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Though I've heard the statement time and again, for the life of me, I cannot stop shaking my head in the midst of the confusion it creates. What statement is that?
"We don't need a pastor in chief to lead our nation."
That crazy decree seems to be the rallying cry of people who are dead set on rejecting more godly candidates in favor of one who is continually bearing extremely bad fruit.
Proverbs 29:2 says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn."
The celebration surrounding Donald Trump zeros in on his secular problem solving abilities and his rejection of any measure of political correctness. The problem? The situation in America requires someone who applies biblical principles, not human principles; biblical wisdom, not human wisdom.
"The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." ~ Calvin Coolidge
Again, I just sit back and shake my head when Christians so eagerly support someone who has owned casinos and strip clubs and whose wife appeared nude in a magazine. Am I actually typing that? Christians are campaigning for a man who has owned casinos and strip clubs and whose wife appeared nude in a magazine. Wow. Yes. I did just type that. Twice. I'm flabbergasted.
Please, fellow Christian, explain yourself! How can you ignore that and the many other violations of decency that Donald Trump has committed—and continues to commit?
If my own son or daughter was campaigning for the office of president of the United States and was living similarly in an ungodly way, they would never receive my vote. My love, yes. My vote, not a chance. I couldn't allow the blood of our nation to be on my hands. No amount of charisma, leadership ability or education could convince me to vote for them—unless they embraced a repentant life and developed into a mature follower of Jesus.
The reality is that we are absolutely electing someone to lead our nation who must be first and foremost a servant of God. If they don't intimately know Jesus Christ, what god will they be receiving their inspiration from? The principalities and powers are drooling at the chance to be that god—the one who gives leadership to the president of the United States of America. If we don't have a God-fearing person in office, one who exhibits the traits of a true pastor, the alternative should terrify us.
"We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!" ~ John Adams
"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained." ~ George Washington
Pastor in Chief
For all of those who are adamantly arguing against electing a pastor in chief, please let me know which of the following attributes are improper for the leader of our nation.
1 Timothy 3 1-7 reveals the qualifications of overseers of the church. I propose that these must be minimum qualifications for one who would desire to lead our nation:
- Above reproach—This means to be blameless. No evil should be able to be proved against any candidate of public office. This doesn't only mean any illegal activity, it means to be free of evil, of sinful practice. How can a president lead our nation via righteous means if he isn't living righteously himself?
- The husband of one wife—This mandate has become so diluted in our modern society. It's shocking that we would hold to a position that divorced people disqualify themselves from leadership (unless the divorce is supported by Scripture).
- Sober-minded—Adam Clarke translates this as "having the complete government of all his passions." This is talking about a mature person who isn't given to anger or emotional responses to the issues of life.
- Self-controlled—Sometimes candidates for office are referred to as appearing presidential. They are self-controlled, steady and not swayed by the challenges in front of them. They are confident and solid in their position.
- Respectable—A candidate's reputation will precede them, and it must be squeaky clean. At the least, they must humbly admit their previous failures and be believable going forward. They must be genuine.
- Hospitable—Will a candidate get into the trenches with common people, serve them with passion and connect with them as a friend? It's something very special when this happens, and I believe we should expect it. It's a part of the office.
- Able to teach—It might be easy to dismiss this as pertaining specifically to pastors. I would disagree. We must have a leader who can communicate clearly, understand his subject matter and connect with the people of America so well that he gains our trust and that we are properly informed.
- Not a drunkard—This should go without saying. No leader, spiritual or secular, will be able to fulfill his duties if he drinks to excess.
- Not violent—Violence in a pastor would be truly terrible. Violence in the leader of our nation would literally put our nation at risk of nuclear war.
- Gentle—A non-violent leader is mandatory, but we have to expect even more. They must be gentle. Do you perceive a gentle, tender heart in your candidate?
- Not quarrelsome—Do they play dirty? Do they call people names, act like a bully or threaten? If so, putting them in the land's highest position would be a cataclysmic mistake.
- Not a lover of money—This should be absolutely non-negotiable for any leader, much less the president of the United States. A love of money is the root of all evil, and if that attribute is in our leader, our nation is put at extreme risk of being overtaken by evil.
- Manage his household well—Does the candidate have a reputation of being a stable family leader? Do his children respect him? Are they submissive? This is more important than we may realize.
- Not a recent convert—This may be the most important attribute for the leader of our nation. Having anybody other than a seasoned Christian leading our nation should be unthinkable.
- Be well thought of by outsiders—Is the candidate an honorable person? Do people respect their character?
The question I'm presenting is simple: Why would we not demand such a code of ethics for those who are running for office? What is unreasonable about it? Why would such a list of qualifications be rejected when seeking to elect someone for the most powerful and influential position in our great (or once great) nation?
The obvious defense would be that no candidate passes the test. That's debatable, but regardless, we must elect the person who scores the highest. We can't throw out the standards simply because of a lack of perfection. Look for the humble person, for the mature Believer, for the one who walks in the fear of the Lord.
Donald Trump is clearly not that person. I pray someday he could be.
John Burton has been developing and leading ministries for over 25 years and is a sought out teacher, prophetic messenger and revivalist. John has authored ten books, is a regular contributor to Charisma Magazine, has appeared on Christian television and radio and directed one of the primary internships at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. A large and growing library of audio and video teachings, articles, books and other resources can be found on his website at www.burton.tv. John, his wife Amy and their five children live in Branson, Missouri.
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