The Christian Right championed George W. Bush, largely because he publicly proclaimed that he trusted in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. They then by-and-large gave him a pass when he said distinctly non-evangelical things like the Bible is not literally true, Muslims and Christians worship the same God, and we all go to heaven.
Yet when President Obama speaks (as he did today) about how, "I came to know Jesus Christ for myself and to embrace Him as my Lord and Savior," it is assumed by many of those same people who supported President Bush that President Obama must be lying about his faith. And whenever he says anything that is even vaguely conciliatory toward Islam, he is branded as being a closet Muslim.
The purpose of this post is not to suggest what either man actually believes -- frankly, I have no idea. Nor is its purpose to convince you that you should like Barack Obama's policies as President. He certainly (like President Bush) has political positions to which I take great exception.
It is just to point out that perhaps we are too quick to claim someone is in our religious camp because he shares our political viewpoints, or to separate from them because they don't. Perhaps a better attitude toward our Presidents (Democrat or Republican, Christian or non-Christian) would simply be to honor them (1 Peter 2:17), to submit to governing authorities, realizing that all authority comes from God (Romans 13:1) and to offer supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for them (1 Timothy 2:1). That, I think, would be a truly Christian way to act.
