Rick Warren Invocation with Purpose

The United States blogosphere is thick with responses to Barack Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation (prayer) at his inauguration ceremony on January 20. The program, listed online by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, has Rick opening the ceremony with prayer, and Joseph Lowery giving the benediction at the end.

Music is being performed by The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, The United States Marine Band, The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”, Aretha Franklin, with a piece composed by composer John Williams performed by violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma (U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2006 and 2007), clarinetist Antony McGill, and pianist Gabriela Montero. Also included in the line up are Democrat Senator and San Francisco’s first female mayor Dianne Feinstein, poet Elizabeth Alexander.

So what’s the fuss about Rick Warren? It appears as though Rick is currently seen by many in the progressive camp through the lense of his recent support for California’s Proposition 8, which which amended the state constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to participate in government-recognized marriage. Despite his support for the fight against AIDS in Africa, and a growing focus on social justice in the United States, it’s just too hard to ignore Rick’s suggestion that gay marriage would be in the same category as incest, pedophilic marriage, and polygamy. The concerns arise out of an interview with Beliefnet editor-in-chief Steven Waldman. See the transcript here.

“The issue to me, I’m not opposed to that (partnership benefits in terms of insurance or hospital visitation) as much as I’m opposed to redefinition of a 5,000 year definition of marriage. I’m opposed to having a brother and sister being together and calling that marriage. I’m opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that marriage. I’m opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage.”

Not surprisingly, Rick followed up the video interview with a set of four (not five as usual) clarifications of his stand. He says that God created sex exclusively for husbands and wives in marraige but gave us free choice to live as we wish. It’s not the role of government, Rick argues, to disobey God and redefine marriage. He suggests that the debate is not about civil rights but about a desire for approval. This is clearly Rick’s strategy to stay in tune with the conservative Southern Baptist line.

It appears as though Barack Obama has chosen to include Rick Warren in the inauguration ceremony in an attempt to bring on board the conservative Evangelical camp that has been suspicious of the Democrat progressive agenda. He must have known that the choice would infuriate the gay rights campaigners who are still hurting from the decision in California. However, this is a long term strategy – recognising that people like Rick Warren, and the people who are influenced by their writing, are themselves on a journey. Rick has already made significant changes to his approach to social justice over the last five years.

I wonder who gets to write the invocation…

Tony Jones at BeliefNet has a useful summary of the responses from Beliefnet bloggers, the opinions overshadowed by the louder voices of the progressive blogging community at the moment.

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