posted by
Patton Dodd
|
2:33pm Tuesday January 20, 2009
Given the massive flap over Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to offer the inaugural prayer, there will no doubt be a new flap over Warren’s decision to pray his prayer “in Jesus’ name.” Lots of people on the left were concerned that he would, and on the right were concerned that he wouldn’t. He did, but the way he did probably managed to anger both sides all over again.Â
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life–Yeshua, Isa, Jesus, Jesus…
In so saying, Warren did two things at once: He threw down the gauntlet for sectarian prayers in the public square, and he attempted a little ecumenism by saying Jesus’ name in the language of the world’s three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. (And also in Spanish, which is a dominant language of our land, and certainly of Warren’s Southern California.)Â
I’m theoretically okay with sectarian prayers in the public square, though I think they should be foregrounded by clear acknowledgments that we’re a pluralist country. Warren did this a bit–his “I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life” was a subtle testimony that didn’t require everyone in earshot to pray in the name of the same god.Â
Admittedly, the prayer contains other references to an all-encompassing God of everything.
I loved that Warren ended with the Our Father. Yes, it’s definitely a sectarian prayer, but it’s also liturgical and communal–it was an invitation to pray along with Warren. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time we’ve seen a communal prayer at the inauguration.Â
I was moved by Warren’s prayer, but I’d love to hear from those of you who weren’t, especially those who are not Christian. I sympathize with those who feel marginalized at times like this. When we have a president who is Jewish, Muslim, atheist, etc, I know I’ll have misgivings about their spiritual ceremonies. (That won’t influence my voting decision; it’ll just influence the way I experience days like today.)Â
But in any event, I liked how Warren’s prayer stood in stark contrast to Gene Robinson’s non-sectarian (and, for me, far less moving) prayer. I’ll paste videos of both after the jump. How do you think they compare?Â
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I’m not a Rick Warren fan – but I thought his prayer was moving, God led, and was truly a prayer for the nation and Obama. I thought it was excellent. In contrast – Robinson’s prayer sounded almost self serving…more like a high school forensics piece.
Rick Warren’s prayer would have been appropriate at Saddleback Church or a Christian gathering but was totally inappropriate for a ceremony attended by millions of Americans of different faiths and beliefs (or non-believers), watched by tens of millions of more Americans and as many as a billion people of a variety of religions around the world. What happened to the golden rule do unto others… can you imagine a hebrew prayer given by a rabbi at the swearing in of a Jewish president how would that make christians feel? E pluribus unum originally from the poem Moretum, in the poem text, color est e pluribus unus describes the blending of colors into one. It suggests out of many peoples, races and ancestries has emerged a single people and nation thus a melting pot. While we are one nation…we are hardly one religion and Mr. Warren’s faith in Jesus, while fine for him, isn’t right for many and it is not fair or proper to invoke his name in a public setting such as the inauguration which is an event for Americans of many different beliefs.
Dan Soloman may I just say this. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that (yes) Jesus is Lord. May you except this truth before it is too late. We are a nation blessed by the one living God and my prayer is that we all will accept that fact.
I disagree. I think he did an amazing job. He has the right to pray to God however he wants. He was asked. He believes that Jesus Christ is the way to Salvation and he should pray in Jesus’name. Just like everyone has a right to their opinion and beliefs, so does Rick. Obama asked him. He knew where he stood. I thought it was awesome.
I was pleased when Pastor Warren invoked the Shema — “This man is sensitive . . . and politically good,” I said to my teenage children watching with me. And I appreciated his plea to a universal creator when asking forgiveness for America’s faults and for the strength our new president will need.
But I was chagrined when he ended with the Lord’s Prayer.
While many prayers with common themes and even some remotely common language find their way into the liturgy of all three Abrahamic faiths, the prayer that begins “Our father who art in heaven” and ends with “thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, amen” is never uttered in any synagogue or mosque. This is a Christian prayer through and through, and the inescapable message was, “Say what you will, but America is a Christian country.”
I couldn’t help thinking that Pastor Warren was giving the subtle but definite finger to the intensive effort by President Obama to do away with the religious divide that has cleaved the nation in two and threatens to render us totally inhospitable in the non-Christian world.
I don’t think it is possible to achieve the type of ecumenisism Warren tried to achieve and maintain a genuine integrity. His prayer suggested (by the use of the name Jesus in three languages of the monotheistic faiths) that Jesus is regarded in the same way by each faith. This just is not true — especially between Christians and Muslims. It is indeed good politics to suggests Muslims and Christians mean the same thing when they speak of Jesus and God, but it is simply NOT TRUE historically or theologically. I guess the prayer could have been worse in regard to presenting the distinctiveness of Christianity. I think it is more genuine to simply acknowledge the huge differences between Christianity and the other faith systems of the world. In this regard, I could never pull of what Rick Warren did.
The danger of blending prayer to match all beliefs is the loss of your own spirituality. The fact is, Mr. Warren does believe in one God, and is a Christian. To ask him to be anything else in public is to jeopardize the very freedom of religion this country holds dear.
Compare whatever marginalization was here to the blatent racism of the benediction where the prayer was someday “white will embrace what is right.” Frankly, I’m ashamed Rev. Lowery calls himself a Christian while using a prayer to attack others. I’ll stick with Mr. Warren on this one.
When a group is dominant, as our Christians in the U.S., it is my feeling that the dominant group should be mindful of and gracious toward the minority. In the case of Rick Warren’s prayer, I believe it would have been better to close the prayer with “In the name of our Lord we pray . . .” and leave out the Lord’s Prayer entirely. As a liturgical Christian, the Lord’s Prayer is sacred to me, yet in this setting, it made me uncomfortable.
When Jesus taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, he and they were Jews and spoke Aramaic. So the prayer he gave them was not exactly what we have today. If I’m correct, the version we use was King Henry VIII version, that eventually made it into the King James bible. It was addressed to the Hebrew God and if Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in the same Abrahamic God, then the prayer is not necessarily Christian, even though it is only used by Christians. Most Christian prayers invoke Jesus in place of God or use both terms. As for Buddhists, Hindus, etc. this is not big deal. Buddhists don’t believe in gods and Hindus accept any and all gods. Rick did good in my estimate.
I was so amazed and thrilled that he prayed that prayer. I prayed along myself(thanking God} for him doing so. Maybe this country has some hope
God bless America
Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Christians, united not by race or country or blood, but to our commitment to Christ and him crucified for our sins.
Bless those who are berated for standing for what they believe. Dr. Billy Graham’s Prayer at Nixon’s 1969 Inaugural:
Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, “Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.” We recognize on this historic occasion that we are “a nation under God.” We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation!
Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping a whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.
And now with the wages of our sins staring us in the face, we remember Thy words, “If my people who are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Help us this day to turn from our sins and to turn by simple faith to the One who said, “Ye must be born again.”
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posted January 20, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I’m not a Rick Warren fan – but I thought his prayer was moving, God led, and was truly a prayer for the nation and Obama. I thought it was excellent. In contrast – Robinson’s prayer sounded almost self serving…more like a high school forensics piece.
posted January 20, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Rick Warren’s prayer would have been appropriate at Saddleback Church or a Christian gathering but was totally inappropriate for a ceremony attended by millions of Americans of different faiths and beliefs (or non-believers), watched by tens of millions of more Americans and as many as a billion people of a variety of religions around the world. What happened to the golden rule do unto others… can you imagine a hebrew prayer given by a rabbi at the swearing in of a Jewish president how would that make christians feel? E pluribus unum originally from the poem Moretum, in the poem text, color est e pluribus unus describes the blending of colors into one. It suggests out of many peoples, races and ancestries has emerged a single people and nation thus a melting pot. While we are one nation…we are hardly one religion and Mr. Warren’s faith in Jesus, while fine for him, isn’t right for many and it is not fair or proper to invoke his name in a public setting such as the inauguration which is an event for Americans of many different beliefs.
posted January 20, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Dan Soloman may I just say this. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that (yes) Jesus is Lord. May you except this truth before it is too late. We are a nation blessed by the one living God and my prayer is that we all will accept that fact.
posted January 20, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I disagree. I think he did an amazing job. He has the right to pray to God however he wants. He was asked. He believes that Jesus Christ is the way to Salvation and he should pray in Jesus’name. Just like everyone has a right to their opinion and beliefs, so does Rick. Obama asked him. He knew where he stood. I thought it was awesome.
posted January 20, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I was pleased when Pastor Warren invoked the Shema — “This man is sensitive . . . and politically good,” I said to my teenage children watching with me. And I appreciated his plea to a universal creator when asking forgiveness for America’s faults and for the strength our new president will need.
But I was chagrined when he ended with the Lord’s Prayer.
While many prayers with common themes and even some remotely common language find their way into the liturgy of all three Abrahamic faiths, the prayer that begins “Our father who art in heaven” and ends with “thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, amen” is never uttered in any synagogue or mosque. This is a Christian prayer through and through, and the inescapable message was, “Say what you will, but America is a Christian country.”
I couldn’t help thinking that Pastor Warren was giving the subtle but definite finger to the intensive effort by President Obama to do away with the religious divide that has cleaved the nation in two and threatens to render us totally inhospitable in the non-Christian world.
posted January 21, 2009 at 1:03 am
I don’t think it is possible to achieve the type of ecumenisism Warren tried to achieve and maintain a genuine integrity. His prayer suggested (by the use of the name Jesus in three languages of the monotheistic faiths) that Jesus is regarded in the same way by each faith. This just is not true — especially between Christians and Muslims. It is indeed good politics to suggests Muslims and Christians mean the same thing when they speak of Jesus and God, but it is simply NOT TRUE historically or theologically. I guess the prayer could have been worse in regard to presenting the distinctiveness of Christianity. I think it is more genuine to simply acknowledge the huge differences between Christianity and the other faith systems of the world. In this regard, I could never pull of what Rick Warren did.
posted January 21, 2009 at 8:59 am
The danger of blending prayer to match all beliefs is the loss of your own spirituality. The fact is, Mr. Warren does believe in one God, and is a Christian. To ask him to be anything else in public is to jeopardize the very freedom of religion this country holds dear.
Compare whatever marginalization was here to the blatent racism of the benediction where the prayer was someday “white will embrace what is right.” Frankly, I’m ashamed Rev. Lowery calls himself a Christian while using a prayer to attack others. I’ll stick with Mr. Warren on this one.
posted January 21, 2009 at 2:48 pm
When a group is dominant, as our Christians in the U.S., it is my feeling that the dominant group should be mindful of and gracious toward the minority. In the case of Rick Warren’s prayer, I believe it would have been better to close the prayer with “In the name of our Lord we pray . . .” and leave out the Lord’s Prayer entirely. As a liturgical Christian, the Lord’s Prayer is sacred to me, yet in this setting, it made me uncomfortable.
posted January 21, 2009 at 5:02 pm
When Jesus taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, he and they were Jews and spoke Aramaic. So the prayer he gave them was not exactly what we have today. If I’m correct, the version we use was King Henry VIII version, that eventually made it into the King James bible. It was addressed to the Hebrew God and if Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in the same Abrahamic God, then the prayer is not necessarily Christian, even though it is only used by Christians. Most Christian prayers invoke Jesus in place of God or use both terms. As for Buddhists, Hindus, etc. this is not big deal. Buddhists don’t believe in gods and Hindus accept any and all gods. Rick did good in my estimate.
posted January 21, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I was so amazed and thrilled that he prayed that prayer. I prayed along myself(thanking God} for him doing so. Maybe this country has some hope
God bless America
posted January 21, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I am so grateful and blessed he prayed this prayer.Maybe this country has hope yet
posted January 22, 2009 at 12:47 am
Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Christians, united not by race or country or blood, but to our commitment to Christ and him crucified for our sins.
posted January 27, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Bless those who are berated for standing for what they believe. Dr. Billy Graham’s Prayer at Nixon’s 1969 Inaugural:
Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, “Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.” We recognize on this historic occasion that we are “a nation under God.” We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation!
Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping a whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.
And now with the wages of our sins staring us in the face, we remember Thy words, “If my people who are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Help us this day to turn from our sins and to turn by simple faith to the One who said, “Ye must be born again.”