God & Country

Rick Warren's Surprisingly Low-Profile Role in Proposition 8

December 22, 2008 RSS Feed Print

There's a must-read AP story up about Rick Warren's critics inside the evangelical movement. Many claim he's not politically conservative enough. For all the hew and cry in the gay community over Warren's advocacy for Proposition 8 (California's recently passed gay marriage ban), it turns out that he took a very low-profile role in that campaign. He's been much more vocal on issues like combating AIDS and poverty in Africa:

The pastor chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to give the inaugural invocation backed Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in his home state of California . But he did so belatedly, with none of the enthusiasm he brings to fighting AIDS and illiteracy.

When other conservative Christians held stadium rallies and raised tens of millions of dollars for the ballot effort, there was no sign of Warren . Neither he nor his wife, Kay, donated any of their considerable fortune to the campaign, according to public records and the Warrens ' spokesman.

In fact, his endorsement seemed calculated for minimal impact. It was announced late on a Friday, just 10 days before Election Day, on a Web site geared for members of his Saddleback Community Church , not the general public.

Tags:
Proposition 8,
Rick Warren,
California,
religion,
gay rights

Reader Comments Read all comments (9)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

It would appear that you are the one who is ignoring the real central fact. The so-called "right" to marry was granted by four judges on a supreme court who were intent on overstepping their bounds and legislating from the bench. They went against the voice of the people of California, against a definition which has endured in human history from the beginning of time, and against the teachings of every major religion in the world. Your "facts" concerning the Bible's view on women and polygamy are lacking factual support. While polygamy did occur in the Bible, it was NOT taught as the right way. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 19 and Mark 10 that the original intent of marriage was for one man and one woman. He made it clear that this union is so important that God himself is the one who joins the man and woman together in marriage. Ephesians 5:28 says that it is a husband's duty to love his wife in the same way he loves himself. In other words, he is to treat her in the same way he would treat himself. That hardly sounds like viewing women as property.

I fail to see how Rick Warren has abused his power and position. He was simply telling the truth. Oh!! Now I remember, everybody has free speech rights except Christians who actually read the Bible and believe it.

Jon Most of SD 12:56AM December 29, 2008

Casey Sassamann of PA wrote on Dec 22, 2008 that marriage's origin is clearly described in Genesis. Casey Sassmann, however, doesn't say which of the creation stories he is referring to. There are two creation stories in Genesis: the first creation story takes place in Genesis 1, while the second takes place in Genesis 2. They were likely written centuries apart. This is the problem with a literal interpretation of the Bible, it just doesn't work. God didn't drop a book down from the sky. Many sacred writings have been honored throughout history. We have the collection we call the Bible as a result of a power struggle in the early Roman Church. They decided what was "sacred" and what was not.

My main objection to this idea however is the notion that anyone would seek to write into the Constitution of California their particular religious perspective. Instead of trying to impose religious beliefs on everyone else by writing them into the Constitution, I belong to a church that serves our community, cares for the poor and ill, empowers the powerless, feeds the hungry, provides spiritual nourishment to the lost and seeking.

This is what Jesus taught us to do as well as spiritual teachers and guides throughout time. Yes on 8 gang have gone after gay people with vengeance and tried to lay the blame for marriage's ills at our feet. They have ignored that the focus of Jesus teachings on marriage was about the evils of divorce. If they really want to "protect" marriage, they should be trying to end the high number of divorces by providing support to married couples instead of distorting the lying to the people of CA about same sex couples.

TomWins of CA 10:42PM December 24, 2008

Not sure why this needs to be pointed out: marriage is not a right.

anon of CA 3:12PM December 23, 2008

God & Country

U.S. News Weekly

Subscribe Now!

Order the new U.S. News Weekly digital magazine at a special low introductory price!

Dan Gilgoff covers religion for U.S. News & World Report. He is the author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War, and is a former politics editor at beliefnet. E-mail Dan at godandcountry@usnews.com.

Is increasing access to healthcare a moral or faith-based cause?

View Results

BLOG ROLL

Follow Dan Gilgoff on: Facebook | Twitter | MySpace

Photo Gallery

Faith Photo of the Day

See what's going on in the faith world across the globe every day.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Secrets of Islam

A guide to the world's fastest growing religion.

Sacred Places

Explore the significance, history, and enduring power of places people consider most sacred.

Women of the Bible

The "daughters of Eve" play many roles in the Old and New Testaments.