Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Isaih 1:18 (KJV)

Not too long ago, something in the national news troubled me greatly. It was confrontation that I felt was crude, rude, and demeaning. Two men with all the power in the world shamed another leader in public. I was gut-punched by the bullying that was going on in front of the entire world.

I commented on the behavior of the powerful leaders in social media. My quote was, “There was ONE adult in the Oval Office today. And English is his second language.”

The amount of criticism I received from a segment of my social media connections was pretty impressive.

The apologists for the bullies were quick to point out that there was much more to the story than the news media was portraying. They also accused me of not being fair. “Did you post critical comment about the other guy when he was in office?”

This taught me that in our current cultural moment, when someone criticizes your favorite politician, it is the same as attacking you. This tells me that for many people, their identity and sense of self have wrapped themselves around the axle of the person or party I voted for.

This social media firestorm that my post created raises a critical question for me as a pastor of a group of lovely people who mostly voted for and supported the bullies: When does a pastor speak out against a leader’s ungodly behavior?

Why can’t a leader of a local faith gathering call out the abusive behavior of those in power? My experience has taught me that he or she can, if it is against the opposition. I am concerned that, as a pastor, I can’t speak against the behavior of a public leader or influencer unless my criticism is aimed at the right enemy—your enemy.

Historically, pastors have been faithful in calling attention to the bad behavior of leaders in the public square. I did when President Clinton was in office back in the nineties concerning his inappropriate relationship with an intern. I spoke out against Hillary Clinton calling Trump supporters the “deplorables.”  I did it when it came out that the Bush administration lied about weapons of mass destruction being in Iraq. I did it when then President Joe Biden called Trump supporters “garbage.”

The lack of spiritual discernment in politics is stunning. People I love and respect can’t discern the difference between criticizing a particular policy and criticizing unethical behavior.

I constantly feel tension in two areas. I am a pastor, which means I love and care for the souls of many people. When you have been ordained since 1984, you are even the pastor of people outside your local church. I want them to love and trust me, and I have great compassion for them. On the other hand, I have a trait, tendency, predisposition deep in my bones to speak prophetically when an injustice has occurred.

Honestly, I wish one of those thorns would go away. I wish I could love everyone and turn a blind eye to the world’s injustices. OR when I speak out against the injustices and end up angering people I love, I wish it would roll off of me like water off a duck’s back.

So far, I have to live with both realities in my heart.

As I lost relationships this last week because of my criticism of bullying behavior, I felt alone and in need of some comfort. I prayed. I journaled. I sat in silence. I did some serious soul searching. I kept asking myself, “Where can I find a roadmap through this hostile landscape? Who can I talk to? What can I read? Who has gone through this before?”

Because of my life station (read old age), I am finding more and more pastors looking to me for guidance. But where do I go for my roadmap?

I have been reading Psalms every day for many years. However, because of my self-inflicted wound on social media, I have felt a need to find hope and solidarity with the ancient people of God who found themselves in difficult times—times of oppression, exile, and attack.

That has led me to supplement my reading of the ancient Jewish prayer book with readings from the major prophets.  I remembered that those pastors/poets spoke out during very volatile times—sometimes during enemy occupations, other times during corrupt kings, and still others when exiled in a foreign land.

At one point, the prophet wrote down what God promised, and it encouraged my soul.

“Reassure the righteous
    that their good living will pay off. Isaiah 3:10 (MSG)

I’ve been reading through Isaiah the last few days. I am inviting you to join me on this pilgrimage. Let’s read the prophets together. I will warn you that it is not an easy and uplifting read. There are deep divides between our times and cultures and those of the ancient people of God. You will often have to slog through sections that seem disconnected from our times.

Let’s stay on course, keep reading even when we don’t understand how this passage is relevant, and trust the Holy Spirit to plant a shoot of God’s truth in our hearts. This kind of reading and then living will pay off. I promise.

My strategy is to read on the day corresponding to the current day of the month. For instance, as I write this blog, it is March 10, 2025. I will read Day 10 of Month One on the reading plan. You certainly don’t have to do it this way; it’s just my way.

P.S. I am not interested in commenting again on whether I should have spoken out against the behavior in the Oval Office. I stand by my post and position.