Rick Warren's Non-Negotiable Worldview

(CREDIT: Richard Vogel / Associated Press)

I've largely stayed on the sidelines with my criticisms of Obama lately, hoping to give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, I can't help but be disappointed that our President-elect selected the Hawaiian-shirt-wearing, Jimmy Buffet of evangelicalism, Rick Warren, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

Undoubtedly, Warren is the darling of the media. Last summer, his California-based megachurch (which is so huge bar code stickers are assigned to babies to avoid losing them when they're checked into the nursery) hosted a much-discussed Civil Forum with McCain and Obama. Despite the fact that McCain may have had access to the questions in advance, Warren tried to appear politically neutral. But those who have followed his career know Warren is an unflappable "cultural conservative" with a track record of blatant homophobia.

From my book, The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right:

Rick Warren routinely claims to not be a part of the Evangelical Right when speaking to secular elitists at the New York Times, but he's playing both sides of the fence. Warren has gone on record calming that he's "firmly a cultural conservative." He also believes opposing abortion, gay rights, stem cell research, human cloning, and euthanasia are "non-negotiable" and "not even debatable" for people of values. He called the Terry Schiavo debacle "an atrocity worthy of Nazism" and according to ABC news, compared gay intimacy to sex with a horse. Prior to the 2004 election, Warren set-up voter registration booths on Saddleback's church patio. Most tellingly, he sent letters to 150,000 pastors insisting they encourage their congregations to vote for Bush.

In light of the passing of Proposition 8—an issue Obama has yet to show leadership on—choosing Warren for the invocation is a slap in the face to homosexuals and Obama's liberal base. As PFAW points out, Warren has "compared marriage by loving and committed same-sex couples to incest and pedophilia." Sorry Rick, giving donuts to Prop 8 protestors doesn't make your positions any more palatable.

Homophobia and questionable politics notwithstanding, Warren is a bible literalist who believes it took Noah 120 years to build his ark and that he'd never seen rain before the Flood because "God irrigated the earth from the ground up." Even more striking, Warren believes that Katrina was caused by sin:

"The Bible teaches that since sin entered the world, way back with the very first human beings, we have lived in an imperfect, broken planet, and that causes hurricanes and tornadoes."

Regardless, the media loves this moronic, book-censoring megalomaniac. And why wouldn't they? When it comes to being affable, he's a calculated professional. He is, after all, the author of the bestselling tome "The Purpose Driven Church," a handbook on how to appeal to "unrepentant pagans" (his words). Even Rick Warren's signature Hawaiian shirts are a cynical attempt to appeal to secularists: "I intentionally dress down" says Warren "to match the mind-set of those I'm trying to reach."

If Obama is as intelligent as he seems, it's curious that he's been suckered by such a fraud. And if 2009 is truly going to be about change, we can only pray that Obama will choose to surround himself with people who are indeed the smartest people in the room. Restoring intellect to the White House is essential. And forget the donuts, Rick. If you were a true man of God you'd realize that ensuring basic civil liberties is non-negotiable.

Comments

[Jahbrowski]

Obama's pick of Warren is indeed disgusting, but Obama-voter outrage on the matter is unfounded.

Obama and the Democratic party CLEARLY did not support gay marriage in the run-up to the election and remain unchanged in their view. Such outrage is emblematic of the wrongheadedness of Democrats who prior to the election assured this third-party voter that once in office Obama would reverse course and support gay marriage and single-payer health care. I didn't believe it then, and I most surely don't believe that now. Save your "outrage" and prod the incoming administration to change course. Don't save it for 2012!

[dognut]

I am appalled by Barack Obama's choice to pacify the religious right by choosing Warren to give the invocation. My dearest friend died, in 1991, of AIDS. This choice is a slap in the face to all Gay and Straight people who believe in equal rights and who supported Obama. If I had known, I would never have donated $700. to the Obama campaign. Doing this kind of thing leads me to doubt Obama;s sincerity and this 1 issue may be symptomatic of what's to come. I will remember this in 2012.

[myskylark]

Every time this subject comes up I read something more horrifying about Rick Warren. I also want to give Obama the benefit of a doubt because so much rides on him being a good president. I'm appalled that he could give Warren a world wide podium. Surely he must be aware of the man's repulsive, bigoted views! I have a litmus test, and it's believing in and working for the dignity of, and respect due to, those Americans who, due to no fault of their own, have been marginalized and despised. This is not a good beginning. My next concern is that there are rumors that Obama will back-track on his promise to fully and forcefully investigate the history of America's use of torture in the last six years.

[seeblue]

Obama is merely throwing the Bible thumpers a bone.

[super8pictures]

This is a tired response to Obama's selection of Rick Warren. We are going to be a one track party of exclusivity or a multidimensional party of inclusiveness. We cannot ignore the rational of a majority of America though many of us in the democratic party do not agree with it. Within the democratic party there are many who watch and attend Rick Warren's congregation. His is not a congregations exclusively limited to republicans.

Obama is only different in the fact that he has not changed from the person that campaigned. He advised he would include other voices and reach across the isle as well as within his own party.

[mcthfg]

Do you have the right to marry?

I would bet you do.

It's not about you. It's about other people, and insuring they have the same rights you do.

[myskylark]

If Rick Warren referred to African Americans in the same vicious, libelous and insulting words he uses for homosexuals, would you be so tolerant of his excesses? Hitler loved his dog and was very kind to little Aryan children. That didn't give him license to equate Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, and, ye, homosexuals as inferior people.
There are some voices that are to hateful to listen to.

[CrittersRTasty]

"We cannot ignore the rational of a majority of America though many of us in the democratic party do not agree with it."
That's not what you said in the article relating to same-sex marriage....

[mommadona]

A long, but informative look at "Purpose Driven (TM)" and Rick Warren's 'inner workings'.

http://stinkinchickensroost.blogspot.com/