Obama's Latest Preacher Problem
George W. Bush longed to escape his daddy's shadow, while Barack Obama has turned to shadowy preachers in his long search for a father figure. His filial approach to faith began with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and has now taken a sharp turn right.
The New York Times reports that the president has surrounded himself with a cadre of clerical crackpots known as the Circle of Five. These holy men are: Rev. Joel Hunter, former head of the Christian Coalition; anti-gay Bishop T.D. Jakes; the ex-gay loving Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell; and Jim "waffling" Wallis, a protean progressive. The only Obama shaman who isn't shameless is the civil rights era preacher Rev. Otis Moss Jr.
Rev. Jakes refers to homosexuality as "brokenness" and has claimed that he wouldn't hire a sexually active gay person. But it seems T.D. can't even keep his own son off the D.L. (down low). His "sexually broken" heir was arrested earlier this year for cruising a Dallas Park in search of gay men.
Wallis, the chief executive of Sojourners, a Christian magazine, holds "traditional" views on homosexuality and abortion, according to the Times article. Although Wallis has taken some affirmative steps on GLBT equality, he prides himself on not being a part of "the religious left."
Rev. Caldwell has endorsed Metanoia, an ex-gay ministry designed to "help homosexuals understand with God's help that 'change [is] possible." When the GLBT community worked to elect Obama, this is not what we thought he meant when he promised "change."
"Whoa, OK, so let's assume [the Obama Administration decides to release] a mealy mouthed message like 'the President does not believe in ex-gay therapy' or some such nonsense," wrote blogger Pam Spaulding. "If he doesn't, then what is he doing talking to Caldwell when there are plenty of other prominent pastors he could choose to break bread with who don't subscribe to that view?"
We must also remember that during his campaign, Obama tapped "ex-gay" gospel singer Donnie McClurkin to croon at a concert tour in South Carolina. And, this insult was compounded by the injury of selecting Rev. Rick Warren to give the Inauguration invocation.
I can live with Obama's poor Sunday choices if on Monday he hears our voices and passes landmark gay civil rights legislation. Still, it is disconcerting that such a cool and rational leader keeps returning to the theological armpit to fill his pulpit. Will spending time in the biblical backwater influence Obama's views and lead him to sell us down the river?
By embracing these conservative clerics, Obama is also setting a wretched example overseas. Last month, the State Department released a report to Congress that documents "an unfortunate crisis in human rights abuse directed against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide." Much of this violence was the result of brutal religious oppression. Yet, Obama pals around with reprehensible reverends, thus undermining his own administration's call for moderate religious leadership abroad.
The Pope, who takes his road show to Africa this week, could have used Obama's absent leadership. In Nigeria, for example, lawmakers are debating a draconian law that would imprison gay people for living together. It encourages violent witch-hunts by requiring Nigerians to turn in their gay neighbors. Those who don't rat out gays could be jailed for up to five years.
The BBC reports that during a debate on this unconscionable legislation, Rev. Patrick Alumake told the National Assembly that the top leaders of the Catholic Church in Nigeria supported the measure.
"There are wild, weird ways of life that are affecting our own culture very negatively, we have people who either by way of the media or traveling around the world have allowed new ideas which are harmful to our nation and our belief," said Alumake.
Catholicism is also the largest religion in Uganda. There, the penalty for homosexuality is life in prison. Last week, American anti-gay leaders held a conference in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, where a local group leader pledged to "wipe out" homosexuality.
If he chose, the Pope could have a significant impact this week by urging African Catholics to stop persecuting homosexuals. But, we know this won't happen. After all, we are talking about a Vatican that dispatched its minions to Albany, New York last week to fight against a bill to temporarily lift the statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging the sexual abuse of children. If the Pope won't protect innocent youths, he certainly won't lift a gold ringed finger to save the lives of people he considers "objectively disordered."
While there will be no moral leadership from this Pontiff, we expect Obama to understand that his clerical choices do matter. It is time Obama stops searching for Daddy and becomes the man of the (White) house, by picking preachers who are not at irreconcilable odds with his human rights policies.
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"President-elect Obama's answer to a 1996 Outlines newspaper question on marriage was: ‘I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.
Let's hope his association with these backward ministers is simply more political strategy in order to regain election in 2012.
President Obama does not have a "preacher problem". It's the GLBT community that have the preacher problem.
He's a Christian man of faith. period. get over it!
You use the phrase "Christian man of faith" as if it were an easily understood monolithic category. There are plenty of people of faith who find nothing in the words of Jesus that condemn or castigate gays.
Bigoted people of faith (yeah, I know, they don't see themselves that way) are just relying on an outdated cultural model to justify their own bigotry. If Obama is surrounding himdelf with folks like this, then he's looking backward, not forward.
Is it just POSSIBLE that he is talking to these pastors about something OTHER that homosexuality?
Thank You!!!
Of course it is possible, even probable, that their explicit conversations are about other things.
That obvious fact doesn't make these men any less odious, nor does it make the president's choice to associate with them any more defensible.
So to associate with someone YOU don't approve of is indefensible? Wow - I wonder if he's aware that he needs to run all associations by you first to get the ok?
I think they are odius too, but I also think it's entirely possible that he's working to get them to back off on gays in the military and civil unions. If he just said "oh, you're odius and I'm not talking to you" he'd never even have the chance get anywhere on these issues. Speaking with them, he might just get them to relax their stance with their base and help pave the road to better acceptance. Just sayin' - honey - vinegar...
I do recall the President very recently reversing Bush policy, and backing UN anti-discrimination text on gay rights. Seems more like you are selling him "down the river", by insulting and equating this to "father issues".
Homsexual behavior is sin too many religious and spirtual people. I am one of those people. Insulting leaders for deeply held and reasonable personal moral beliefs will not improve the political situation for homosexuals. Most spiritual and religious people believe all, regardless of sin, shoild be treated with dignity and respect. I suggest you focus some effort on moving more religious folks into that column, than trying to create enemies of people who think the behavior is sin.
The nautre nurture basis of homsexual attraction is not settled science.
Maybe some of us would have more respect for Christians when it comes to their views on homosexuality if they actually used Christian doctrine to defend their cause. The majority of Christians who oppose gay marriage do so on an Old Testament (Leviticus) basis, but the old testament is a part of The Torah, which is pre-Christian Jewish law.
If so called Christians oppose homosexuality, that's fine. But at least be honest and quote us something that Jesus actually said about homosexuality, not some vague Jewish law that was intended to reject ALL sins of the flesh, including heterosexual marriage, and the Egyptian fertility cults that have NOTHING whatsoever to do with homosexuality as the psycho-phy
From apostles that Jesus taught and commissioned to teach the nations:
2Peter 2:6-9(NASB)
and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men; 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds),
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment . ."
Jude 7(NASB)
7 " Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire."
Romans 1:27(NASB)
27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."
1 Corinthians 6:9-10(NASB)
9 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10)nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
"Insulting leaders for deeply held and reasonable personal moral beliefs . . ."
Perhaps if those leaders didn't flip flop just in order to gain votes, then they wouldn't get insulted.
Obama changed his position on gay marriage just to get elected.
If he didn't he would not have been elected - consider the option(s).
Obama should just not attend any church! Whatever church he goes to people will find some way to critizice him!
Obama spent his entire adult life in the United Church of Christ...w
"Will spending time in the biblical backwater influence Obama's views and lead him to sell us down the river?"
Yes.
President Obama has already sold us, the elderly and disabled, down the river on the health care issue, by not even giving us a voice or a place at the table, so I suspect he will also sell us down the river on LGBT issues.
signing the UN thing was a nice symbolic gesture, but a hollow victory considering he knew that it was a non-binding statement, that ended up getting voted down anyway because of the virulant anti-gay Muslim factions
Elect athiests, problem solved.
Don't think so, sorry.
Why not? I think it should be preferred to elect a President without any influence from any god, especially since they don't exist.
"Rev. Caldwell has endorsed Metanoia, an ex-gay ministry designed to "help homosexuals understand with God's help that 'change [is] possible."
These ex-gay loonies are the worst. Self-loathing, lying, in denial, and delusional all rolled up into one ugly package. BHO should leave them to a supporting role with the Log Cabin GOP.
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