Obama’s Legacy

This is not an easy topic to write about. Christians are sharply divided on this issue, and to make matters worse, our attitudes concerning the topic of Obama’s presidency have been largely shaped by the political landscape and cultural rhetoric, instead of founded first foremost on the Word of God, and secondarily on a solid understanding of history and of our constitution.

It bears addressing that many are concerned about just how much the church has adopted politics into her discourse. It’s a valid concern. Many feel that therein lies a major reason for what feels like an escalating divide in the body of Christ. What I see, though, is a steady trajectory in which more and more significant issues of conscience and morality – issues that once stood unquestioned and were held in common across party lines – are now being challenged and warred over on the political and legislative field. As with other pivotal times in our nations history where politics and morality intersected (i.e. slavery), the church has a compelling reason to be a voice.

Now, as it pertains to President Obama – we are exhorted and commanded by scripture to show respect for his position of authority, which means that derogatory and vulgar speech or surly attitudes are totally unbefitting. Thankfully, I’ve not witnessed any of that behavior in the believers I am personally acquainted with. At the same time, we also have an obligation as the church to judge with impartiality and in accordance with the truth. Furthermore, we are to be sober-minded in our perception – not drawing conclusions based on sentiment or outward appeal, but rightly judging spirits. Sadly, I have seen many instances where I feel we have fallen woefully short on that mark. I’ve listened to many believers sing Obama’s praises and celebrate the accomplishments of his office – which I strongly feel is grievously out of touch and at odds with sound judgment.

I appreciate that they aren’t writing somebody off simply because of party affiliation, but are instead seeking to look at his character and legacy. Yet, I would strongly admonish the body of Christ – we don’t judge a tree by its appearance, we judge it by the fruit. Obama has many qualities that make for a compelling persona – he has charisma, he is a strong and heartfelt speaker, he shows class in the way he carries himself. God does not look at the outward appearance, though. And neither should mature believers. We are to judge more deeply, and Christ instructed us on how to do this – by evaluating the fruit.

So, what is the fruit of the Obama administration? His legacy?

Well, here is one thing I love about Obama’s legacy: he was our first black president. Sadly, for me, the positive aspects of his legacy end there. What follows are some of the key aspects of his legacy that gravely concern me:

  1. His zealous promotion of ideals that stand in flagrant disagreement with a Biblical worldview. Furthermore, he has accelerated the formation and bolstering of laws that depart from Biblical standards on many levels. We have a secular government, and therefore many Christians believe that this is not a problem. I have written something which I believe makes a very compelling case to the contrary, and I will be posting it soon. In the meantime, here are a few of the key anti-Biblical ideologies Obama trumpeted:
    1. Homosexual “marriage”
    2. Abortion
    3. Policies that affirm, normalize, and encourage gender confusion
    4. The broad and consistent affirmation of societal norms that include immorality
    5. The relabeling of any belief in moral absolutes as “bigotry”, “phobias”, and “hate crimes”
  2. His consistent and subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) undermining of America’s support for Israel.
  3. The fact that he has taught, endorsed and reinforced a narrative of racial division from the highest platform in our country – fueling racism, straining the relationship between LEO’s and the community, and strengthening the cycle of poverty faced by minorities (by encouraging them to look without, instead of looking within, to find a breakthrough in their circumstances)
  4. His healthcare law. Here are just a few of the problems with it:
    1. It’s unconstitutional – the individual mandate “tax” is a legal penalty, simply channeled through the IRS to circumvent the obvious reality that the government is forcing citizens to do something that is a matter of personal conscience. Ask yourself this – if the federal government can require you to purchase health insurance by imposing a “tax” (fine) on you if you don’t – then the same precedent applies for anything else. They could literally require any activity of you under the guise of a tax. This should scare you even if you LIKE the ACA.
    2. It is financially unsustainable – and it was never meant to be sustainable. Many experts say that it was only ever intended to be a stepping stone – taking us incrementally towards a single-payer healthcare system.
    3. It puts an undue burden on hardworking Americans – many of whom are barely making a decent living wage – forcing us to pay double or more for health insurance, while at the same time greatly increasing the average deductible (ours went from $1000 to $5500, while we also experienced a cost increase of more than double for our plan).
    4. It greatly reduced the number of in-network healthcare providers in many areas.
    5. It reduced the variety of insurance providers and options in many markets
    6. It was passed with the help of deceptive claims (in the form of false assertions from Obama himself)
    7. Are there people whom it helped? Yes. But, at the cost of violating our constitution and free will. Health insurance is not a constitutional right. The freedom to choose whether or not to pay for somebody else’s is. As Christians, I believe God commands us to aid our neighbor, and Brandi and I do so with a cheerful heart from our personal finances as the Lord leads. That said, I do believe it’s a departure from the spirit of (if not the letter of) our nation’s constitution to mandate that activity on this scale. Furthermore, history has proven repeatedly that it isn’t sustainable, whether you find the idea appealing or not.
  5. His pullout of American troops, which directly contributed to the destabilization of the middle east, leading to the rise of ISIS. I believe the war in Iraq was a mistake to begin with – but unfortunately, Obama added another mistake to the first mistake, making the situation even worse.
  6. His unwillingness to face head on the problem of Islam (or even admit that there is one) – a problem which is only going to escalate globally in the days ahead. There are peaceful Muslims, but Islam is not a religion of peace – it is a scourge upon the earth, and every nation that comes under it’s sway is consumed by unthinkable atrocities. If you don’t recognize this – you need to do some traveling. I personally know and have spent time with many Muslims, both here and abroad. I love them, and I feel for them – I want them to come to the knowledge of the truth. At the same time, as a nation, we have to recognize the global threat of Islam as a whole.
  7. The total disregard for the law shown by Obama’s justice department (i.e. fast and furious, operation chokepoint, etc.)
  8. The completely illegal and unethical behavior shown by the IRS (and Obama’s subsequent silence on the matter)
  9. The inexcusable mishandling of criminals and terrorists – including the release of 20,000 illegal aliens from prison (which included 208 murderers and 900 rapists), and the release of terrorists from Guantanamo bay (which was illegally done without congressional permission)
  10. The misappropriation of relief funds that has contributed to the arming of America’s enemies
  11. The fostering and acceleration of irresponsible and unsustainable fiscal policies (some of which pre-date Obama’s presidency)

I could go into a lot more depth with each one of these, and I could probably spout off quite a few more as well – but that’s not the purpose of this post. Rather, my intent is really to address the church and her perception regarding Obama and his presidency.

Obama has a distinct likability and a compelling allure. He is polished and charming. These are not the things that God esteems, though. To see Christians working so hard to applaud Obama is very sobering for me – because I see it as a grim picture of just how enamored the church is with outward appearances and “feel-good” messages. Our ability to rightly discern spirits is growing anemic, our perception hazy. This is the spirit of the age at work – the anti-Christ spirit. I don’t think Obama is the anti-Christ, not even close. But he is operating in that spirit on some level, and if the church can’t perceive it, that is an alarming harbinger of what lies ahead.

Here’s something to ponder: it isn’t somehow inherently pleasing to God to strive to find something positive to say about every person and every thing. Sometimes, it’s better to simply call evil evil. I’d like to add something here that I wasn’t originally planning to write. Many times, as I’m weighing something out in my heart, I like to insert myself right into the middle of the gospels and imagine myself watching Christ. From that context, I imagine Jesus saying or doing something, and I see if it holds up to the truth of His person as revealed in the gospels. Now, imagine this – imagine Jesus talking about Herod. Imagine Him saying “You know, Herod has certainly made his mistakes (chopping off John’s head for one…). But, here are 3 things I really appreciate about Herod!” Or, how about Jesus talking about the Pharisees: “It’s true that I haven’t always agreed with the direction the Pharisees have led the people of Israel. That said, I just so admire how classy they are! They’re so well-spoken, and so passionate, too!” Omm, no. Jesus would never say those things, because that’s quite simply not who He is. He calls things what they are. I don’t know about you, but Christ is the Man whom I want to emulate.

In closing, I just want to say how thankful I am for the many saints who faithfully prayed for Barack Obama – many of them on a daily basis. Well done! I don’t believe these prayers were in vain. I believe that through them, much evil was restrained that would have otherwise been unleashed. At the same time, I do not believe that they turned this man’s heart – at least not yet – and I do not perceive any good fruit having come out of his life. He is still a vessel of wrath. Yet, we know that even so, he was a vessel in the hand of the Lord. God raises up kings and tears them down for His purposes. I believe that in many ways, Obama’s election was simply the fruit of our nation’s steady departure from Biblical truth. Sometimes, God simply allows us to get what we want, even to our detriment – just as Israel wanted Saul.

God raised up Pharaoh and hardened his heart against the people of Israel. I believe He raised up Barack Obama. But not to release a blessing or pour out favor upon America. To chasten her. To divide her because of her wickedness. And, to invite His church to judge soberly and unite themselves in prayer.

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