Purpose-Driven Idiots

Because of the flood of annual responsibilities that beset me this December, I haven't been keeping up with the national news as I should. After all, Christmas is the season of "Joy to the World"... Why should I watch the news and become even more depressed than King Herod upon the arrival of the Wise Men?

Anyway, this morning my dad informed me about the latest of several controversies that have surrounded Barack Obama before he has even taken the Oath of Office: Is it his selection of another "moderate" for a cabinet position? Is it his relationship with the corrupt governor and political machine in Chicago? No, nothing so mundane...

Apparently Obama has committed the unpardonable sin by requesting an invocation from Pastor Rick Warren on inauguration day. Gays and lesbians are offended that someone committed to a biblical view of marriage, and who supported the controversial California Proposition 8 restricting legal marriage to heterosexuals only, would be invited to Obama's inauguration...especially when Obama "promised them so much." Some evangelical conservatives are upset that Warren is even associated with Obama. I think all these people need to chill out and listen to a good story:

During my sophomore year in college, my grandfather passed away right before finals. It was a traumatic moment in my life. After I found out, I told a couple of the guys in my dorm. One was a friend who happened to be Jewish. Later that evening, he came to my dorm room, expressed his genuine sympathy, and offered to pray with me.

Now get this: As a Jew, he rejects my fundamental belief that Jesus Christ really was the Son of God and the Savior of all humanity. But I was not about to indulge in self-righteousness or narcissism by pushing aside his prayer. He was a friend. He genuinely cared. And like any person of goodwill, he felt compelled to reach out to me. I don't need to agree with his theology, or anything else for that matter, to appreciate the genuine intent of his heart.

Fast-forward to today: I like Barack Obama immensely for his optimism, I think he is a good husband and father, and I am impressed with his ability to reach out to former rivals like Hillary and McCain for the sake of the country. But I disagree with him on many issues, and I fear that his economic plans will do more long-term harm than good. I think especially that his position on abortion is atrocious. In spite of this, I wish him goodwill and intend on praying for him daily. To those "conservatives" who decry Rick Warren for his association with Obama, I say this: Even if you regard Obama as your enemy, you are under orders from Jesus Christ Himself to pray for him.

As for the gay and lesbian community: We are a nation at war in the Middle East, and the financial situation in this country is worsening. Very few Americans can comprehend the weight that will fall on Obama's shoulders in one short month. The fact that gays and lesbians are complaining about such a petty issue (Rick Warren doing the invocation) at this time shows that they are not motivated by goodwill, but by their own anger and intolerance for anyone who would dare to disagree with them. That makes them just as bad as some of the "evangelicals" that they decry.