Obama’s Selection of Evangelical Pastor Rick Warren for Inauguration Sparks Gay Outrage - US News and World Report
i have to admit, i'm puzzled over this one.
(who would i have picked? Peter Gomes. he's black AND gay!)
rick warren's disgust with the 'gay lifestyle' (like it's picking a tea cozy or deciding where to vacation) is just code for 'i am a raging homophobe.' and that's why it matters.
having someone like rick warren is exactly like inviting a friendly, raging racist to stand up there and give the prayer.
when are we going to see that civil rights are civil rights, no matter who's asking for them?
if the larger society is to accept the basic humanity of gays and lesbians then certain lines need to be drawn in the sand. one of those lines is recognizing that homosexuality is not a lifestyle choice but a life, like yours and mine and, therefore, it should be recognized as such and reap the same benefits of lives like yours and mine.
in the same way you cannot choose your skin color or your gender, you cannot choose your sexual orientation.
(a lesson that Ted Haggard is still learning, clearly.)
this is not a point to debate or cavil over but the basic, fundamental dividing line between those supporting gay civil rights and those who are against it. there is no point in conversing, negotiating or symbolically linking these two camps when the two camps are so fundamentally opposed.
i can understand only some of the thinking behind this pick. rick warren symbolizes a so-called 'post-denominational' church (an idea which would make my dad spit.) but i think we can probably think of pastors on the religious left who better symbolize this spirit of moving away from tired fundamentalism and its culture wars: brian mclaren? peter gomes? my pastor? jim wallis? father michael pfleger? an ordained woman from any of the mainline churches, perhaps?
a friend made me realize that Power is Power, no matter who wears it, even the affable tall skinny black guy we're going to call President. and Power, no matter who wears it, never willingly cedes ground.
and so, those of us who are demanding something from Power, neither can we.
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2 comments:
Yes, I was very disappointed by this selection. Esp. after Prop 8, this was a very strange, bad choice.
i can understand some of the thinking behind it (reaching out to those who don't share your ideas) but i just don't think this is the moment for that.
there is no middle ground when it comes to civil rights, i believe. and to create a symbolic middle ground, or compromise, is a mistake.
but what do i know.
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