"America's Pastor"
QUOTE: “You don’t have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand. … Three years ago I took enormous heat for inviting Barack Obama to my church because some of his views don’t agree [with mine]. Now he’s invited me.” —Saddleback Church’s Rick Warren, on accepting an invitation to deliver the invocation at the president-elect’s inauguration ceremony. Not surprisingly, Warren has been derided by gay-rights activists for his opposition to same-sex marriages, and most major news outlets have been quick to point out his recent comments in a BeliefNet interview in which the pastor compared the “redefinition of marriage” to include gay marriage to legitimizing incest, child abuse and polygamy. Even those who agree with Warren’s stance on same-sex marriages have questioned his acceptance to speak at the ceremony. Troy Newman, president of the pro-life group Operation Rescue, says the move is “tantamount to placing [Warren’s] stamp of approval on Obama and his policies that stand in direct opposition to biblical truths.” In response to his critics, Warren stated: “Hopefully, individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both [President-elect Barack Obama and I] have shown a commitment to model civility in America. … I am honored by this opportunity to pray God’s blessing on the office of the president and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America’s leaders during this critical time in our nation's history.” [latimes.com, 12/18/08; charismamag.com, 12/19/08; AP, 12/21/08]
I respected him when he invited both McCain and Obama into his church for an open forum. I respect Obama for inviting him to give the invocation at the inauguration. Now I would like to say to all of those far-leftwingers that are criticizing Obama for this choice, "Back the F$%! Off!" And I would also like to say to all of the far-rightwingers that are criticizing Warren for accepting the invitation, "Back the F#%! Off!"
These two guys are a prime example of how we should be with each other, even in areas where we may disagree. Kudos to you both!
Peace!
posted by Keith at 1:27 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks Keith, for posting that! I've read several blog posts lately in which -mainly women- were chastising Obama for this invitation. I wonder though if they didn't listen to his remarks the other day in which he explained his reasoning behind this invitation. If we totally ignore those who disagree with us, never bother to extend an olive branch, so to speak, how can any compromise ever be expected to take place? Whether I like the person Obama has chosen or not -or rather, his issues are not mine, not a matter of whether I like the man as an individual -I do have to admire Obama's choice and his logic behind it as well.
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