Progressives continue to press Obama on Rick Warren issue

Frederick Clarkson rightly dubs it "rancid baloney" when people claim that Rick Warren of Saddleback Church is a moderate. Clarkson notes that:

Rick Warren has not (sic) inherent right to speak at the inaugural and Obama and his team are under no inherent obligation to pick him, or to have anyone do an invocation at all.
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Honoring Warren with his prominent position at the inaugural goes to the substance of Obama and other [Democrats' involvement] with the man and with his international empire. Its the prominent tip of an important iceberg. This has been a matter of some considerable political debate over the past few years, and may very well have a lot to do with policy in the near future.
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I believe that Obama et al are making a serious error in their alliance with Rick Warren. The justifications given do not hold water.... [F]or years [Obama has] been cultivating this powerful, Austrian school-informed builder of an international religious empire; who has big sway with governments in Africa and Asia. Some of those same governements are into the brutal represssion and perseuction of gay people. What kind of programs do you suppose Rick Warren, who some people say is "great" on combatting HIV/AIDS, can help develop when he is all about driving gay people underground in Africa? Economics? Health care? Civil Rights?

On January 20, turn your back on Rick Warren's extremism. And tell the President-elect that such extremism is not "change we can believe in;" it is instead, unfortunately, less like change and more like what we've had for the last eight years.

Comments

[vjack]

Thanks for helping to keep this in the news. I am very discouraged that the mainstream media basically seems to be ignoring it. I'm even more saddened by my observation that many in the reality-based community appear to have decided that it isn't worth their effort.

[Luke Savage]

Ok, if someone uses Christ's name in a prayer, isn't that respecting God? During the election, the Christian Right put fear in Christians telling them that Obama is an undercover Muslim. If you read the Bible, check out what it says about fear. The irony of this is someone is using Christ's name in a prayer to guide our new President in the inaugural ceremony. I as a Disciple of Christ will pray that prayer. No one is perfect and the Christian Right proves this time and time again. As a Disciple of Christ, we need to pray for our leaders every day that they may be given wisdom. Being a crusader doesn't mark the love of Christ does it? Love, Love, Love....have we lost this commandment of Christ?