From the former 2nd VP of the Southern Baptist Convention:
Pastor says ‘God will punish Rick Warren’
Wiley Drake criticizes Warren, calls Obama ‘evil illegal alien.’
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTERBUENA PARK — Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake bashed Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren this week, saying “God will punish” Warren for agreeing to give the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration next month.
“I pray He is kind to you in this punishment that is coming,” Drake wrote in a widely-released e-mail. In it, the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park pastor criticizes Warren’s “recent plan to invoke the presence of almighty God on this evil illegal alien,” a reference to Obama.
The best part of this whole story is below:
Drake said Warren, also a Southern Baptist minister, is “hurting our denomination, and the Lord’s work.”
Drake surely hasn’t done much to improve the SBC’s image…
I think the best thing Baptists can do about Wiley is ignore him. Rick Warren is one preacher I can listen to without getting ill.
Ignoring Wiley is probably the best route to take. Unfortunately for Baptists, the media has not chosen to do the same. Wiley has become a regular in the LA Times and other national papers.
I still wouldn’t give Drake time on my blog.
It’s hard to ignore someone like this when a church, no matter how small, gives him a platform by keeping him in their pastorate, and when the SBC, for whatever reason, elected him second VP a couple of conventions back.
Some of the left wing criticism is just as unreasonable, and ignorant of the facts, as this is.
Aaron Weaver is the Wiley of moderate Baptists…
No. Aaron is rather sane and not given to the kind of drivel that comes out of Wiley.
Do I know you Magic?
I think I might.
I agree, Lee.
I watched an old post-election interview with Obama the other night. As much emphasis as he has put on unity and bringing folks together, it’s amazing to see how “surprised” some of the gay rights activists have been over the Warren selection.
When they pulled the lever for Obama, did they not realize that that being inclusive means not excluding those who hold certain beliefs?
As an ally of GLBT folk who was very angry about Warren’s invocation invite, let me explain why we were “surprised.” Being inclusive means reaching out to everyone, but not necessarily honoring people who have tried to foment hate. Inviting Warren to the ceremony would have been one thing, but giving him the opening prayer was a slap in the face. Why? Because GLBT folk and allies (who worked VERY hard to elect Obama while Warren worked against him) were the one group of Obama supporters who LOST on election night. And Warren helped that loss along.
Obama could have invited another conservative evangelical pastor who also is against same sex marriage, but who had not compared it to pedophilia, incest, bestiality and rape and it would not have had the same slap in the face impact.
Also, as Big Daddy Weave has pointed out, Warren has called for the assassination of the president of Iran. Now, neither I nor anyone I know would defend Ahmadinejad (sp?), but no Christian should advocate assassination. And Obama wants to try to change the relationship between the U.S. and many Islamic-majority nations, so how does Warren help? Look at this way: If Iran had just had a presidential election, would we want the inauguration ceremony to involve a blessing by a radical Islamic cleric who had called for Bush’s assassination–no matter how we felt about Bush?
The Warren invitation was a stupid blunder on Obama’s part–as bad as his “bitter” comment in the campaign. It showed remarkable tone deafness–from a campaign that is usually so excellent in political staging.
Let me put this way, if Obama had invited a pastor who had made nasty remarks about Jews and worked to make Jewish marriages illegal, would anyone be complimenting him for inclusion?
I’m not arguing that Warren has not “fomented hate” in the past. But I don’t think most Americans regard Rick Warren as someone who has “fomented hate.” Warren’s comparison of homosexuality to bestiality is obviously quite offensive. But I don’t think Rick Warren is KNOWN for that comment the same way that Jesse Jackson is KNOWN for his comment about Jews.
I would have preferred say a Jim Wallis. But the presence of any evangelical (Left, Right, or Center) would have ticked off a large number of gay rights activists. The inclusion of any religious figure who opposes same-sex marriage would have brought a loud contingency of gay rights leaders to shout their disapproval. Also, it seems that many in the LGBT community have not come to accept the fact that Obama does not support same-sex marriage.
Regarding Prop 8: Warren did fight for Prop 8. But what did Obama do? Gays and lesbians in California are furious with the evangelicals and Mormons. But are they equally furious with the 70 percent or so of Black Democrats who voted for Prop 8?
I’m just a little turned off by some of the remarks and tactics of gay rights leaders, post-Prop 8. The way to change the hearts and minds of people towards issues like marriage equality is not to go around accusing folks of bigotry because they believe that homosexuality is a sin – this would obviously include the overwhelming majority of Christians in America.
I’m also a little bothered by those who now lump Warren with Falwell. David Gushee was wrong. Warren is no Centrist. But, Gushee was correct in that Warren deserves to be distinguished from Falwell & Company.
Apologies if I’m all over the place with this comment.
Same-sex marriage, civil marriage, is about marriage EQUALITY. Opposing equal treatment for any group within the law is, by definition, bigotry and discrimination. Saying that one’s religious beliefs lead you to oppose that equality only says WHY one is bigoted (whether Warren or Obama or, before I changed my mind, me). Religiously motivated discrimination is still discrimination–just as when the dominant forms of evangelical Christianity or traditional Islam discriminate against women.
And, you’re right, Obama didn’t lift a finger to stop Prop 8 from passing, although the opponents of Prop 8 worked their butts off to get him elected. That was all the more reason for him to REACH OUT to GLBT folks, not Sista Souljah them.