God Issues Today: "Serving in the White House"

Author, educator and commentator Dr. James Denison has been pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas since June, 1998. Prior to that, he was pastor at churches in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as Midland (at First Baptist!) and Mansfield, Texas.

"I've been contemplating which job in the new administration I would like," Dr. Denison writes in today's post at God Issues. "My first choice would have been chief of staff, but it's already taken. I will admit that Rahm Emanuel has some credentials I don't. He is an accomplished ballet dancer and triathlete. Criticized for his hard-nosed partisan political ways, he is also good friends with John McCain's best friend, Lindsey Graham, and current White House chief of staff, Joshua Bolten. He is a devout Orthodox Jew; in fact, his father was involved in the movement which led to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. His family's Hebrew faith is clear in his name: 'Rahm' means 'high,' while Emanuel means 'God with us.'"

"After serving for years in the Clinton White House, he returned to the private sector where he became a very successful investment banker. He was then elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and became the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. A close friend of Mr. Obama, he will now work to accomplish his agenda. I guess his political experience somewhat dwarfs my own (though anyone who has worked with a Baptist church's finance committee knows something about political intrigue)."

"I don't think Treasury would be a good fit for me, since Janet balances our checkbook to keep us out of jail. This morning's New York Times tells us that Mr. Obama is meeting today with a new economic advisory board including Warren Buffett, Lawrence Summers, Robert Rubin, Paul Volcker, and Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google). I use Google quite often and wish I owned some of Mr. Buffett's stock, but would have no other expertise to add."

"Education might be a good fit, since I happen to have one. I would really like Secretary of State, since he or she gets to travel. Commerce wouldn't be as attractive (see checkbook admission above). Interior might work, since I live in the interior of the country. As you can see, Mr. Obama is making a wise choice in not choosing me."

"I may not be qualified to serve in Mr. Obama's new administration, but I can be helpful in other ways. First and foremost, as we have seen this week, I can and must pray daily for our new president. God's word makes this imperative mandatory for all believers, no matter our political affiliations and preferences (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I am also required to demonstrate Christlike character in speaking of our new president, when I agree and when I disagree with his decisions. Matthew 18:15 obligates me to speak to people rather than about them, our leaders included. If you follow Jesus, you are under the same mandates. Have you obeyed God's word today?"