It is official. Joe Biden has been enshrined as the 46th president of the United States. Some people within the church such as Lecrae, are relishing the fact Donald Trump is no longer president. For them, it’s the dawn of a new day. Then you have my end whose departure of him is leaving more questions than answers. For us, palms are sweaty over the rhetoric spewed from the opposition-wondering if all that power will result in retribution. To navigate forward, the church must holistically mirror herself the reality we’re in. The reflection displays concerning trends on both scales. The congregation does have the right to be either celebratory or cautious, but without a balance check we’ll contribute to the state of irrational partisanship.
Reality Check
I must address my side first as we cannot talk about the other end before looking in the mirror. Listen, I am not excited about a Biden presidency. As I’ve stated in the past, I voted for D.J.T in both elections. I do not support a vast majority of Biden’s policies. I also believe him to be a puppet who’ll serve the interest of big donors over the working-class. I’ll be transparent on my bias. That said, it is not unbiblical to pray for our leaders INCLUDING the current president. I saw a community page on Reddit, where supposedly it was a safe space for other believers. Scrolling through, I noticed someone requested prayer for Biden. The reaction made me wonder if was more of a war zone than a safe space. It was evidence that echo chambers had infiltrated the church. The idea to pray for political leaders with differing opinions has become polarizing. It has put politics ahead of faith. That’s become quite the predicament. Our faith becomes hollow when there is an ounce of hate. Where’s the scripture? “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” It also states in scripture to ALWAYS pray. “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
We mustn’t allow ourselves to romanticize a man’s behavior either. While I appreciated many of Trump’s polices-being a warrior for the little guy- he was a flawed man. The warrior mentality is good to have when push comes to shove from authorities-vocalizing our dissent with the establishment. If left unchecked though, the lack of grace will only turn up the temperature in an already heated political arena. In other words, if it affects our ability to love our neighbor, it’s an act of disobedience to the most high. The treatment from the ruling-class in our institutions have been horrendous-selling us out like disposables. I see it with my own eyes and empathize the desire to lash out. Jesus made grace is for everyone however, not just one political ideology. There can’t be room for the flesh to roam. We’re not to let those elite jackasses fog God’s vision of love. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” It is easy to find reasons to hate a someone than it is to love. God demonstrated love is not meant to be easy as he loved us first while still living in the flesh. It’s gonna require patience and prayer to practice self-control. It’s work, but one of the fruits of the spirit! And God gets the glory when we walk in spirit. That said, we aren’t the only ones that need a mirror.
It was one of those days where I decided to zone out on Facebook. The platform has become increasingly partisan with the censorship purge by Zuckerberg. So, in this story I was the minority when I saw a particular meme. It came from a Christian page so it was in good taste…I hoped! Regardless, I wanted to comment and proudly express who earned my vote. The reaction? Similar to those Christians who read the requests to pray for our current president. Many attempted to mock me by making snarky remarks like, ‘ let me guess, you get triggered over Starbucks coffee cups too?’ The attempts to provoke were unsuccessful. I maintained civility and even joked in response to the Starbucks comment. Then, a few days ago I was drawn to Twitter due to rumors surrounding Lecrae, a well known hip-hop artist in the church. Out of curiosity, I looked up to comprehend the hoopla. It did not take long before my jaw dropped from what I’d seen. ‘Feels good to be on the right side of history.’ It didn’t end there sadly, as the follow-up completely shattered my jawline. ‘Which of course is the anti-racism, pro life from womb to the tomb, care for the marginalized, anti-Christian nationalism, anti-abuse of power side.’ That is despite years of proclamation of not choosing a side, especially on January 6 with Capitol Hill. Those tweets sounded like scripts from big tech, the news media, and Hollywood, filled with self-righteousness. The tweets definitely lost me and wouldn’t bode kindly from anyone else out of the 74 million. The symptom to this? Arrogance, resulting in hypocrisy. Lecrae’s tweets unfortunately, reflect the attitude of elitism.
A good bulk of 2020 was spent on lectures how anybody who condemned BLM (Black Lives Matter) supported injustice or racism. Now, one can wonder if crickets replaced their vocal chords when the PBS lawyer suggested striping kids away from parents to, ‘enlightenment camps,’ due to their support for Trump. The crickets continue to chirp as businesses threat to cut service to anybody who supports 45. And of course, who can forget Don Lemmon’s bizarre comment of, ‘preserving whiteness.’ That’s not racism? The government has the power to strip the church’s right to fellowship in person? Or use monopolies to funnel policies they can’t-pressuring other companies to follow suit? Using the logic lectured last year, the silence means abuse of power and racism are okay. What about Biden’s plan to reverse the pro-life policies? Is that the idea of ‘womb to the tomb?’ That’s an oxymoron; Forget vocal chords, they live in space! There isn’t a even a whisper of reason denouncing this insanity. The hypocrisy reminds me of the parable Jesus told to those with inflated heads. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed, thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” The piece of scripture speaks for itself.
Now what?
Was it hard to read? Good, it means you’ve been comforted by lies. Now, we build on the truth. First, let’s remember the two greatest commandments of loving God and your neighbor. Let’s build relationships with people whom we disagree with. Our growth will hinder and become stale if we only listen to one perspective. There must also be a realization that nobody is immune to corruption either. Sin is waiting at the doorstep, ready for the moment when the door opens. It doesn’t happen overnight either. The process of falling to that deep state of depravity is a slow cooker. To stay above reproach, we must pray with each other and read God’s word constantly. Once this is figured out and see through the manipulation, we’re ready to address our role in a Biden presidency. If we were to being honest, we will be tested. The challenge? Finding that balance of knowing whether or not to obey a higher government authority.
Lately, it seems no matter whose side you’re on, the ruling-class will castigate you right under the bus once the value is lost. So how do we go about this balance? We can start with scripture to guide us in the right path. Romans 13, gets into the Christian’s relationship with the government. “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
Some will walk out of the theater, or I’ll gain a thunderous applause, depending on which side you land. Let’s put this into context before getting carried away- there’s an irony! Paul would be arrested and thrown into prison for disobedience! So why would he say that? You have to look throughout the bible to get a full grasp of what’s going on. The best example to bridge this disconnect? The book of Daniel. There was a time when three men disobeyed a king’s order, King Nebuchadnezzar. The law established stated, “as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.” If you did not, death as punishment. Long story short, the three men refused. Everyone else did, but those men didn’t. God rewarded their obedience and loyalty to him FIRST by protecting them in the furnace after the king tried to give them a death penalty-hoping for a death filled with anguish.
Paul was arrested for his refusal to submit to laws that disobeyed God’s commandments. Romans 13, is for times we’re NOT asked to break off from the Lord’s obedience. Any manmade law that commands us to idolize other authority is the time to disobey. That means refusing to obey mandates which limit our ability to fellowship. The early church wasn’t allowed to meet in person, yet they did it anyway despite the forbiddance of gathering. They faced persecution no American can comprehend. Alarmingly, it’s resulting in more people taking our rights for granted; inviting for other vices to forsake our foundation. Our foundation, is the belief that God’s law triumphs over everything else. The law permits us to take care of our own as it is within the law to love our neighbor and care for the poor. Any belief otherwise have fallen to idolatry. We must ALWAYS put God first. He is our eternal provider. If he’s with us, who can stand against us? God protected the three men in Daniel, refusing to bow to man. All it takes is faith of a muster seed.
We press ahead with under new leadership by prioritizing our citizenship with the kingdom. The founding fathers understood that during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Religious freedom and speech were treated with the upmost respect by putting in the Bill of Rights as the FIRST amendment to the constitution. It’s why the pilgrims left England to come here in America. Christians boarded the Mayflower seeking to leave a government whom didn’t understand the church’s loyalty was to the King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth. A century later, it pushed our country to war along with other acts of tyranny across the Atlantic. Think about that. They were willing to go to war with the superpower of their time! It was the 18th century version of David and Goliath. The early Americans were willing to sacrifice their souls to freely worship. This belief, is evidenced in the letter declaring our independence to King George. “We Mutually Pledge To Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes And Our Sacred Honor.” Everyone understood the risk of death was a possibility, but like the book of Daniel, God would bless our land because of their works.
It is our sacred duty to protect the ability to worship for our posterity. 21st century America isn’t at the point of war and may be never in our lifetime-nor am I advocating. Nonetheless, be ready to answer if that call is made. Until then, we pray, love, and read our eternal book. God does calls us to have faith that is willing to walk in obedience to the point of death. It is safe to assume the vast majority are not there and that’s okay. There is grace, persevere. Christ’s infallibly exemplified this devotion. I hope if the day comes, you and I, by his grace will be. And if there is anyone with a heart of stone, my prayer is that it may be replaced with a heart of flesh. Glory be to God. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
Author’s Note: Anything underlined is a link for you to click on if desired. Readers are encouraged to educated themselves and seek other sources for information. It is also worth noting the Supreme Court made rulings on the state’s ability to restrict gatherings as recent as December.
Christianity With Biden in Charge
Holy shit you're delusional. You don't like Biden because he's not "for the working class"? You supported Trump because he's not controlled by Billionaires? Almost every action Trump took while in office was to enrich himself. The entire cabinet was made up of people who bribed him.