MondayMorningInsight - Leadership & Encouragement for Church Leaders

Rick Warren’s Inaugurational Prayer

Posted by: Todd
Posted on: Wed, January 21, 2009
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(25) comments so far

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CS on Fri, January 23, 2009

Leonard:

“CS, he did pray in the name of Jesus. what prayer did you listen too?”

If you’re talking about my comment above, I was talking about Dr. Black’s prayer, and not Rick Warren’s.

Yes, Rick Warren did pray in the name of Jesus, but there were a few weird things with his closing that took me a few days to really wrap my head around. And you can call this nit-picking if you so desire, but I think there are some legitimate questions his prayer raised.

First, saying, with emphasis on, ”I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life,” he was putting so much emphasis on the, “I,” that it reminded me of Joel Hunter’s prayer at the DNC where he practically said, “Well, I’m gonna pray this way, but you can do it however you like.” Why did he emphasize the, “I,” so much?

Second, does Jesus change lives? Absolutely. But when the reverence seems to be so much on the aspect of changed lives, it bugs me. Why not instead say something more applicable like, “in the name of the one who saved us from our sins.”?

Third, why go through all of the foreign language names for Jesus? Was he trying to make it ecumenical or inclusive? Even, “Isa,” in the classic Islamic understanding is not the same as the Jesus of the Bible, which could be putting the prayer on dangerous grounds.

I found this video, which got some notoriety a couple of days before the invocation to be pretty interesting, if we want to go into Warren’s thoughts and perhaps some motivation for having prayed so publicly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fzwljL2LTQ .

—

CS
Leonard on Fri, January 23, 2009

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
Wendi on Fri, January 23, 2009

Yep CS, unbelievably nitpicky. I agree with Leonard, it seems as if since there is nothing overtly wrong, you pick apart every word and assume motives, which you have absolutely no way of knowing.

Even if his motive for using the word “Isa” was to connect with Muslims who read the Koran, I’m going to assume that Warren’s purpose was pique their interest in Jesus of the Bible, not to put Jesus on the same playing field as Allah.

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.

Wendi
CS on Fri, January 23, 2009

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
Jan on Fri, January 23, 2009

Puleeese… I think your criticism is really sad.

I think you are looking to be offended. And frankly, that is really unloving of you. Love does not seek wrong doing or offense. And it’s obvious that that’s where you are at this point.

And to me at least, you’ve become a clanging cymbal right about now.

Why can’t you for once just support your brother in Christ who was given this incredible opportunity for ministry and held up his end quite well?

Is it so difficult for you to give credit where credit is due without tagging on a “But…”
Wendi on Fri, January 23, 2009

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 on Sat, January 24, 2009

I wonder if Elijah was ecumenical on Mt. Carmel?

I wonder if Daniel was ecumenical when the spies heard him pray throught the window?

I wonder if Jesus was being ecumentically correct when he said to pray in his name?

If Warren was being ecumenical, he blew it by praying in Jesus name.

I am by no means a Warren fan. But I must say, when he prayed the model pray, tears can easy.

I disagree with many things he is doing, but as an open critic of him I must say thank you, Rick, for boldly making it clear, “JESUS.”

fishon
Wendi on Sat, January 24, 2009

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
Joe on Fri, January 30, 2009

I’m sure we can make any excuse we want for any bible character like you did for Elijah to willow down our responsibility to be the Christian we are called to be in public prayer. Praying without restraint is not imposing a faith on people. Those that don’t like it will not be of one mind about it. I thought he overemphasized the racial significance to join with the media frenzy. And it went so far as saying that “God and MLK are smiling from heaven”. It reminds me of funerals where the pastor says the person is in heaven in order to comfort when he knows that person was not a believer. God may not be smiling. Not because of his race but because of his ideology (the rejection of supporting life is one evidence given this week). The request about “common good” and the “planet” also seemed to try to ring with Obama’s socialistic viewpoint (and maybe the PEACE plan).
Shawn Wilson on Mon, February 23, 2009

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.