Rick Warren and an Opportunity for Unity (?)
December 23, 2008 by Julia King
Depending on whom you ask, President Elect Barack Obama’s decision to invite conservative mega-church star Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation is either brilliant — or a betrayal. In one day last week, I spoke with friends stunned and angered by the choice, and with friends gratified by the choice. All of them voted for Obama and all of them are members in good standing with the Left-of-Center Club.
So, is the choice fantastic, a great strategic play that will immunize Obama against the far religious Right? Or is it unfair, a dose of injustice meted out to the “least among us,” the easy mark, the relatively small gay and lesbian community?
To say that it’s “brilliant” is a little bit like saying that the feelings of millions of gays and lesbians don’t matter. Because regardless of the larger strategy, homosexuals will be grimacing through a Warren inaugural prayer (considering the pastor’s public stance against gay marriage and his comments that adult homosexuality is akin to incest or pedophilia). Yet, to say that the invocation pick is a “betrayal,” is to ignore the long, slow road that progress has always been.
The notion of Warren leading our entire nation in prayer doesn’t sit well in my gut; but I can’t yet say whether it is “correct” or “incorrect” because I don’t yet know if the event will put Warren under Obama’s wing… or Obama under Warren’s wing. I don’t yet know if Warren and his followers will be emboldened by a spot on the national (and international) stage, or if they will be humbled.
Will Warren speak words of genuine inclusion and justice – and finally convince himself they are true? Or will he pepper his speech with coded messages to his evangelical followers (as so many have done before him with phrases like “family values,” or “culture of life”)?
Will Obama make a point of saying on inauguration day that everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law and that majorities don’t have the right to vote away the rights of minorities, regardless of faith? Or will he mistakenly think of his role as a personal host to Warren, imagining he must be especially gentle with his guest?
What is most clear is that Obama wants to be different from George W. Bush. Unlike Bush, Obama wants to reach out to those who are not necessarily his natural allies — and for THAT he deserves credit. Clearly, Obama will avoid making the same mistakes Bush made in the early days of his presidency… but that doesn’t mean Obama won’t make mistakes; it just means his mistakes will be different. Let’s hope Warren isn’t one of them.
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4 Responses to “Rick Warren and an Opportunity for Unity (?)”
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I agree that either extreme position (“brilliant” or “betrayal”) probably misses the mark. But the interesting part of the Rick Warren saga to me is what it says about our openness to Obama’s call for a new politics. What should that look like? And do we, citizens of a very polarized country, really have the stomach for such a change? The all too familiar approaches of both right and left (political correctness and a “you’re either with me or you’re the enemy” mentality) have perhaps become all too comfortable. So I wonder whether the flap about Warren is really a signal that we’re not ready for something new; a politics where those left-of-center and those right-of-center get a valued place at the table.
And that’s what it seems this controversy is about – who’s at the table; who gets a nod of respect. It’s not about policy. Warren is not nominated for a cabinet post nor (I strongly suspect) will his prayer say anything against gay people.
But if Obama wants to demonstrate he meant what he said during the campaign, the inaugural prayers may be one good place to put that on display. My understanding of the inauguration is that there are two opportunities for public prayer – the invocation and the benediction. It seems entirely consistent with Obama’s message of the last many months to give one of those slots to a moderate-conservative and one to a hero of the left. That’s exactly what he did in choosing Warren and Joseph Lowery. Let me be clear that I’m no fan or apologist for Warren’s wrong-headed views on sexual orientation, but those who know a little about the Christian right know that Warren is not a part of the active anti-gay crusade [even though he has predictable right-wing views on sexual orientation, Warren is one of those on the right who is creating cracks in the old guard’s sacred belief that homosexuality and abortion are the only issues that matter]. And just in case Obama wants to make crystal clear that his inviting Warren isn’t actually a wink of approval to the anti-gay crusaders, then he should also make an unequivocal statement in support of gay rights and he should make sure the other person offering a prayer is an unabashed supporter of Gay civil rights. [Oops. My advice is too late -- he has already done both!].
In the end, it is policy that matters. And to enact progressive policy you need a broad spectrum of support. Let’s wait to judge Obama until he has had a chance to offer and pass his policy initiatives. In the mean time, if getting an influential preacher among many right-of-center Christians to bless your presidency helps to broaden your support, then all the better.
Karl, your comments are always a pleasure to read!
You and I agree that it’s premature to judge the effects of Obama’s invocation (and benediction) picks at this point. And we agree again that in the end it’s policy that really matters.
I read today that after meeting Rick Warren, Melissa Etheridge (lesbian singer/song writer) decided to attend the inauguration – at least in part due to what she described as Warren’s warmth. Her attitude is admirable and demonstrates the kind of grace I believe Obama is attempting to nurture in this new America.
But I do think it’s worth acknowledging that to many people, Warren represents policy (not simply religious belief) because he chose to put himself firmly on the side of proposition 8. In my view, this is where the religious Right will need to stretch and develop. It is one thing to preach “biblical” behavior to one’s flock; but it is quite another to attempt to wrestle an entire state (or nation) into biblical submission.
I strongly support Warren’s right to preach against homosexuality and/or abortion, but he is overreaching when he tries to alter people’s private “moral” behavior through laws rather than persuasion. I think we need to have a better national conversation regarding those distinctions. There’s actually plenty of room for growth on both the Left and the Right in that arena.
Again, as you’ve said — the results farther down the road will matter most. And I want to make clear that from where I sit these discussions about Obama’s initial decisions do not signal a general lack of support for Obama or his administration. They simply demonstrate that we on the Left continue to take seriously our roles as active citizens, engaged with our elected officials and our democracy.
I personally think that made a wise choice that reflects his brilliance in going completely outside the box reaching across the divide to work toward bringing us together. Remember that Warren gave Obama a forum during the campaign, and Obama’s excellent performance there certainly must have gained some votes in the fundamentalist ranks.
Sure Warren is close-minded and intolerant and just plain wrong in his pronouncements against the gay community (and if Jesus had actually been divine and were around to hear those remarks he would have rebuked Warren for saying them).
Warren is giving the iINVOCATION, but look who Obama chose to give the CONVOCATION. Warren is NOT going to be the “president’s pastor” and we certainly don’t have to worry that his narrow viewpoints on certain matters like the gay community are going to influence policy. On the other hand Warren is pro-environment and advocates for social justice in some areas – and is playing a role in getting fundamentalists to become more understanding and responsible in those areas.
Finally, IT IS MY PREDICTION that before Obama’s time is up in office Rick Warren himself will have recognized and publicly stated that he was wrong in his gay bashing – and his realizations will have started to happen because of this choice by Obama. Society can only benefit from such an outcome.
–Glenn
Thanks for your comments, Glen!
While I don’t share your belief that Warren will repent, it’s fun to imagine! As for the notion that Obama went “completely outside the box” with Warren’s invitation — I’d have to say that white, Christian, anti-homosexual preachers are standard fare in the United States. Warren (in the generic sense) has been around (and in power) FOREVER.
This guy, however, is new and gives me a fresh dose of that Obama hope (!): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090112/ap_on_re_us/gay_bishop_obama