Christians should pray for the success of Donald Trump as US president, according to the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Russell Moore has been a trenchant critic of Trump and made no secret of his disdain for his moral failures and personal limitations during the election campaign.
However, in an opinion piece for the Washington Post today he writes: "With the inauguration of a new president of the United States, now is a time to pray for President Trump and to remember our obligation as Christians to pray for all those who are in civil authority."
He says politics has become a "badge of tribal identity" and warns against using prayer in a similar way.
"As Donald Trump takes office as the 45th president of the United States, we should pray that his presidency is a great and good one," he writes. "That prayer applies to all, whether someone voted for the current president or not."
Moore urges Christians to pray for Trump's physical safety and that he is able to be a peacemaker and a reconciler.
He also warns against attempts to "undermine the legitimacy of our new president", saying: "Evangelical believers can and often do publicly disagree with our elected officials over important issues, and holding those in power accountable is part of our duty. But that accountability does not entail proclamations of 'Not my president.' Such statements were wrong and irresponsible when some said them during the last administration, and they are still wrong and irresponsible now applied to the new administration."
He says Christians should pray "that the presidency now starting turns out to succeed in every good thing, abounding in wisdom and justice".
