The Religion of the President

October 26, 2015
TimeWatch Editorial

Evangelical Armenians believe that although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. They also believe that Christ’s redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved. They believe that The Spirit calls inwardly all those who are called outwardly by the gospel invitation. He does all that He can to bring every sinner to salvation. They believe that those who believe and are truly saved can lose their salvation by failing to keep up their faith. According to Arminianism, salvation is accomplished through the combined efforts of God (who takes the initiative) and man (who must respond); man’s response being the determining factor. God has provided salvation for everyone, but His provision becomes effective only for those who, of their own free will, choose to cooperate with Him and accept His offer of grace.

Roger Olsten, an Evangelical Armenian, published an article on September 21, 2015 entitled “Should a Christian be President of the United States.” In it, he refers to Mr. Carson’s comments regarding a Muslim President. He however focuses on whether a Christian should be President. He immediately seems to identify Christians who he would prefer not to be. He specifically identifies two kinds: Christians who think only Christians should hold public office and Christians who are pacifists. It is rather easy to see his point here. A pacifist would certainly face conflicts being Commander in Chief, and a Christian who is convinced that only a Christian should be President would be in violation of the Constitutional requirement to refrain from the establishment of a religion.

But his most engaging question is this: Should “a true Christian, a person committed to the way of Jesus Christ, one who puts first and above all else the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, should ever lead a modern nation state.” Of all the men who have been President and who have claimed to be Christian, Roger Olsten identifies only one he considers to be a true Christian; Jimmy Carter. Carter’s claim played out in his domestic and foreign policy. Ultimately being perceived as weak, Ronald Reagan was chosen to replace him. Here is his description of Carter:

“I believe three things about Carter (and perhaps more). First, he really was and still is a genuine Christian, a man who believes in his heart of hearts that Jesus Christ is God and Savior and who has been born again (made a personal decision for Christ) and second, who did his best even as president to put first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. Third, he was not a good president partly because he was an authentic Christian.”

His is quite an accurate evaluation of the situation. The reason why I was drawn to Mr. Olsten’s opinion on this matter is simply because I share it. Presidents lie. It is a part of the job. Call it what you want, the shading of truth, with-holding of information, diplomatic speak, protecting Classified Information, is an incompatible fit with the forbidding of false witness. But lying is the least of the problem. The secret authorization of the “elimination of threats,” the constant and continual surveillance of the population, the warehousing of gathered information, the use of the information to “prevent attacks” calls for a level of deception that can and must be authorized by “the highest authority in the land.” It should therefore not be a surprise when someone who seeks the office proclaims that he is "not a real religious person."

Cameron A. Bowen