The Purpose Driven Protest: Gay Marriage advocates angered by Pastor’s position
So you’ve heard this story by now. Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California has been invited by President-Elect Barack Obama to offer the invocation at his inauguration. This sparked outrage among some members of the Gay Community because of Warren’s support of Proposition 8: a California ballot measure that restricted the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman, thus eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry. The outrage has prompted a response from Warren on his News & Views blog.
For inviting Warren to pray at the inauguration, Obama has received letters and calls with strong urgings for him to rescind his invitation to Warren. Likewise, Saddleback Church has been a target of protests as well.
This is an issue that I believe will be around for some time.
Gay Marriage measures are being introduced in legislative bodies all over the country. Obviously, the Gay Community feels that in some ways President-elect Obama is beholden to them because of their support of his candidacy (despite his clearly stated opposition to expanding the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples) so it wouldn’t be surprising to see limited action even on the federal level. Also, the generational schism will ensure that we’re talking about this for years to come. The Barna Group, a Christian research organization, sheds light on what young people believe in relation to the church and homosexuality in a late 2007 report entitled, A New Generation expresses its Frustration and Skepticism with Christianity:
the study discovered a new image that has steadily grown in prominence over the last decade. Today, the most common perception is that present-day Christianity is “anti-homosexual.” Overall, 91% of young non-Christians and 80% of young churchgoers say this phrase describes Christianity. As the research probed this perception, non-Christians and Christians explained that beyond their recognition that Christians oppose homosexuality, they believe that Christians show excessive contempt and unloving attitudes towards gays and lesbians. One of the most frequent criticisms of young Christians was that they believe the church has made homosexuality a “bigger sin” than anything else. Moreover, they claim that the church has not helped them apply the biblical teaching on homosexuality to their friendships with gays and lesbians.
While I have little problem joining in on a good protest every now and then, I’m inclined on this issue to heed the advice of lesbian activist and musician, Melissa Etheridge, who encouraged the gay community to reach out to Warren and those who share his position…to build bridges instead of throwing rocks.
I believe a meaningful dialogue is in order and that reasonable and sincere people can come together, find common ground, and also agree to disagree without condemning anyone to hell or labeling anyone as “homophobic.”
While Richard Cohen believes that Obama has a moral leadership problem in selecting Warren for the invocation, I’m far more concerned about his choices on hard policy than I am about who does the opening prayer on his program – a sympolic gesture at most. But the Gay Community has chosen this fight and who am I to tell them to pack up their picket signs. I just think that there will be ample opportunity during an Obama Administration to organize and levy pressure on the President because of policy choices (say sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan for an unclear mission – why are we there again?) and not expend precious and righteous indignation on something that may be uncomfortable and hurtful? yes – but not directly linked to policy that impacts anyone’s life.
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Our theme – ought to be- to pursue different passions – for different people. At least that is what God gave me.
The jury is still out as far as I am concerned. I am interested in the work that endocrinologists are doing, and the research that is taking place with respect to homosexuality.
Just looking at Israel and the Palestian issue, we can readily see that religious people can be very biased and misdirected!