They only consult to cast him down from his high position; they delight in lies... Psalm 62:4. After reading the article, “The State of the Union is Frustrating,” there is an underlying perception about President Obama set in stone as truth by some Christian leaders. They appear dismissive and refuse to show others that they can be above the fray of just looking at politics as the final solutions of immorality.

The State of the Union address recently given by President Barack Obama was not extracted from a religious document. If one looks at other historical State of the Union speeches by other presidents, the same holds true.

Some Christian leaders have played into the hands of the Republican demagogues. Demagogy refers to a political strategy for gaining political power by appealing to the popular prejudices, emotions, fears and expectation via propaganda and rhetoric. H.L. Mencken defined a demagogue "as one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots." In these critical times we cannot afford to be one among the masses nor idiots. Wisdom and discernment is what we need, not other men's fears.

The importance of going forward is at stake. Many in the Christian community have a tendency to look at immorality, make quick judgments, and grossly dismiss the reality of our wrongdoing by blaming others. We must consider other avenues of exhibiting God's power and influence on the world rather than resting on what we have been so comfortable in doing-blaming President Barack Obama. Everything I have heard from these Republican religious organizations is just the same old mantra of criticism attacking President Barack Obama-resulting in a further divide within the Body of Christ. Our commitment should be to pray for this president.

A great majority of Christians were sincere during this election, but because of their religious indoctrination, they viewed and judged the world from glass houses, protecting themselves from being engaged with others who have different beliefs and morals. They hid their lights under a bushel basket and sequestered themselves into their religious communities, keeping an arm’s length from the sinners. What I saw in the Republican Party became parallel reminders of where much of the church stands. The fight was not about truth but the resistance to change - resistance to change from religion to relationship, from power to service, from greed to giving, from your kingdom to God's kingdom. These were the same issues the Sadducee and Pharisees fought over with Jesus. Jesus was a change agent. He did not go along with the status quo.

The religious gatekeepers during the time of Jesus played the game of legalism and tradition, a game much more dangerous than Russian roulette. The certainty of death were their failed doctrines and self-serving teachings coupled with their fallacious assumptions about Jesus. There seems to be no distinguishing features between the religious leaders, in the time of Jesus, than some of our modern-day Christian leaders.

We have to be careful on how we divide the word of truth. The biblical warnings stand for all of us to give clarity and distinction to what is being said. Is it a word from God or human opinions? The burden of proof lies with us to determine between the human spirit and the Spirit of God. 

Author, Cheryll A. Bellamy graduated from Cleveland State John Marshall Law school. She is an attorney, an ordained minister under Christian International, and a former assistant prosecutor. She is also the founder of Hannah's Heart: A Place for Every Women, which is an international healing ministry. She has traveled extensively ministering the Gospel to thirteen nations including Hungary, Italy, Israel, and Africa. She has written several training manuals and is the author of the book, A Home Without a Father, which has been translated into Hungarian and Italian. The Clashing of Swords: Christianity, Race, Politics - A Time of Change and Reawakening to a Greater Cause has been just recently published this year of 2009. Both Cheryll and husband, Dr. Robert Bellamy, are founders of DeZine for Success, an entrepreneurship program for high school.