President Obama Has Tough Job In The Toughest Of Times

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

I closely follow editorial pages, particularly in this season of time when our nation is in a period of transition. This morning, I read a post-inaugural Op Ed in The Washington Post and was struck by its title: “Words Made Flesh.” It was written by Harold Meyerson.

First and foremost, I refuse to join those who are decrying the election of Barack Obama to the Office of President. It is incumbent on the Church to support our president in prayer, words and deeds, and I intend to do just that.

Having said this, I cannot help but to state the obvious, which was portrayed in Mr. Meyerson’s editorial, not to mention news media accounts from across the country. Perhaps one of his readers said it best: “A lovely editorial, Mr. Meyerson, although I wish that you hadn’t titled it “Words Made Flesh”; that’s got to border on blasphemous, and although I believe, certainly hope, that President Obama may become one of our great presidents, allusion to a new Christ is too much.”

Indeed, there are many who think Obama is the messiah our country needs. Perhaps his leadership will bring great change in our country – change that is very much needed. But we should not refer to him as our savior.

For the last several years, our country has either demonized or deified its leaders. The contrast on Tuesday was obvious. President Bush is often portrayed as the demon who got us into all this trouble, and President Obama is the messiah who will save us from all of it. Neither is true. If things in Washington are to really change, it will take teamwork and consensus – a combination that many believe is not possible. This is where I think President Obama’s greatest strength lies.

I guess what concerns me the most is how many Americans do not recognize the irony in Meyerson’ editorial. His play on Scripture with “Words Made Flesh” is a perfect illustration. For example, just this month I read about a survey from the Barna Group of Ventura, California. Barna notes that 25% of Americans “dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.” I am not surprised. Many of our churches have held for years that the Bible is inaccurate. The Church’s dispute over the truth of Scripture has convinced many of us to abandon reading it.

I guess we are beginning to see what happens when we teach our children that the Bible isn’t true. They see no reason to read it, and obviously will never apply it. Why would we expect them to recognize the irony in Meyerson comparing President Obama to Jesus?

We may have “In God We Trust” on our coins, but the question is to which god are we referring – Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, etc. In our nation today, there are many names for god, but there is only one God whose words became flesh. And He is only savior in whom we can completely trust.

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