I know we’re not supposed to “critique” prayers, but let me just say this:  Amen, Rick Warren.  Amen.

Sometimes I think people act as if saying “In Jesus’ Name” at the end of a prayer is like magic words that make the prayer work, as if they catch God’s attention in some way.  (BTW, this is not aimed at CS’ comment above, it’s more in response to the discussions I saw in various places in the weeks prior to Warren’s prayer)

When Jesus spoke of praying in his name, I think he was meaning to pray under his authority, as when a cop arrests someone “in the name of the law.” It means to pray as Jesus himself would pray. 

We pray all kinds of silly things “In Jesus’ Name” acting as if that phrase somehow makes them not silly or in some way better aligned with Jesus’ will, when in reality we’re just presenting a wish list that often has nothing to do with what Jesus would want.  To pray such things “in Jesus’ name” is probably more akin to taking the Lord’s name in vain than it is to really praying as Jesus would, under his authority.

I also don’t think a believer has to remind God that “Now I’m praying in Jesus name” (as opposed to all my other prayers)

In the case of Warren’s prayer, the addition or absence of those words served mainly to give Warren’s detractors something else to point fingers at. 

Dave

Perhaps this is not the place, but I want to vent.  1.  I heard that a poll found that only 9% really were against Warren leading the prayer...if that is not a case of the media making a mountain out of an ant hill I don’t know what is.  MEDIA!  QUIT PANDERING TO THE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS!  JUST REPORT THE NEWS AND TRY NOT TO CREATE IT!  2.  I wonder what would have happened if Rick Warren had of said, “And Gay do what is Right...”?  Racism swings both ways.

I feel better, thank you.

Dave writes “When Jesus spoke of praying in his name, I think he was meaning to pray under his authority, as when a cop arrests someone “in the name of the law.” It means to pray as Jesus himself would pray.”

Yeah, to often it’s a “magic spell” at the end of the prayer. speaking in someone’s name in the ancient world was different. For instance, the two tellings of the story of the Centurion in the Gospels, in Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10. In one the Centurion came to Jesus, in the other, friends and servants came. There is no inconsistency here, because in the ancient world there is no distinction between him coming and someone coming “in his name”. (I wonder if this story is in the Bible to teach us the meaning of this concept.)

Praying “in Jesus Name” is not necessarily uttering “magic words” to make the prayer effective. It is praying those things that Jesus would pray.

Rick Warren was AWESOME!

Let me apologize publically for believing that RW would not pray in the name of Jesus for fear of offending anyone.  I was wrong.

Thank you Katrina.

Yesterday reminded me why I am a Rick Warren supporter.

Wendi

Katrina,

My respect for you grows.

You show a maturity that many who disagree with RW don’t show.

May God bless you today!

CS
You are right, you are being nit picky.  You are reading into his use of the word “I” in a way that for me seems over the top.  It feels lie your are saying, Got to find something wrong, so if I can’t I will assume the worst.

As for why he prayed to the one who changed his life, again, your words seem to stir controversy where there is none.  The use of the name “Isa” is very common for Arabic Christians even if it has meaning in the Koran that is different. 

We have been down this road more than once so I will ask…

Does your pastor go under such scrutiny for every word, thought and detail of his prayers and tone and inflection of words? 

Does your pastor have to defend every time there could be an alternate meaning to something he says? 

Finally I am not sure what you are getting at with the video.  Can you explain?  Thanks

Leonard:

“Does your pastor go under such scrutiny for every word, thought and detail of his prayers and tone and inflection of words?

“Does your pastor have to defend every time there could be an alternate meaning to something he says?”

No, I do not scrutinize my pastor for everything he says and every inflection he gives, and assume the best in what he says.  I give him the benefit of the doubt, even when I hear something that sounds egregiously wrong.

Now, if my pastor was invited to give a prayer in front of a national audience, and he suddenly broke out with saying things that sounded out of character or just plain weird, as though he was trying to be ecumenical or oddly non-offensive, I’d probably ask him about it.

As for the video, I thought that it showed how he may leverage a situation like praying at an internationally-viewed forum might help bolster his PEACE plan, and some of the ideas he has behind it.

Wendi:

“I think it would be impossible for you to say “good job Rick,” even if all he did was read a passage of scripture, because you would gag on the words as they came out of your mouth.”

If that was the only thing he did, I would be willing to praise him openly.  I’d even praise him out loud for preaching the Gospel directly.  He does so many things, though, that make me take a double-take that I do have to give them another look, and say, “what was that?”

--
CS

CS –

In the context of the inauguration of a U.S. President, it’s completely right to be ecumenical and non-offensive.  The inauguration doesn’t belong to the Christian Americans.  It is a day for all Americans; Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, gay and straight, liberals way to the left and the most right wing conservative.  It is a day when we celebrate, among other things, the fact that our constitution guarantees that Americans of every faith (or lack of faith) should be honored and respected by their President and his (her) inaugural festivities. 

You and others seem to think that if a pastor doesn’t hijack every opportunity they are given to give an “in your face” Jesus message or prayer, they have somehow betrayed their faith.  Hogwash!! That’s nothing short of bullying in Jesus name.  Respecting people of other faiths when one is invited to speak in a venue that belongs equally to people of every faith is the right, and God-honoring thing to do.  Rich Warren proved that you can honor and respect people of every faith while being completely true to and open about “the one who changed our lives.”

Wendi

Fishon –

I know that you are not a RW fan, so I appreciate your gratitude that he clearly prayed to Jesus as the one who changed HIS life.

The examples you give do not fit in the context of the inauguration of an American president.

When Elijah prayed on Mt. Carmel, the listeners, including Ahab and the 450 who had become prophets of Baal, were God’s rebellious but chosen people.  The political context was a theocracy.  Ahab was in a covenant relationship with God and responsible to govern Israel to follow God’s laws.  America is a democracy and under grace (there are no more God-ordained theocracies), God has ordained that all Americans (and all human beings) can freely chose or reject Him.  President Obama does not have the same responsibility to govern America as Ahab had to govern Israel. Rick Warren had neither the responsibility nor the right to speak to all Americans as Elijah spoke to the people on Mount Carmel.

Daniel, living in Babylonian captivity, prayed at his window, privately but overheard, to his God.  Although he continued to worship God, there is no evidence that he ever imposed his faith on his Babylonian captures.  Nevertheless, he was asked to offer his worship to Nebuchadnezzar, which he refused.  No one asked RW to worship Obama or to offer his prayer to anyone but the one God he knows to worship.

Jesus asked HIS FOLLOWERS (not all people) to pray in His name.  RW is a Christ follower, and he indeed prayed in Jesus name, a prayer reached out to those of other faiths while still respecting them.  That is ecumenicalism at its finest.

Wendi

WOW!!  Is this really what the American church has come to?  I for one am sick of all of these “watchers” out there that pick apart EVERY word of people that they disagree with.
CS said himself that he would only talk to his pastor about his prayer if his pastor was in the same position.  Amazing!!  I think that is called a double standard?
What did Jesus say?

They (the world/unbelievers) will know you by the way you pick apart every word of those on a national stage? 

Wait, not that’s not it....

They ill know you by how you think that only you know the complete truth and all others are wrong?

Nope, not that either....

They will know you by your............love for one another. 

Not whether you agree with his plan for peace (I think Jesus talked about peace).  Not whether you like how he runs the Church that God put him over.  Not whether you think that he is doctrinally sound, but by love.

Something to think about a little more then we do.