Here is the official statement Rick Warren released Thursday the controversy surround his selection by Barack Obama to give the invocation at the inauguration:
Statement by Dr. Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church
Regarding the Invitation from President-elect Obama to Deliver the Inaugural Invocation
Lake Forest, Calif., December 18, 2008
"I commend President-elect Obama for his courage to willingly take enormous heat by inviting someone like me, with whom he doesn’t agree on every issue, to offer the Invocation at his historic Inaugural ceremony.
Hopefully individuals passionately expressing opinions from the left and the right will recognize that both of us have shown a commitment to model civility in America.
The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God’s blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America’s leaders during this critical time in our nation’s history."
"Enormous heat" indeed.
I poked around the Saddleback website while there, and I have to say there aren't any signs of grandstanding. In the community blog section or anywhere else, there are no references to Obama, at least that I could find. At one link there is a picture, among a group of pictures, of Warren with Obama and John McCain taken during their presidential sit-down event, but there's no gloating or self-promotion.
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