The Power Of Prayer

What people of faith forget is that Jesus himself said to His folloowers that they were not ready to hear all of His message. And that the Holy Spirit would later reveal new truths. See John 16:12-13. "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come".

We know today that sexual orientation can be either heterosexual or homosexual. It is a fact. Homosexuality may have been considered a sin in Bible times. People thought those with certain medical conditions were thought to be guilty of sin. We know today that is false. For faith communities to deny new truths revealed by the Holy Spirit is to deny the words of Jesus. God is still speaking to us today. Let those with ears hear those words. Jeffery Weber

I want to thank Leah McElrath Renna for her insightful comments in the article debate with Chris Crain. She hit the nail on the head, over and over. Why most well meaning straight folk, and many gay folk don't get it???I do not understand.

There are many, many, throw away lesbian and gay kids living on the streets of major American cities. Most sell themselves into prostitution to make money for food and shelter. Many of them were discarded by families that subscribe to the Rick Warren beliefs about what being gay means.

Self sufficient Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Trans Gender adults owe it to the youngest members of our community to be unyielding, stand tall, and show strength and pride in who we are. An invocation by Rick Warren at the Inauguration is unacceptable. It is evidence of a disconnection with the very delicate state of affairs in the GLBT community, by those in the Obama camp.

With the increased incidence of HIV infection among gay men, higher rates of GLBT teen suicide, and daily violence against gay people, I have a seriour concern for our communty's emotional, spiritual, and physical safety. Rick Warren equates our relationships to pedophilia and incest. The underlying message in the choice of Rick Warren ,to give the invocation, is that gay people are sub-human and unworthy of the goodness that life can bring.

Our throwaway youth get that message. Their parents got it. Newly HIV-infected gay men got it. Bullies get it. Murderers get it. And, I get it. And, I reject it.

Christopher Babick
Former, Executive Director
People With AIDS (PWA) Coalition, NYC

I want to thank Leah McElrath Renna for her insightful comments in the article debate with Chris Crain. She hit the nail on the head, over and over. Why most well meaning straight folk, and many gay folk, don't get it???I do not understand.

There are many, many, throw away lesbian and gay kids living on the streets of major American cities. Most sell themselves into prostitution to make money for food and shelter. Many of them were discarded by families that subscribe to the Rick Warren beliefs about what being gay means.

Self sufficient Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Trans Gender adults owe it to the youngest members of our community to be unyielding, stand tall, and show strength and pride in who we are. An invocation by Rick Warren at the Inauguration is unacceptable. It is evidence of a disconnection with the very delicate state of affairs in the GLBT community, by those in the Obama camp, and by the president-elect himself.

With the increased incidence of HIV infection among gay men, higher rates of GLBT teen suicide, and daily violence against gay people, there is a serious concern for our emotional, spiritual, and physical safety. Rick Warren equates our relationships to pedophilia and incest. The underlying message in the choice of Rick Warren ,to give the invocation, is that gay people are sub-human and unworthy of the goodness that life can bring.

Our throwaway youth get that message. Their parents got it. Newly HIV-infected gay men get it. Bullies get it. Murderers get it. And, I get it. And, I reject it.

Christopher Babick
Former, Executive Director
People With AIDS (PWA) Coalition, NYC

Having only read excerpts from Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" about ambition, self-discipline and achieving your goals, I had a better opinion of him before the inaugural invocation controversy than he really deserved. Now that his real attitudes have been given an airing I see that instead of being some new breed of tolerant, thoughtful Evangelical, he is just another Biblethumping huckster out to "grow his minitstry" by playing to the prejudices of his flock.

First, I find it fascinating that if our government is truly supposed to be seperated from church that there is such a blatantly spiritual aspect infused into the presidential inauguration. That's not a criticism, as I believe in God, just a note. There seems to be confusion as to what the seperation of church and state actually means. But everything in life seems up for subjective interpretation, including the scriptures. That seems to be the source of America's discord. Personally, I disagree with Leah Mcelrath's interpretation of the Bilbe in regards to homosexuality to the point that, and there's no genial way to say this, I find it hard to believe that she's not just seeing what she wants to see. And I wonder if that applies to Rick Warren. Though, truly, I may just be seeing what I want to see. And in regards to standing before God's judgment, that does seem to be an experience that can only be had one person at a time. My only hope is that while each of us seem to be seeing what we (want to) see, that we also see each other for what we truly have to offer, what we mean to each other whether we like or agree with each other or not, and that America can come together and stand together despite such adverse perspectives. Coming together is the only way this mighty nation can prosper just as cutting each other down promises to continue our decline.

Who won the debate? Not who do you agree with. The question is, who won the debate?
That's easy....Chris won.

Rick Warren's talent is telling the ignorant and irrelevant what makes them feel significant. Obama needs someone like that since those are the folks losing most of the jobs and homes.

Rick warren's talent is telling the ignorant and irrelevant what makes them feel significant. Obama can use someone like that since they make up the majority of the people losing their jobs.

This is really about being treated as equals. Rick Warren does not believe that gay and lesbian Americans should be viewed as equals and given the same rights as other Americans. It's time for America to step up and become a modern nation with modern views on society. Why are people so afraid of those that are different from them. Is that what Christianity is all about? If your're not with us, we're against you? Any true Christian would run screaming from a "man of God," as Mr. Warren claims to be. The first settlers to America came here to get away from religious intolerence. It is really sad to see that Obama lied to America and is allowing this man to speak against what he claimed he stood for during the campaign. Shame on Obama. It looks like we have another liar as President!

Once again 'liberals' prove they are nothing of the kind. They are only open to people who agree with them. If Obama had picked a Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gay Lesbian pastor, they would have loved it and talked about how expansive Obama is, even though a person with those credentials would only be followed by a precious few followers. The Totalitarian Left is on the move!

I am a gay man with a partner of 10 years. I attend an evangelical congregation which includes many who think being gay is NOT the issue. It is the way we were born. I can disagree, live with my sweetheart and go on with life. I have studied books of Rick Warren and love them. We need not get down to telling others WHAT and HOW they should believe. Each of us has to stand before our God; therefore we need to make sure that we are right with GOD.
By the way, we are thinking about getting married in a state that allows it. You can have it both ways and not have to fight about it. As a side note, the pastor in my church found out that we were gay and did NOT have a problem with us being gay. However, we do disagree on how to live out our personal lives. I would say that is probably how it is with many people of faith in some areas of their faith.
I did not vote for President-elect Obama, but I am very impressed with what he has done and said so far, including this issue.

Good Grief, Mwalimu. If you did ANY research, you would learn that Rick Warren doesn't even draw a salary from his full-time position as the Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church. In fact, he has REPAID each penny he earned over the 25+ years he's been there, and wrote a check for that amount. He and his wife, Kay, give away 90% of their income and live off 10%. Name another high-profile figure who does that! Get your facts straight, hater.

I agree with Chris. President-elect Obama is attempting to unify the country by including persons with varying views to participate in his inauguration. To me, the beauty of being American is that I am free to believe what I wish and express what I believe as long as I do not interfere with another's right to do the same. Ms. Renna's views are devisive in that she would ostracize Rev. Warren because he does not share her belief system. I prefer the America where I am free to disagree with her beliefs while respecting her right to adhere to them .