Protestants and Politics: What are they saying about Obama?
Posted by The Skyliner on March 25th, 2009Jon Harris
Staff Writer
Barack Obama has passed the 50-day mark as President of the United States, but what are Christian leaders saying about Obama and his presidency?
“Evangelical churches are reacting negatively for the most part while some are cautiously awaiting the outcome of his decisions and policies,” Dr. Frank Page, pastor of Taylors First Baptist, said. “There is a great deal of concern on the part of most of the evangelical churches.”
Obama has lifted Bush’s ban on federal funding for stem cell research, passed a $787 billion economic stimulus plan, released his plan to withdrawal from Iraq, boosted troop numbers in Afghanistan and chose to close Guantanamo Bay prison. In a recent NBC poll, Obama has a 60% approval rating.
Dr. Page is on President Obama’s Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Page said he accepted this position to bring “a more conservative biblical voice.”
“I have not been very impressed with the leadership of President Obama at this point,” Page said.
Page is disappointed with Obama’s spending, lack of confidence given to the business community and the steps he has taken to remove protection from unborn babies. He has met with the President and will be meeting with him again. Page has conveyed to the President his concern for the unborn, the needy in our society and the protection of marriage as an institution between a man and woman.
Stuart Fuller, leader of Radius Church, describes the current political situation as tense. He says the church is generally reacting in fear.
“Fear in him failing, specifically economically, because the church in America enjoys comfort as much as anyone does. Fear in him succeeding because I think the church has become so intrinsically linked with a political party that we don’t know what to do if the ‘other’ party does something good,” Fuller said. “It was much easier for the church to say ‘I told you so’ to Bill Clinton’s moral failure…not so with Obama. It’s more of a catch-22.”
Fuller gives President Obama negative ratings for filling too many gaps of people’s failure: poverty, greed, etc. However, Fuller provides the President a positive rating for trying as he promised.
“I don’t think a day has gone by in the past month where he hasn’t made a pretty significant decision,” Fuller said.
Fuller says to claim all truth, whether from a Republican or a Democrat, as God’s truth.
“Our allegiance isn’t to a flag, a country, or a political party. We are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven… and Jesus is King. Political parties don’t own truth and goodness,” Fuller said. “The government, at best, can control behavior. Only Jesus can change the heart.”
Keith Humphrey, a leader for Christian Exodus, a Christian-based social group in Greenville, says if he had the chance, he would refuse a meeting with the President and “denounce him as an illegal impostor.”
“Mainstream Christianity regards Obama as a threat to traditional family values primarily because of his extremist globalist communist ideology,” Humphrey said. “We believe that Obama has been more effective than any president since Abraham Lincoln, in completely destroying the American economy and any remaining vestiges of Constitutional governance.”
Humphrey said Christians should follow Jesus rather than support the government.
Tony Campolo, evangelical author, speaker, and professor, told Relevant magazine it is imperative for Christians and non-Christians to be involved in politics.
“What we need to affirm is that Jesus is neither a Democrat nor a Republican,” Campolo said. “Whenever we marry Jesus to a political party, we are committing the sin of idolatry. We are making Jesus into the image of our political party.”
When asked, Redemption World Outreach said they choose to be neutral, help their congregation interpret the Bible, and let them make up their own minds in the area of politics.
“Christians must be very prayerful in following their convictions and at the same time support the government,” Page said. “Scripture commands that we have respect for those in authority and pray for them.”
Well said!