The inaugural commitee has now announced that the inaugural festivities will also feature prayers from Rev. Gene Robinson, the episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, who is openly gay -- and whose selection prompted a worldwide global schism within the Anglican church. In addition, Rev. Sharon Watkins, the first woman to head a major denominational body, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), will preach at the National Prayer Service the day after the inaugural.
The Obama folks told Politico that this was in the works before the controversy erupted over one of Obama's other designated pray-ers, Rick Warren.
In any event, it sure seems that they've countered the selection of someone who infuriates the left with someone who infuriates the right. Balance, yes. Harmony, not so much.
Something else likely to get lost amidst the yelling: these three, plus the other inaugural speaker, Rev. Joseph Lowery, are all Protestants.
The last nine people to pray at inaugurations have been Protestant. But before the 1990s, Presidents typically made a point of including a Catholic and, often, a Jew. (Click here for my new archive of all the inaugural prayers)
Ronald Reagan's 1985 inaugural included his personal pastor Rev. Donn Moomaw, but also Rev. Timothy S. Healy, a Catholic and Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk, president, Hebrew Union College .
Richard Nixon in 1973 had a Baptist (Rev. E.V. Hill, a Jew (Rabbi Seymour Siegel), a Greek Orthodox (His Eminence Lakovos) and a Catholic (Archbishop Terence J. Cooke - Catholic).
Even back in 1949, when it was a much more Protestant nation than now, they mixed it up. Harry Truman's inaugural included a protestant (Rev. Edward Hughes Pruden), a Jew (Rabbi Samuel Thurman of St. Louis) and a Catholic (Father Patick A. O'Boyle).
In fact, from 1937-1977, every single inauguration featured at least one non-Protestant.
Now that Protestants make up only 50% of the population they get 100% of the inaugural speakers. Politically, this is particularly odd given the importance of the Catholic vote to Obama.
I suspect the Obama folks got so tangled up in the culture war politcs -- balancing on gay rights, gender and race issues -- that they forgot, or downplayed, old fashioned religious base-covering.
Religious politics grows ever more complicated with each year, doesn't it?
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Mr. Waldman,
Respectfully, the ordination of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire no more "...prompted a worldwide global schism within the Anglican church." than did the ordination of the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, as Bishop of Massachusetts; or for that matter the ordination of 11 women as priests by the Episcopal Church USA in 1974, which also led some congregations to break with ECUSA and realign.
The so-called "schism" was caused by self-styled "traditionalists" within ECUSA in collusion with right-wing evangelical protestants. They were then "legitimized" by SOME archbishops in SOME countries in Africa who chose to overstep their legal (that's church law), recognized boundaries by extending their reach in the the Archbishopric of the Episcopal Church in the USA. This was all for the gain of political and media capital; and somewhat for more financial capital - the value of the property which some of these breakaway churches and diocese wish to take with them - and which was held in trust by them for the ECUSA - is substantial.
It may help to point out that there is no monolithic "Anglican Church". The body of which you attempt to speak is The Anglican Communion, which is a global organization of 44 distinct and separate churches which are held to be in "full communion" with The Church of England and it primate, The Archbishop of Canterbury. Each of these churches is independent, with each having its' own constitution, liturgy, polity, and property.
Please stop laying the burden of this unfortunate and complex situation on the shoulders of Bishop Robinson. He was duly and properly elected by the members of the Dioces of New Hampshire. He has done nothing wrong.
perhaps we should pray:
"Thy Will Be Done"
and leave it at that.
I don't really understand the "boy named Sue" comment above. Gene Robinson is gay, not transgendered. Does anyone understand this comment? It seems ill-informed to me.
I'm sorry to say that I missed hearing both Bishop Robinson and the Rev. Rick Warren. Both men are children of God as we all are. There are alot of ideas on why people are gay and there is only one that truly knows why and no one should second guess the creator. God made everything good! We need to love each other and judge not. We also need to forgive our neighbor as our God also forgives us. God bless you and our country!
Both Archibishop Wuerl (Prayer for the Nation) and Auxiliary Bishop Gonzalez (Epistle-Romans 12:9-13, 18) of Washington, DC,participated in the Inaugural Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral.
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