Now that Rick Warren has been selected to deliver the invocation (and a firestorm has ensued), there’s another important question: what kind of prayer will he deliver?
Billy Graham, who has done quite a few of these, would usually close “in the name” of the Prince of Peace or some other allusion to Jesus.
In 2001, his son, Franklin Graham, took a different approach, asking the listeners to “acknowledge You alone as our Lord, our Savior and Redeemer. We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Many people (myself included) believed that an official prayer, calling on the American people to acknowledge Jesus alone as “our Lord” violated the First Amendment and the spirit of religious pluralism.
Given the controversy over Warren’s remarks on gay marriage, an exclusivist prayer at this inaugural would be particularly inappropriate.
Two other models were presented at the Democratic National Convention. Evangelical preacher Donald Miller said, “In Jesus name I pray”, with an emphasis on the “I.” That way he was able to be true to his faith while recognizing that others in the audience would not be praying in Jesus’s name.
Joel Hunter, another evangelical pastor, tried a novel technique of asking the crowd to fill in the blank at the appropriate moment with the nameof whatever diety they pray to. I thought it was a pretty innovative approach but probably a bit chatty for an inaugural prayer.
Warren needs to stay true to his faith. But he also needs to offer inspiration and spiritual wisdom to all Americans, not just Christians.
Adapted from the Wall Street Journal.
Beliefnet
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posted December 21, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Well, he could get creative and say, “Moloch, accept these sacrifices…”
That would liven things up.
posted December 21, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Indeed. Thought you might be interested in this piece I wrote on the Huffington Post, that makes reference both to your Interview with Rick Warren and comments you made concerning the interview.
Thanks for all your excellent work.
Bob Ostertag
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-ostertag/why-gay-marriage-is-the-w_b_152717.html
posted December 22, 2008 at 7:48 am
Religious liberty is all important. Do not stand for intolerance.Your liberty could be next!
posted December 22, 2008 at 7:57 am
He could always revert back to the Founders and close with references to Providence, Divine Being and Creation’s God; language that is acceptable to almost everyone except the most radical non-theist. It also happens to be the language used most in American Civil religion. (see Robert Bellah)
posted December 22, 2008 at 9:41 am
The question isn’t how Christian will the prayer be, but how inclusive?
posted December 22, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Warren wants us to hold his hand and walk together despite our beliefs being different than his own. I’ve done that for many, many years, and the fundamentalists beliefs have just continued to become more radical as the years have flown by. I’ve had conversations for years with them and got absolutely no where. There is nothing left for myself but to comepletely ignore them from now on. I wouldn’t touch one finger of a pastor that believes as he does, let alone walk holding hands with him. He’s not a friend to GLBT, not a friend to women of America or even in his church, from what I read in the LATimes this morning, and not a friend to any Jewish person or anyone else who doesn’t subscribe to his extreme beliefs. I’ll have to read in the news what he preaches to America in his inuguration prayer, as I won’t be watching it until I’m sure he is finished.
posted December 22, 2008 at 12:23 pm
hootie1fan asks a very valid question. Just how inclusive will Rick Warren’s invocation be as he prays for those within our nation who, because of Warren’s beliefs, will be forced to the sidelines.
Being a woman who is not religious, but Spiritually grounded, I find myself and my sisters, who form the majority of citizens of this country, essentially left with a choice that is not necessarily palatable.
Rick Warren is a biblical literalist who would not allow a woman to stand offering an inaugural invocation in a leadership position over male citizens, let alone the entire nation. He is of the belief that feminism, or a woman’s right to the fullness of living, has harmed women by devaluing their traditional role as nurturers. Therefore, it becomes imperative to Warren that men become the headship of women because an ancient text tells him so.
From what I understand, these are just some of the beliefs of the man who has been asked to pray for our nation and all its inhabitants during the inauguration in the first month of the new year. A time when we should be starting to heal from years of national and global injury, we must now spend time and energy attempting to thwart the darts of this man’s extremist beliefs. I do not accept or support Warren’s Christian exclusionary god. I do not accept or support this god that considers every person to be sinful and less-than if outside of the narrow boundaries of the Christian system of belief.
I therefore reject Pastor Warren’s inaugural invocation with hope that many of those sidelined citizens of our country stand firm in the fullness of their humanity.
posted December 22, 2008 at 1:15 pm
A decent article on how others have done the invocation, thank you Mr. Waldman, for that information. It is worthy of note. Also worthy, is that the article neithers supports nor contradicts the President-elects choice for the invocation. For whom did Rick Warren vote, anyway? Does the only thing Obama’s choice does is show there are far right anti-intellectual religious zealots in both parties? Does the Democratic Party have the same horrific “base” as the Republican Party? Is Rick Warren Obama’s Sarah Palin?
Warren, though, cannot be true to his faith because he has none, he is not a Christian. Just because he calls himself one, does not a Christian make. He is an store bought evangelical, nothing more. Charity does not wash away the sin of murder. Rich Warren is a murderer, anyone who negates the worth, the being, the soul of another is a murderer.
posted January 21, 2009 at 3:13 am
The most interesting and surprising was Rick Warren’s praying in the name of the Muslim “Esa”, who, in their story is neither divine, nor died on the cross for us:
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/invocations-barak-obama/296