Robert Jeffress of FBC Dallas assured his mega-congregation President Obama was not the Antichrist, but was his forerunner; the John the Baptist of the Antichrist, if you will. Inflammatory remarks such as these are not likely to endear the gospel to our secular counterparts, but rather will continue to reinforce Christian stereotypes.
The Apostle Paul set a much loftier example as he showed profound respect for those in authority. In Acts 26, the governor Festus told Paul that he was mad, and Paul addressed him respectfully as “most excellent Festus.” Other examples could be cited, but Paul explicitly told Timothy in 1Timothy 2:1-3,
“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior …”
Peter likewise writes in 1Peter 2:13-15,
“Submit to every human institution because of the Lord, whether to the Emperor as the supreme authority, or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For it is God’s will that you, by doing good, silence the ignorance of foolish people. . . Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor.”
Christians don't agree with the President on key issues, but unlike those who see history as capricious and erratic, allowing themselves to digress into inflammatory speech and passing it off as Christian rhetoric, we see the universe in God's sovereign hands, allowing us to reflect His glory with measured words and honor for those in authority. As Dr. Russell Moore said, “Because we know as believers that we will eternally say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ we can as citizens temporally say, ‘Hail to the chief.’”
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