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Rick Warren the new Billy Graham?
Ben Smith's Blog —
The Saddleback pastor will deliver the invocation at the inauguration, the Times reports.
Warren remains well to Obama's right on social issues, and he's taken some recent criticism on the questions of torture and same-sex marriage, but his presence is a sign that it's never too soon to start thinking about 2012, and that the optics of the inauguration are more about reaching out than about celebrating Democratic victory.
NYT: Aretha Franklin, Rick Warren Headlining Inaugural
Hotline On Call Part Deux —
... The New York Times reported today that Aretha Franklin and Rick Warren, an author and leader of the Saddleback Church, are among the select few invited to participate in Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inaugural ceremonies. ...
Warren to give invocation
Political Animal —
... And with these folks, I must respectfully but unequivocally disagree. I do not accept the notion that those who make mistakes in their lives should be given an effective death sentence.") When I interviewed Obama last year, he told me that the moment was integral to his decision to run for president; when was the last time, he had asked himself, when a Democrat had had such dialog with pastors about AIDS? This is not too big a surprise, but it is disappointing. Obama and Warren have been friends for some time, and Obama accepted an invitation to appear at Saddleback's ...
Prop 8 Homophobe Rick Warren to Deliver Inaugural Benediction
Firedoglake —
... , magnified by the context of this historic inauguration, the Joint Inaugural Committee has chosen Prop 8 homophobe and noted religious nutcase Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church and Store™ to deliver the Benediction at his Inauguration. ...
Obama Decides to Christen Rick Warren the New Billy Graham
Taylor Marsh —
... Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery will deliver
the benediction.
Katharine Jefferts Schori ...
Obama picks anti-gay, anti-choice pastor for inauguration ceremony
Feministing —
... Obama has chosen Rick Warren, the right-wing Christian author and pastor of Saddleback Church, to given the invocation at his inauguration in January. ...
Homobigot Rick Warren to deliver invocation at inauguration
pandagon.net - we are the public option —
... I can understand the selection of Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, a revered veteran of the civil rights movement co-founder with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to deliver the benediction at Obama’s inauguration, but how on earth could he select fundie Rick Warren to do the invocation? Kyle at ...
Innaugural Speaker Rick Warren: Anti-Choice, Anti-Stem Cell Research, Anti-Marriage Equality. . . Anti-Obama?
Firedoglake —
... Rick Warren of Saddleback Church has been tapped by Obama to give the inaugural invocation. WTF? Rick Warren? He's basically James Dobson in Dr Phil's goatee. ...
On Rick Warren
Booman Tribune —
I don't care about the politics of it, which may be beneficial to Obama's legislative goals; I care that inviting gay-bashing preacherman Rick Warren to do the inauguration invocation is gratuitous and mean-spirited. This decision is a needless insult to every gay person in the country and to all those that support gay rights. Obama will be roundly and loudly criticized for this decision, and rightly so. He should listen to what so many of his supporters will be saying about this. Obama says he values those with the ability to listen. If he hears, he will reverse this ...
Rick Warren, Warmongering Torture Apologist, to Usher in Era of Hope and Change
Firedoglake —
... I really have no idea why Rick Warren was selected to give the invocation at the Obama inaugural. Maybe John Hagee was unavailable.
The clip on the right is Warren cheering on Sean Hannity's call to "take out" those he deems "rogue dictators"-- as well as the leader of a foreign country. At the time, Matt Russ asked: ...
A Genuine Blow?
James Richardson's Skepticians —
It was announced today in a statement from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies that Reverend Rick Warren , author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” would deliver the invocation at Obama’s inaugural ceremony on January 20 . While Obama’s invitation to Warren was seen by many as an obligatory olive branch to the estranged evangelical community who is largely still at odds with Obama on social issues, Joe Solmonese , the President of the Human Rights Campaign, views the invitation as Obama’s first big mistake and a “genuine blow” to the fight for equality. In ...
There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
SteveAudio —
(Mr. Hendrix-All Along The Watchtower) Many liberal bloggers have gone "WTF?" over the selection of Rick Warren to pray at the Obama inauguration ceremony: Dr. Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” will deliver the invocation. It's not all bad news, however: Aretha Franklin and Dr. Rick Warren, an evangelical minister of the Saddleback Church, are among the select group of people who will participate in Barack Obama’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony on ...
Bil Browning: Calm down: Rick Warren is not a big deal
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... willingness to engage Obama, shows the evangelical leadership that Obama is willing to repay his favors.
Saying a prayer at the inauguration is small potatoes. Stop someone on the street and ask them who gave the invocation the last time. Or the time before that. How many times has Billy Graham spoken the opening prayer? Do you know? It's not as if Inauguration preachers are big memory making opportunities.
Can you name the other gay-friendly minister speaking at Obama's inauguration? I couldn't. I scanned five ...
More progressive pastors
Political Animal —
MORE PROGRESSIVE PASTORS.... Well, maybe three out of four ain't bad. As is well known by now, the Obama inauguration will feature two pastors in high-profile roles -- the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery will deliver the benediction and Rick Warren will deliver the invocation. The prior is a champion of civil rights and a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, while the latter is, well, Rick Warren. But Obama and his team have other relatively high-profile gigs for religious leaders, and in the wake of the controversy surrounding Warren, the selections have ...
