Not my President?

Not my President?

The election and inauguration of Donald Trump as US President has been accompanied by a vocal ‘Not my President” movement.

For some this slogan indicates a dislike and disassociation from the man and his policies. For others, it is a denial of his electoral legitimacy. Much the same greeted Barak Obama when he was elected. ‘Not my President” seems to have a bipartisan edge as the fringes from both sides of US politics reject their opponent’s election.

Likewise in Australia. When Julia Gillard was elected as the PM of a minority ALP government she was subjected to crude personal attacks including calls that she be taken out to sea and dumped. Some from the conservative side of politics denied the very legitimacy of her government. This reversed when Tony Abbott was elected as a Liberal Prime Minister - there was a new round of personal attacks and denial of legitimacy. Again, it’s a bipartisan rejection of an elected leader.

Such rejection is not only about the leader. It divides nations. It threatens the delicate fabric of civil behaviour. It turns conversations of robust debate and disagreement into shouting matches where entrenched positions are exchanged from behind walls of hostility.  Nobody wins.

I’ll say right now that Donald Trump is not my President in a personal sense. I dislike the man. Many of his policies dismay me. A misogynist and bully who trades off fear and threat cannot claim my affections. Likewise, neither Julia Gillard nor Tony Abbott were ‘my Prime Minister’ in the sense of a significant personal liking or policy approval.

However, I’ll say that Trump, Obama, Gillard and Abbott are ‘my’ President (or Prime Minister) in Christian perspective.

The Bible speaks of how God moves all things to his purposes in Jesus (Eph 1:11). Within this, h commands respectful submission to the governing authorities because ...there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God (Rom 12:1). These last words were said of pagan Roman leaders who persecuted the writer of those words and his co-religionists. One example of this respect for unbelieving leaders came when an idolatrous Persian leader was described as God’s anointed servant or Messiah (Is 45:1-5). See my earlier post Was Lee Kuan Yew the Lord’s anointed? (31^st Mar 2015) for more comment on this. Similar words about respectful submission to (even evil) leaders are urged in 1 Pet 2:13-17 and 1 Tim 2:1-3 gives a positive edge to this in calling for prayers for … all who are in high position. This is not a personal endorsement of individual leaders, nor a denial of the evil that they may do, but rather of recognition of God’s providential rule.

In this sense Donald Trump is my President. He was he elected, confirmed and inaugurated under the constitutional arrangements of the US, just as the above named Australian Prime Ministers were. More importantly, he is President according to God’s providential will.

So, I will serve God and my nation by periodically disliking the persons and disagreeing with the policies of these leaders. I will also honour, respect, submit to and pray for them. In extreme situations I will enter into civil disobedience and seek the removal of a government. However, I will always respect that they are ‘my’ leaders by God’s appointment.