What the Bible Says About Obama: Is This the Right Question?

"What the Bible says about Obama" was a popular topic before the 2008 election. For months before, many people claimed Obama was the Antichrist, or at least a good candidate for that nefarious but vague character. After the American people elected Obama, however, the appeal of such rumors seemed to die down. But what the Bible says about Obama ought to be more important now, right? After all, he's not just a candidate for the presidency; he is the president!

Obama's Lowered Approval Ratings

The American people's approval of the president has dropped. Gallup and CNN polls in December found the same results.¹ Approval ratings may indicate trends, but they don't tell the story of daily life. So let me tell you what I have seen.

In the arena of conservative faith, I have seen that many are quick to criticize the president but slow to pray.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

And we ought to read our Bibles.

What the Bible Says about Obama: or about Our Perspective?

What the Bible says about Obama? Perhaps we ought to give our primary attention to what the Bible says about our attitudes toward our president.

Romans 13:1-7 discusses the Christian's political duty. The first verse says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established."² Paul and the other apostles clashed with unjust decrees and oppressive rulers. When a law directly violated God's law, these men refused to submit to the government law. (For an example, see the account in Acts 4.) But otherwise, they encouraged their disciples to be law-abiding citizens.

They recognized that every government, even a corrupt one, could not exist without God's permission. Christians certainly don't need to abandon politics or give up trying to change laws we think are wrong. But we also need to recognize that God ultimately controls our government. Yup, that means this administration, too. What the Bible says about Obama? God's in control of him. And our perspective should affect the way we respond.

What the Bible Says about Obama-or about Our Responsibilities?

Based on the truth above, Romans 13:6-7 describes our Christian duty toward our leader: "This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Nowhere does the Bible indicate that respect means we must agree with our leaders, approve of their choices, or even like them. But respect involves a certain amount of fairness-and restraining how quickly and how harshly we criticize. I mean, really . . . you try being the president and see how easy a job it is.

In fact, 1 Peter 2:13-17 explains that we submit to and respect our leaders "for the Lord's sake." By doing good, we discredit the false claims against our faith (verse 15).

What the Bible says about Obama? He's to receive our taxes and our respect.

What the Bible Says about Obama-or about Our Prayers?

What the Bible says about Obama? He should be the subject of our prayers. In 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Paul urges that Christian believers pray for everyone, especially "kings and all those in authority."

Do you pray that God would give the president wisdom to make good choices? Do you pray that God would preserve Obama's relationships with his wife and children from the pressures that come with his job? Do you pray that he would submit himself to God's guidance? Do you pray that he would have eyes to see and ears to hear? Do you pray that God's will would be done through the current administration?

Which do you think is more productive when you're upset, to rant about the government or to pray to the God who owns the entire world?

Next time we're tempted to rant, perhaps we ought to shut our mouths and spend time in prayer first. Then if God moves us to speak, we'll have the right words.

¹For more information and analysis, please see the following resources:
"Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval,"Gallup, http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx (accessed 4 January 2010).
Bill Sammon, "Obama's 47 Percent Approval Lowest of Any President at This Point,"FOXNews, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/08/obamas-percent-approval-lowest-president-point/ (accessed 4 January 2010).
"Obama Approval Rating below 50 Percent,"CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/04/obama.approval.poll/index.html (accessed 4 January 2010).

²For this and following quoted passages: Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.