Wading into the Rick Warren Waters

December 19, 2008

For those of you who follow my blog in RSS Feed and through email subscriptions and are receiving repeat notifications of  this post,  the reason is because I’m continuing to add additional links to other writings on this issue as the conversation continues.

There’s been no shortage of opinions expressed over the past several days on President-Elect Obama’s choice of Pastor Rick Warren to offer the invocation prayer at the Presidential Inauguration on January 20 including this myriad of progressive/liberal voices gobsmacked by Obama’s decision:

• Andrew (“My Guy”) Sullivan, Rick Warren Praises Himself,  The Daily Dish
• Rep. Barney Frank, Obama’s Choice of Warren is Very Disappointing, Huffington Post
• Ezra Klein, The Meaning of ‘Open and Inclusive’, The American Prospect:
• Pastor Dan, A (Semi) Professional Take on Rick Warren, Street Prophets: Faith and Politics:
• Joe Solomonese, President HRC,  Open Letter to President-Elect Obama, Human Rights Campaign
• Sarah Posner, Conservative Anti-Choice Pastor Picked for Obama Inauguration, AlterNet
• The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Letter to Clergy and Congregations, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
• Paul Jenkins, Mr. Obama Disagrees, Huffington Post
• Susan Gage, It’s Not Just a Prayer, Wake Up and Live!
• Anthea Butler, Op-Ed: Religion As a Wedge – The Rick Warren Debacle, Religious Dispatches
• Jeff Lutes, Executive Director of SoulForce, That Weird Hug from Rick Warren, The Bilerico Project

There are others among political and religious progressives who suggest we take a different look at Obama’s choice and our response to it. Steven Waldman, co-founder of Beliefnet offers a cogent defense of Obama’s choice while Candace Chellew-Hodge, Editor and Publisher of Whosoever Magazine cautions faith progressives and political liberals to not become the thing they hate in their zealous opposition to this decision. And as expected, there are a plenitude of conservative evangelical Christians who either support Obama’s decision to “include them under the Obama tent” or don’t support Obama’s decision because a) Obama extended the invitation to someone who’s on the skids within the hardline circle of evangelical Christianity and/or b) Warren accepted the invitation by Obama who is seen as a pro-life, liberal son of a gun. And so it goes.

If you’re a Facebook friend  of mine then you’ve already surmised from comments I’ve made recently that I’m less than thrilled with Obama’s choice of Rick Warren. I tend to use my Facebook status like someone use their pillow. It’s where I scream.  Truth be told, and why would I tell anything else, I’m not of the camp calling for Obama to retract the invitation but I’m deeply disappointed by his decision as a gay Californian, a lesbian in a life-long relationship (and for the time-being legal marriage), as a Christian, and as an individual ordained into Christian ministry.

• As a gay Californian who voted for and supported Obama’s campaign there’s a feeling of betrayal that he’s chosen someone who was such a vocal opponent of marriage equality during the recent election to be a religious figure at the Inauguration. Obama is well aware of the anguish, anger, and disappointment of GLBTQ Americans over the national election defeats concerning gay marriage and adoption rights and sensitivity to this segment of Americans at this time would have been greatly appreciated.
• As a married lesbian I’m appalled that the person leading the prayers of the nation at the Inauguration of the next President has stated publicly on more than one occasion that my marriage to my beloved equates to a marriage between a pedophile and a young girl, a blood brother and sister, or a man with multiple wives. It’s not simply that Rick Warren opposes my marriage  but that he characterizes it as something comparable to incest, polygamy and pedophilia. This, more than his basic right to express opposition to gay marriage is what is most troubling.
• As a Christian who believes in the social gospel based on the life and teaching of Jesus, I’m dismayed at Warren’s labeling of social gospel Christians as ‘closeted Marxists.’ And while I admire what seems to be Rick Warren’s genuine and active commitment to the world’s poor  well as to efforts to address global warming I’m troubled by the inconsistent witness of a religious figure within my faith tradition who on one hand chides Obama for not taking a public stand against abortion while at the same time refusing to admonish Bush on the torture of prisoners at Gitmo and speaking in support of the assassination of the Iranian President.
• As a Christian minister, I’m disappointed that the Christian faith is being represented in such a prominent role by a member of the clergy who has caused spiritual and emotional injury to a segment of people by degrading the expression of their love. The callousness of Rev. Warren’s words concerning gay relationships do not represent the compassion and grace of God nor the broad expanse of Christian voices. Warren is not simply a public religious voice but he is the senior pastor of Saddleback Church in the city of Lake Forest in the state of California, and by his characterization of gay relationships, more than in his position on gay marriage, Warren has tragically shut the door for himself (and for other Christian ministers found guilty by association) to provide pastoral care for those gay individuals in his church and local community in need of spiritual care following any life crisis, particularly ones dealing with the breakup of a relationship or the death of a partner.  As a pastor it’s impossible to please everyone and as a pastor within an evangelical Christian context Warren has every right and responsibility to express his genuine theological commitments. The problem is that Rev. Warren has built a wall of division between his ministry and those he might serve by debasing the worth of an entire group of people’s ability to love and live in God-graced relationship with one another. I find this more than troubling. I find it heart-breaking.

All that said, I fully intend to hunker down in front of the television on January 20 to watch the Inauguration. This is history after all and an incredible moment in history at that. And when Rev. Warren leads in the invocation rather than making snide remarks out of the side of my mouth, no matter how many are whizzing around in my brain,  I’ll agree with him in prayer as I would with anyone and when Warren’s final Amen has been spoken I’ll turn to my beloved beside me, tell her I love her, and thank God for the love we share and our relationship that God has called blessed.

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