Obama listens

Many in the gay community were hurt and angry that Obama chose evangelical minister Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration because of Warren's stance on homosexuality. He has explained that he "loves" gays but considers their life sinful according to Biblical teaching.

It's OK to be gay -- as long as you don't have sex.

Further, until the outcry of protest, his church's web site had stated that, unless gays are willing to repent of the sin of their homosexual life style, they are not eligible for membership in his church. He later explained that members of his church enter into a fellowship commitment that requires adherence to scriptural teaching and that an unrepentant adulterer would fall into the same category and not be eligible. Although neither could join this committed fellowship, they are welcome and encouraged to attend services.

My take on Obama's choice was that he really did not consider it an insult to the gay community and didn't realize that it would be interpreted as such, since he also has the Rev. Joseph Lowery giving the benediction, and Lowery supports gay marriage. This does not indicate any change in Obama's commitment to gay rights. It is a typical example of his inclusiveness. He stated in his acceptance speech that he will be the president of all the people and that he wants to reach out especially to those who did not support him in the election.

I also think it's a bit of over-reaction in the gay community, even though I understand and had the same impulse initially. But consider that the Pope says almost exactly the same thing: being gay is ok; having gay sex is a sin, and you can't take communion unless you repent, the same as if you had committed adultery. A few priests even told their congregants that voting for Obama was a sin, because of his support for abortion rights. Yet, I doubt there would have been the same protest if Obama had chosen a Roman Catholic priest to give the invocation.

So I was willing to accept Obama's wisdom, as I have on many other things that I at first disagreed with him on. He could have avoided the gay protest by choosing a different evangelical minister, one who has recently changed his views on homosexuality and has said he is rethinking his stand on gay marriage: the Rev. Richard Cisik. But those remarks cost Cisik his position as Vice President of the National Association of Evangelicals, so asking him would have sent a negative message to the evangelical community.

Now we see again what is typical of Obama -- he listens and he responds. It was reported today that he has asked the Rev. Gene Robinson to give the invocation at the opening ceremony of Inaugural Week at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. Robinson is the first gay Episcopal priest to be elected Bishop, an act that has precipitated schisms in the world-wide Anglican community but has been tremendously affirming to the gay community.

That was a good decision. I can't think of anything he could have done at this point that would have better repaired Obama's stand with the gay community. Even more, it shows what we can expect from having a president who listens and takes note and tries to fix things.

Ralph