The Rickster…
Jan 30th, 2009 by ljkim
What a day we had last week! In case you forgot already, I’m talking about the Inauguration. Oddly, one awkward moment for a lot of people was Rick Warren’s prayer. It was a normal kind of prayer for the occasion, uncontroversial, warm and genuine. But it was awkward. Why? For some it was awkward because it seemed to perpetuate the myth of America as a “Christian” nation. The U.S. was probably never a Christian nation by the Christian definition of Christian (Rome was never “Christian” either even though Christianity was the official religion at one point). The founders of the U.S. had lots of different beliefs about God, but their language reflected the cultural influence of the British monarchy that claimed its authority in part from their version of Christianity…
I think what the awkwardness reminds us is that we live in a “pluralistic” society. We live in a society that consciously accepts and encourages people to have different beliefs and viewpoints. Thank God! Now part of loving one’s neighbor in a pluralistic society means trying to be aware of that, and being sensitive to it, while at the same time not compromising our own beliefs for other people. That means we don’t ever want to (even appear to) shove our understanding of God down other people’s throats, just the way we might not like Buddhists or Muslims pushing their beliefs on us… Instead there is a way to be open about what we believe that is respectful of other people’s differences.
How do we do that? It can be hard for some religions to function within pluralism – which is why secularism does so well – but real Christianity has a tremendous advantage. The core of Christian teaching has to do with loving God, and loving the people who are around us…even loving enemies. Real Christianity thrived in major cities with people who believed different things. Believing what we believe while being open to other people’s differences, and being considerate of them, is how we teach one another and grow… In the church, and outside the church… So how do we do that? Here are some tips: (1) Don’t assume other people believe what you believe, (2) let them know that’s okay, and (3) be ready to explain your beliefs and actions. (4) Stick to your core belief – love God and love (be considerate of/be kind to/treat as you would want to be treated/care about) the people around you.
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But what about the Rickster himself? Do you think that his prayer was appropriate or that he should have “watered it down”? Or is it a question of if Obama invited Warren, an evangelical Southern Baptist pastor, then the President should have known what kind of prayer to expect?
Hey SJ, I don’t think Rick Warren did anything wrong. I should have titled it “Poor Rick Warren.” I think he did exactly what the folks who put him there expected him to do, so it’s unfortunate the way people wind up seeing him…
The majority of the people watching the inauguration probably were not evangelical. So unless someone were super-super careful, they would feel excluded by the prayer. Just the way evangelicals might feel excluded if it was a Muslim preacher praying at the inauguration…even if it was essentially (theologically) the exact same prayer…
But I think it is possible to be Christian, and public about one’s faith, without making non-Christians feel excluded. And the command to “love one’s neighbor” means we have to learn to do just that.