Some are claiming that Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to provide the invocation at his inauguration is providing the “first real rift with progressives” because of Rick Warren’s stance on same-sex marriages, with the Human Rights Campaign calling it a “genuine blow to the LGBT Americans.” The President-elect is getting some slack for picking Rick Warren, but many forget that Rick Warren got a lot of heat for inviting Barack Obama to his first World AIDS Day Summit on AIDS and the Church in December 2006.
The first serious notion of Barack Obama running for president in 2008 was picking up steam in the fall of 2006 with the success of his new book and flurry of campaign activity for mid-term Democrats. During this period, Rick Warren chose Senator Obama and Senator Brownback to represent their respective parties at his Global Summit on AIDS and the Church. Being active in global AIDS activism, I can tell you that the move came with risk for Rick Warren. Senator Obama had everything to gain with a chance to show-off his post-partisan appeal. But the Religious Right was itching for a chance to attack the surging new-kind-of-Democrat. And in deed, they did condemn the pastor and the event for hosting a pro-choice Democrat in their church with press releases and protests, and Rick Warren rightly defended and upheld his decision.
Now, the seats are reversed. After Proposition 8, the LGBT community is itching for an opportunity to attack.
This underscores the understandable emotions around serious issues such as abortion and homosexuality. But if we hope to make any difference in other serious issues, we are going to have to invite people we disagree with into our churches and celebrations – whether it be inviting a pro-choice Democrat into a church forum or an opponent of same-sex marriage pastor to an inauguration. Luckily, both President-elect Obama and Rick Warren embody this more than their respective predecessors.
