OBAMA- MESSIAH?? ANTICHRIST??

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." (I Timothy 2:1-2)

Yesterday, I was dismayed to hear a female substitute radio talk show host on National Public Radio (or is it "Public Radio International"??) keep calling the Boeing aircraft company "Boing" as she was trying to host a discussion about the problems with the Boeing 787 "dream liner" fleet. That fact has absolutely nothing to do with this posting except that it underscores that I tend to be very much a news and current events geek. I suppose many other listeners would not notice or even care that "Boeing" was incorrectly pronounced as "Boing"! I guess it also underscores that I'm a stickler for detail and for getting the facts correct. President Barack Obama is about to be inaugurated as President for the Second time. Honestly, I can't see the necessity of "second" Inaugurations. I realize the second Inauguration begins a new presidential term, but it all seems like such a waste of time, energy, and money. (Listen, my complaint is not that its a very liberal, Democrat President who is getting a second Inauguration. I feel the same way about Ronald Reagan having had a second Inauguration.)

As a sticker for correct news, facts, and detail; and as a news and current events geek, I must say I'm very apathetic and a little sad about Barack Obama beginning a second term. Listen, I would also be apathetic and a little sad about Mitt Romney beginning a first term. I could probably write forty pages on that subject. When I consider the tremendous divisions in our country at this time, and so many "off the wall" beliefs and propaganda by both the left and the right, I just want to cry. In November, I voted with great enthusiasm for Scott Brown for U.S. Senator. I also voted for Mitt Romney with absolutely no enthusiasm. I had written and said over and over and over that I would never vote for Mitt Romney for President. I felt like a liar and a phoney when I voted for him. But I felt that as bad of a choice for President that Mitt Romney would be; Barack Obama's reelection would be an even worse proposition. Of course, we all know how it turned out! Ironically, Barack Obama's swearing in is actually going to take place at midday on Sunday with pretty much nobody watching. All the festivities and and crowds and parades will be on Monday. The swearing in on Monday will be just a formality for show. This is because the traditional January 20 Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday this year, so as when Christmas and the Fourth of July fall on a Sunday, the legal Inauguration Day is celebrated on the Monday after that Sunday. Interestingly enough, this year's legal Inauguration Day is also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

In evangelical Christian circles (with the huge exception of predominantly Black evangelical churches) Barack Obama is viewed very badly and frankly disdained by most. In theologically liberal churches, Black churches, and "progressive" circles, Barack Obama is viewed so positively as to be absolutely Messianic. In those circles, conservatives and Republicans are viewed as selfish, evil hate-mongers.

In my lifetime, I don't think the country has ever been so polarized.

It's hard for me to understand how or why Barack Obama is viewed as a Messiah, as one of our greatest Presidents, as a figure on the level of Ghandi or Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King, Jr. I've also heard him described as "evil" and "possibly the Antichrist" by some white evangelicals. I've never voted for Obama, and for the most part (except for the killing of Osama Ben Laden) I have highly criticized him and disagreed with him. Yet, in very public forums on the internet I wrote in high praise of Obama's initial handling of the Newtown tragedy. I commended his excellent and comforting speech to the community of Newtown on the Sunday evening following the event, and I sympathized with and supported his desire to restrict military style assault weapons. Well, for a number of folks on the right side of the aisle, one would THINK that after I did that I had just become a card carrying member of the Communist Party or renounced my Christianity by the amazing response I got from people! Listen, I'm still a Republican, I'm still fairly conservative, and I still support the Second Amendment and gun owners rights in almost every instance! Now, lest my liberal friends have a good laugh over what I just wrote, I had been quite used to being considered a Bible thumping, stupid and narrow minded facist by many of my liberal and Democrat friends!

To my conservative and evangelical friends: Barack Obama is more of an empty suit than he is an evil mastermind. If you want to know what a truly evil and antichrist governmental administration is like, consider the German government of November 9-10, 1938. That was the night called "kristallnacht" (or "night of broken glass") when mobs went out with sledgehammers smashing the windows of Jewish businesses and synagogues in Germany and Austria and arresting Jews. Over 1000 synagogues were destroyed that night as were over 7000 businesses. When the President and the Government start that kind of stuff, then I'll call them evil and antichrist. I do agree with the right, however, that as a nice guy who is essentially an empty suit, Obama is eager to please some of the craziest elements of the far left in our society. He's not a mastermind. But I admit he could easily be used as a tool of people who do have an agenda to destroy our country. The problem with Mitt Romney is that you really can't believe much of anything he says, and he is a tool of some of the worst elements of big business in this country.

The Scripture I quoted above exhorts Christians to pray for those who are in authority over them. Listen, just about all of the political rulers in the Apostle Paul's day really were evil! The Roman emperors demanded to be worshiped as gods! And, we just read at Christmas time about Herod the Great having a bunch of little boys slaughtered! That's evil and antichrist. But Paul said we should pray for those in authority over us, even types like the Herods and the Caesars. That's because when we pray for them, there's actually the potential for things to go better for us. I almost never pray for the President. It's not just that I don't pray for Obama. I didn't pray very much for George W. Bush, or Bill Clinton, or Ronald Reagan or anybody else, either. And I almost never pray for Governor Patrick or Senator Kerry or my State Rep. or State Senator. For my cynical evangelical friends who want to reply that it's a waste of time to pray for a bunch of liberal and secular-humanistic politicians, tell that to the Apostle Paul!

SO, on a very human level, I am not excited at all about this Inauguration nor about Obama continuing as President. But I have a challenge from God's Word to pray and so do you! Will we lift our hearts and voices in prayer for our leaders and our country or will we continue to judge and complain? Listen, as a guy who has done more judging and complaining than most people have, I've got to search my own heart about these issues on the threshold of this "second Inauguration".