What’s curious about the latest installment of “Apology-gate” is that all these men who are criticizing Obama call themselves Christian. How are they representing the views of the Bible, that humility and repentance are virtuous and that pride goes before a fall?
I asked Florida megachurch pastor Rev. Joel Hunter what the Bible says about the proper way for a leader to handle an issue when their country makes a mistake. He told me, “[Apologizing] is the proper response. Scripture is real clear in Proverbs 15:1, ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.’ Just from consideration in how many people could be hurt, it’s the right thing to do to protect our troops [over the long term].”
What about the argument that Karzai should apologize to us, or that we shouldn’t apologize to him because he doesn’t deserve it? Hunter says, “Our decisions on right behavior can never be based upon others decisions of wrong behavior. Jesus talked about ‘The meek shall inherit the earth’ and ‘I am humble and lowly of heart.’ C.S. Lewis once said humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. Humility is part of general respect. President Obama, like Bush, made it clear we were not at war with Islam. If there were Muslims burning Bibles, we would want an apology.”
Rev. James Merritt of Georgia’s Christ Point Church and the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, agrees … to a point. He told me, “I think the greatest danger we face as the most powerful nation in the world is pride. The Bible says, ‘Humble yourself and he will exalt you.’ I have no problem with that premise at all. The scriptures teach the greatest place of strength is a position of humility.”
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