The Bishop’s in the (White) House
January 14, 2009
I’ve received several emails and Facebook comments asking my thoughts on Obama’s invitation to Bishop Gene Robinson to give the invocation at Sunday’s opening event of the Inaugural Week. I had no shortage of opinions on Rev. Rick Warren’s participation (Wading into the Rick Warren Waters, The More the Man Says, What Rick Warren is Teaching Me) but when it comes to this new turn of events I’m a little conflicted.
The bigger part of me is thrilled. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Bishop Robinson. He has shown himself time and again to be a voice for compassion, grace, and a faithful Christian witness. I mentioned in a previous post that D and I had the opportunity to meet Bishop Robinson in a small setting several years ago. It was such a small gathering you could in fact say we mingled with the Bishop. Really. How cool is that? Anyway, Bishop Robinson was so warm and gracious that after speaking with him for a couple minutes I wanted him to be our best friend and such a caring pastoral presence I debated for a full five minutes about becoming an Episcopalian. So I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled that such a good and honorable shepherd of the church will be praying on behalf of the nation and for our future Presidency. That Bishop Robinson is gay heightens my enthusiasm for his public participation in the day but in the end is secondary to the character and dignity of the man.
And then there’s the other part in me that is conflicted about how I feel in terms of Bishop Robinson being added in response to the progressive and GLBTQ voices that have spoken up in objection to Rev. Rick Warren’s participation in Inauguration Day. I still don’t believe Obama understands anymore than many in this country what our real ire is concerning Warren’s participation at the Inauguration, or that while Bishop Robinson’s presence is indeed a positive step for inclusivity that it does little to diminish the pain and frustration many of us will feel the following day when a man who has compared our relationships to incest and pedophilia lifts our nation in prayer. It feels like a weak solution but at least it’s an attempt and that’s something.
Here’s what I know. If you take the smallest candle flame into the darkest room, the darkness will be driven out by the light. Light always cuts through the darkness and shines bright. I believe Bishop Robinson will be a bright light and the light will reveal what is true, right, and just.
So how are you feeling about all this. What are your thoughts?
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Sweet Hope Cookies
January 14th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I think it’s a good sign. I still don’t think Obama gets gays but I think someone with access to him finally got the memo (I wonder if that’s related to Tammy Baldwin’s increased presence). I don’t for a second buy that Gene Robinson was always in the works. Nuh-uh. And I think that’s hopeful too — we can be heard by this president. Warren still stings but Robinson’s prayer takes away the worst of that.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
We were invited!!
Perhaps the reasons and motives behind it are questionable, but we are still invited.
“I believe Bishop Robinson will be a bright light and the light will reveal what is true, right, and just.”
YES! YES! YES!
Hm, the President invites him into the white house but he couldn’t participate in the Lambeth Conference. Funny.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Hey Anita,
I’m very excited that Bishop Robinson will be giving an invocation as well.
I recently ran across some stuff about Obama supporting marriage equality when he was still a candidate for Illinois state office, but changed his tune when he ran for national office. I’ll have a blog up about that soon enough.
Obama is lifetime member of the United Church of Christ, which recently announced that supports marriage equality and is a party to the amicus brief filed today by the CCC to invalidate Prop 8.
Anyway, I try to keep on top of all this stuff over on my blog – http://www.sokatie.com
I hope you are doing well!
January 14th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I’m glad that +Gene will be part of this historic occassion, and am also skeptical that this was “always in the works”. But, the Bishop was on record during the NH primary as supporting Obama, so it seems only fitting that he would be included. And I’m with Stephanie: oh, the irony that the Bishop of New Hampshire was *too* much for Lambeth, but will give an invocation at an Inaugural event and will be included at the prayer breakfast at the White House. More egg on the face of the Archbishop of Canterbury!
This doesn’t dismiss the poor judgment in selecting Rick Warren (who is now welcoming the schismatics leaving the Episcopal Church to his Saddleback campus!). But as you have so nicely put it: the light will drive out the darkness. And +Gene is one of my church’s brighter lights!
January 14th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
i think that it was humble and gracious of Bishop Robinson to accept…seems like a really beautiful person and look forward to hearing him.
January 15th, 2009 at 9:00 am
I was conflicted when I heard reports of these events. It almost felt like a “chess move” in order to appease the GLBT crowd. However, reading your thoughts on this issue I feel more of a sense of peace about the grand scheme of things. I really appreciate what you said about the darkness being driven out by the light. Amen!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Bishop Robinson’s sad words:
“I have actually read back over the inaugural prayers of the last 30 or 40 years and frankly I’ve been shocked at how aggressively Christian they are.
And my intention is not to invoke the name of Jesus but to make this a prayer for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Although I hold the scripture to be the word of God, those scriptures are holy to me and Jews and Christians, but to many other faith traditions they have their own sacred texts.
And so rather than insert that and really exclude them from the prayer by doing so, I want this to be a prayer to the god of our many understandings and a prayer that all people of faith can join me in.”
——————————————————-
My Comments:
I am disappointed in Bishop Robinson. Based on his own words, I cannot view him as “a faithful Christian witness.”
A faithful Christian witness would not ditch Jesus’ Name and would not place unity above truth. If we do away with using Jesus name in public prayers and conflate false gods with the one True God, how is that being a faithful Christian witness?
If we believe that people are lost and need to get saved, and if we believe that there is none other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved, how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Obviously they won’t hear about Jesus from Bishop Robinson.
Can you imagine ANY prophet of God in the Old Testament praying to “the god of our many understandings?”
Can you imagine ANY preacher in the New Testament declaring he will not “invoke the name of Jesus?”
So much of gay christianity claims to believe the Bible and then refuses to mention Jesus in public and tries to conflate the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with the false gods of other religions.
Bishop Robinson’s christianity is at odds with Biblical Christianity. The good Bishop should man up and follow Paul’s example in Acts 17.
Rick Brentlinger
http://www.gaychristian101.com
January 16th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Bonjour …
I must say that I didn’t even know what an invocation was before I heard of Rick Warren. Religion and politics are very separate in France . But I was nonetheless quite upset and disappointed because it reflected on all of us around the world.
I listened to Bishop Robinson and he set me thinking with “no one had a bigger tent than Jesus” … These words certainly lit some candle inside of me, as did your words , Anita …
Thank you again.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:38 am
thanks for adding the video. I enjoyed it alot. I appreciate that you are willing to cover the important issues.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Rick–> While I appreciate your perspective I have to say I couldn’t disagree with you more. This is part of the problem that arises when we mix religion and politics. The event that will include Bishop Robinson’s prayer is not a religious event. The main portion of this kick-off event involves performers like Beyonce, U2, James Taylor and others. There won’t be other clergy present from other faith traditions. His prayer will be the only prayer at that event and so his intention is to offer an invocation that invites and includes everyone of every faith. To pray in Jesus name would include you and I but it wouldn’t include everyone and this event is to be a celebration for the entire nation. Were Bishop Robinson praying at a Christian event or at any event where he was being called on to represent Christian clergy among faith leaders of other traditions, I have no doubt the Bishop would pray in Jesus’ name. I have heard the Bishop pray and his prayer stood in Christian tradition with the naming of Jesus, but he was not asked to participate to win souls to the Christian faith. He was called on to offer a prayer of hope and unity.
My opinion Rick is that in Bishop Robinson’s very presence alone, the words and actions of his life up to this moment, the gracious way in which he’s handled himself, all speak more loudly of Christ than the words he chooses to end a prayer and will cause far more hearts to be receptive to the Gospel than in speaking the name of Jesus at the close of a prayer. Jesus lived in a life is far more powerful than two syllables spoken.
January 18th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I think…. that Obama is actually trying to be as inclusive as possible, what with the invites to T.D. Jakes and others.
While I share some of the frustrations voiced here, I also think that there are larger issues that have to be taken into consideration. (Like the way our country seems to be so deeply divided now, the fact that politics always implies making compromises – not necessarily bad ones, either; that anyone stepping into this job now is going to get massively criticized by people on all sides of every issue.)
In no way do I want to come across as belittling your struggle for equality, but – major “but” – it’s sharing time with 2 disastrous wars; a legacy of huge injustices toward POWs and detainees; domestic spying; a major imbalance of power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government; a ton of fearmongering re. Muslims – and illegal immigrants, too; a bona fide economic crisis, and… etc.
I would not want to be president of the US, especially now.
And – I kind of hate to say this – but it might take a Supreme Court case (or two) for changes to be implemented re. marriage equality. (As was the case with overt oppression of black Americans, on multiple fronts.)
Maybe all of us (meaning everyone in the US) have unrealistic expectations of what a new president can realistically do?
January 18th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Hey Anita & Everyone Else,
I came across this information last night, and I think everyone should be made aware of it. http://www.sokatie.com/2009/01/kingdom-coming-rise-of-christian.html
Check it out, its very disturbing! Some members of the Christian right are trying to revise history to say that homosexuals were not victims of the holocaust, and that actually the Nazi movement was orchestrated by the homosexuals.
Very scary …