Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring? (Proverbs 24:21)

American Evangelicals love to hate President Barack Obama.  Not every American Evangelical, of course -- but definitely a large number of them.  They oppose his political stance on a number of various issues, as a matter of principles; however, their difficulties with him often seem to transcend principles.  They speak against him and his policies with powerful emotion:  pounding their fists on tables, muttering curses under their breath, and literally shaking from head to toe with rage.  Many of them vow to resist him with every ounce of their strength, and I don't doubt that some out there have at least considered armed rebellion!

Now, I understand and appreciate the freedom of speech.  I value the democratic process.  And it actually makes sense to me, on certain levels, the way that a lot of Evangelical Christians resist President Obama's policies (particularly as it relates to abortion).  But what I cannot understand is the lack of respect and sense of outright rebellion that many believers exhibit towards the freely elected Commander-in-Chief for the United States of America.  Some might suggest a line of reasoning something along the lines of "God's law is higher than man's law" -- but honestly, I don't see a whole lot of biblical support for such a way of thinking and behaving.

Both the New Testament and the Old Testament include very explicit instructions to submit to the governing authorities of the land -- to respect them, obey them, and even to pray for them.  This includes presidents and prime ministers, for the record:  not just kings.  So I think that we need to carefully consider the ways that we talk about our government officials when we're with each other, when our kids might be listening, and when we're in the public sphere.  We need to make a conscious decision to "not join with the rebellious" and display an appropriate level of "fear" (i.e. respect) for our leaders -- somewhat akin to the level of respect and obedience that we show God Himself.  Yes, it's good to know that President Obama doesn't seem to be the type of guy who would send sudden destruction on dissenters -- particularly given the way that the American democracy is intended to work -- but still, I believe that God honors our respect and obedience to our government authorities, and that He will discipline us if we choose for disrespect and disobedience instead.