John Mark Reynolds (hereafter JMR) recently made the following statement:
“I just read that Senator Ted Kennedy has a serious illness. I stopped what I was doing and prayed for him and urge you to do the same. This is true, even if you disagree with him politically as I do. Common humanity is more important than politics. Failure to realize this is neither conservative nor Christian. We pray for Senator Kennedy as a human being, because we recognize the limits of politics. His soul and his pain are more important than all the budgets that have ever been passed.”
http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2008/05/20/prayers-for-senator-kennedy/
There are a couple of problems with this statement. For one thing, political differences between liberals and conservatives run deeper than budgetary concerns. Just to take a few of the less morally freighted issues, Kennedy’s political positions on illegal immigration, gun-control, school choice, judicial activism, and school choice are hardly equivalent to whether a bridge is built in so-and-so’s Congressional district.
I’m not saying this is a reason to refrain from praying for Kennedy. Just that JMR is trivializing the issue when he reduces the differences to all the budgets that have ever been passed. And that’s even before we get to the morally meatier issues.
For another thing, the Bible doesn’t invoke our common humanity to erase all distinctions between the righteous and the wicked. Scripture is full of prophetic denunciations against the wicked. More on that later.
“We will all face the painful evidence of our mortality. Only a saint or a cad can fail to have sympathy for any sick man. The saint can do so because he is wise and deeply insightful enough to know when sympathy is not appropriate or helpful.”
But common humanity doesn’t distinguish between the saint, the sick, and the cad. So JMR is applying contradictory criteria.
By definition, wouldn’t saintly criteria trump common humanity? The saints would represent the best of humanity. If there are times when it’s appropriate to be unsympathetic, then shouldn’t the rest of us follow the lead of our spiritual betters?
“We pray for every person what we pray for self, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner’.”
That’s would be a valid reason to pray for Kennedy. At the same time, that would be a valid reason to pray for any number of people. But there are only so many hours in a day. Only so many people I can pray for.
Suppose I pull down that dusty high school yearbook of mine. That’s been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long. I thumb through the photos. Page after page. How many of them do I still remember? For three years I saw them every day. Sat with them. Spoke with them. Ate with them.
Here’s an idea. Instead of offering a prayer for Ted Kennedy, suppose I pray for five of my old classmates everyday. Maybe a different set every day. Lots of folks are going to pray for Ted Kennedy. But what about my old classmates? Who gives them a second thought?
You know, there are some people who, if you don’t pray for them, no one else will. You’re the only steppingstone to heaven they have.
“Why pray for Senator Kennedy when we don’t know him? Are we just being ‘star struck’ and honoring the famous more for their fame? If our humanity is common, then shouldn’t we stop and pray for everyone. Would we ever do anything but sympathize with the pain of the billions around us? Partly, we should never stop praying sympathetically.”
But he just said that there are times when a saint will withhold sympathetic prayer.
“However, some men and women fall within our circle of accountability for special prayer.”
I agree with this statement. See above.
“Our leaders are some of those people. If Saint Paul can ask the Roman Christians to pray for their regional kings, there is no member of our government who does not merit this concern.”
I assume he’s alluding to 1 Tim 2:2. If so, there are several problems with his appeal:
i) When you apply a Biblical injunction to a modern situation, you need to consider the underlying rationale. 2 Tim 2:2 includes a purpose statement: “so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.”
In other words, Christians were a religious minority, living in a hostile world. They should pray for benign rulers.
But if that’s the point of the command, then it hardly applies to Kennedy’s situation. He’s on the way out.
ii) When you apply a Biblical injunction to a modern situation, you also need to apply it to an analogous situation. You need to recontextualize the command. Under our form of government, Ted Kennedy isn’t my elected representative. I didn’t vote for him. I don’t even live in Massachusetts.
iii) Can we pray for every local, state, and federal employee? I don’t think so. Did Roman Christians pray for every functionary of the state? I don’t think so.
“We are honoring one of our leaders who is wounded when we pray for Senator Kennedy.”
What if Ted. Kennedy is dishonorable? Should we honor him anyway?
“Senator Kennedy chose to live a life of public service. He need not have done so. He has been a leader of the Republic for decades, for good and ill, but Scripture commands us to pray for our leaders. We also honor him for his position and for his sacrifices. The Kennedy family has given a great deal to the nation and it appropriate for all of us to honor this commitment.”
Well, that’s a very charitable interpretation. I beg to differ.
i) To begin with, when I look at the Kennedy clan, I see a lot of raw ambition. A hunger for power and prestige.
ii) But even if you think that JFK or Bobby Kennedy or Rose Kennedy made a great contribution, Ted Kennedy doesn’t automatically get the credit for what they did.
iii) Ted Kennedy strikes me as a rich kid who feels guilty about his hereditary wealth. And so he appeases his guilt by taxing the middle class, redistributing their income, and assuming the role of a national busybody. I don’t find that the least bit honorable.
Compare Ted Kennedy to William F. Buckley, another rich kid and Roman Catholic who put his hereditary fortune to a very different and far more admirable use.
But that’s not the worst of it. Ted Kennedy is an evil man. He’s an evil man in private life and public life. From Chappaquiddick through his role in the judicial murder of Terri Schiavo to his untiring advocacy of abortion, sodomy, and stem cell research, he’s right up there with Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao Tse-tung as one of the all-time enemies of all that’s good, decent, defenseless and innocent.
The Bible has some choice descriptions of crime and punishment. Before we get teary-eyed about Ted Kennedy, maybe we should ask ourselves if JMR’s attitude is entirely warranted in Scripture. What does it have to say about the fate of the wicked? A few examples might restore our sense of perspective:
Numbers 16:31-35,49
31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up!" 35And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense. 49Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.
Acts 12:21-23
21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22And the people were shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
Psalm 58:8
8Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,_ like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
Revelation 6:10
10They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
Revelation 18:20
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,_ and you saints and apostles and prophets,_for God has given judgment for you against her!"
Revelation 19:1-3
1After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
3Once more they cried out,__ "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever."
2 Kings 9:1-10
1Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, "Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. 3Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, 'Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and flee; do not linger."
4So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, "I have a word for you, O commander." And Jehu said, "To which of us all?" And he said, "To you, O commander." 6So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD. 8For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her." Then he opened the door and fled.
2 Kings 9:30-37
30When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. 31And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, "Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?" 32And he lifted up his face to the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33He said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. 34Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, "See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter." 35But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36When they came back and told him, he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, 'In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.'"
Should we only pray for those we agree with?
ReplyDelete"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. (Luke 6:32-35 ESV)
It is easy to be in prayer for the sweet old lady in church, for your Aunt Maggie who has the sniffles. It is hard to pray for people like Ted Kennedy, but I don't think it is optional.
" It is hard to pray for people like Ted Kennedy, but I don't think it is optional."
ReplyDeleteWhy is that not optional? The world population is currently around 6.6 billion. How many of them do you personally pray for? Or are you selective? What are your selection criteria?
BTW, Ted Kennedy isn't my personal enemy. I don't know him. He doesn't know me. He hasn't wronged me personally. So Lk 6 is beside the point.
What if I prayed for Ted Kennedy with an impreccatory prayer? That would still, by definition, be praying for him...just not for his benefit.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the continued existence of Ted Kennedy mitiages against some other target of my prayers? That is, what if it was 1969 and I prayed for Kennedy to survive a vehicle accident while also praying for Mary Jo Kopechne to live a long and healthy life?
And what should we do with Jeremiah 7:16, where God says:
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As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you.
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It's repeated in Jeremiah 11:14 too:
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Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.
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And also 14:11:
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The LORD said to me: "Do not pray for the welfare of this people."
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And even in the New Testament with 1 John 5:16:
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If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
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So is it optional to pray for those whom God has said not to pray for?
Well first of all, Kennedy is clearly not a brother so 1 John 5:16 doesn't apply here. The issue I have is the assertion that if we were so inclined to pray for Kennedy that we ought not because he is a vile sinner. My point is that oustide of the sovereign grace of God, none of us is any different than Ted Kennedy. Maybe we are not in the position of power he is, but individually none of us is less a sinner than Teddy oustide of the grace of God. In a more generic sense, not getting overly caught up in Kennedy individually, we ought to pray for those who are sinners, those who are ill. I am praying for Ted Kennedy, in lieu of the other 6.6 billion people I don't know and am not familair with, because my brother died from a very similar brain tumor. Kennedy desperately needs salvation and I take no pleasure in the suffering and death of him, or any other lost person.
ReplyDeleteBy the way Peter, my deepest sympathies to you after the beatdown the Avs took from the Red Wings.
ReplyDeleteARTHUR SIDO SAID:
ReplyDelete“The issue I have is the assertion that if we were so inclined to pray for Kennedy that we ought not because he is a vile sinner.”
That oversimplifies my position. I was responding to JMRs contention, based on moral equivalence (among other things), that we have an obligation to pray for Ted Kennedy. To the contrary, the Bible does distinguish between the wicked and the guilty. This doesn’t, of itself, mean that we shouldn’t pray for him. But it also doesn’t mean that we should.
Peter, for his part, has approached the issue from the opposite end of the spectrum. If, according to Scripture, there are groups or classes of people we are *not* to pray for, then there’s no presumption that we are to pray for everyone. Either way, JMR overstated his case.
Arthur said:
ReplyDelete---
The issue I have is the assertion that if we were so inclined to pray for Kennedy that we ought not because he is a vile sinner.
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To piggyback on what Steve's already said, we were responding to the claim that we had an obligation to pray for Ted Kennedy. I am not saying that we ought not pray for him "because he is a vile sinner" at all. Such would preclude all of us from prayer.
However, there are times when God has commanded prayers not to be given. Thus the knee-jerk reaction that we ought to pray for everyone withotu exception is invalid.
That does not mean we shouldn't pray for Kennedy now. I have no problem if you do pray for him. I do have a problem with you cheering for the Red Wings...but that's a different issue :-P
You said:
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In a more generic sense, not getting overly caught up in Kennedy individually, we ought to pray for those who are sinners, those who are ill.
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And this is where I disagree. What we ought to pray is that God's will be done and that He saves His elect. We don't know who they are, so we can offer up petitions of behalf of everyone on Earth if we wish...but we have to qualify it with, "Not my will, but Your will be done."
There's a reason I asked my first question about impreccatory prayer. See, my prayer for Ted Kennedy goes something like this:
"Lord, if Kennedy's continued good heal will help the Elect, then I ask you to heal him. Bu if by healing him he is able to do more harm to Your Elect, then I pray that instead You take him out quickly. Regardless, Your will be done."
I'm not omniscient, so I have to pray in the terms of a conditional. I tell God what my preference is (that the Elect receive no harm), but at the same time I submit that He knows better than I do what the continued existence of Kennedy would or would not do to His plans.
Arthur said:
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I am praying for Ted Kennedy, in lieu of the other 6.6 billion people I don't know and am not familair with, because my brother died from a very similar brain tumor.
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And that's a fine reason to pray for Kennedy, as long as you remember to add "Your will be done." But this also gives you a personal interest that others do not have, which will color how you approach the issue. Would you feel the same way about praying for Kennedy if your brother had not died of a brain tumor, but instead had been left in a car after an accident to slowly drown?
Note that I'm not asking which one you should do at this point, but which one your personal feelings lead you toward. I simply want to get you thinking if the reason you are saying there's an obligation to pray for Kennedy is due to your subjective feelings rather than to the objective requirements of God.
You said:
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Kennedy desperately needs salvation and I take no pleasure in the suffering and death of him, or any other lost person.
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Likewise, I take no pleasure in the death of any sinner just because they were a sinner. But I do take pleasure in the furtherance of God's plan on Earth.
With Christians such as the writer around, who needs Satanists?
ReplyDeleteDid Michael Savage tell you not to pray for Ted Kennedy?
You know Michael Savage's last name is "Weiner" and he used to be a beatnik, right?
Also, the claim that Ted Kennedy is a busy-body appeasing his guilt reveals that the writer has never actually studied the Senator's record.
(Oh, and didn't you hear? The autopsy came back over a year ago. The doctors were right about Terri Schiavo all along.)
The commenter challenges the writer to read one alternative news source per month.
I am about as Sovereign Grace as they come. But I am in complete disagreement with the premises brought forth here in this article. Yes, Kennedy is a vile man, a murderer and a supporter of murderers. He is unfit for salvation and company with God. All too true.
ReplyDeleteSo was I. Many people people do take the "Judge not, let ye be judged" and force it to mean no one can render opinion of any kind especially negative. Of course, that is ridiculous. So what does it mean?
It means this gentlemen: I must not stand at judgment and tell my Lord I did not pray for Kennedy because someone told me we were not morally comparable. I mean look at him Lord! He's disgusting! He was not worthy of my prayers."
There is a single word definition of me based on that scenario: murderer. No, he's not my brother. But lets not forget the Sovereign part of Grace. That means that if God will save Kennedy, He will--whether we like or not and in that eventuality, he will be my brother and great one at that.
Now you say, "that's not what I meant!" Rubbish. You also say, "well, there are billions of other people I could pray for besides Kennedy." Oh? Is your little God not great enough to hear your prayers for all? Are you given a ration of prayers and must use them sparingly? What stops you from praying for Kennedy specifically and billions generally? Will God not know His sheep regardless?
Kennedy will glorify God one way or another, that is, either in Judgment or Salvation, but He is not glorified by me saying "no, I don't have to pray for that wretch if I don't want to. Aren't there better subjects of my supplication?"
How many people cursed and ignored John Newton? Was it their ignorance that God used to save Newton so gloriously? Oh, but he was old, he was on his way out.
God will save Kennedy if He wills. It is not for me to say it is beyond all likelihood. I was beyond all likelihood. Thank God that he used, among other things, the prayers of people I may not have even known as part of His immutable ways for calling me from my grave.
You ought to be ashamed.
The shame ought to be coming from those venting their spleens rather than reading and responding to arguments.
ReplyDeleteGreat article here!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sfpulpit.com/2008/05/26/praying-for-the-lost/
Peter:
ReplyDelete"what if it was 1969 and I prayed for Kennedy to survive a vehicle accident while also praying for Mary Jo Kopechne to live a long and healthy life?"
That is really rather irrelevant to the issue. Much like the question of can God make the rock big enough to not be able to lift it.
We are called to pray for enemies, and I think we would all agree that as yet, there is nothing to indicate Kennedy is anything but the enemy. Steve's comment about Luke 6 not applying here is frankly wrong. We don't get out of showing compassion on a loop hole.
We pray for the Lord's bidding. If it be for Kennedy's benefit, praise God! Another brother come safely home. If not, praise God for His justice and mercy.
But to not pray at all, to even be moderately or outright opposed to it is the heighth of arrogance and disingenuous humility.
I understand the hesitance and resistance to the claim that we are obligated to pray for everyone without exception. But aside from the fact of Kennedy's vile nature--which all have apart from Christ and would do as much or more evil than Kennedy himself if they could--I did not see any evidence to support the notion that he is one for whom prayers are not to be given. Vileness and depravity are not in and of themselves reason--or excuse--to claim that one might be unworthy or "undestined" for prayer and supplication.
Sorry, I must be venting my spleen again.
SJ Walker said:
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That is really rather irrelevant to the issue. Much like the question of can God make the rock big enough to not be able to lift it.
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Actually, it's very relevant to the question. After all, what is the purpose of prayer? If you are saying that we pray for all people equally, then you are saying that prayer is completely pointless.
You said:
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We are called to pray for enemies
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Pray for enemies? "Lord, I'm all out of enemies. Can you send some more my way? In Jesus name, Amen!"
(Yes, I knew what you meant...but when the language being used to define your position is this imprecise, you have to wonder...)
You said:
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We are called to pray for enemies, and I think we would all agree that as yet, there is nothing to indicate Kennedy is anything but the enemy.
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First: where are we called to pray for our enemies? What passage are you referring to?
Arthur earlier quoted Luke 6, but that has nothing to do with praying for our enemies. And it's not just a "loophole" as you claim. In reality, you are setting up the enemies of Christ as being more important than the believers. It's as if you were saying, "We are required to pray for Nero to be blessed with a long life even though all he will do is use that long life to kill even more Christians." You don't feel the need to pray that the Christians have a long life since they are "our friends" and "even sinners do the same." So throw them under the bus and pray for Nero. Yeah, sounds exactly like what Christ would have wanted....
But perhaps you're not referring to Luke 6 (which never says "pray for your enemy"). Are you instead referring to 1 Timothy 2:1-2 then? But that passage gives a specific reason for the prayer (which isn't for the benefit of the enemy of Christ): "that we [Christians] may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
So aside from this blanket "everyone" which is qualified by the intention of the prayer, where are we commanded to pray for our enemies? And more specifically, where are we commanded to pray for our enemies' benefit?
I must again point out impreccatory prayer as a viable option. If I prayed, "Lord, please take out my enemy that I may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and holiness" then I have obeyed 1 Tim 2:1-2, not just in letter but in spirit too. The Old Testament is full of these kinds of prayers, and you cannot sweep them under the rug as if they don't exist. Praying for our enemies to be harmed by God pouring out His justice is consistent with Biblical theology.
You said:
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We pray for the Lord's bidding. If it be for Kennedy's benefit, praise God! Another brother come safely home. If not, praise God for His justice and mercy.
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Which is exactly what I have said. Note that praying for God's will to be done is not the same thing as praying for Kennedy though.
You said:
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But to not pray at all, to even be moderately or outright opposed to it is the heighth of arrogance and disingenuous humility.
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But Steve wasn't saying to "not pray at all." He asked whether we should pray FOR KENNEDY at all. You're switching subject here in mid-thought. Not praying for Kennedy is consistent with praying the Lord's will be done. On the other hand, praying for Kennedy's benefit may not be consistent with praying the Lord's will be done if the Lord's will is that Kennedy not be benefited.
You said:
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I understand the hesitance and resistance to the claim that we are obligated to pray for everyone without exception.
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You could better understand it if you read the passages in Jeremiah that I quoted earlier. Then you'd see it's not a "hesitance" at all but rather a consistent Biblical interpretation.
You said:
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But aside from the fact of Kennedy's vile nature--which all have apart from Christ and would do as much or more evil than Kennedy himself if they could--I did not see any evidence to support the notion that he is one for whom prayers are not to be given.
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Prayers that are given so that the Elect may benefit are consistent with the Biblical commands of praying. Praying for Kennedy's benefit simply because we feel that not doing it would be evil is not consistent with the Biblical commands. Finally, praying for anyone (whether enemy or friend) without our focus being "thy will be done" is wrong.
You said:
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Vileness and depravity are not in and of themselves reason--or excuse--to claim that one might be unworthy or "undestined" for prayer and supplication.
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Thinking that prayers depend on the "worthiness" of the individual being prayed for is not our argument. Again, what I've said is that we should pray the Lord's will is done. I offered the version of my prayer already. It's a conditional prayer: if Kennedy's living longer will benefit the Elect, then I ask God that Kennedy will live longer; but if it will harm the Elect then I ask God to take him out. But nevertheless, I always keep in mind that the point of prayer is that we acknowledge God's will will be done.
There's a whole lot of friendly fire flying around here. Before I go on, let's get a few things straight.
ReplyDeleteTo ally with what Arthur said: "The issue I have is the assertion that if we were so inclined to pray for Kennedy that we ought not because he is a vile sinner."
Despite the claims that all that was being said in the post was that we need to be careful HOW we pray for Kennedy, there is little evidence prior to knee-jerk comments regarding spleens. (Very edifying, brother)
Upon reading back through the post, a moderate tolerance of prayer on Kennedy's "behalf" can be found with this statement:
" 'We pray for every person what we pray for self, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner’.”
That[’s] would be a valid reason to pray for Kennedy."
The only problem is that this statement is followed by a roundabout excuse that there are only so many hours in day, we can't pray for everybody. So even then, there are problems with the presumption.
But we really should address the Scriptural issue here. It is true, and absolutely undeniable that there are instances in Scripture where God specifically instructed to not pray for certain people or groups; and it is equally true that one primary reason was that God was about to bring destruction to said people.
Therein we must consider that God instructed a lack of prayer (of any kind) often along side information which by its nature explained that to pray for any end other than destruction would indeed be against God's will, and therefore, impertinent.
So true those references remain and it is good to consider that our prayers must be careful to not ask for things we know would go against God's character and plan. Such Scriptural assertions can be found (albeit amidst somewhat arrogant delivery) in the comment thread, to which the original author has remained thus far almost silent. But the issue was not at first with the comments but the original post and its author. The issue remains.
The main argument brought forth in the post around which the air of complete reluctance to show mercy flowed, was the stressed fact of Kennedy's undeniable depravity in person and practice. Commendably, Peter offered a quite appropriate example of prayer for such a one as Kennedy. This was not offered in the post.
Instead, it was proffered to basically let the rest of the people pray for Kennedy, and focus on other, perhaps more important or at least less known sinners. While the point that many will pray Kennedy, both appropriately and inappropriately, is valid to a degree, it is not an advisable pattern of thought to follow. If we differ to the probability of others behaving correctly, thus covering for us while we focus on those who mean more to us, we wind up right back at only loving those who love us just like the sinners in Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36. Now the author was remarking that nobody will pray for those they do not know exist so it is imperative that we pray for the souls of those only ourselves know.
This is definitely true, but the initial implication and the further assertion was that with only so many hours in day, ones like Kennedy should be put on the back burner so to speak in place of ones we know better, or perhaps harbor more care towards.
Furthermore, the post author also made this point:
"What if Ted[.] Kennedy is dishonorable? Should we honor him anyway?
[...quote of an article’s more than generous description of Kennedy…]
Well, that’s a very charitable interpretation. I beg to differ."
In response to this question:
Romans 13:1-7; Daniel 2:21; 1st Samuel 24, 26. No, we should not paint pictures of evil men that represent something better than they are—like the article in question in the original post, but if God has placed even such an evil one as Kennedy in a place of power or kingship of a sort, then we are called through obedience to honor him as God’s appointed anointed instrument. Nebuchadnezzar was on a scale far more vile, murderous, proud, and debauched yet Daniel honored him as a king appointed by God. I realize we must be careful to not draw too many similarities between Kennedy and the kings of old. But Romans is clear that all governing authorities are to be respected and obeyed as far as fits the glory of the Lord.
So, though a very good example of an appropriate prayer was given by Peter Pike, I will reiterate that nothing of the kind was offered by the author of the post, and when he came close, it was, each time, disqualified by either time, more worthy subjects, or the villainous nature of the man, Ted Kennedy.
All in all, if the post in question had done a better job of communicating HOW BEST to pray regarding Kennedy, then I and others would have much less or no problem at all. But, at best, the post was poorly communicated due to the fact that the overlying implication throughout was that basically “Kennedy is evil. We best not pray for him. Kennedy is ‘on the way out’, we best not pray for him. Kennedy is an enemy of God and God’s people, we best not pray for him.” Etc, etc.
It was not argued that we pray for his soul to be done with as the will of God permits, which as Peter himself pointed out, is the only appropriate prayer ‘for’ Kennedy. This I agree with wholeheartedly. This too was not communicated in the post.
Take as much issue as you please with someone claiming we should pray for Kennedy’s health and well being regardless of God’s will. Amen to that. But disqualify the appropriate prayer on account of time? I say again, that is a shameful witness.
What shall we pray then? Who shall we pray ‘for’? Anyone we can. To tell me that if I pray for God’s will to be done with Kennedy will detract from my prayer for my high school classmates is preposterous.
Finally, here you have two brothers of like faith and mind who have taken issue with something said in public and that has fed dissenters. Instead of even a modicum of reflection upon the possibility that an article was written poorly and argued carelessly, the first resort is insulting and destructive comments aimed at making your won brothers appear as weaklings. Again friendly fire has gone both directions here. And I am not without guilt. I apologize for my inflammatory comments. I spoke with zeal but not wisdom.
Sorry for the length of the last comment.
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