Pray for rulers

[ByTheSpirit]

I know not all here adhere to the Christian faith, so what I am about to post has only to deal specifically with people of faith, although others are welcome to heed the advice as well. This is not a theological post meant to explain theology, rather meant as a recommendation and admonishment to truth.

This may come as a surprise but God actually wants all who call upon his name to pray for their leaders and officials. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) For he has placed each and every one of them in their position for a purpose and reason. They have no power on their own, but it is all from God. (Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14)

It is very popular now a days to condemn the President and criticize him for his actions and conduct, but are you praying for him? If you are not, then you are actually part of the problem. So instead of criticizing, pray.

Pray that God grant him (and future leaders as well, all of Congress, SCOTUS, state and local leaders) wisdom and insight so as to govern justly and wisely. Then maybe, just maybe, the land will prosper and thrive once again.

 

[LoAmmi]

There's no reason I can't both pray and criticize.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

There's no reason I can't both pray and criticize.

Do you pray for and criticize your Pastor? Rhetorical question no answer needed.

Point being is you don't have to agree with decisions they make, but to criticize is to voice such disagreement openly that creates opportunities for the enemy to attack.

I will try not to turn this into a theological discussion. I know this is the political forum.

I personally feel it is neither appropriate or wise for Christians to criticize any leaders, again, they are in power because God put them there, not the Russians, not Democrats or Republicans, God. And by extension to criticize them would be to criticize God's plan.

 

[LoAmmi]

Do you pray for and criticize your Pastor? Rhetorical question no answer needed.

You're going to get an answer. I do both for my rabbi when it is warranted.

Point being is you don't have to agree with decisions they make, but to criticize is to voice such disagreement openly that creates opportunities for the enemy to attack.

I will try not to turn this into a theological discussion. I know this is the political forum.

I personally feel it is neither appropriate or wise for Christians to criticize any leaders, again, they are in power because God put them there, not the Russians, not Democrats or Republicans, God. And by extension to criticize them would be to criticize God's plan.

Would it have been right or wrong for a Christian German to speak out against Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s?

 

[Aryeh Jay]

You're going to get an answer. I do both for my rabbi when it is warranted.


Would it have been right or wrong for a Christian German to speak out against Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s?

Not if God himself put him in power…

 

[GoldenBoy89]

I know not all here adhere to the Christian faith, so what I am about to post has only to deal specifically with people of faith, although others are welcome to heed the advice as well. This is not a theological post meant to explain theology, rather meant as a recommendation and admonishment to truth.

This may come as a surprise but God actually wants all who call upon his name to pray for their leaders and officials. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) For he has placed each and every one of them in their position for a purpose and reason. They have no power on their own, but it is all from God. (Romans 13:1; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14)

It is very popular now a days to condemn the President and criticize him for his actions and conduct, but are you praying for him? If you are not, then you are actually part of the problem. So instead of criticizing, pray.

Pray that God grant him (and future leaders as well, all of Congress, SCOTUS, state and local leaders) wisdom and insight so as to govern justly and wisely. Then maybe, just maybe, the land will prosper and thrive once again.

Did God also place Hitler in power over Germany?

 

[Aryeh Jay]

You're going to get an answer. I do both for my rabbi when it is warranted.

We have as well and have also removed several rabbis from their position if they do not appeal to the congregation.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

You're going to get an answer. I do both for my rabbi when it is warranted.


Would it have been right or wrong for a Christian German to speak out against Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and 1940s?

Fair enough and thank you for your honesty. I would be lying if I said I haven't criticized my Pastoral leadership before. So the post is more for myself as well.

As far as Americans in WWII, I would say this. Paul and Peter urged people to submit and pray for Nero, the Roman emperor most closely linked with the Anti-Christ for his violent persecution of Christians, including the execution of both of those men.

I certainly don't see an issue with wanting your nation to be successful in a war against evil, but again we are to pray for all people, including those in leadership.

 

[LoAmmi]

Fair enough and thank you for your honesty. I would be lying if I said I haven't criticized my Pastoral leadership before. So the post is more for myself as well.

As far as Americans in WWII, I would say this. Paul and Peter urged people to submit and pray for Nero, the Roman emperor most closely linked with the Anti-Christ for his violent persecution of Christians, including the execution of both of those men.

I certainly don't see an issue with wanting your nation to be successful in a war against evil, but again we are to pray for all people, including those in leadership.

I didn't ask about Americans, I asked about Germans. Should a German Christian have stood up against Hitler's policies? Your answer here seems to indicate no which is pretty scary.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

I love how many Christians spent the better part of the last decade criticizing the President over just about every little thing that didn't jive well with them but now that they got their guy in office they're all "we gotta stop criticizing and just pray for our leaders!"

I see right through it and let me tell you... if God exists, he sees right through it too.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

I didn't ask about Americans, I asked about Germans. Should a German Christian have stood up against Hitler's policies? Your answer here seems to indicate no which is pretty scary.

I misread your statement. We should always pursue justice. No matter who it is against. Perhaps the issue lay with the understanding of criticism. And perhaps I could have better explained myself. Criticizing in the sense of only finding fault with someone with no intention of seeking a right. I guess that falls more in line with condemnation, I don't know.

Pursuing justice for those who are oppressed is something all believers should do, yes. But in that pursuit we still should pray for leaders and we should not fail to live righteously, which condemnation and most criticism falls under.

Case in point, Paul confronted Peter to his face in front of many believers. He didn't do it to prove his superiority or to make a scene, rather he did it with the intention of correcting a wrong. A lot of Trumps criticism and condemnation lacks that. Or at least the wrong people are trying to correct is that he won the election.

You have some good things here for me to think about. Thanks

 

[super animator]

wrong section.

 

[LoAmmi]

I misread your statement. We should always pursue justice. No matter who it is against. Perhaps the issue lay with the understanding of criticism. And perhaps I could have better explained myself. Criticizing in the sense of only finding fault with someone with no intention of seeking a right. I guess that falls more in line with condemnation, I don't know.

Pursuing justice for those who are oppressed is something all believers should do, yes. But in that pursuit we still should pray for leaders and we should not fail to live righteously, which condemnation and most criticism falls under.

Case in point, Paul confronted Peter to his face in front of many believers. He didn't do it to prove his superiority or to make a scene, rather he did it with the intention of correcting a wrong. A lot of Trumps criticism and condemnation lacks that. Or at least the wrong people are trying to correct is that he won the election.

You have some good things here for me to think about. Thanks

I would agree that there is a difference between criticizing the policies of a leader and personally attacking the leader.

When we look at Donald Trump, I criticized him signing the bill that allowed ISPs to collect and sell data from their users. I try not to openly mock his appearance or anything like that. I may have, but I prefer to look at what he's doing or is attempting to do policy wise to attack.

In the Hitler example, anybody would have been in the right to not only speak out against his policies of violence toward Jews and others, but to actively work against them by hiding or assisting people caught in that violence.

 

[W Johnson]

I love how many Christians spent the better part of the last decade criticizing the President over just about every little thing that didn't jive well with them but now that they got their guy in office they're all "we gotta stop criticizing and just pray for our leaders!"

I see right through it and let me tell you... if God exists, he sees right through it too.

By that reasoning, God also but Obama in office. Why do we even have elections?

 

[GoldenBoy89]

By that reasoning, God also but Obama in office. Why do we even have elections?

Indeed. And where do the Founding Fathers get off criticizing King George? Didn't they know God Himself put him in power over to rule over them?

 

[Desk trauma]

The US doesn't have rulers, we are citizens not subjects.

 

[jgarden]

Conservative Christians supported "The Donald" in the full knowledge that he had never seen the need to seek God's forgiveness from sin - a prerequisite to becoming a Christian!

Virtually all of the other candidates in the Primaries had demonstrated better family and Christian values in their personal lives, so why would conservative Christians, in their infinite wisdom, reject them in favour of Donald Trump.

Before asking others to pray for him, we need an accounting as to why conservative Christians saw fit to subject the nation to a President who lacks the skills, temperament and moral authority to govern!

 

[cow451]

I would agree that there is a difference between criticizing the policies of a leader and personally attacking the leader.

When we look at Donald Trump, I criticized him signing the bill that allowed ISPs to collect and sell data from their users. I try not to openly mock his appearance or anything like that. I may have, but I prefer to look at what he's doing or is attempting to do policy wise to attack.

In the Hitler example, anybody would have been in the right to not only speak out against his policies of violence toward Jews and others, but to actively work against them by hiding or assisting people caught in that violence.

Let's remember that Jesus criticized political and religious leaders as well. He also critiqued character when appropriate.

 

[Belk]

The US doesn't have rulers, we are citizens not subjects.

Desk trauma beat me to it.