Imagine being pastor of a church on a Sunday afternoon. The services have gone pretty much as usual, and now you are enjoying an afternoon of worship music in the sanctuary. A staff member crouches down next to you and says, “The president just pulled up outside and is asking for you to pray for him and for the victims of the Virginia Beach shooting.” The shooting is the May 31 incident in which twelve people were mercilessly gunned down at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. After you picked your jaw up off the ground at the bizarre circumstance of the most powerful man in the world rolling into your visitor parking, how would you respond?

This is essentially the situation that presented itself to David Platt, pastor of McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. During a Sunday on which there had been a nationwide call for prayer for President Trump within the nation’s churches, the man himself showed up asking to be prayed over. And Platt responded exactly as I would have expected him to—he brought the president before the church and prayed for him. Unfortunately, that choice has caused him grief within his own congregation and in the greater Christian community.

I was immediately drawn in by this story. First, because my wife and I attended McLean Bible Church for 24 years. When you are part of a church for that long, you will always have a “family” connection. The event also intrigued me because it emphasized so strongly the political divide within the nation and even within the church. There are many evangelical Christians who love Donald Trump. They see the validity of many of his policies and the support he gives to Israel. They can’t help but see him as the man God has appointed for the times. There are also many in the church who cringe at the roughness of the president’s character and are greatly concerned about his approach toward minorities and the disadvantaged. In their minds, a pastor bringing President Trump onto a church stage is tantamount to giving a blessing to all the negatives they see in the man.

Let me be clear: my purpose here is neither to affirm this particular president nor condemn him. The pros and cons of the man are irrelevant to the issue. The concern I have is with Christians condemning a pastor for praying for a president. I would have this same unease if these were conservative Christians berating David Platt for praying over President Barack Obama, as I’m sure some would. If the leader of the world’s most powerful nation asks a pastor to pray for him, what would you have him do? Turn him down? Tell him, “Until you clean up your act, I will not pray for you”? The apostle Paul writes to his protégé, Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-2) As Christians, we have a responsibility to pray for leaders, whether we agree with their politics or not.

Not all the responses were negative. Many watched the actions of Pastor Platt and read his subsequent statement with understanding and respect for the way he handled an extremely unusual situation. But the most vocal ones definitely picked their sides. There are some who say Pastor Platt should have simply prayed for the president backstage or in his office. They claim that bringing him onstage implied support for Trump’s character and his policies. Others from the opposite side are taking issue with Platt’s follow-up statement. They assert that he is too apologetic of the course he took.

Anyone can have their opinion of what a pastor could or should have done. But here is where we need to show grace. Remember the situation that Platt faced. Out of the blue, the president of the United States and his entourage pulled up to his church. I think we can forgive him having to make an on-the-spot decision—and I believe his instincts were good. The president asked for prayer. Out of obedience to God and respect for Trump’s position, Platt honored his request. For that, he deserves our appreciation and affirmation.