Evangelicals “The American Taliban”?

Fans of the apocalyptic books Left Behind and Evangelicals, as well as Fox News will be to blame if anything untoward happens to TheOne, at least according to this guy and Rachal Maddow. The right, still called extreme and dangerous has the new title of “American Taliban” leveled against them. Once again, they are being compared to Timothy McVeigh. You’re not crazy but at least deluded, according to Frank Schaeffer and he adds, very dangerous. “This [Psalm 109:8] is the Old Testament equivalent of calling for a holy war.”

“Let his days be few and let another take his office.” [Psalm 109:8]

Personally, I want his “days to be few” too – as in ONE TERM, voted out of office. The only other way to get him out of office is to impeach him and I just don’t see that happening with a super majority of HIS party in Congress.

And just maybe that’s what the designer of this merchandise had in mind, too. Take note that verse 9 of this psalm is not being quoted – only verse 8. Maddow is going to keep adding verse 9  (“May his children be fatherless, his wife a widow”) to this narrative, though to keep stirring up the anti-Obama sentiments and making the right look ever more extreme and dangerous.

But let’s take a look at the context of this verse.

What a novel idea, you say? Check the context – something you’d think that “journalists” would be doing and something you’d think a person who calls himself “a man of God” would already know.

Psalm 109 is a prayer to God by one who has been falsely accused. It’s a prayer by a just man to God against those who have done him wrong, falsely accused him. According to the explanation of this Psalm in my Bible ” the psalmist is apparently the victim of a slander campaign, potentially devastating in a society where reputation and honor are paramount.”

Verses 1-3: “Oh God, whom I praise, do not be silent, for wicked and treacherous mouths attack me. They speak against me with lying tongues, with hateful words they surround me, attacking me without cause.”

Verses 6-8: “My enemies say to me: “find a lying witness, an accuser to stand by his right hand, That he may be judged and found quilty, that his plea may be in vain, MAY HIS DAYS BE FEW, MAY ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE.”

Obviously, the person who used this particular psalm and verse to pray for Obama’s short tenure as president, chose the wrong Psalm. This Psalm could actually be used as a prayer for a president whose supporters believe has been wickedly slandered by the right. There are plenty on the left and in the MSM who believe that Obama has been unjustly slandered, libeled and just all around mistreated by the religious right.

But more importantly, this is a prime example of what happens when someone picks and chooses a verse or a chapter from the Bible and tries to make it fit something entirely different. Most people fall for this and don’t question it. Whoever came up with this marketing campaign, not only made a big mistake in the Psalm and verse, but has done nothing to further the cause for which he seems to stand. In fact, he has harmed his own cause and the Christian right who would never dream of praying for this.  Just like once again, the crazy who killed Dr. Tiller (while in church, no less) is being trotted out as the specimen of Christian America. Just as abortion bombers don’t further the cause of the pro-life activists.

This kind of marketing hurts Christians and should be called out for what it is: stupid, misguided, dangerous and contrary to the cause of Christian Americans.