WND EXCLUSIVE
UGANDAN PRESIDENT REPENTS
OF PERSONAL, NATIONAL SINS
'We confess idolatry, witchcraft,
political hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue'
By MICHAEL CARL
Michael Carl is a veteran journalist with overseas
military experience and experience as a political consultant. He also has two
Master's Degrees, is a bi-vocational pastor and lives with his family in the
Northeast United States.
Should a president lead citizens in a national
prayer of repentance?
Uganda’s Christian president believes so.
The Ugandan
newssite New Vision reports President Yoweri Museveni
celebrated Uganda’s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain at the
National Jubilee Prayers event by publicly repenting of his personal sin and
the sins of the nation.
“I stand here today to close the evil past, and
especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history and at the
threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my
own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for your
forgiveness,” Museveni prayed.
“We confess these sins, which have greatly hampered
our national cohesion and delayed our political, social and economic
transformation. We confess sins of idolatry and witchcraft which are rampant in
our land. We confess sins of shedding innocent blood, sins of political
hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal,” Museveni said.
“Forgive us of sins
of pride, tribalism and sectarianism; sins of laziness, indifference and
irresponsibility; sins of corruption and bribery that have eroded our national
resources; sins of sexual immorality, drunkenness and debauchery; sins of
unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred and revenge; sins of injustice, oppression and
exploitation; sins of rebellion, insubordination, strife and conflict,” Museveni prayed.
Next, the president dedicated Uganda to God.
“We want to dedicate this nation to you so that you
will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears
God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and
justice to fulfill what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord. A people you have chosen as your own,” Museveni prayed.
Uganda won its
independence from Britain Oct. 8, 1962. Resistance leader Milton Obote was the country’s first
prime minister.
Massachusetts pastor and activist Rev. Scott Lively believes Museveni is
a model for other national leaders.
“The Museveni prayer is a model for all Christian
leaders in the world. The leaders of the West have declined in proportion to
their degree of rejection of God,” Lively said.
Lively also believes Uganda will rise as a major
African power as America continues to decline. He uses Britain as an example.
“Britain was at its height as a world power when it
honored God as the Ugandan president has just done. America’s greatness has
similarly diminished as we have shifted from a Christian to a secular-humanist
country. But watch now for Uganda to be blessed by God for their desire to be
His,” Lively said.
Lively added that Museveni is definitely drawing a
contrast between Uganda and the West.
“This incident is also important as a contrast to
the picture being painted of Uganda by the godless left of a backwards, violent
and savage culture intent on murdering homosexuals,” Lively said.
“On the contrary, Museveni is calmly and
confidently setting the course of his nation by the guidance of the Bible, in a
way that also shows great courage and resolve,” Lively said.
Homosexual activist groups have criticized the
government of Uganda and Museveni for passing laws criminalizing homosexual
behavior. A current bill before the Ugandan Parliament increases the jail
sentences for homosexual acts and includes criminal penalties for those who
encourage or promote homosexuality.
The bill had
included the death penalty for those who commit multiple acts of homosexual
behavior, but the provision has been removed, BBC
News reports.
The government of Uganda could not be reached for
comment on this story.
Lively said he didn’t agree with the death penalty
provision but supports the nation’s strong stance against homosexual behavior.
While Museveni is being held as a model for
Christian leaders, Dave Daubenmire, PT Salt Ministries’ president and founder
and social commentator, said the problem for Western nations goes deeper than
the political leaders.
The problem in the United States, he said, is the
pastors.
“Sadly, I think our lack of repentance is the fault
of the pulpit. Individual Christians are so awash in sin that they think
politicians are merely better at sin than they are,” Daubenmire said.
“There is no fear of the Lord and we are getting
essentially a two-kingdom message. We hear that the devil is the god of this
world and that Jesus will even the score later,” Daubenmire said. “The problem
is that most Christians are convinced that this world is in control of Satan
and therefore are not interested in applying the kingdom principles for which
Christ died.”
Daubenmire quoted Matthew 28:18, in which Jesus
said, “All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.” Christians, Daubenmire said, are exhorted later in
the same chapter to go and make disciples of all nations.
“We are to teach them and baptize them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “All power in heaven and in earth belongs
to Jesus. Unfortunately, most Christians don’t have the foggiest idea that He
rules and reigns here and now, and that the kingdom principles that He taught
us bring victory over evil wherever they are applied.”
He added that Christians too often play with sin.
“Since we do not hate sin anymore, we don’t demand
repentance,” Daubenmire said.
He quoted British 17th century statesman Edmund
Burke, who said, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do
nothing.” Daubenmire said that in America, “good men have yielded power to
evil men.”
“Evil rules when evil men make the rules,” he said.
