LONG BEACH, Calif. – Under fire for opposing gay marriage, influential evangelical pastor Rick Warren said Saturday that he loves Muslims, people of other religions, Republicans and Democrats, and he also loves "gays and straights."
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(Photo: AP Images / Hector Mata)Evangelical Pastor Rick Warren delivers a speech during the 8th Annual Convention of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Long Beach, California on Saturday Dec. 20, 2008. Under fire for opposing gay marriage, influential evangelical pastor Rick Warren said Saturday that he loves Muslims, people of other religions, Republicans and Democrats, and he also loves 'gays and straights.'
The 54-year-old pastor and founder of Saddleback Church in Southern California told the crowd of 500 that it's unrealistic to expect everyone to agree on everything all the time.
"You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," said Warren.
Warren also defended President-elect Barack Obama's invitation that he give the invocation at the Jan. 20 inauguration in the keynote speech he delivered at the Muslim Public Affairs Council's annual convention in Long Beach.
Obama's choice of Warren earlier this week sparked outcry from gay rights and other liberal groups, who said choosing such an outspoken opponent of gay marriage was tantamount to endorsing bigotry.
"Three years ago I took enormous heat for inviting Barack Obama to my church because some of his views don't agree (with mine)," he said. "Now he's invited me."
Warren said he prays for the same things for Obama that he prays for himself: integrity, humility and generosity.
Obama defended his choice on Thursday, saying that he has also invited Joseph Lowery, a Methodist minister and civil rights leader who supports same-sex marriage and gay rights, to deliver the benediction.
"During the course of the entire inaugural festivities, there are going to be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that's how it should be, because that's what America's about. That's part of the magic of this country ... we are diverse and noisy and opinionated," Obama said.
Toward the end of his speech on Saturday, Warren also talked about singer Melissa Ethridge, who performed earlier in the evening. Warren said the two had a "wonderful conversation" and that he is a huge fan who has all her albums.
The openly lesbian gay rights activist even agreed to sign her Christmas album for him, he said.
Warren gained a prominent role in the presidential election in August when he hosted the Civil Forum on the Presidency, a two-hour televised show in which he interviewed Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain for an hour each on faith and moral issues.
Warren has won kudos from some liberal quarters by focusing less on traditional conservative issues such as abortion and gay rights, and instead calling on evangelical leaders to devote more attention to eradicating poverty, fighting AIDS in Africa, expanding educational opportunity for the marginalized, and global warming.
But the preacher ignited the ire of many liberals when he publicly supported California's Proposition 8, which amended the state Constitution to ban gay marriage.
Although Warren has said that he has nothing personally against gays, he has condemned same-sex marriage.
"I have many gay friends. I've eaten dinner in gay homes. No church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church," he said in a recent interview with BeliefNet. But later in the interview, he compared the "redefinition of marriage" to include gay marriage to legitimizing incest, child abuse, and polygamy.
Warren founded Saddleback Church in 1980 in Lake Forest, about 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles. He is the author of numerous Christian books, including "The Purpose Driven Life," which has sold more than 20 million copies.
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Rick Warren is a master at reading hillbillies and marketing Rick Warren. That alone qualifies him to be white America's next great spiritual leader. He understands that the whole point of being an evangelical is to single out people who are different from us, to reinforce that essential "us vs. them" mentality.
Pastor Warren is clever enough to single out gays and pro-choice adults, so there will be plenty of people for his disciples to look down on. This is not rocket science, people.
its not that i'd want to fight, a.s. matthew, i happen to think that "loving gays" means accepting them into your church as they are, for who they are. lets thank God that they can love in the first place, and let God decide the moral issues. i feel strongly that marriage should be a loving bond that is legally upheld by the state. your church is different than mine. GIVE ME RELIGIOUS FREEDOM! gay marriage is a civil rights issue and warren and obama are both wrong on this particular front. separate is not equal and never will be. if people are giving and loving and responsible, they should be "allowed" by our laws to marry in peace and harmony - the way God intended. I would love not to have to "fight" on this issue, but i will Not turn a blind eye to prejudice in the name of our Holiness.
all of that aside, i think its a good thing to cross over political territories in search of true compassion, which comes from every angle. i just wish it wasn't some one who was so famously on the forefront of every issue, including the civil rights/ gay marriage issue - an on the intolerant side.
I posted: "2Pe 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
I find it interesting that anyone would give a thumbs down to a Bible verse which is about mercy and grace! I hope that person get's some help since they don't want mercy or grace.
I do love people than their own sins and I could never hate them because I need to show my compassion to them. Please love others than their sins the same way as Jesus did. I hope you understand why Rick Warren do that to others.
Wow, excellent point nolalady!
The thing is... if Obama had invited a Muslim shiekh, who probably thinks homosexuals should be killed, the same people would not have complained.
"You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," said Warren.
IS THIS TRUE??
Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" The inference is No, they can't.
It seems Mr Warren is always finding himself on the wrong side of the fence. And his words prove it.
A murderer's family members will always love him; Warren certainly isn't in the tank for equal rights, but he's not as psychotically homophobic as other preachers. I believe him in his compassion. Hey.. you can't please everyone.
Its important to remember that the people who got on Jesus's and the Apostle Paul's nerves were not the sinners and tax collectors and the homosexuals but the self righteous teachers of the law, who didn't see that they had all the same problems, just slightly disguised and made culturally acceptable. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God - and Jesus died for all of us whether we are a man married to a man or a man married to a woman or not married at all.
2Pe 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
"But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness,"
But, of course, unrepentant sodomites are not our brothers.
If Warren truly loved all these differnt people, he would make sure they know they are going to hell without Jesus.
Those who voted for Barack Hussein Obama knew they were voting for a man who was trying to straddle the fence on all the foreign and domestic issues facing our nation. They should not be surprised (nor complaining) about him doing the same thing now.
Kudos for Pre. elect Obama for inviting Rev. Rick Warren
to pray at the inauguration, also for Rev. Warren in
accepting the invitation. We are living in a pluralistic society.
If those people supported Sen. Obama to get elected with
the sole vested interest to keep their priorities
established; then as a President, he can't rule with
dignity and authority. We are caught up in the worst
financial crisis, and we must pray for the President
to have the wisdom to rule, and it is a reality that
the economic revival of the whole world is based on the
U.S. economic strength. Since Sen. Obama has suffered
financial struggles, and Pastor Rick Warren is deeply
concerned with the social needs of the society; their
chemistry might have drawn them closer, and to invite
Rev. Rick Warren to pray at the inauguration. Let us all
seek peace; not fight.