I’m Glad Rick Warren Said Yes

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All in all, I’m glad Barack Obama invited Rick Warren to lead the opening prayer at next month’s presidential inauguration. I say that even though I share some of the reservations raised by other evangelicals. Here’s how it shakes out for me:

1. A presidential inauguration necessarily involves a number of symbolic gestures. Inviting Rick Warren means that Barack Obama wants to reach out to the evangelical community, and that in itself is a good thing.
2. The pastor and the president-elect have a prior friendship,. which suggests that Rick Warren may have an opportunity behind the scenes to offer godly counsel.
3. Billy Graham traditionally prayed at these events. Perhaps Rick Warren can be seen as taking his place.
4. He can legitimately offer a public prayer for God to grant our new president wisdom, understanding, discretion, and the ability to lead our nation in the fear of the Lord. A prayer can be biblical without being aggressively offensive to a larger audience.
5. I am struck by the gay community’s fierce opposition. They are disappointed in Obama and angry because of Warren’s strong defense of traditional marriage and his support of Proposition 8 in California. The story has become a media firestorm in the last several days. Obama had to know this would happen and he asked Warren anyway.
6. A man is known by his enemies as much as by his friends. Beware, Jesus said, when all men speak well of you. A friend once told me, “You don’t get flack until you’re flying over the target.” The whole gay rights debate represents Ground Zero in the ongoing culture wars. I’m glad for anyone to pray in public who openly represents traditional moral values and the historic understanding of marriage. 

I think it was a bold move by Obama and a good decision by Rick Warren to say yes. The stage is now set for what will be the most closely parsed prayer in the history of presidential inaugurations. I expect Rick Warren will offer a thoughtful, biblically-grounded prayer, and I’m glad he’s getting an opportunity to publicly ask God to bless and guide our new president.

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December 20, 2008, 8:51 AM sheridan dad says:
	Brilliant calculation on Obama's part. Reach out to evangelicals in a symbolic way to provide cover for the Freedom of Choice act he will sign a few hours later. The right hand throws a grenade and the left hand holds out an olive leaf. This guy is good. Really good.
December 20, 2008, 9:59 AM PETER WANG says:
Full time house church pastor in mainland China	Dear Ray, I agree! and hopefully next step for us is praying for Rick’s prayer on that special day! Also I pray that this kind issue could happen in mainland China by God’s grace! love you and pray for you in Christ!
December 20, 2008, 10:10 AM Ryan says:
	Just out of curiosity, by offering this prayer, how does Rick separate himself from Obama’s support of social issues contrary to Scripture.
December 20, 2008, 10:16 AM Ray Pritchard says:
	Ryan, you raise a good point. Right now I am willing to give the president-elect the benefit of the doubt in this regard. He isn’t president yet. I’m willing to wait and see what he actually does as president. It’s an interesting point also. To what degree is a minister associating himself with the policies of someone for whom he offers a public prayer? It depends greatly on the particular circumstances. If we believe in the sovereignty of God—as you and I both do, very strongly in fact—then we believe Barack Obama has been raised up by God as our next president. Then we ought to pray for him and ask God to guide him and to give him wisdom beyond his years and to help him to lead us in the way of righteousness and in the fear of the Lord. Would it be wrong to pray that way publicly even if you fear your prayers won’t be answered? The truth is, we all pray like that sometimes, meaning we pray about some things not knowing how the Lord will answer. We know where Rick Warren stands on abortion and gay marriage. We don’t yet know what Barack Obama will actually do in those areas. If we believe in the power of prayer to change hearts, than why not pray publicly for him and trust God to answer that prayer? Opinions here will vary. Circumstances matter greatly. On balance (and it is an “on balance” call in my mind) I’m glad Rick said yes. Ray
December 20, 2008, 10:43 AM Ray Pritchard says:
	Bill, you may be right about that but A) Dobson, Pastore and George aren’t going to stop speaking out no matter what people say. B) The people who think they dangerous reactionaries (I don’t—I like all of them) will think that even without Rick Warren’s prayer. C) The evangelicals who tell them to pipe down (not me) would say that anyway. The battle lines are already drawn. One prayer can’t change that. Ray
December 20, 2008, 10:46 AM Ray Pritchard says:
	Sheridan, you may be right but we can’t read Obama’s heart. I do know that all politicians make calculated political gestures. Chuck Colson talked at length about how the Nixon White House manipulated people of faith. That’s not a Democrat or Republican problem. It happens everywhere. We’ll all know soon enough how our new president handles the social issues. For now I’m glad to have an evangelical pastor taking part in the inauguration. Ray
December 20, 2008, 10:50 AM Ray Pritchard says:
	Peter, I happen to agree with you 100%. We ought to pray for Rick’s prayer—that God in heaven will give him the words to say. And I think we should believe more firmly in the power of prayer to changes the hearts of people. Proverbs 21:1 is still true. We join you in your heart’s desire to see something like this happen in China. Thank you for your friendship and we send you our love and prayers from the US to China. Ray
December 20, 2008, 10:53 AM John Mwananchi says:
	I am very confuse. I was aware that Mr. Obama promise many items of prioroty to leaders of homosexual life-style and to abortion planners. Is this mis-information? Today Kenyan peoples are very happy about Mr. Obama but I hear about these things and make me very sad. Can Mr. Obama now choose to re-ject leaders of abortion and gay marriage?
December 20, 2008, 11:36 AM Kristin Duus says:
	Regarding point #6 and what Jesus said — “Beware when all Men speak well of you.” I think we can say the same is true in the church. It would worry me if Rick Warren wasn’t a bit controversial among evangelicals. He is making, and has made, some bold moves in areas of social justice that the conservative church has ignored. I admire that he is willing to take risks, and risk the wrath of the brethren,in order to love others well in Jesus’ name.
December 20, 2008, 11:54 AM Ellis says:
	I am both suprise and glad that B.Obama invited R. Warren in his presidential inauguration. This is a good thing. When B. Obama was elected; I told my wife Janette that God have a divine purpose why he allow him to be the next president. I told her we ought to pray more for him and those he appoints.
December 20, 2008, 12:01 PM will219a says:
	When it is all said and done God will get the glory and that is what this walk is all about. I count this as a blessing.
December 20, 2008, 6:36 PM Diane says:
	I can’t help but be suspicious of Obama asking Warren to speak at the ceremony. I think it was a political move to try to smooth things over with the evangelicals. As for Warren accepting, how could he not? He would be a hypocrite if he said no. We can only continue to pray for our leaders and our nation, that our country will turn back to God and heal our land. 2 Chron 7:14.
December 20, 2008, 10:36 PM John Ojewole says:
	Pastor Ray Pritchard, I agree with you. Rick Warren has done the best in accepting the invitation giving the nature of the invitation and the timeliness of it. Rick Warren is becoming another Billy Graham in our own time. Dr. John Ojewole Agape Bible Fellowship Pittsburg, CA 94565
December 21, 2008, 3:07 AM steven marigold says:
	Kristen, I'm not sure why you took this opportunity to take a swipe at conservative Christians - the overwhelming majority of conservative Christians support what Rick Warren's doing in the area of social justice, particularly with his work in Africa, including the AIDs relief he does there. Your comment seemed like an unnecessary and misleading attack against conservative Christians to me.
December 21, 2008, 4:55 PM jamie_kroll says:
	I sure hope Rick Warren follows in the path of Billy Graham and not Bill Hybels in regards to how he "counsels" sitting presidents. Hybels was a pastor with strong evangelical credentials, but it appears that he enabled some very bad behavior on the part of President Clinton. I was very disappointed when he assured people that Clinton had repented when he hadn't. Even Hybels later realized that he had embarrassed himself in his eagerness to see repentance. It sent a terrible message. Time will tell. I'll be praying for Pastor Warren.
December 22, 2008, 2:56 PM Ray Pritchard says:
	Last night I chatted with someone who almost certainly didn’t vote for Barack Obama. “We need to pray for him. He needs it and our country needs it,” he said. My friend is right. And while we’re praying for our new president, we should pray for those who will be giving him counsel that they might be given wisdom and insight from heaven. As I have read this thread, I am struck again with how easy it is to focus on politics and forget the true power of prayer. That’s why I think Peter’s idea of praying for Rick Warren’s prayer makes so much sense. If prayer is so powerful that by it God moves the course of history, then we ought to pray—and to pray about our prayers. Ray
December 23, 2008, 11:31 AM Dan Darling says:
	I’m late to this discussion, but I wholeheartedly agree with Ray. While I understand the reactin of evangelicals who say that Rick Warren shouldn’t pray because of Obama’s support for abortion on demand, etc, I also think they are missing the point a little bit. The Bible is full of examples of godly people who served (not just prayed once) in the administrations of wicked totalitarian regimes. Daniel, Joseph, Nehemiah, and Esther come to mind. It seems that there is a biblical model for applying your faith in a secular government environent so as to be a light in the darkness.
December 26, 2008, 4:02 PM Sandra says:
Retired school teacher.	I, as an African American female, who believes in the inerrancy of the Bible, who tries to look at life and people the same way that Jesus would, am very disappointed in the position Barach Obama has taken in regard to gay unions and abortion rights. I think that all who have responded to this blog and these issues need to really get it straight: Obama does not believe in gay marriage or abortion personally. I believe that as a lawyer and a Christian he is trying to serve from the intellect and not absolutely from the Word of God. He is very clear about gay marriage, yet people keep coming against him because they say he is in favor of gay marriage. I think that ultimately he is in favor of rights for gay people, and I would be in favor of that too. I don’t think that it should be an issue decided by law, however. I know that he is against abortion—and not just for his children! I don’t understand how he comes to the conclusion that he should allow it, work towards allowing it, for this country. God is absolute in this. Why Obama has drawn a line between what the Bible says and his headship of this country, I’ll never understand. But what bothers me more than anything is the Christian community itself. Jim Dobson came out vehemently, publicly, stridently against Obama because of the gay union and abortion issues. I have nothing against that, but I never understood that he did not try reaching out to Obama for some counseling about these issues. My Bible says that if you catch a brother in a fault, it is the Christian’s job to restore him. I wrote Focus on the family wanting to know what Dobson did about this since he caught him and let the world know that he caught him. They said they couldn’t reach him. Somehow they were able to reach out to Ted Haggard with great sympathy when he was caught, but they couldn’t reach Barach Obama. Their response to my letter offended me greatly. But my point is this: I don’t know why people who have clout and means to reach Obama simply hope that someone will talk to him, counsel him, say what is needed. Hope is not the solution. Hope, prayer and action is. I hate the thought that everyone is hoping that Rich Warren says something to Obama. I’ve prayed that Jesus Christ would say something and any other Christian man who knows the truth would do the job. Much is at stake. I would hope that more than one man is willing to take on the task. Many lives of the unborn are dependent on something being changed. But lastly, I do not condemn Barach Obama for an error he hasn’t made yet any more than Jesus condemned the woman caught in the act did. The Word clearly says that Jesus said that He did not come to condemn. He came to save. I would hope that all who are responding to this blog take the same position. We have no hell or heaven to put Barach in. We were snatched out of the bonds of sin just like he’s been. We have no right to condemn him.
December 26, 2008, 10:52 PM Ray Pritchard says:
	Sandra, you make a number of important points, the salient one being that we ought not to judge Obama by what he hasn’t yet done. I know what he said in his campaign, but ultimately he will be judged by what he actually does. If he proves to be as strongly pro-abortion as he sounded in the campaign, then I will join with others in opposing him on that point. Ditto for gay marriage. And he is still our president and we must pray for him—and pray believing that God can touch him and guide him.
December 29, 2008, 3:21 PM Derek says:
KBM Website Administrator	There is a noteworthy update on this topic. Openly gay bishop Gene Robinson has been asked to pray at the inauguration (with Rick Warren). From the New York Times: Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.” “I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.” Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction. When Bishop Robinson heard about Warren’s initial selection he said: It was like a slap in the face... I’m all for Rick Warren being at the table, but we’re not talking about a discussion, we’re talking about putting someone up front and center at what will be the most watched inauguration in history, and asking his blessing on the nation. And the God that he’s praying to is not the God that I know. Pastor Warren has been asked about Robinson’s comments and here is what he said in a statement to Christianity Today: President-elect Obama has again demonstrated his genuine commitment to bringing all Americans of goodwill together in search of common ground. I applaud his desire to be the president of every citizen.
January 16, 2009, 3:11 PM Ray Pritchard says:
	Derek, thanks for the update. I was glad Rick was chosen for the invocation, thought he handled the controversy part very well. But I can’t fathom why he said what he said when Bishop Robinson was chosen to give some sort of prayer this Sunday. Why congratulate Obama for promoting spiritual confusion—not that we’re exactly looking to Obama for leadership in that area. I have no problem (from a political point of view) with Obama choosing any sort of diversity he wants. It’s his deal. And I’m glad Rick gets a high-profile role. But Rick would have been better served by either saying nothing or saying something innocuous. He didn’t have to praise the president elect for choosing a gay Episcopal bishop. As I think about it, saying nothing would have been my preferred response. Ray
January 16, 2009, 5:36 PM Derek says:
KBM Website Administrator	I would have preferred a non-response too. Although... it is very interesting to witness the inclusive, tolerant and gracious nature of Warren’s comments, which stand in bold contrast to Robinson’s.
January 16, 2009, 6:26 PM Helen says:
	I was interested to read Bishop Gene Robinson’s inauguration prayer - I like it.
January 19, 2009, 9:01 AM Derek says:
KBM Website Administrator	There is another notable update in this ongoing story, coming to us from the following Christian news website: Warren recently told congregants at his church in Orange County, CA that he would indeed invoke Jesus’ name in his much anticipated prayer and asked for their prayers.
January 19, 2009, 1:46 PM jamie_kroll says:
	I think it is curious that you used this terminology: A prayer can be biblical without being aggressively offensive to a larger audience. Bishop Robinson also noticed that previous inauguration prayers could be described as aggressive. He said that he found them to be horrifying and aggressive. Is it possible for a prayer that really contains the message of the cross to be tame and without offense? Should Rick Warren, a minister of the Gospel, do what his predecessors apparently did not do, and remove the offense of the cross? What am I missing?
January 19, 2009, 1:48 PM Ray Pritchard says:
	For what it’s worth, I thought Rick Warren did a fine job. He was both truly Christian and also inclusive in a good sense. I liked the way he ended with the Lord’s Prayer. No prayer could please everyone but Rick did well and managed to pray in Jesus’ name very forcefully. Ray
January 24, 2009, 10:33 PM Helen says:
	I also thought Rick Warren did a fine job. I liked Rev Lowery’s benediction too. I watched the whole inauguration ceremony and enjoyed all of it.