The Election of a President: An Old Testament Perspective

In a few days the American people will elect the next president of the United States. As an American citizen, I have been voting in presidential elections since the 1970s. I believe that this election campaign has been one of the nastiest, ugliest, and most belligerent in recent years.

In the presidential election of 2008, we have two candidates, with different economic and political views, as far apart from each other as east is from the west. And the American people are divided in their preference. According to a recent poll taken among likely voters, the difference between the two candidates is 1%, with a margin of error of ± 3%.

Voters are divided on who should be the next president, but the mainstream media is not. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that 45% of the population believes that the media wants Obama to win. These same 45% of the public believe “the media will use the censorship of information as a means to achieve a tactical advantage for their candidate of choice (Obama).” The same poll reports that 49% of those polled believe that most reporters will help the Democrats with their coverage.

In this election the media has become partisan. This is the reason that the media does not investigate Barack Obama when he does not tell the truth or obfuscates the facts. Media bias in favor of Obama is the reason the media refuses to scrutinize the thin resume and his lack of experience to become the president of the United States.

Media partisanship is the reason John McCain has been vilified, called a racist, and compared to George Wallace. Media bias is the reason Sarah Palin has been ridiculed by the misrepresentation of her qualifications and achievements and the reason her husband and children have been maligned by falsehoods.

If the press has already made its selection, some people may ask the question: “Who does God favor in this election?” In a recent post, Duane Smith quoted the prayer of Arnold Conrad:

“There are millions of people around this world praying to their god — whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah — that his [McCain’s] opponent wins, for a variety of reasons,” said Arnold Conrad, former pastor of Grave Evangelical Free Church. “And Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name in all that happens between now and Election Day.”

Although Conrad’s prayer is not a direct request for God to elect John McCain, it is very close. Not so the prayer of Dennis Hopper, the US actor-director best known for his movie “Easy Rider.” According to a published report, Hopper is praying to God for a victory for Barack Obama.

Now, we have two prayers, one asking God to vote Republican and the other asking God to vote Democrat. Is anyone out there praying that Bob Barr, the nominee of the Libertarian Party, be elected the next President of the United States? If there is, then God has three choices to make.

But is God interested in who is elected the next President of the United States? Does the Old Testament have anything to say about God’s dealing with the selection of a political leader to rule a nation? Before I answer these questions, let me review God’s involvement in the political process in Israel.

Until the days of David and Solomon there was no central government in Israel. Israel was organized as a society without a king, for YHWH was the only and true king of the nation (1
Samuel 8:7). As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king” (Isaiah 33:22).

But, because of the misconduct of Samuel’s sons, whom Samuel had appointed judges in Israel, the elders of the nation, after holding a formal meeting, came to Samuel and requested a king (1 Samuel 8). The request displeased Samuel, but he sought God’s guidance and was told by God to yield to the people’s demand (1 Samuel 8:7).

Thus, Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, was elected the first king of Israel. The people accepted Saul as king by proclaiming: “Long live the king!” (1 Samuel 10:24). As a king, Saul ruled not in his own right nor did he rule because he was chosen by the people, but by being chosen by God. Besides being commander-in-chief of the army and supreme judge, the king exercised the power to impose taxes on the people and required from them service and labor on behalf of the government.

When Saul failed to fulfill his responsibility, God chose another man, one who would rule in righteousness. David was chosen to be the second king. God established a covenant with David which guaranteed that the descendants of David would sit on the throne for ever.

After the division of the kingdom, the Northern Kingdom adopted a charismatic type of leadership. Anyone who had the support of the army and of the people could become king. This caused a period of political instability until the accession of Omri to the throne of Israel. Omri was able to establish a dynasty that lasted more than a century.

With the death of Zechariah (2 Kings 15:8-12), Omri’s dynasty came to an end and political instability reappeared and continued until the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE. Concerning the political instability in the Northern Kingdom, the LORD said: “They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval” (Hosea 8:4). These words indicate that the LORD desired for the people to consult him in the selection of their kings, but they never did.

The Old Testament also says that God had a part in the political process of other nations. God commanded Elijah to “anoint Hazael king over Aram” (1 Kings 19:15). According to Amos, God was planning to intervene in the political process in Moab because of the Moabite king’s inhumane treatment of the king of Edom (Amos 2:1). Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was called by God and became his servant to accomplish God’s purpose in the world (Jeremiah 25:9). God called Cyrus of Persia to subdue nations for the sake of God’s people: “For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me” (Isaiah 45:4).

In light of all the things mentioned above, what does the Old Testament have to say to us today about the selection of the next president of the United States?

The answer is: absolutely nothing!

The Bible says: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 33:12). But the United States is not a “nation whose God is the LORD.” The Old Testament rules for kingship do not apply to the election of the president of the United States.

God does not tell us to vote for John McCain or Barack Obama. God does not tell us to vote Democrat or Republican. God does not favor one candidate over the other; God has no favorites.

This means that we have a responsibility to make a choice and God will work with and through whomever we choose as the next president. For this reason voters must know the issues, the policies of each candidate, and where they stand on matters that will affect our country and the lives of every citizen. Then, they must vote for the one who will be a better candidate for our country, because what is good for the country is good for all.

When the people selected Saul, they chose him because he was “an impressive young man, a head taller than any of the others” (1 Samuel 9:2). When God chose David he did so because of his heart. When the people selected their kings, they considered “his appearance and his height.” When the LORD selected a king, he considered the man’s “heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

The presidential election of 2008 will be crucial for the future of this country. Thus, it is necessary that every American citizen exercise the rights of citizenship and vote for the person who will help our nation through this very difficult time in its history. It is imperative that each citizen vote this election; vote early and vote often only once.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Bob Barr, John McCain, Media, News, Politics, Sarah Palin

The Religious Oppression of Chinese Christians

In a previous post, I called attention to the intense persecution Christians in India are enduring from people who are forcing them to worship Hindu gods.

Now, comes the story of a Christian family suffering horrendous persecution in China. According to a story published by ChinaAid, the son of a pastor was severely beaten with iron bars. Because I want Christians to read about the brutality perpetrated against Christians in China, I am reproducing below the story as reported by ChinaAid:

BEIJING – Zhang Jian, the oldest son of Pastor “Bike” Zhang Mingxuan, regained consciousness in the ER room Beijing Min Hang (Aviation) Hospital. Zhang Jian was severely beaten with iron bars at his mother’s home for 25 minutes by 15 Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers on October 16, 2008. The family was then evicted and their furniture thrown into the street. ChinaAid has been in constant communication with this family facing severe persecution by the Chinese government.

China Aid’s president, Bob Fu, spoke with Zhang Jian this morning. He is still in very serious condition. His right eye is severely wounded and doctors are not sure if he will regain his sight. His nose bone and eye bone are both broken and doctors say he needs further CAT scans and surgery. Even though his physical condition is very bad, Zhang Jian has left the hospital because PSB officers have been watching him there, and he was afraid for his safety. He went to his brother’s home, but PSB officers followed him. The officers warned Zhang Jian and his brother, Zhang Chuang, not to leave the apartment before October 20, the date of the celebration Pastor Bike organized for the third anniversary of the Chinese House Church Alliance. Meanwhile, ChinaAid has received several calls from different house church leaders who have also been warned not to go to Beijing or attend the celebration.

Zhang Jian’s mother was ordered by police today to take care of the furniture and personal items that officers threw into the street during yesterday’s attack on the family. The family is struggling financially to pay for the hospital bills, food, shelter and legal help. China Aid is working to send emergency help to Zhang Jian and his family.

Police have also attempted to shut down the house church where Zhang Jian’s father preaches. On October 10, police sealed the door of the church and blocked it with two truckloads of garbage. Officials are blocking anyone wishing to enter, even though on September 28, officials gave permission for the house church to meet. They have also cut off the electricity to the church.

The physical assault on Zhang Jian is the most serious of the recent attacks on Zhang Jian and his family. During the past 22 years, Zhang Jian’s father, Pastor Bike, has been arrested 26 times, beaten and evicted from his home numerous times because of his faith. Despite the persecution, this family continues to boldly preach and help the house church Christians.

To view photos of the Pastor Bike’s sealed house church doors which police blocked with piles of garbage, click here.

Julia Duin, religion editor for the The Washington Times wrote in her blog:

You know, they say that silence implies consent, so this blog at least will complain and complain about some of the religious repression that goes on and on and on around the world.

I join Julia and scream as loud as I can against religious persecution in India, China, and other parts of the world. Maybe, if others join us in complaining against religious repression, the sound of our voices may make a difference and help those who are being oppressed because of their faith.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: China, ChinaAid, News, Persecution, Religion, Religious Oppression

Hindus Forcing Christians To Convert

Photo: A Christian in her burned home in the Indian state of Orissa. Villagers blamed Hindu militants.

An article published by The New York Times tells about the persecution of Christians by Hindus in India. Since many people may not have access to the article published by The Times, I have reprinted the article as published by The Times.

The family of Solomon Digal was summoned by neighbors to what serves as a public square in front of the village tea shop.

They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher. They were told to turn over their Bibles, hymnals and the two brightly colored calendar images of Christ that hung on their wall. Then, Mr. Digal, 45, a Christian since childhood, was forced to watch his Hindu neighbors set the items on fire.

“ ‘Embrace Hinduism, and your house will not be demolished,’ ” Mr. Digal recalled being told on that Wednesday afternoon in September. “ ‘Otherwise, you will be killed, or you will be thrown out of the village.’ ”

India, the world’s most populous democracy and officially a secular nation, is today haunted by a stark assault on one of its fundamental freedoms. Here in eastern Orissa State, riven by six weeks of religious clashes, Christian families like the Digals say they are being forced to abandon their faith in exchange for their safety.

The forced conversions come amid widening attacks on Christians here and in at least five other states across the country, as India prepares for national elections next spring.

The clash of faiths has cut a wide swath of panic and destruction through these once quiet hamlets fed by paddy fields and jackfruit trees. Here in Kandhamal, the district that has seen the greatest violence, more than 30 people have been killed, 3,000 homes burned and over 130 churches destroyed, including the tin-roofed Baptist prayer hall where the Digals worshiped. Today it is a heap of rubble on an empty field, where cows blithely graze.

Across this ghastly terrain lie the singed remains of mud-and-thatch homes. Christian-owned businesses have been systematically attacked. Orange flags (orange is the sacred color of Hinduism) flutter triumphantly above the rooftops of houses and storefronts.

India is no stranger to religious violence between Christians, who make up about 2 percent of the population, and India’s Hindu-majority of 1.1 billion people. But this most recent spasm is the most intense in years.

It was set off, people here say, by the killing on Aug. 23 of a charismatic Hindu preacher known as Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, who for 40 years had rallied the area’s people to choose Hinduism over Christianity.

The police have blamed Maoist guerrillas for the swami’s killing. But Hindu radicals continue to hold Christians responsible.

In recent weeks, they have plastered these villages with gruesome posters of the swami’s hacked corpse. “Who killed him?” the posters ask. “What is the solution?”

Behind the clashes are long-simmering tensions between equally impoverished groups: the Panas and Kandhas. Both original inhabitants of the land, the two groups for ages worshiped the same gods. Over the past several decades, the Panas for the most part became Christian, as Roman Catholic and Baptist missionaries arrived here more than 60 years ago, followed more recently by Pentecostals, who have proselytized more aggressively.

Meanwhile, the Kandhas, in part through the teachings of Swami Laxmanananda, embraced Hinduism. The men tied the sacred Hindu white thread around their torsos; their wives daubed their foreheads with bright red vermilion. Temples sprouted.

Hate has been fed by economic tensions as well, as the government has categorized each group differently and given them different privileges.

The Kandhas accused the Panas of cheating to obtain coveted quotas for government jobs. The Christian Panas, in turn, say their neighbors have become resentful as they have educated themselves and prospered.

Their grievances have erupted in sporadic clashes over the past 15 years, but they have exploded with a fury since the killing of Swami Laxmanananda.

Two nights after his death, a Hindu mob in the village of Nuagaon dragged a Catholic priest and a nun from their residence, tore off much of their clothing and paraded them through the streets.

The nun told the police that she had been raped by four men, a charge the police say was borne out by a medical examination. Yet no one was arrested in the case until five weeks later, after a storm of media coverage. Today, five men are under arrest in connection with inciting the riots. The police say they are trying to find the nun and bring her back here to identify her attackers.

Given a chance to explain the recent violence, Subash Chauhan, the state’s highest-ranking leader of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu radical group, described much of it as “a spontaneous reaction.”

He said in an interview that the nun had not been raped but had had regular consensual sex.

On Sunday evening, as much of Kandhamal remained under curfew, Mr. Chauhan sat in the hall of a Hindu school in the state capital, Bhubaneshwar, beneath a huge portrait of the swami. A state police officer was assigned to protect him round the clock. He cupped a trilling Blackberry in his hand.

Mr. Chauhan denied that his group was responsible for forced conversions and in turn accused Christian missionaries of luring villagers with incentives of schools and social services.

He was asked repeatedly whether Christians in Orissa should be left free to worship the god of their choice. “Why not?” he finally said, but he warned that it was unrealistic to expect the Kandhas to politely let their Pana enemies live among them as followers of Jesus.

“Who am I to give assurance?” he snapped. “Those who have exploited the Kandhas say they want to live together?”

Besides, he said, “they are Hindus by birth.”

Hindu extremists have held ceremonies in the country’s indigenous belt for the past several years intended to purge tribal communities of Christian influence.

It is impossible to know how many have been reconverted here, in the wake of the latest violence, though a three-day journey through the villages of Kandhamal turned up plenty of anecdotal evidence.

A few steps from where the nun had been attacked in Nuagaon, five men, their heads freshly shorn, emerged from a soggy tent in a relief camp for Christians fleeing their homes.

The men had also been summoned to a village meeting in late August, where hundreds of their neighbors stood with machetes in hand and issued a firm order: Get your heads shaved and bow down before our gods, or leave this place.

Trembling with fear, Daud Nayak, 56, submitted to a shaving, a Hindu sign of sacrifice. He drank, as instructed, a tumbler of diluted cow dung, considered to be purifying.

In the eyes of his neighbors, he reckoned, he became a Hindu.

In his heart, he said, he could not bear it.

All five men said they fled the next day with their families. They refuse to return.

In another village, Birachakka, a man named Balkrishna Digal and his son, Saroj, said they had been summoned to a similar meeting and told by Hindu leaders who came from nearby villages that they, too, would have to convert. In their case, the ceremony was deferred because of rumors of Christian-Hindu clashes nearby.

For the time being, the family had placed an orange flag on their mud home. Their Hindu neighbors promised to protect them.

Here in Borepanga, the family of Solomon Digal was not so lucky. Shortly after they recounted their Sept. 10 Hindu conversion story to a reporter in the dark of night, the Digals were again summoned by their neighbors. They were scolded and fined 501 rupees, or about $12, a pinching sum here.

The next morning, calmly clearing his cauliflower field, Lisura Paricha, one of the Hindu men who had summoned the Digals, confirmed that they had been penalized. Their crime, he said, was to talk to outsiders.

Christians everywhere must pray for our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted because of their faith. We live in a country where we are free to worship God. However, at times we forget that there are Christians all over the world who must endure severe persecution to follow Christ.

As fellow believers are being persecuted, we must remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. 7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven” (2 Thessalonians 1:5-7).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Christian Persecution, Christianity, Hinduism, India, News, Religion

The Gladiator’s Tomb: The Video

The BBC has provided a video of the tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus, the Roman general who served under Emperor Marcus Aurelius during a period of expansion of the Roman Empire.

The life and work of Marcus Nonius Macrinus inspired the part for the main character in the Oscar-winning film “Gladiator” played by Russell Crowe.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Archaeology, Gladiator, Marcus Nonius Macrinus, News, Russell Crowe

The Gladiator

Italian archeologists have discovered the tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus, the ancient Roman gladiator who became the main character of the movie “Gladiator,” played by Russell Crowe.

Daniela Rossi, the Rome archeologist who participated in the discovery of the monumental marble tomb said that the tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus included a large inscription bearing his name. According to Rossi, the discovery of Marcus Nonius Macrinus’s tomb is “the most important ancient Roman monument to come to light for twenty or thirty years.”

According to the news report, Marcus Nonius Macrinus, was born in Brescia in northern Italy. He was a general and consul who led military campaigns for Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor from 161 AD to 180 AD. He became part of the Emperor's inner circle and one of his favorite commanders, serving as proconsul in Asia.




Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Gladiator, Marcus Nonius Macrinus, News, Russell Crowe

Tuberculosis in the Land of the Bible

The BBC is reporting that archaeologists have concluded that “the 9,000-year-old remains of a mother and her baby discovered off the coast of Israel provide the earliest concrete evidence of human TB.”

The remains of the woman and her baby were excavated from Alit-Yam, an ancient Neolithic village near Haifa.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, News, TB, Tuberculosis

Suing God

I cannot believe that someone would sue God, but somebody did. Since the reason for the lawsuit and the argument against God is so ridiculous, I have decided to reprint the whole news report published by the Associated Press:

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God. He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Polk wrote.

Chambers, who graduated from law school but never took the bar exam, thinks he's found a hole in the judge's ruling.

"The court itself acknowledges the existence of God," Chambers said Wednesday. "A consequence of that acknowledgment is a recognition of God's omniscience."

Therefore, Chambers said, "Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Chambers has 30 days to decide whether to appeal. He said he hasn't decided yet.

Chambers, who has served a record 38 years in the Nebraska Legislature, is not returning next year because of term limits. He skips morning prayers during the legislative session and often criticizes Christians.

If we follow Chambers’s argument, that the court acknowledged the existence of God, that settles the question: God exists.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: God, Lawsuit, News, Religion

The Sarcophagus of the High Priest

Image: Fragment of the sarcophagus bearing the inscription


According to a press release, Israeli archaeologists have found a sarcophagus with an inscription that says that the sarcophagus belonged to a high priest who served in the Second Temple. The following is the press release in its entirety:

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli archaeologists on Monday announced the discovery of a stone sarcophagus fragment with Hebrew script that was apparently taken from the original burial grounds and used for a Muslim building near Jerusalem.

The discovery was made along the West Bank separation barrier north of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.

The sarcophagus is believed to be that of a Jewish priest from about 2,000 years ago. The fragment of the limestone lid bears the carved inscription "Ben HaCohen HaGadol" which can be loosely translated as "the high priest."

"It seems that the fragment was plundered from its original location approximately one thousand years ago and was used in the construction of a later Muslim building that was erected atop the ruins of the houses from the Second Temple period," the statement said.

The 60 centimetre by 48 centimetre (two foot by one-and-a-half foot) fragment likely comes from the sarcophagus of a priest who officiated at the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem some time between 30 and 70 of the first century, it said.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, High Priest, News, Sarcophagus

Visualizing the Bible

Image: Courtesy Chris Harrison, Carnegie Mellon University; Christoph Romhild, North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church/Science



National Geographic News has published the best science images of 2008. Among them, an image that received the honorable mention in the category of “Illustration” was “Visualizing the Bible.”

This is how National Geographic News describes the visualization of the Bible:

A colorful rainbow brings to light the interconnected nature of one of the world’s most familiar books.

The Bible’s 1,189 chapters are plotted along the horizontal axis at the bottom of the image, with each bar's length determined by the number of verses.

The arcs above the graph show the 63,779 cross-references between each chapter.

“It almost looks like one monolithic volume,” said Carnegie Mellon's Chris Harrison, who--along with Christoph Romhild of North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hamburg, Germany--won an honorable mention for illustrations in the 2008 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.

I never though a visualization of the Bible would be as beautiful and as colorful.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bible, News, Science