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Obama's Selection For Inauguration Invocation Creates Controversy

By Howard M. Friedman

Barack Obama yesterday created one of the earliest controversies of his upcoming administration by inviting pastor a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Warren"Rick Warren/a, author of the popular book, emThe Purpose-Driven Life,/em to deliver the invocation at his inaugural. Warren is the founder of Lake Forest, California's Saddleback Church at which Obama and McCain held a candidate forum in August. a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/17/obama.warren/index.html"CNN reports /athat the selection of Warren has particularly incensed gay rights supporters. Warren backed California's Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage.br /br /An Obama spokesperson defended the choice of Warren as an attempt to make the inauguration inclusive, even though Obama disagrees with Warren's views on gay rights. The a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/12/obama_taps_evan.html"Boston Globe /asays that "Warren has been a forceful advocate for reordering evangelical priorities.... [H]is public priority has been combating AIDS in Africa, and he has criticized the politicization of evangelical Protestantism." a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-country/2008/12/17/why-rick-warrens-invocation-at-obamas-inauguration-matters.html"Dan Gilgoff /aof U.S. News says that this "is an early taste of the Democrats' post-election effort to reach evangelical Americans."br /br /The benediction at the inauguration will be delivered by the 87-years old civil rights leader, Rev. a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lowery"Joseph E. Lowery/a, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Yesterday's a href="http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/stories/2008/12/17/lowery_obama.html"Atlanta Journal Constitution /asays that Yale poet a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/inauguration-watch/2008/12/inaugural_poet_selected_elizab.html?hpid=topnews"Elizabeth Alexander /awill read a poem before Lowery's closing prayer. The a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/inauguration-watch/2008/12/inaugural_committee_announces.html"Washington Post /ayesterday published the full schedule of the inauguration ceremony.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on December 18, 2008 (boomark / email).