Politically, Lake Forest is in one of the few republican territories in California. The average person makes $73K in Lake Forest. So no doubt, the people who attend Saddleback are inclined to be Republican. Apparently, the audience is stacked with those who could afford to pay up to $2,000 a pop:
Public criticism over the ticket policy has sent church officials scrambling to explain itself as the big day approaches — although many would-be attendees remain unsatisfied by their explanation.
Church officials said they'd hoped to have some tickets available for the public but ran out when they couldn't satisfy demand among church members, who got the first crack at tickets that sold for $500 to $2,000.
Church officials said they decided to charge admission for people who wanted a chance to see the Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls because of the expenses to stage the event and provide television feeds to a host of networks.
The high prices raised eyebrows.
"I cannot afford to buy my way into fundraisers," Burger said.
Jay Geer, a public relations crisis consultant, said Saddleback Church officials could have handled the ticket issue better.
Obama will go first (there was a coin toss), followed by McCain. They won't debate. Warren said he will ask the same questions of both candidates and he will get personal. He will NOT endorse a candidate and says he's trying to provide a look at the character of both candidates so people can choose.
Saddleback, an Evangelical church, seems to have placed more importance on confronting poverty and other social injustices, as opposed to railing against gay marriage and abortion. Don't get me wrong, they are still adamantly opposed to abortion and gay marriage, it's just that they have a broader view of their mission, and frankly, that's a good thing.
The Evangelicals of 2004 were more self-righteous it seemed. Warren played his part then, advising George Bush spiritually. I'll reserve comment.
But no doubt, Warren will ask the candidates about abortion and I think many will find Obama's beliefs on abortion to be not what they expected. He has a personal belief, he's against it, and a pragmatic belief, that women should be able to choose. He believes that the best way to work toward reducing abortions is by lowering teen pregnancy rates and education, among other things.
Here's a story on Warren in today's The New Republic.
But Warren does believe you'll burn in hell if Jesus isn't in your life. When a human being condemns another human because he thinks he knows best, that can be dangerous because it automatically makes that person more righteous (in their mind). It also diminishes all the other religions of the world.
Politically, the joint appearance is good news for both candidates--but better news for Obama. Politicians rarely lose votes by appearing in church. But since the Republicans have had something of a lock on the votes of white evangelicals, McCain's appearance at Saddleback is not big news. That Rick Warren has invited Obama, and for the second time no less, is. Warren is America's anti-Falwell. If he has little interest in removing evangelicals from politics, he has taken the lead in removing them from automatic identification with Republicans. Equal time in a megachurch is a decided advantage for any Democrat, especially one like Obama, who has been polling relatively well among religious voters. In fact, according to the Barna Group, which routinely surveys Christians, Obama leads McCain among every group except those who call themselves evangelical; even those who prefer the term "born-again" give the edge to Obama.
Regardless of which candidate benefits the most from this joint appearance, however, the biggest winner is Warren himself. A wildly successful author and church planter, Warren is leading an effort to focus the attention of Christian conservatives on questions of social justice. Most of his work in this regard has taken place in Africa, especially Rwanda, whose president, Paul Kagame, seems determined to build a purpose-driven nation in the aftermath of the genocide that once marked his country (and for which he may bear some responsibility). There is no doubt something of a missionary aspect to Warren's work in the region, but once California exurbanites see the devastating effects of AIDS and poverty, they are unlikely to ignore the same problems in West Central Los Angeles.
When it came time for questions, a woman stood up, proclaimed her Judaism, and asked Warren if she was going to burn in hell. He paused before responding--and then answered her question the only way it could be answered. Yes, he said to audible gasps. My reaction was that either you believe that Jesus is the savior or you do not, and I found myself impressed that Warren remained true to his convictions, knowing full well that the audience would not like what he said.Here's a great story on why religion and politics should not mix:
Our problem is moral ambiguity. Anyone that thinks this ambiguity is helpful in addressing poverty, crime, and disease is misinformed.Here's the schedule for the 3 debates to come.
We need political leaders that are more moral, not church leaders that are more political.
