Imprecatory Prayer: words from a wing nut.

September 17, 2007 by Pastor Dan.

There will always be religious nuts out there. Many of them are ordained ministers. But it is startling and sad when one is a prominent pastor of a Christian church: in this case the Rev. Wiley Drake, the Southern Baptist Convention’s current Second Vice President, and also the first candidate to declare he wants the SBC presidency (election in June 2008; watch this space!).  One would expect people who rise to the top of their denominations to have the tact and discretion not to say or do stupid things.

But in mid-August, Rev. Drake disgraced himself and bolstered his reputation as a wing nut among Christians by calling on his constituency to pray for the deaths of two of his critics (see “Pastor asks followers to pray for his critics to die,” Los Angeles Times, August 16 p. B-4; follow-up articles are found here). Drake’s shameless news release is here on Christian News Wire in which he calls for the use of “imprecatory prayer” (petitions calling for God’s wrath).

As if this weren’t enough, according to news reports Wiley claims God’s authority for doing so. Quoting Psalm 109 which calls down God’s wrath upon ancient Israel’s enemies, Drake believes the practice should be applied against officials of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Specifically, Drake quotes verses 8–9, “May his days be few, may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.”

It reinforces my thought that Christian extremists in this country are really people of the Old Covenant, with a little nod here and there to Jesus, who forgave those who nailed him to the cross. Even if you can find extremist language in the Old Testament, how could you pretend that it ought to be imitated by Christians today? Why would a Christian want to pray for the death of anyone?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” —Jesus (Matthew 5:43– 44)

We have a long-standing tradition in these United States to keep religion and government distinct and separate, starting with the Constitution’s First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” But Drake clearly wants to mix the two, and to put another conservative Christian leader at the top of the government.

Triggering the entire controversy, earlier this year Drake endorsed Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for President of the United States, on both Drakes’ church letterhead (First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park) and on the church-sponsored internet radio broadcast.

(Huckabee is also a Southern Baptist minister. According to USA Election Polls, updated Sunday, Huckabee is polling between 1.0 and 5.0% in the Presidential popularity contests. Last March, he got a 40% in Arkansas, where he has served as Republican governor for the last decade.)

Such an endorsement for a candidate for public office is one thing which is expressly not allowed under the Internal Revenue Code for any 501.c.3 non-profit corporation. A non-profit has a privileged position in society which ought not to be leveraged to gain political power. Recently, James Dobson’s Focus on the Family dodged an IRS bullet for a similar political power-play.

If in fact Drake did make the endorsement his congregation could lose its tax exemption. Americans United officials, who received word of it, blew the whistle to the IRS and called for an investigation. But instead of preparing to defend himself and his congregation’s tax-exempt status, Rev. Drake has decided that God told him to use imprecatory prayer.

Drake said Wednesday he was “simply doing what God told me to do” by targeting Americans United officials. — (L.A. Times article)

Apparently God is very much at the center of the 2008 Presidential race already. Drake, in his written statement said that of all the candidates running “Mike Huckabee will listen to God” according to a Christian Century article September 4.

One blog cites information from the Huckabee for President campaign:

Alice Stewart, a campaign spokesman, said the campaign did not coordinate with Drake on any of the material he’s distributed regarding the Americans United complaint. “We certainly don’t condone the evil comments he’s made,” she said.

Americans United blog has some pithy comments and more related information here. Jeremy Leaming (one of the two Rev. Drake would like to fall dead) wrote on September 6 “So it appears the pastor’s angry call for harm to Americans United has not only drawn criticism from an array of sources but has worked to silence him for a bit. According to the Bible, God once caused an ass to speak (Numbers 22: 28-30); perhaps now, He’s caused one to shut up.”

Why have I waited so long to comment?   I don’t have a dog in this fight, and discretion suggests that I wait and see.  Will a wily prayer be answered?

The Scripture reminds us that when the righteous pray, God heeds their prayers (Proverbs 15:29; James 5:16, 1Peter 3:12). Since it has now been a full month, and apparently the officials at Americans United are still well and healthy, it is only reasonable to conclude that God isn’t listening to Rev. Wiley Drake, or is not moved to act by his presumptuous imprecation.

I don’t need to add my scolding voice of condemnation here. But, Rev. Drake, I suggest that you re-read v. 7 in Psalm 109, in preparation for your trial before the Internal Revenue Service: “When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.”

— Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

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