Quantcast
Sponsors
Special Reports
Editorial: Prayers, indeed. Capitulation, never.
Jan 29, 2009
By JAMES A. SMITH SR.
Florida Baptist Witness

President Barack Obama took the oath office Jan. 20 on the steps of the Capitol at one end of the National Mall overflowing with supporters and other Americans wanting to be a part of history. On Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the opposite end of the nearly two-mile long Mall, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered to a similar multitude the definitive defense of the civil rights movement in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

I’m certain I’m not the first to note the historical symmetry of King’s dream of racial tolerance expressed at one end of the Mall and its fulfillment at the other end 45 years later. King’s memorable words echoed through the corridors of time and down the National Mall to the steps of the Capitol and were realized in Obama’s inauguration.

King rightly—and prophetically—dreamed of a day when his children would “live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

As a white American born a year after King’s seminal address who lived most of his childhood in the integrated north where racial tensions, while real, were less severe than in the south, I cannot fully understand the meaning of Barack Obama’s election as the first African-American president. African Americans who were the victims of racist public policies that degraded their humanity and took the lives of some of their relatives see Obama’s inauguration in a way I will never be able to completely comprehend.

Still, I, too, celebrate the election of an African-American president as a long overdue turning point in our nation. America’s more than two-century long democratic republic experiment has moved closer to its constitutional ideal of “a more perfect union” in the election of a racial minority. For this, I truly thank God.

In a very real way, Obama’s elevation to the White House is an affirmation of the biblical truth that all persons are created by God in His own image and, as image-bearers, are sacred, deserving of inalienable rights. Human beings by their very nature, no matter their race, are God’s handiwork.

The most important of these inalienable rights is the right to life itself. Tragically, it’s the violation of this right that makes Obama’s inauguration also a matter of grave concern.

By any reasonable estimation, Barack Obama is the most radically pro-abortion president America has ever elected. That all of those who cast their ballots for him knew, understood and/or supported his anti-life positions is highly questionable. Nevertheless, Obama’s election will now result in payment of promises he made to the pro-death lobby. His obeisance to every demand of pro-abortion advocates during his presidential candidacy will lead—apart from a dramatic reversal—to a dangerous assault on pro-life public policies.

The result: human beings will be victims of state-sanctioned (and funded, in places) homicide.

Obama’s commitments to the homosexual lobby are also a distortion of the sanctity of human life in its expression of the God-ordained institution of marriage, the most basic human relationship. Under Obama’s administration—again, unless there is a dramatic reversal—the homosexual lobby will enjoy enthusiastic support for its agenda, including the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which has protected state limitations of marriage to its only proper definition of one man and one woman.

The reality of these anti-life, anti-family policies was made abundantly clear within minutes of Obama’s assumption of office as the White House Web site illustrated the dramatic shift by removing George W. Bush’s policy positions supporting the sanctity of human life and marriage with Obama’s pro-abortion, pro-“gay” rights agenda. In his first days in office, some of these policies are now being implemented.

In the euphoria of Obama’s election—and in the midst of an economic meltdown of global proportions—many have called for unity and support of the president during these trying days–sometimes to the point of capitulation.

“Come Let Us Reason Together” has offered a “governing agenda to end the culture war” in a letter to the president signed by self-described progressives and evangelicals. This group seeks common ground on the divisive issues of abortion, homosexual rights, immigration and torture. Some of the goals of this effort are worthy of support, while others are a capitulation to the enemies of biblical morality.

On abortion, the agenda calls for policies to eliminate the need for abortion and support for adoption. Implicit, however, is its support for abortion as a fundamental right. Explicit is the document’s advocacy of what is an essentially Planned Parenthood sex education agenda that includes abstinence, while also advancing the failed “safe sex” policies of contraceptives for kids, with no mention of parental notice or consent.

Concerning homosexuality, “Come Let Us Reason Together” calls for employment discrimination protection on the basis of sexual “orientation” as a matter of “fairness,” grounded in the Golden Rule. Although the legislation advocated includes an exception for churches and other religious organizations, the bill would not protect Christian employers who desire to operate their businesses according to biblical principles.

It’s inconceivable to me that evangelicals—although most of those signers severely stretch the definition of “evangelical”—would feel an obligation to make common cause with liberals on these issues. While I’m happy for any incremental success to protect human life, this agenda is merely a cover for the “right” to abortion.

Further, there is no Christian duty to affirm homosexuals’ (lesbians’, transgendered persons’, etc.) “right” to employment—and it is a distortion beyond recognition to argue the Golden Rule requires such a duty in contradiction to biblical revelation that finds sex outside of marriage immoral. Instead, this effort is a barely disguised attempt to advance the normalization of homosexuality.

The equation of homosexuality and other sexual deviations with human traits and fundamental rights like religious liberty protected in civil rights statutes is yet another example of an assault on the sanctity of human life.

If the immoral activity of homosexuality is deserving of employment discrimination protection, why not provide the same for other immoral behavior? Although I believe racists have a “right” to be employed as much as any other human being, I do not believe the government has a duty to provide employment discrimination protection for those who advocate the immorality of racism.

Indeed, “Come Let Us Reason Together” wishes to end the culture war—by granting victory to the enemies of biblical morality without so much as a fight! This cause is unworthy of the support of true evangelicals and is a dangerous distraction from our duty to stand for biblical morality in public policy on the hardest—and most vital—issues of our day: the protection of life and the family.

In the midst of our profound disagreements with the president, all Christians have a biblical duty to pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:2), as well as to submit to governing authorities (Rom. 13:1-7). Such prayers and submission, however, do not require support for ungodly policies.

I reject utterly the notion—implicit in the confused claims of some—that my Christian duty to pray for my president requires me to support or look away from policies Obama advances that are contrary to biblical morality.

I will pray; I will also contest, where necessary.

I will pray for Obama’s success in every matter to which he sets his hand that upholds righteousness and justice. I will pray for Obama’s failure in every matter to which he sets his hand that undermines righteousness and justice.

True evangelical Christians owe to President Obama—and, more vitally—we owe to our nation—and most importantly—we owe to our God prayers for the man whom God has permitted to serve our nation in this hour. But we also owe it to our president, our nation, and our God to oppose vigorously any and all of Obama’s policies that advance an immoral agenda for our nation.

Here, we must stand. We should do no other.

Bookmark and Share

You must be login before you can leave a comment. Click here to Register if you are a new user.

Login ID:
Password: Forgot password?