Assassinations, Pastor Jeffress, and Romans 13

I've written often enough about the danger to the Church in America of an unequal marriage with politics and politicians, especially when that marriage envisions an American triumphalism and nationalism that seeks to equate being a good Christian with being a patriotic American.  The truth of the matter is that no nation has the right to claim God's special favor, apart from ancient Israel, and those who have claimed such a right have done so with disastrous results; one need only examine the WWI era rhetoric of nations comprised primarily of Christians fighting against each other to conclude that God was not in favor of the war aims of any of the combatants.  Can any Christian theologian really defend the notion that German territorial expansion or British colonial interests were the will of God and thus worthy of the countless lives shed in pursuit of them?
And yet, that same temptation to mix Christianity with political nationalism remains, and was given a boost recently by Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, a mega-church with 3,700 weekly attendees.  Pastor Jeffress is no stranger to politics, having been an outspoken advocate for one candidate during the last presidential election.  Now, given the tensions between the United States and North Korea, Pastor Jeffress felt it necessary to express that God has given the moral authority, according to Romans 13:1-5, for the President to "do whatever, whether it's assassination, capital punishment, or evil punishment to quell the actions of evildoers like Kim Jung Un."  So, if the President of the United States determines that a person is an evildoer, he has the moral right to assassinate him/her without due process, without a trial, and without the consent of Congress?  When Paul wrote Romans 13, was he really advocating that governmental leaders, most of whom in the years since have not been Christians, or have been nominal Christians at best, have God's blessing to take pre-emptive action, including starting wars, against those who do threaten evil?
What is the response of Jeffress to those who caution that advocating war, and assassinating the leader of North Korea would surely lead to war, maybe even nuclear war, is not the will of God?  "Some Christians, perhaps younger Christians, have to think this through.  It's antithetical to some of the mushy rhetoric you hear from some circles today.  Frankly, it's because they're not well taught in the scriptures."  Well, ignoring the insult that those who advocate for peace are just "mushy", it is certainly not the only interpretation of Romans 13 to encourage the government to utilize assassinations and pre-emptive wars, for such a stance doesn't even meet the level of the traditional Just War Theory of Thomas Aquinas.  (Primarily because it is far from the last resort, and would lead to far greater evil in terms of civilians deaths than it could possibly prevent.)

For an opposing view of the responsibility of the Christian and Church regarding war and peace, note the words of the martyr Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who died at the hands of the Nazis:
There is no way to peace along the way of safety.  For peace must be dared.  It is the great venture.  It can never be safe.  Peace is the opposite of security.  To demand guarantees is to mistrust, and this mistrust in turns brings forth war.  To look for guarantees is to want to protect oneself.  Peace means to give oneself altogether to the law of God, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct it for selfish purposes.  Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God.  They are won where the way leads to the cross.  Which of us can say he or she knows what it might mean for the world if one nation should meet the aggressor, not with weapons in hand, but praying, defenseless, and for that very reason protected by 'a bulwark never failing'? - The Church and the People of the World, from the Ecumenical Conference at Fano, 1934.

What is the purpose of a pastor of the Church of Jesus Christ?  If you answered: To encourage a governmental leader to start a war that will kills thousands, perhaps millions of innocents, you're evidently not alone, but just the same, I'm frightened of what that says about the priorities and perspective of some Christians.  As always, the marriage of Politics and Church is an abusive relationship, what may be gained by it is a paltry excuse for what is lost, that observation just got a lot more serious.

To read the Washington Post article which contains the quotes of Pastor Jeffress, click on the following link: ‘God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un,’ evangelical adviser says