In the stunning novel Hijacking of the American Presidency, a disaffected faction of a major evangelical religious group seeks to put its own man in the White House, allowing it the ability to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on nations believed to be the future enemy of America. To accomplish this, they are willing to assassinate political figures, including the sitting president. Disillusioned and fed up with what they consider the Twiddle-Dum, Twiddle-Dee syndrome of Washington politics, which has led to a never-ending dysfunctionality and the erosion of America's ethical and moral foundation, this ultra-conservative splinter group has picked the perfect candidate for the White House. The group is prepared to subvert the Constitution of the United States and assassinate anyone in its way to achieve its divine mandate. In a plot that includes the manipulation of the nation's leading scientists in nano-technology, the subversives plan to deliver time-delayed poisons to those in opposition. Faced with such an unprecedented threat, the religious unit of the Department of Homeland Security Anti-Terrorism Task Force has been called on to thwart the plot.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Assad R. Wright attended teachers college and the University of the West Indies, followed by graduate work at Long Island University and CUNY Graduate Center in New York. A retired teacher, the author is now the pastor of a local assembly in Miami.
Excerpt - A Member of the splinter religious group has realized he was wrong to participate... He is about to speak at church-related convention...
"Lord, I now know that I was absolutely wrong for getting mixed up with that group. It happened because I did not seek your leading before I acted. Now, Lord, I do not ask for deliverance from them or even protection, but simply for your mercy and grace, and that you will be done in my life. Whatever the outcome, I pray that from here on out, my life will bring glory and praise to your holy name."
He was finishing the last part of his prayer when he heard the words: "And so I present to you, Pastor Jericho Sessions, all the way from North Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, Pastor Sessions."
So engrossed was he in his private session with the Lord that he was unaware his introduction had begun. Earlier he was completely rattled and walking as if on shifting sand. This was no longer the case. He would speak the truth without fear or favor, even if they were his last words. He remembered God's admonition to Jeremiah to set his face like flint as he talked to the people. He smiled a broad relaxed smile as he picked up the mic... He began speaking with the confidence only a man with a made-up mind could.
"I have spent days working on a speech I planned to deliver here today. It was a speech about the dangers of complacency and the folly of the church trying to fit itself into the mold of the world, which would be like trying to fit a square peg into a round gap; it does not fit. The Bible clearly teaches that we are in the world but not of the world. However, I believe that what is much more dangerous than a lukewarm church that has become complacent in its effort to find accommodation in a world system that is clearly in opposition to the will of God, is the notion that fighting a literal holy war against nations or other peoples because their unbelief can ever be the will of God. For anyone to harbor such a notion is a clear indication that such a person has very little or no understanding of who God is. The Bible teaches that God's love for the world is such that He gave His only son that whoever believes on Him should be saved. It also underscores the fact that God is forbearing, not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should repent and be saved. Thus, God's love and offer of salvation are to every single human being, regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality. The only necessary criterion for salvation, therefore, is that one believes in the son of God. For certain rogue members of the Evangelical Right, who have become increasingly militant in recent years, even arguing for military strikes against Muslims, with the mistaken belief that they would be acting for God, betrays a serious lack of understanding of who God is and his major purpose for the human race.
"In the first place, God is love, and that love is manifested in a desire to bring, not just life, but abundant life to whomever will receive it. Killing and destroying have never been--and never will be--part of God's plan for humanity. Second, the means by which God will draw humanity to Him, as never involved weapons made by man, but by the sacrifice of His son on Calvary.
The Bible clearly states that the weapons of our warfare are weapons are not man-made, and neither are we to fight against our flesh and blood, brothers and sisters of the human race, but against spiritual forces." Here, the pastor paused, as if to gather strength for what he was about to say. Sensing that the pastor had reached a critical point in his speech where he was about to say smething that the RU (Religious Unit of Homeland Security) trio hoped he wouldn't, Chuck, Prim and Rip held their collective breath, almost willing him not to. Either their psychic abilities were not strong enough, or the pastor had gone past the point of caring, where his own safety and that of his family would not dissuade him. When he resumed speaking, he was no longer looking at the audience or their reactions, he was looking upwards as if he were seeking redemption by baring his soul.
"Allow me to make this clear: The only weapon that can succeed against spiritual forces and the only thing that can bring salvation to man is the blood of Jesus Christ. Consequently, the recent clamor by this rogue group from the Evangelic Right to push the US government to carry out a preemptive nuclear strike on New Iran, instead of continuing with diplomacy and sanctions, has nothing to do with the will of God. To believe that God would want us to kill millions of innocent people by waging war in His name is simply a sadly mistaken and error-filled notion of who God is and His purpose for humanity.
"I believe God's original purpose is that all who believe should be saved, which includes inhabitants from all continents, countries, and regions. Christ died so that people from every race, nationality, and culture might be saved, and every war fought since then in His name has been a deception to cover other interests and motives. The Lord's teaching of "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust," is still the guiding principle by which the church, in any age, is mandated to operate. For any part of the church to be inciting or to be involved in making war upon another nation in the name of God, would be a rejection of God's mandate and embracing evil.
"Much worse, and much more alarming, are rumors that there are factions within this country ready to circumvent the Constitution and carry out preemptive strikes on New Iran, if the US elected officials balk and refuse to use military force to dissuade Iran from its mission to develop nuclear capability."
There was an unnatural hush in the auditorium as the pastor finished his last sentence. A majority of the audience was at a loss. They had come to hear a fiery speech about sin and forgiveness, mercy and grace, overcoming difficulties and prosperity, even heaven and hell, but not what they had just heard. They simply did not know how to respond and so remained quiet, almost in a dream state...
"Things have just dramatically changed," Chuck observed. "Unless I'm mistaken, his chances of leaving this building alive have just plummeted..."
~~~
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