If, as general consensus seems to suggest, I’m suppose to leave politics out of the pulpit, why is President Barack Obama permitted to preach the Bible behind the Presidential Seal? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no problem with presidents quoting the Bible, as long as they recite it right and don’t twist the text. What bothers me is a politician who uses and abuses the Scripture to advance his political agenda, which is exactly what our president recently did in a major speech on the economy at Georgetown University.

Before commenting on our president’s overt hijacking of the Scripture in his recent speech, permit me to point out for the sake of those who missed it our president’s covert gesture to Islamists all over the world. Realizing that his use (misuse) of the Bible could be offensive to Muslims, since Muslims believe that the Bible has been corrupted by evil Jews and Christians, Mr. Obama stealthily slipped into his speech some verbal salve to sooth Muslim wounds. His clumsy attempt to surreptitiously sooth any ruffled feathers of the Prophet Mohammed’s followers is found in his proposal to build a rock-solid foundation for our nation’s financial future “upon five pillars”; namely, “new rules for Wall Street…new investments in education…new investments in renewable energy and technology…new investments in health care…and new savings in our federal budget that will bring down the debt for future generations.”

As any Muslim will readily tell you, the Religion of the Sword is built upon the five pillars of Islam: (1) The Muslim profession of faith, which is called “Shahada” (2) Prayer, which is called “Salat” (3) Obligatory charity, which is called “Zakat” (4) Fasting, which is called “Sawm,” and (5) A once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, which is called “Hajj.” In light of the five pillars of Islam, it becomes abundantly clear that our president’s proposal to build our nation’s future “upon five pillars” is no coincidence, but carefully chosen words designed to clandestinely convey a clear message to the Islamic world?

Now, I’m not suggesting, as some surely will, that our president is secretly conspiring to turn this nation into an Islamic republic ruled by Shari’ah Law. I’m only saying that he appears to be obsessed with his poll ratings among Muslims, a fact attested to by such things as his recent bowing before the King of Saudi Arabia and the granting of his first presidential interview to Al Arabiya, an Arabic satellite television network. Unlike many conspiracy buffs in America today, I don’t believe that Mr. Obama is a secret follower of the Prophet Mohammed. In fact, I don’t believe that he has any serious religious convictions at all. Rather than possessing a firm faith, I believe he possesses a flexible one that is pliable enough to bend in any direction political expediency dictates. To President Obama, religion is a mere means to his political ends, which is easily proven by the way he used it in his speech at Georgetown.

In his speech, President Obama said, “There is a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells the story of two men. The first built his house on a pile of sand, and it was destroyed as soon as the storm hit. But the second is known as the wise man, for when ‘…the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house…it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.’" Our president then proceeded to suggest that the only way for us “to build our house upon a rock” is to “lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity,” one that is based upon his economic policies and proposals.

Although dubbed “the One” by some and confused by many as the Messiah, I find President Obama’s inserting of himself into this sacred text as a substitute for the Savior highly offensive. The “wise man” who is portrayed by Jesus in this passage of Scripture as building “his house upon a rock” is a believer who hears and does what Jesus says, not an America that hears and does what Barack Obama says. Contrary to our Commander and Chief’s terrible twisting of this text, what Christ was actually teaching in this conclusion to His most famous sermon is that our only hope of building a rock-solid foundation for our future, a foundation capable of withstanding even the fiercest storms of life, is to build our lives on “the sayings” of our Savior, not on the economic policies and proposals of our president.

If Barack Obama is really looking for a passage of Scripture to use in a speech on our current economic crisis, then I would suggest that he try the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy. In this chapter, God instructs half of His people to announce from Mount Gerizim the blessings that He will bestow upon their nation if they will be faithful to Him; conversely, He instructs the other half of His people to announce from Mount Ebal the curses that will befall their nation if they ever forsake Him.

According to Deuteronomy 28:12-13, the nation will be blessed by God financially as long as the people believe and obey God’s Word. God promises a faithful nation that it “will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.” On the other hand, the nation will be cursed by God with financial disaster if the people ever cease to believe and obey God’s Word. God promises the nation that forsakes Him that it will end up borrowing from foreigners and incapable of lending to anyone (Deuteronomy 28:43-44).

I don’t know about you, but Deuteronomy 28:12-13 sounds to me like an accurate description of America yesterday, back when we were a God-fearing nation that revered God’s Word. In those days, we were blessed by God as the world’s greatest lender nation. Today, however, we resemble the nation described in Deuteronomy 28:43-44, a nation that has forsaken God and is no longer under His blessing, but under His curse. Consequently, our country is no longer the world’s greatest lender nation, but the world’s greatest debtor nation.

If our president really wants our country to build for its future on a rock-solid foundation, then I suggest that he stop substituting himself for the Savior and his economic policies and proposals for the Scripture. After all, it's not believing and obeying the words of Barack Obama that will build our house on the rock, but believing and obeying the words of Jesus Christ. Until we repent of our forsaking of Christ and return to Him with all of our hearts, we will continue to be cursed rather than blessed by God and to foolishly build for our future on the shifting sands of men’s words rather than the sure foundation of God’s Word.