Jan 15 2009
Bishop Gene Robinson will not read from the Bible during his inaugural prayer
New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, an outspoken, international gay rights leader, has been asked to give a prayer at one of President-elect Barack Obama’s first inauguration events at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Robinson and gay-rights groups over Obama’s decision to tap the Rev. Rick Warren, who’s likened committed gay relationships to incest and polygamy, to pray on inauguration day.
Robinson, an early Obama supporter, said last month the choice of Warren left him feeling as if he’d been slapped in the face. In a telephone interview this weekend, Robinson, of Weare, said he doesn’t believe Obama has included him in response to the Warren criticism. But he said his inclusion won’t go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community.
“It’s important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way,” Robinson said. “Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority or, in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters.”
Warren, author and high-profile pastor of a California mega-church, will still give the invocation at the Jan. 20 inauguration, shortly before Obama delivers his much-anticipated inaugural address. Robinson will share his invocation prayer Sunday afternoon on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during an inaugural kick-off event.
Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be there, and Obama is expected to speak, Robinson said. The event will be open to the public and run on HBO. Robinson doesn’t yet know what he’ll say, but he knows he won’t use a Bible.
“While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,” Robinson said. “I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation.”
Clark Stevens, spokesman for the inaugural committee, said he could not disclose the rest of Sunday’s program because it was still being finalized. He said the committee extended the invite to Robinson because Robinson had offered his advice to Obama during the campaign and because of his church work.
“Bishop Robinson is one of our nation’s most prominent religious leaders,” Stevens said.
Read more here.
[From me]
Ummm…if he is one of the most prominent religious leaders, one would assume he would read from a religious document, wouldn’t one? What is he going to read from? People Magazine? War and Peace? The Koran? The Book of Mormon? Dianetics? USA Today? Why have a pastor participate if he is not going to even read from the book he considers sacred? I’ve never heard so much controversy over ministers until this election. Strange…
What do you think?
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Truly tired of the whole thing. Will be glad when it is all over. I know I won’t be watching any part of it since I have better things to do…clean my bathroom, work a jigsaw puzzle, you name it. As for Mr. Robinson not using the Bible? Why make a mockery of a Book he disobeys anyway? Other than that I will withhold comment. Not worth publishing anyway.
Am I the only one who has to WORK on Tuesday and can’t take time out to watch the inauguration even if I wanted to?
Angie’s last blog post..Wrong on So Many Levels
Angie,
Yep. You are the only one. So please remember, to work hard…all of the unemployed mass of Americans are depending on you! Laff
In Christ
Andrew
He makes a point that is a pet peeve of mine. He says the bible is a ‘holy and sacred text.’ Why yes it is, and I am very much for keeping what is holy, holy.
Robinson wants to be inclusive with his prayer. He doesn’t want to pray a sectarian prayer that mentions a personal god. But what he doesn’t seem to grasp is that by praying to a generic god “of our many understandings,” he’s now offering a prayer that you’d find in a Unitarian Universalist church. The prayer may be generic but in a sense, it’s still sectarian.
This incident reminds me of Horace Mann when he formed the first public school system many years ago. Horace Mann created a system that replaced Jesus with a generic god. His approach while supposedly more “inclusive” strongly resembled and conformed to Mann’s own Unitarian faith.
Dozer, LOL, sadly, I owe, I owe so it’s off to work I go.
Angie’s last blog post..Wrong on So Many Levels
and yet the Episcopal Church in America is splitting wide open because of the “paganism” of Mr Robinson.
What a shame!
Phil Hoover’s last blog post..Dear President George Bush
You are welcome Angie. Actually I work too, but not everyone can have a job like me. I telecommute…AKA: getting paid to surf the net.
Phil,
I know of many Episcopalians who think this is great! Sometimes a little division is a good thing. The line in the sand was drawn and MOST Episcopals are choosing to obey God regardless the cost to them personally. I see a similar movement in the United Methodist Church that harkens back to the days of John and Charles Wesley. The Southern Baptists are having very strong divisions over the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit, and The Worldwide Church of God, that was once considered a cult by most of us, repented of the heresey of the Armstrongs in recent years and now embraces orthodox Christianity.
The Lord will return for a ’spotless bride.’ Spots will be cleaned away.
Andrew
Robinson should be asked to define who she is professionally. If she says Bishop of the Episcopal Church, then I’d ask her what that Episcopal Church truly believes. After all, she is the supposed leader of said church.
This is truly a sad, sad little woman.
And no, I say that only half in jest. Her first name is Vicki.
I guess Vicki doesn’t realize that her inclusionist attempt at a prayer is utterly meaningless. I mean, she might be better served bringing Michael Vick up to sing, “Who Let the Dogs Out?” Now that would certainly be more meaningful then this sad, sad little woman.
A prominent religious leader must mean someone who leads a small diocese of a shrinking denomination which is shrinking in part because of his role in the denomination. Someone who has no national platform, and would likely be unknown if it weren’t for his sexual orientation.
Sure.
Shane Vander Hart’s last blog post..Miracle on the Hudson
I think its fine that Gene pray his prayer to whatever/whoever his god is..it reminds me of the great “pray off” between the prophets of Bail and the prophet of Jehovah… Pray as they did, their god never showed up, totally silent, absent.. they were left standing alone, defeated, embarrased, … One word to Jehovah and the place was on fire!..
So let ol Gene pray.. its no more than him having a conversation with himself..since he had clearly decided he is is own god!
bruce grubbs
senior pastor,
Gladeville Baptist Church,
The GLADEChurch
the GLADEChurc
What Robinson is doing is trying to be inclusive, which is more than I can say for many judgmental Christians as many of you seem to be. Look, the human beings who wrote the Bible 2000 years ago were not right about Shrimp, nor Fabric, nor Pigskin, nor Polygamy, nor Slavery…. nor so many things in Levitus and in the New Testament too. It’s a historical text with some excellent insights, but the writers of the Bible were not very enlightened about homosexuality. The beliefs of the past should not imprison us now. Please use the mind that God gave you and think critically about the motivations behind the writers of the Bible. Read my blog if you like. Open your minds, for God’s sake!
http://equalhearts.blogspot.com/
Tracy’s last blog post..Introduction Followed by Open Letter to Rev. Rick Warren
Tracy,
Thanks for stopping by. Was Jesus inclusive? He said in John 14:6 that He was the way, the truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. I know there are a lot of judgmental Christians and I struggle with that myself. But if we claim to be Christians which means we are followers of Jesus then we have to live by God’s Word.
Hhhhmmm, in response to Tracy’s comment… As I read the Bible, God did not invent slavery or polygamy. Man started those out of his own free will. And I think God was spot on about shrimp and pork. People of that day had no clue about germs, so rather than have a bunch of people sick from poorly cooked shrimp, He just told them not to eat it.
I also note that God did not create homosexuality either. That’s another of man’s creations. What God did create was the union of one man and one wife. We call it marriage.
Tracy, the most scathing judgmentalism that appears on this page is your comment. Apparently, many of our secular religionists believe that man’s creations are better than God’s creations. Why not let Rick Warren pray in Jesus’ name? After all, a prayer to a god after our own inventions is not going to be much of a prayer at all.
I am grateful and full of honor for Bishop Robinson who is respectful of ways in which the majority of Americans believe, as well as beliefs of others all around this difficult world. He seems to respect “everyone” in their search and journey toward God, or whatever that spiritual connection on this earth is for people who might not think just like “the majority of Americans”. Thank you Bishop Robinson, this is not about who you love, this is about reaching out to the hearts and minds of all.
Abbee Smith