A Christian King Henry Research Paper

Is a Christian king possible? In a time of separation of church and state, it is hard to imagine a religious leader without thinking of the theocratic caliphs and shahs or some shallow prosperity preacher trying to impose his views on everyone. It ultimately has a negative ring to it for most people. A Christian king however, is not someone who goes around beheading infidels or someone who has the ten-commandments as his screen-saver. Rather a Christian king is someone who governs his country, and himself, according to the principles laid out in Scripture. In the play Henry V, Henry is repeatedly called the model of all Christian kings. Henry’s actions however, would not indicate the heart of a believer upon closer examination. There are three
In this respect, Henry is sorely lacking in the love and mercy category. God is love, so any leader trying to imitate God must also be love. The most obvious lack of love is at the battle of Harfleur. At Harfleur, Henry threatens to release his “Christian army” to pillage the city and misuse the inhabitants if they do not surrender the city. While war is extreme, there is no instance where it is permissible to sin. God will not “understand” that Henry was in dire circumstances and should therefore be pardoned. While no one can measure up to Jesus, Henry does not even appear to try to measure up, except to give Him lip-service. Henry does not reflect Jesus in any way. Henry’s actions do not indicate the heart of a believer upon closer examination. There are three reasons Henry is no model of a Christian king, much less that of a believer: He does not accept responsibility for his actions, he is greedy, and he does not reflect the mercy and love of Christ. No human can ever measure up to God, but what they must do is strive to be like God. Henry could act benevolent and kind and Christ-like until something did not go his way. Ultimately, Henry V is no model of a Christian