Authority

You can tell Peter wasn't an American.

Listen to this (1 Peter 2:13-17): "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

See? I mean, really. Submit? Hey, not only do I question whether the guy's a Christian, he's a Democrat! And my boss? Nice guy, but some days he's not smart enough to pour water out of a boot (potentially job-saving disclaimer: this is rhetoric; my boss actually is brilliant). And then there's my wife - so emotional (potentially marriage-saving disclaimer: more rhetoric). If I submitted to everyone in authority positions, I wouldn't have a life at all.

Besides, the ignorant talk of foolish men is our national pastime, our favorite spectator sport. We call it "Internet." Or maybe talk radio.

Peter doesn't care about that, because God doesn't. Do good, to silence the foolish. Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil. This kind of life is God's will, not whether or not I get home in time to watch the game.

So unless it's an unlawful order, I should submit. Does submitting include not undermining? No backstabbing, no griping, no gossip? Aw, rats . . .

As usual, probably best to focus on the action items: respect everyone, love the believers, fear God, honor Obama. A short, simple list that even I can remember.