Column: Christians Duty To Support New President

This story was written by Jelani Sims, Oklahoma Daily

So, now what?

While I am very pleased that racial hurdles have been discarded and progress has been made through President-elect Barack Obama, I am now thinking about how he is going to run the country.

Personally, I am very conservative, and Obama is definitely liberal.

He has said he wants to overturn laws against stem-cell research and partial-birth abortion. I dont think he should.

But thats not the point I want to make right now.

Even though I disagree with Obama on several issues in his platform, I am supporting him because that is the right thing to do and what my faith tells me to do.

The New Testament says that we are to obey the laws of the land, respect those in authority over us, and pray for those authorities.

All of the negative reactions that conservatives had when Obama won the election were wrong.

And for those conservatives who claim belief in Christ, it is especially wrong.

Calling Obama the Antichrist like so many people are doing does not fulfill the command to obey and pray for our leaders. Cursing Obama is in fact the opposite of that command. It isnt hard to see that. A claim that someone is the antichrist is not a claim that should be made lightly.

If a person is actively performing miracles, claiming to be Jesus and deceiving the nations, then perhaps that person is a good candidate for being the antichrist.

Obama has done none of these things.

If he were doing these things, I would have a different view. But he is not.

It is inappropriate to call him the antichrist. It also is not good to compare Obama to Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini.

Instead, people should start praying that God will give Obama divine wisdom and courage in leading our country.

The government is by the people and for the people. While Obama may be able to do great things, our government has been designed so that the people of the United States are the strongest voice in government.

We have forgotten that.

Instead of yelling and booing angrily, we should use the proper avenues of government and law to voice our opinions or protests if we have them.

Beyond Obama, it is crucial that we look to God and trust him.

God is the king of the heavens and all the earth, and he has done a perfect job of sustaining it since he created it.

God has a purpose and is wholly involved in each event that happens on this earth.

I do not know why God has allowed Obama to be president of the United States.

God could use Obama to bless us or to teach us some hard lessons.

And while Obamas faith has constantly come under question, as has been the case with many presidential candidates in the past, people must realize that God uses both the saved and unsaved for His purpose.

He causes it to rain on both the righteous and the wicked.

So trust God and pray for our new president.

I personally am going to practice what I preach.

I will be praying for Obama and for the future of this country, knowing that God is in control of it all.