After an unexpected visit by President Donald Trump to McLean Bible Church in Virginia, Teaching Pastor David Platt shared the gospel and prayed over him.
On Sunday, June 1, 2019, President Trump made a brief unannounced visit to the church asking for prayer for the victims of a mass shooting that left 12 people dead on Friday. Platt took the opportunity with another pastor to share the gospel privately with President Trump before the prayer.
After sharing the gospel with the president, Platt read 1 Timothy 2:1-6 on stage with President Trump standing by, and prayed over him in reference to the text—a command to believers to pray for “kings, and [for] all that are in authority” so that Christians may lead a quiet and peaceable lives “in all godliness and honesty.”
This came as a surprise to some. Platt once thanked Professor Kedron Bardwell of Simpson College, near Des Moines, Iowa, for commenting that other religious leaders who approve of the president are “supporting/excusing Trump’s ‘profanities, race-baiting and courting white supremacists, boasting of adulterous affairs, debauching public morality…through the casino and pornography industries.’”
Nevertheless, Platt is being commended by some Christian leaders who say that his prayer was an example of prayer. And that if they were in his situation of having an unexpected visit from President Trump, they may not have been able to pray as Platt did. Joe Carter, an editor at The Gospel Coalition commented:
“Platt presented the gospel in his prayer and asked God to give the president clarity, strength, and wisdom. Platt also prayed that the Lord would help President Trump govern for the good of equity, justice, and righteousness. Above all, Platt made it clear that our earthly leaders will benefit most when they follow the ‘the one universal king over all’ — King Jesus.”
After praying for President Trump, Pratt felt the need to publicly explain why he had done so to members in the church who may have been offended by the act of praying for President Trump. Within his message he wrote:
“I wanted to share all of this with you in part because I know that some within our church, for a variety of valid reasons, are hurt that I made this decision. This weighs heavy on my heart. I love every member of this church, and I only want to lead us with God’s Word in a way that transcends political party and position, heals the hurts of racial division and injustice, and honors every man and woman made in the image of God. So while I am thankful that we had an opportunity to obey 1 Timothy 2 in a unique way today, I don’t want to purposely ever do anything that undermines the unity we have in Christ,”
Pratt, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Internal Mission Board stated that as Christians we are called to pray for our leaders so that we may all live quiet and peaceable lives. It is our Christian duty.
Source: Christian Post