President Obama, put away malice

The following is an open letter to President Barack Obama:

“President Obama, Put Away Malice.

“As Christians, we are called to be respectful and loving toward our neighbors, honoring their intentions even if we disagree with their plans. We are also called to ‘put away falsehood’ (Eph 4:25) and to refrain from slandering, belittling, or speaking out of contempt for anyone.

“If these are the standards God has set for us in our personal lives, our church communities, and our neighborhoods, how much more so should they be the standards of those Christians who choose to be in the public eye? Shouldn't we also expect our brothers and sisters in politics to speak the truth in love and to extend respect and goodwill even to those with whom they disagree?

“In questioning not only his opponents’ policies but also their motivations, President Obama went far beyond what could be considered acceptable disagreement and into what seemed like open contempt for a political opponent.

“To be blunt, we saw very little of Jesus’ love in his recent health care speeches, as he heaped contempt on those who disagree with him politically, while offering no vision for how to resolve the critical issues facing Americans today.

“Therefore, we call on the president to repudiate his attitude of contempt towards political opponents and to tell the whole truth, not only for the sake of a more honorable politics, but also for the sake of our Christian witness in the world.”

By the way, if the above statement sounds somewhat familiar, it’s excerpted, with some changes, from a 2008 statement made by Matthew 25 Network, slamming Gov. Sarah Palin for her speech at the Republican National Convention. And I’m sure M25N will be jumping on this bandwagon, to urge Obama to exercise Christian values in his speeches, backroom deals … I mean negotiations, treatment of allies such as Israel and Great Britain, and in curbing some of that unchristian foul language we’ve been hearing from those around him, including his vice president.