It Could Be Worse…It Could Have Been Rev. Sharpton

President-elect Obama ignited a firestorm of criticism this week from gay and lesbian advocacy groups on his decision to invite Pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation prayer at the Inauguration. Warren, bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life and head of the Saddleback Church, one of the largest Christian evangelical churches in the nation, has supported ballot initiatives to define marriage, including the recent Proposition 8 initiative in California.

Obama defended his decision, but added that his views were “absolutely contrary” to Warren’s on gay rights and abortion, and described himself as a “fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans.” Conveniently, Obama stops short on this position when it comes to how he actually defines marriage. On this, he is on record as stating that he personally believes that “marriage is between a man and a woman.”

But this is essentially the position Warren takes. Warren says that he has no problem with gays and lesbians seeking equal protection under the law; it is that he is against the government seeking to redefine a religious covenant that has existed between a man and a woman for thousands of years.

My point here is not to debate how marriage should be defined (that’s a post for another day), it is that Obama and Warren’s views are not “absolutely contrary” – they are in fact very similar.

And as to why gay advocacy groups have specifically targeted Warren, it is largely because he has come to symbolize everything the Left detests of the “Religious Right” – the same folks they feel sent Prop 8 down in flames. But if they really wanted to marshal dissent against the forces of the Prop 8 crowd, then why haven’t they picketed Baptist churches or the NAACP in California? For of the black voters in California who turned out in droves for Obama, over 70% voted for Proposition 8.