Whether one is a fan of the next President or not, any fan of faith should be cheered by President-elect Obama's choice of Rick Warren to offer the inaugural invocation. Once again the President-elect shows that he will confound ideologues time after time. And especially in matter of faith and politics, nothing could be more important given the sharply polarizing power of each. Obama's choice affirms that faith matters and that it should be bigger than any one dogma, doctrine or creed.
He demonstrates once again that he will confound ideologues time after time. His choice affirms that faith matters and that it should be bigger than any one dogma, doctrine or creed. Ironically, even if Rick Warren doesn't share that belief, his willingness to bless this presidency places him at the center of a spiritual-political moment that celebrates precisely that kind of post- ideological thinking. So for those who really cannot stand Rev. Warren, sit back and imagine that the joke is on him!
But Obama's choice in this matter is far more than a joke. It is a leadership lesson in how one stands for particular policies while celebrating an entire nation that differs about those very issues. Rather than opting for a theological mirror of himself when choosing who will give the invocation, as President Bush did when he chose Franklin Graham, Obama challenges us to remember that blessing can be found with all people - even those with whom we may differ sharply.
While we all have our limits, the moral outrage about this choice, focusing primarily on Rev. Warren's position on gay marriage and his advocacy for Proposition 8 should not push anyone past theirs. After all the good works that Rick Warren has done for so many poor and disenfranchised Americans should provide some balance on the scales when we judge his views on gay marriage, abortion, and other issues to which so many Obama supporters object.
Having supported a candidate who was all about change, we have to ask ourselves if we plan to make any changes ourselves. Or was "change" simply code for throw the bums out? Should conservatives, both theological and political, now be treated as many have felt theological and political liberals have been treated for the past eight years? If so, then where is the change?
Real change should affect all of us. It redefines relationships and attitudes. And the first changes must always be made by those taking power. That's what it means to wield power ethically and even more important in this case, civilly. So however we feel about Rick Warren, and especially if we care about securing a place for faith in the American public square, we should cheer Obama's choice.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Errata with apologies
(1) Was Obama's asking Rick Warren intentional*? (I omitted the "al")
. . . Obama will have a dilemma -- to sign or not to sign*
Since errors cannot be corrected, I'll compose off line and then post
For those who think that it is fine and dandy to feature and anti-gay bigot at the inauguration, how often to you apply this principle in other areas?
Hamas and Hizbollah run charities including food distribution and hospitals
The Nazis revived German's economy, Mussolini made the trains run on time, Herod The Great was a master builder, Enron was a pillar of Dallas society, every body loved Bernie Madoff, the list is endless. All these people and organizations were praised for their good deeds and whenever their dark side was seen, people said, "Don't look at the evil. Close your eyes to that. Just look at the good." This type of blindness is what allowed Madoff to fleece billions of more dollars between 1999, when he was first reported to the SEC, and 2008.
And once again, Einstein's definition of insanity -- doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Our entire economy is in the tank because all sorts of corruption and incompetence were ignored by telling us to look at the good. The reality is that Rick Warren is right wing bigot who believes that the government should be run according to Rick Warren's interpretation of what G-d wants. Sounds like Alan Keyes to me.
Warren wears his bigotry like badge of honor, but most people avert their eyes.
I find it interesting and telling that Obama chose a conservative evangelical pastor to give the invocation at his inauguration. It would appear his message is that he really DOES intend to include both conservatives and liberals on his watch, and is finding it’s to his advantage to be more centrist, if not a demand requirement, as president. To those who think that Rick Warren is a terrible choice and Obama should have “known better” and chosen someone more in line with the liberal values (pro gay, pro abortion) for which he was elected, doesn't anyone remember that Obama was associated with the Reverend Wright and what he stands for, attended his church for 20 years, DEFENDED him until it became impossible for him to continue to do so and continue as a candidate for the presidency, and was married by Reverend Wright? Pay attention! Obama's association with conservative christian views and values is consistent from when he was a young man. This is one area in which he is less liberal than those who voted for him want to believe. Why is it that people refuse to look at what someone DOES versus what they say? Obama's ACTIONS with regard to the churches he attended and attends, and the pastors in his life, past and present, express more clearly what his beliefs are than what he "said" to get elected. Obama is being Obama. Get used to it. This is not the only time we are going to see Obama taking a conservative tack. He's a very smart man and knows you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. He can't afford to alienate the conservatives any more than he already has. So, from time to time, expect to see a carrot thrown in a conservative direction.
To those who of you who describe Pastor Warren as a bigot I give you my take on his position. Although I don't neccessarily believe in all of his doctrine I do believe that he is nowhere close to being a bigot but follows the laws set by God Himself pertaining to homosexuality as seen in Leviticus 18:22 where God proclaims homosexuality as an abomination. For those of you who read the New Testament Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Timothy 1:10 addresses the same topic.
This is not to say that God hates the sinner but he does hate the sin and he considers homosexuality a sin. Would you consider God a bigot?
To Robert Fenton-No matter you think about Pastor Warren his beliefs about homosexual marriages are Biblically motivated.What you are saying in essence is redefining what the Bible states as a marriage between a man and a woman. End of story!!!!
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