OBAMANATION: Is Obama God's Judgment on America?

The 2012 presidential campaign has begun, which is just another way of saying that the 2008 presidential election is over. Barack Hussein Obama is President-elect of the United States and Senator John McCain is exactly that – senator. And oh the hand-wringing has begun. How many times have I heard evangelical Christians wondering (worrying) if the election of Obama is God’s judgment on our country? (More than once I’ve heard that the “choice” between Obama and McCain was evidence enough of God’s wrath.)

To their credit, I’ve heard many Christians committing to pray for President Obama and his incoming administration. In many cases this is a sincere desire to heed the New Testament admonition to pray for our government leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2). However, in some cases it is said with a sanctimonious attitude of certain knowledge that the Almighty is a Republican and any populace electing a Democratic administration needs prayers for mercy in the face of the inevitable divine wrath it has brought upon itself. It strikes me as a condescending (self-righteous) protest movement: “We’re morally superior, but we’ll be big about our loss and ‘pray’ for you.” I’d rather leave my McCain/Palin bumper sticker on the car and keep my prayers in my closet (Matthew 6:6).

Is the election of President Obama indeed a judgment of God on a wayward nation?

The very question frames the issue wrongly. The question itself betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the timeline of history. It assumes an Old Testament worldview. Behind this question of judgment are images of the great prophets of ancient Israel – Jeremiah weeping over the fate of Jerusalem, Isaiah imploring repentance, Elijah manically alternating from humiliating the prophets of Baal to frightened for his life fleeing from a mad queen. This Old Testament assumption is often made quite explicit as we quote from 2 Chronicles 7:14 (if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.) The problem is this assumption ignores historical context.

Israel was a theocratic nation in covenant with Yahweh. Without going too far afield into redemptive history, Israel was chosen by God – not for anything special about Israel, but because God wanted to use a people to demonstrate who he was and bless all the peoples of the world. Israel did this – finding its fulfillment in its Messiah, Jesus Christ. Prior to his incarnation, Israel was identified and governed by its covenant with its God. In that covenant God stipulated his law for Israel’s governance. He promised to bless them if they followed the covenant, but he also promised severe consequences if they broke covenant. The judgments, destruction, and exile that followed were in the context of this covenant.

John Winthrop not withstanding, America has no such covenant with God! The United States of America was founded on an amazing blend of Judeo-Christian presuppositions, Calvinist-inspired Puritanism, and Enlightenment Liberalism. It was and remains a grand experiment mixing a God-fearing people with a suspicion of human depravity but hope for the highest aspiring ideals of human nature and liberty. The creativity, pragmatism, resilience, energy, and progress created by this mix have produced an absolutely phenomenal 300 years or so. However, the United States is not God’s chosen nation; it is not the new “Israel”; and it is not a nation in covenant with Yahweh.

This is not America’s fault. God no longer makes covenants with nations in the way he did with Israel. The purpose of the covenant with Israel was to bless the whole world through the ultimate Israelite. That purpose was fulfilled in the God-man Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the seed of Abraham. Christ inaugurated a new covenant – one that has nothing to do with ethnicity. As God sees it, there are two nations on this earth – those in Christ and those not in Christ. There is a covenant with the in-Christ nation. It is a covenant in which the conditions have been completely and finally met by Christ himself. Those in Christ have nothing to fear from judgment. Judgment was once-and-for-all meted out on Christ at the cross for those who are in him. Those who are not in Christ will experience the wrath of God, but it has nothing to do with their geographical residence or electoral choices.

President-elect Obama is not a judgment of God on America. The financial crisis is not a judgment of God on America – not in the way that God enforced his covenant on Israel by summoning the Assyrians and Babylonians to sack the land and capture the people. The financial crisis does reveal in whom and what our trust is. The powerful gods of greed and materialism are looking pretty impotent at the moment. Crises like this one are used by God to remind us where to put our trust.

There is only one nation in covenant with God and its citizens are scattered over the face of the earth. As those citizens walk with their God and carry out their assignments of subduing the earth and making disciples, the geo-political states in which they reside will be blessed with righteousness and justice as these citizens gain influence by serving and blessing. However, regardless of the form of government or the head of state, these citizens must maintain their primary loyalty not to the state in which they reside, but to the kingdom in which they live!

The Resurgence

Two weeks ago I went to Seattle for the Acts 29/Resurgence Conference. I had been looking forward to the conference for several months. Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, hosted the conference. John Piper, Matt Chandler, and Jim Gilmore were the guest speakers with a last-minute addition of C.J. Mahaney. Piper has pointed me to the majesty, supremacy and glory of God for more than 10 years. Chandler pastors The Village Church where my wife and I are members. He's a great communicator commited to preaching the gospel. Gilmore is the author of The Experience Economy. I'm still not sure what he said or why he was there. Mahaney leads the Sovereign Grace network of churches and is an incredible statesmen of the faith. And Driscoll...well, Driscoll is just Driscoll. I love hearing him preach the gospel as well. The conference was one of the most powerful I've ever been a part of. The audio of the conference has been posted on The Resurgence website and is available for free download. What follows is a summary (with links to the audio) of the highlights:

Driscoll kicked off the conference by dumping his announced topic and instead offering a message entitled: "Putting Preachers in Their Place." (There's a video link for this one as well.) Driscoll's introductions are famous for the breadth and length, and this one didn't disappoint. He began in Genesis with God preaching creation into existence and walked through the Scripture demonstrating the importance of preaching. Then he launched into a discussion of ecclesiology that was both thorough and well-reasoned. His conclusion is that preaching is a necessary but not sufficient component of a church. He distills the reformation formulas down to five basic requirements for a church ending with the suggestion that some attendees thought they were pastoring churches but were really leading cults. I highly recommend listening to and thinking through this message by Mark.

The second message was far and away the most powerful message of the conference for me. I ve heard a lot about C.J. Mahaney, but this was my first time to hear him preach live. I finally understand why those who've heard him love him so. The character of the man and his passion for Christ are so evident as he speaks and this one was a message I needed to hear. The title was "Pastoral Care & Loving People." He took as his text the first 15 verses of 1 Corinthians. The focus of his message was how to see those to whom you minister with a divine perspective. It was an incredible message, a convicting message, and a life-filled, hope-giving message. It's one I will be listening to over and over.

Piper finished out the first day with a message on "Why I Trust the Scriptures."

[I'll continueto edit and finish this post when I get a few minutes; have to run right now.]

UPDATE: O.K., so I never really finished this post, and no one really cares anymore, but I can't leave it that unfinished. So, the first day of the conference was the best and without a doubt C.J.'s message impacted me the most. I've referred to it countless times and had all of my Leadership Expedition staff listen to it. Matt's message was also good, but I think he was even better at this year's (2009) Desiring God conference: A Shepherd and His Unregenerate Sheep. So, the Resurgence Conference was great. You can get all the audio and most of the video on their website. And I'm finished with this post.

Sailboats and Libraries

While having lunch with a friend a few weeks ago we were talking about the encouragement of being around some of the elder statesmen in the faith – men in their late 60’s and 70’s who have been faithful in following Christ and leading his church for decades and are now in the “retirement” stage of their lives. I was shocked as he quoted one of these highly respected men saying basically, “I feel like a ship out on the sea with my sail up, but no wind. I’m really having to trust God through this stage because I feel like I have so much to give but no one is asking.”

Huh!?!?!?

How in the world can this be?

I have heard that the death of a wise old man is like the burning down of a library. In the case of the man above, it would be the library of a great university like Oxford (you’d probably know his name if I said it). I simply don’t understand how it could be that no one is asking for his wisdom, insight, experience and input.

I freely confess that I have never held the job of Pastor of a local church – maybe someday I will, maybe not. So, I don’t understand all that goes on in being “Pastor _____.” I do know that it is demanding. I do know that people’s expectations create a pressure cooker. But I don’t understand why the pastors I see refuse to use the tools and gifts and assistance this is available to them – such as the libraries who are the elder statesmen who are willing to give away wisdom for which they paid extravagant prices!

When Richard Bewes took over as rector at All Soul’s Church in London, he had huge shoes to fill: the legendary John Stott. Stott was still very much alive and still attending All Soul’s. What to do? It would be a shame for a gift to the body such as Stott to sit in the pews and remain silent. Fortunately, Bewes had the wisdom and security to form what he called a “hermeneutical community.” He and Dr. Stott, along with two or three young and promising preachers met once a week. Bewes laid out the preaching plan (he had one) for them and they discussed it and decided who should deliver each message. Typically Bewes preached twice a month with Stott and the youngsters splitting the other two or three Sundays. Then they would work together on the preparation. At the meeting a week and a half before the message was to be preached the assigned preacher would present his outline. Each of the other members of the community would offer insight, encouragement and constructive criticism. Can you imagine the joy of putting your sermon together with the input of John Stott? Who needs a commentary?

Dr. Bewes shared this system with me over dinner when he came to speak at the seminary I was attending – and I may have gotten a detail or two incorrect, but the concept is there. I thought it was revolutionary. What I don’t understand is why more churches (every church) aren’t trying it. We talk about team ministry, but it still seems like we want one-man teams.

I just don’t understand why there wouldn’t be a line of pastors at the door of my sailboat friend begging him to spend time with them, to sit in on elders and staff meetings and offer wisdom to disciple young people in the church and to meet weekly with the pastor as a spiritual mentor. And all that’s without sharing the pulpit.

I have never faced the weekly grind of having to produce and preach a sermon (or more than one) every week, but I do know that if I had to do one or two a month rather than four or more that the one or two would be better than all four put together. Why not make use of the libraries that are our elder statesmen – especially when it makes us look better too!! And where’s the place for raising up the next generation if they don’t get a chance to study with us and preach with us?

The point isn't who is preaching -- though I have to say I love the way my pastor (who is a great preacher) makes sure someone else is in the pulpit once a month just to remind the church (as well as himself I'm sure) that it isn't all about him. It's more than that. It is about the value we place on those men and women who have paid the price and demonstrated faithfulness with their lives. They have learned from their experience and as a result of years of walking with Christ they live with a depth that we younger ones can only envy. And yet, they are willing to share if only someone will ask.

In our effort to prove our own value and worth and capability and acheivement, are we so independent that we are neglecting the gifts that God has provided for our own maturing as well as the success of our mission? These sailboats and libraries have reached a point in life where their engery is on the wane; they sometimes face physical limitations. They don't need to run a church or organization -- they've already got those t-shirts. But they have something to give and we are just plain stupid to our own detriment if we don't seek out these realationship and the mentoring and maturing that can result. When's the last time you had breakfast with a "library"?