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Should Sarah Palin Have Just Stayed at Home?  Could She be a ‘Biblical’ Commander in Chief?

Orginally published on Monday, November 03, 2008 at 8:47 AM
by Todd Rhoades


We don't usually get too political here at MMI, and I think this is more of a interpretation of scripture post than a political post anyway... but...here's an interesting video where John Piper gives his view on the election. Here's a quote:

I personally think that it would have been better for her to stay at home with her disabled child, both for the good of the family and as a model for moms... I don't think, Biblically, that a woman should be commander in chief.

Some people would either consider this quote to be one of two things: either Biblical or sexist. Here's the short video... take a look... then let us know what you think...

OK… I’d love to hear your thoughts, particularly on the Sarah Palin comment.  Here’s a short poll… then leave your comments below…


This post has been viewed 2973 times so far.


  There are 96 Comments:

  • Posted by

    Piper’s comments are no surprise.  I appreciate though, that he said things like “for me personally” and “I think” when he described his interpretation of scripture.  I disagree with both Piper and Driscoll, but Piper’s tone is more loving and, IMO, reflects a more biblical posture toward brothers and sisters who disagree with him.

    I’m not sure what he does with Deborah’s command of the armies of Israel, nor can I think of any NT passages where one can even remotely infer a directive to either gender about assuming or not assuming a political office.

    Wendi

  • Posted by Peter Hamm

    Yeah, but what is up with that photo of Palin. SCARY!

  • Posted by

    Few thoughts:

    1.  We are not voting for a Biblical position but a secular, political one.  Thus it is sexist to say she shouldn’t be running.

    2.  She was already governor when she learned of her pregnancy.  Should she have broken her word and commitment and resign as Governor to stay home with Trig?

    3.. The Bible does not command a woman to stay home and not work?

    4.  I care about a politician’s stand on the issues I believe in and not gender.

    5.  I agree that our hope is in God’s sovereignty and not who wins tomorrow.

    6.  I will vote tomorrow but I work everyday for the Kingdom of God.  The latter is much more rewarding.

  • Posted by

    The horrors of racism, as real as they are, do not justify putting a man in office who will appoint Supreme Court Justices who will continue the greater horror of the slaughter of over a million innocent unborn babies every year.

  • Posted by

    The comment about Sarah Palin is just plain stupid.  I agree 100% about the abortion issue.  Obama will be a scary president if he is elected tomorrow.

  • actually she wasn’t a stay at home mom to begin with. What’s Piper’s take on that?

    Grrr

  • Posted by Danny Rogers

    I’m chewing on this one.  It stirs within me a lot of unique thoughts.

    Piper’s point about God working through all types of leaders is a great reminder for us all.  God’s plan will be carried out, not matter who gets elected.

  • Posted by

    Response to his “challenges”
    1. Womanhood - So, we just assume that the baby will be far away from his mother???  No way.  Rest assured that the baby will never be far from her.  Do you really think that she is going to leave this baby behind as she serves the nation?  Absolutely not.  This is absurd to say that she cannot govern righteously because of her womanhood.  I voted for W twice, but would have gladly taken Sarah over W in either, or both, terms.  What is sad is when it gets to the point where the MEN can’t clean up the corruption that has become our political structure.  Piper, you are wrong on this one.

    2.  Race - Since when should political races ever be about race.  Wasn’t it MLK that said something about judging a man by his character rather than color???  So what if he’s the first Black American to ever run for president.  The color of a man’s skin driving people to vote is only an indicator of our shallow our society is when it comes to considering the issues.  Hey, the issues!!!  How about we consider ISSUES in an election.  Listen to what he says rather than looking at his skin.

    3. Abortion - Yes...abortion is evil.  Yes...12 million slaughtered Black babies...and Barack is content to let the holocaust continue.

    4. Prophetic Perspective - We might not live for politics, but we should never use that as an excuse for ignorance and a passive nature when it comes to the political process and its effect on our land.  Yes, this world is passing away...but to whom is it passing?  Our children and to their children and to their children’s children.  We should consider how we pass it on to them.  Some people have become so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.  There must be a healthy balance.

    5. Sovereignty of God - Amen!  Finally, we get it right.  God is sovereign and He will do as He wills.  But, Piper is wrong about abortion, and others, being the judgment.  Abortion and gay marriage are all issues that we must address and on which we must lead our nation to take a stance in line with God’s Word. 

    6. The Gospel - Two in a row here!  Amen.  We are here to advocate for Christ and to be His Ambassadors.  Totally agree here on this!!!  But, again, let this not be an excuse for ignorance and inactivity in the political process.

  • oh and I loved it that he said “America is not my allegience” ... though there will be those who wil take that out of context and misquoteit of course.

    He’s got a great take on the credit crunch and also spoke out against racism (rejoicing that there might be an African American elected) and also spoke out against abortion (very strongly)

    what he says makes sense we all tend to take this election way too seriously and fail to put our faith in God also in the matter of the credit crunch.

    I would like to hear what hisview is on Deborah in the OT though smile

  • Posted by Joseph Louthan

    Piper is dead on about the carrot-dangling issues of abortion and gay rights being judgments of God because of what is the hearts of our countrymen rather than outright sin.

    I do agree with Piper on Palin not being the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.  I think that she should be at home taking care off her kid because of his unique needs and not because I think women should be stay at home.

    I can only echo what I have been preaching for the last year: God is completely sovereign and He ordains all leaders (believers and non-believers) whether in a country, churches, organizations, businesses or even your local Boy Scout troop.

    Seriously, I don’t see how you can have hope for the kingdom of God if you think God is not in the little details of our lives.

  • Posted by

    Piper is wrong, wrong, wrong.

    Joseph: if “God is completely sovereign and He ordains all leaders (believers and non-believers) whether in a country, churches, organizations, businesses or even your local Boy Scout troop” then I guess no one really needs to vote?

  • Posted by

    So, what about a woman being in submission to her OWN husband.  If Todd and Sarah Palin say that she can do both and they can work the roles together, who is Piper to say they can’t?  Read the Proverbs 31 woman again:  she took care of her family and bought and sold fields, etc.  Which is more evil, a working mother or a man who “won’t touch the 12 million aborted black babies with a ten foot pole?” Piper needs to listen to this interview.  He’d probably vote against himself!

    I’ll take a chance on a working mother before I’ll cast a vote for a abortion-supporting, gay-agenda supporting, extreme-welfare supporting man with exreme friendships just so we can have our first black president.

    Yes, God will be with us either way, but He does expect us to make the right choices.

  • Posted by

    Sorry Joseph, but God can and does change his mind in answer to his people’s prayers.  Just look at Jonah and Moses.

    I agree that God is soveriegn, but I also agree with kc here.

  • Posted by

    The problem with Palin is the problem noted by Mark A. Noll in “The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind"--namely, “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind...Notwithstanding all their other virtues, American evangelicals are not exemplary for their thinking, and they ahve not been so for several generations.”

    The abortion and homosexuality issues are red herrings--Republicans have been in office 24 of the 36 years since Roe/Way and still there is no leglislation against abortions.  A vote for McCain/Palin on this issue this term is moot--no Conservative judges will be appointed with the margins they are predicting in the Senate/House!!

    Anti-abortion is not pro-life.  Pro-war (especially preemptive) and pro-life do not go together.  Remember, someone once said “Love your enemies!”

    Homosexuality is not going away no matter who lives in the White House. 

    Palin is an intellectual midget--she should stay at home and read history to her children.

  • Posted by

    Jesus’ Biblical behavior toward people made it clear that he valued all people equally, without respect to race or gender.  He didn’t bother with setting up “Biblical shoulds and shouldn’ts for daily living.” God had already accomplished that.

    As far as I can tell, his primary guideline for how to live an individual life is to “Follow me.” “Follow me” seemed to consistently be interpreted as, “let everyone know how they are valued by their Creator.” Jesus’ reason for living was to free (forgive) and encourage each person to seek reconciliation to God, and then to one another.  Jesus never really looked like a “Commander in Chief” during his earthly life, so to “follow Jesus” would not include this job description.  Let’s stop being God, followers of Christ, and get on with the truly hard work of learning love, and pounding our swords into plowshares.  Open yourself to God’s grace poured into you, for the sake of the world.

  • Posted by

    I DID NOT READ ALL THE COMMENTS SO THIS IS MY RESPONSE WITHOUT BEING FILTERED THROUGH OTHER’S THOUGHTS.  THE PART OF THE BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP IS ONE ISSUE THAT CHURCHES CERTAINLY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SETTLE, BUT

    I WOULD RATHER HAVE A WOMAN AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF WHO KNOWS HOW TO DRESS OUT A MOOSE, THAN A MAN WHO STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE MURDER, YES MURDER, OF BABIES.

  • Posted by

    Interesting that Piper thinks that Palin should have stayed home and been “Biblical” but then he makes a point to say that God can work through all types of leaders....Palin is a proven leader but does he not think she is one of the “all types” strictly because she’s a woman?

    I voted for Bush twice but would not have hesitated to vote for Palin, Elizabeth Dole or Condi either.

    p.s.  I LOVE Harold’s comment...I too would rather have a woman C.I.C. who knows how to dress out a mosse than a “man” who supports murdering children....not just pre-born babies but infants who survive such heinous acts as being ripped from their mother’s womb.

    Signed, A bitter voter who clings to their guns and religion.

  • Posted by

    Abortion is evil. Abortion rates are also likely to increase in the near-impossible event of a McCain administration, because McCain’s record and vision for the economy is W’s, and W’s has brought us here--and because a lousy economy makes people desperate, and desperate people are more likely to get abortions.

    One major difference between Obama and McCain is that Obama tries to look at the larger environment surrounding abortion issues. Making something illegal does not solve the problem folks; and the irony is that few Republicans believe government should inform moral choices of its citizens in any other area. Abort? You can tell me not to do that, but don’t try to take away my guns…

    Also, there truly is no guarantee that Roe v. Wade will be overturned by a McCain administration. These same tired arguments were reheated during both Bush II campaigns, and Roe v. Wade is still firmly in place.

    Obama will be our first black president in January, but not because he’s black: because he has convinced more people that he cares about the lives of ordinary Americans, poor Americans, and that he is more interested in building bridges than blowing them up.

  • Posted by

    I like a lot of what Jon Piper has to say but strongly disagree with him here.

    I’m really glad that God doesn’t put women in the box that a lot of our Christian men seem to want to.

    I’ve said for at least the last ten years that what we really need in the white house is a mom with common sense.

    Seems to me that all these Christian men haven’t done all that great of a job.

  • Posted by

    I also like how John said, “I think”, and “for me personally” at least he is not saying without a shadow of a doubt this is what Scripture says-way to many pastors do this. 

    With that said-I disagree with John, as a pastor and as a dad.  I am a white male who has 2 little African-American daughters, and I am teaching/raising them that they can do ALL things through Christ, this would include being president of the US someday.  I wonder if John would vote for them?  Probably not, they would only be 1/2 qualified in his eyes, they would be black, but being female is the dis-qualification.  If I attended his church, I would be finding a new one, (and I am one who has always respected John), however this is purely sexist IMO and I would not want my daughters or wife sitting under that leadership.  Does that make me a sexist??!! smile

  • Posted by

    To quote Todd Dorman: “Also, there truly is no guarantee that Roe v. Wade will be overturned by a McCain administration. These same tired arguments were reheated during both Bush II campaigns, and Roe v. Wade is still firmly in place. “

    Does this mean we should stop trying simply because it hasn’t happened yet?

  • Posted by Todd Dorman

    Adam: it’s just further argument that voting on one issue is a very perilous course. The Evangelical movement has viewed Roe v. Wade as a cornerstone for political action, but though this is surely a vital issue, it is not the only issue--and it is not a central issue for the presidency. Bush ran with this as part of his campaigns, but he helped destroy the US economy, and the decreasing rate of abortion actually stalled during his first term. Data is not in yet for his second. Don’t take my word for it, read around.

    Even if we only vote on this one issue, we do so in the extremely dim hope that Roe v. Wade will someday be overturned, and in the meantime (in this election) favor the rich economically over those who typically are far less well equipped to care for a newborn, when economic concerns are among the first cited by people who choose abortions.

  • Posted by

    I am very much of a kindred spirit with the tenor of Danny Rogers’s comment.  So I will share one thing uponwhich I have been meditating:  perhaps Christ is calling me to what I call a Phillipians 2:6-8 vote.  That is perhaps I am being called inthis election season to discern whether the vote I cast is out of my self interest (however dressed up that might be in a lnaguage of virtue) and whether it is a vote that takes me back across the road to Jericho to the men and women beaten and left for dead or whether it is my passing by on the other side. In 2nd Corinthians Paul talks about his boast being living in simplicity and Godly sincerity NOT ACCORDING TO THE FLESH BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD. So I ask do my electoral preferences reflect every effort, as every effort is defined in Phillians 2:7-8, to live in Godly sincerity according to the grace of God, or do they reflect my understanding of my priviliged position in this world and my optimism and confidence in the good I can do with that. WWJD?

  • Posted by

    The comments came across as being quite biased. It seemed obvious to me that he just doesn’t want a woman in the “driver’s seat”.
    The important thing to consider when electing someone to office is their Character!
    NOT Race or Gender!

  • Posted by

    For me, I believe that a woman can serve in that role.  However, I think when there are so many complicated circumstances in one’s life the difficult decision of “what” the job is important! President? I think better to care for family first. There are other good leaders with less on their plate, likely can focus more on the job, less on the family.
    If the role was reversed, it would be an issue. If Obama had a baby with disabilities and a daughter that is unwed and expecting, it would have been a much larger issue.

    A woman can be president, same as a man.
    However, I think Palin should take care of first things first. Then, in 10-15 years make a run!

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