ cannot be advanced by the arm of the flesh (Jer 17:5). The weapons of our warfare must not be natural, but spiritual (2 Cor 10:4). The source of our confidence must not be the “chariots and horses” of politics (Prov 20:7).

* So we realize that trying to accomplish spiritual good by the means of political or military force is no more likely to succeed for us than it did for Constantine or the Crusaders (John 18:36).

* So we stop acting as though Christ had political activism in mind when he commanded us to be salt and light (Matt 5:13, 16). Seriously, nothing was ever further from Christ’s mind.

* So we renew our confidence in the gospel. We recognize that passing even good laws can’t stop sin, much less regenerate sinners. We remind ourselves that while political involvement is a fine thing with at least some biblical precedent and that politics is a grand career for many godly people (like Joseph, Daniel, Mordecai, or William Wilberforce), the cause to which every Christian and every church is called to devote money, energy and passion is world evangelization, not the end of public and unspeakably grievous sins. Our hope is in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

* So we do some remedial studying to get our eyes back on the main thing. I suggest a few resources, for starters:

• Read Blinded by Might, the reflections of Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson, two early leaders in the Moral Majority, on why political activism is an insufficient strategy for the church.
• Read Why the Cross Can Do What Politics Can’t, a book by Erwin Lutzer with a similar message, written from a more intentionally biblical and theological perspective.
• Listen to the message “Politically Incorrect,” which Phil Johnson delivered at last year’s Shepherd’s Conference.
• Consider some of the thoughts I expressed recently in the message “God and Government.”

* So we remind ourselves that we have a second citizenship, one in a country that is far better, (Heb 11:9-10, 13-16). We yearn and prepare for that country and long for the inauguration of our perfect King (Rev 11:15), as we should have been doing all along, regardless of who has been in the White House.

* So we “honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17). If Christians could (and were commanded by God to) do so under Roman emperors, we certainly can and must do so now. It might look something like this:

Mr. Obama, as an American citizen and a born again Christian, I congratulate you on an historic victory. I will be praying for you and submitting to any of the laws you sign that don’t require me to violate the Scriptures, which I fully expect to be most or all of them. I will strive to be an ideal citizen, and I sincerely hope you serve our nation well.

Now, Sir, if you’ll excuse me and my fellow Christians, we have an eternally important task to be about—one which many of us have forgotten about for a while.

Okay, Christian, stop sulking and go give someone the gospel.