Viewing Rick Warren at the 30,000 Foot Level

I heard Sophia Nelson's viewpoint on Rick Warren last night on NPR and found it refreshing. It's how I felt before I spent too much time listening to Rick Warren's callous words about gay people. But in the end she's right. Obama's right. Nelson, by the way, has been a republican strategist for quite a while. If more republicans were like her, I might be a republican. 

Check out what she had to say about the ugly song that's all the rage within the republican party right now. Here is what she had to say about Warren: 

Political Intersection: The choice of Rick Warren is shrewd and bold, and exactly what the nation needs to see modeled in our leaders. Not just "tolerance" of other's views (I so hate that word)--but acceptance and respect of each other's differences and ideologies and why we see the world so differently at times. This is what I like most in Obama--he likes people--he likes to engage them--he is a thinker--he is unafraid to reach beyond the pail of what is "supposed to be" acceptable or politically correct.

To my friends on the right I say give this young President a chance--he may surprise you. To my friends on the left I say, open your hearts and listen, just as you wish to be listened to by others. Stop the name calling, the attacks on Pastor Warren and instead see if you can sit with him, engage him, pray with him and at least agree to disagree agreeably. Find out the genesis of why he feels as he does about Gay Americans--and make sure he hears from your side with civility and passion just the same.

It is time for this nation to heal because this nation is headed for very hard economic times. You may have to feed your Gay neighbor, or borrow some milk from the right wing evangelicals down the street. The black brother will have to help his white brother, and the Hispanic brother may have to employ his black brother. The point is, we need to come together not just in word but in deed. This is a good way to start that process at a 30,000 ft level.

I also recently re-read a Rolling Stone interview from a while back where Obama talked about gay marriage and that too, was refreshing. He said that for many, gay marriage is a culture shock (see Joseph Lowery, who's giving the benediction, talk about this) and it's not something that can be shoved down people's throats.

There is a learning curve and there are steps to take.

For those of us who have an intuitive sense of what constitutes a civil right or who are more accepting, or who live and work around a lot of gay people, people who oppose gay marriage can be hard to handle because when they speak their mind, it often comes out as hate. As they're pushed, they become more forceful in spewing hate. They have no other way of handling it because they don't know any better. For now.

But if more people can be included in the process, if there can be a meeting of the minds from both ends of the spectrum, perhaps, one day even Rick Warren might see things differently. He might be sitting on Oprah's couch explaining how God sent him his epiphany. Who knows?
Here's that passage from RS:

In Dreams From My Father, you recount the bigotry your parents faced because of interracial marriage, which was illegal then. What is the difference between that and the current bans on gay marriage?
Well, I'm always careful not to draw easy equivalents between groups, because then you start getting into a contest about victimization or who has been discriminated against more. What I'll say is that I am a strong believer in civil unions that would provide all the federal rights under federal law that a marriage contract would provide to people. I think that the country is still working through the idea of same-sex marriage and its entanglement, historically, with religious beliefs.

My sense is that a consensus has already established itself that when it comes to hospital visitation, the ability to pass on benefits like Social Security, that people shouldn't be discriminated against, everyone should be treated equally. I think that is a starting point — that consensus is what will grow over time. If you want to use the analogy of the civil rights movement, Dr. King and others didn't lead with assaults on anti-miscegenation laws. They focused on voting rights and civil rights. Once those rights were secured, the culture shifts.

The Right Wrongly Gleeful over Rick Warren

This editorial in the Wall Street Journal is Wrongo. Just because many of us are voicing disgust and disappointment in Rick Warren having such an honor at Obama's inauguration, doesn't mean we'll be the thorn in Obama's side.

We can disagree, have a discussion and then we can find ways to move forward. The nature of the left is progression. The nature of the right is sameness.

The left doesn't appear to be like the right, which is without a doubt, hung up on abortion, immigration and gay rights.

WSJ: For about a generation, many on the left have believed that active and unapologetic intolerance of the right was justified because its views on matters such as abortion and gay rights were simply unacceptable. This moral somersault may work for them, but to the average American voter, a full-throated assault on the likes of Rick Warren for being "wrong" on two of many issues looks like simple intolerance.

The person in this drama for whom the leftwing Democratic habit of moralized intolerance could be a problem is Barack Obama. The left loaded up heavily in its support of candidate Obama, first against the Clinton machine -- always thought to be too willing to compromise with the center -- and then in the general campaign. These elements in the Democratic Party know what they want Barack Obama to deliver on judges, the environment, global warming and lifestyle rights litigation.

Mr. Obama's choice of Rick Warren for the Inaugural's invocation suggests that he is intent on using the momentum of his remarkable victory to build a governing coalition for the long haul. The silver lining for Republicans may be that the left won't let him do that.

Joseph Lowery on Gay Marriage

Joseph Lowery, the other preacher at Obama's inauguration, will give the benediction and has taken a backseat to Rick Warren. Lowery opposed Prop 8, which Rick Warren supported. Still, Lowery isn't over the moon about civil marriage for gay couples. Neither is Obama for that matter. Lowery and Obama support civil unions. Warren believes that being gay is sinful and he comes from the You-Can-Cure-Yourself-Of-Being-Gay-If-You-Want-To-Be-Saved school of thought. Lowery has a significantly different view. 

Page One: Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, President-elect Obama's choice to deliver the benediction at the upcoming Inauguration, said on Tuesday that he hesitates to support civil marriage for same-sex couples. He does, however, support civil unions. Lowery will appear with Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church founder and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, who is slated to deliver the invocation.

Warren has faced criticism over statements comparing same-sex relationships to incest and pedophilia. He was also a vocal supporter of California's Proposition 8. The President-elect has defended his inaugural lineup in the spirit of unity with those with whom one does not always agree.

"I differ with [Rick Warren] sharply on his position on this issue," Lowery told MSNBC's David Shuster. "I don't think we ought to put into law any discriminatory action against people because of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. I oppose that. But that doesn't stop me from being on a program with him."

Warren Ruining Inauguration Parties

Warren irks me and I think he should withdraw from the inauguration until he can become more humble and educated (see his I love gays video). He threw a bone to the gay community and its supporters, getting rid of the anti-gay language from his website. That's not enough.

But people shouldn't let Rick Warren ruin their inauguration celebrations. He's one guy of many and Joseph Lowery, who contrasts with Warren, will give the benediction. Forget about Warren, for now. Continue the fight after the party. There is so much else to celebrate.

WaPo: Not that he was planning to attend, but Barack Obama should know that my sister's inauguration night party -- the one for which she was preparing Obama Punch -- has been canceled. The notice went out over the weekend, by e-mail and word of mouth, that Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation had simply ruined the party. Warren is anti-gay, and my sister, not to put too fine a point on it, is not. She's gay.

She is -- or was -- a committed Obama supporter. On the weekend before the presidential election, my sister and my mother drove from the Boston area, where they both live, to Obama's New Hampshire headquarters in Manchester. There my mother made 76 phone calls for Obama, which is not bad for someone who is 96, and gives you an idea of the level of commitment to Obama in certain precincts of my family.

I should say right off that my mother feels less strongly about Warren than my sister does. But I should add immediately that my sister feels very strongly, indeed. She's been in a relationship with another woman, the quite wonderful Nancy, for 19 years, and she resents the fact that Warren has likened same-sex marriage to incest, pederasty and polygamy.

"I'm opposed to redefinition of a 5,000-year definition of marriage," Warren told Beliefnet.com's Steve Waldman. "I'm opposed to having a brother and sister being together and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage."

Waldman asked, "Do you think those are equivalent to gays getting married?"

"Oh, I do," said Warren.

Another viewpoint from 538:

That's beside the point, though; what I think the Warren dust-up reveals is that the left is now willing to raise at least as much ruckus about the issue as the right. The left, of course, has always had its own moral compass, but it's now beginning to convert that into more focused, overtly political action. If John Kerry had won four years ago, and invited Warren or some analogous pastor to give his invocation, would there have been this much debate about it? It's hard to say for sure, but I don't think we would have heard very much about it at all. This all feels very recent, stemming from a renewed self-confidence on the part of the left, coupled in this particular instance with the aftermath of Proposition 8.

I say this as someone, by the way, who buys into the "Can't we all just get along?" side of the argument. There's a difference between feeling as though you have superior morals and feeling morally superior, and some of the discussion has veered toward the wrong side of that equation. Nevertheless, I think the passion aroused among the left on the issue has been fairly impressive, and is potentially fairly consequential.

More stories on Warren:
Will Warren be worth it?
Why Warren?
Muzzling of Warren

Saddleback Removes Anti-Gay Sentiments On Church Site

Check out the before and after here.
Rachel Maddow discusses the probability (slim) of Rick Warren being uninvited to give the invocation. She also talked about the offending information (see below) that was posted on the Saddleback church site here. 

Andrew Sullivan finds peace with being stuck with Warren on inauguration day. He references Melissa Etheridge's post, the essence of which is: 

"Maybe if they get to know us, they wont fear us."

She's right. It's an ignorance problem.
Here's the original content at Saddleback. It must be a burden to be so self-righteous:

I've heard it asked, "Isn't being homosexual something that a person is physically born with?" First of all, there are absolutely no facts to support this claim. From time to time studies have been reported in the news that seemed to indicate this, but every one of these studies has proven to be wrong. Secondly, even if some physical difference were discovered, it would be no excuse for sin. We know that some people can develop a stronger physical addiction to alcohol than others, but that's obviously no excuse for living an alcoholic lifestyle.

Finally, a word about being judgmental. It's not judgmental to say that what the Bible calls a sin is a sin, that's just telling the truth. Not being willing to talk to someone caught up in sin, or not believing that they can be forgiven, or thinking that you are not just as much in need of Jesus as they are ... that's being judgmental.

Because membership in a church is an outgrowth of accepting the Lordship and leadership of Jesus in one’s life, someone unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle would not be accepted at a member at Saddleback Church. That does not mean they cannot attend church – we hope they do! God’s Word has the power to change our lives.

In equal desire to follow Jesus, we also would not accept a couple into membership at Saddleback who were not willing to repent of the sexual sin of living together before marriage. That does not mean this couple cannot attend church – we hope they do! God’s Word has the power to change our lives.

Barney Frank: Rick Warren at Inauguration a Mistake

I agree with Frank. Warren thinks gay people are less than human. That kind of person shouldn't be participating at the inauguration. I'm still hoping he'll step aside but I think his ego is too large for that kind of humility.

WaPo: The first openly gay member of Congress said yesterday that it was a mistake for President-elect Barack Obama to invite the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

"Mr. Warren compared same-sex couples to incest. I found that deeply offensive and unfair," said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

"If he was inviting the Reverend Warren to participate in a forum and to make a speech, that would be a good thing," Frank said on CNN's "Late Edition." "But being singled out to give the prayer at the inauguration is a high honor. It has traditionally been given as a mark of great respect. And, yes, I think it was wrong to single him out for this mark of respect."

Warren is essentially ignorant:

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Rick Warren Good Man or Bigot?

The more I think about Rick Warren at the inauguration, the worse the choice seems.
This video presents a good discussion on Rick Warren: Bigot or kind man, or both? I suspect he's both.
Warren comes off so egotistical, so self-righteous, that it seems a shame to validate him.
If he had any decency or humility, he'd withdraw from his inauguration duties. He's just wrongo.
But I get Obama's reaching out to the deep red republicans. It's just bad timing. People are hurt by Prop 8.

Warren on Dateline:

"I pray for Barack Obama"

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On the economy. "We walked away from God's principles:


"Saddleback was the first church on the Internet"

On Christmas:

On suffering:

Obama, Bush, Blago, Warren and Levi

An action packed day and I've been away so let's get caught up.
Obama announces Ron Kirk for Federal Trade Representative and venture capitalist Karen Mills, administrator of the Small Business Administration. Obama announces his picks for labor, Hilda Solis, and transportation, Ron LaHood:

CNN: At a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, Obama nominated Rep. Hilda Solis for secretary of labor. She is a four-term Democratic congresswoman from Los Angeles, California.

He also nominated Republican Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois as transportation secretary, venture capitalist Karen Mills to head the Small Business Administration and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk to serve as U.S. trade representative.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Will Bush pardon the shoe thrower? The shoe thrower, who has been beaten hopes so.
Blagojevich won't back down and his attorney is thuggish. I caught a few minutes of his press conference.
George Bush taps into the bank bailout money to rescue the automakers:

Politico: President Bush steps into the Roosevelt Room at 9:01 a.m. and announces a $17.4 billion bailout for GM and Chrysler, with the loans conditioned on the automakers showing a plan for 'viability' by March 31. A senior administration official told reporters during a telephone background briefing just before the president spoke that the firms need to show they can be 'profitable soon.' Ford got new financing before credit froze, and has said it does not need immediate government assistance to stay alive.

I kind of feel sorry for Bush because he seems to be a guy of limited talents forced into big shoes. He did the best he could, which wasn't good enough.

WSJ: The administrations of George W. Bush have virtually assured such a displacement by catastrophically throwing the country off balance, both politically and financially, while breaking the nation's sword in an inconclusive seven-year struggle against a ragtag enemy in two small bankrupt states. Their one great accomplishment -- no subsequent attacks on American soil thus far -- has been offset by the stunningly incompetent prosecution of the war. It could be no other way, with war aims that inexplicably danced up and down the scale, from "ending tyranny in the world," to reforging in a matter of months (with 130,000 troops) the political culture of the Arabs, to establishing a democracy in Iraq, to only reducing violence, to merely holding on in our cantonments until we withdraw.

Also, from Politico:

'Obama has yet to name his picks for senior intelligence positions; those announcements aren't expected until Obama returns from his holiday break. Several Democratic officials with knowledge of the deliberations said Friday that Dennis Blair, a retired admiral and the former head of U.S. Pacific Command, is likely - if not certain - to become director of national intelligence.'

Obama team is seriously scouring NASA's budget:

LA Times: Reporting from Washington -- Most nights it's possible to look skyward with a pair of cheap binoculars and see a $100,000 mistake circling the Earth. The glowing object -- an orbiting NASA tool bag -- was lost last month by an astronaut during a routine spacewalk.

The canvas-and-acrylic caddy contained two grease guns, a scraper, a trash bag and some wipes, hardly cutting-edge technology. So why did it cost $100,000?

NASA officials said they had no answer to that question -- beyond the fact that, as spokesman Allard Beutel put it, "space flight is expensive." That expense is drawing serious scrutiny from the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Of 74 questions submitted to the agency by Obama's NASA transition team, more than half asked about basic spending issues, including cost overruns.

Two Obama administrations for the price of one?

WSJ: The Obama transition is putting a new twist on that idea. The president-elect is giving the country two administrations for the price of one.

The first, composed of Mr. Obama's initial wave of high-profile appointees, is full of familiar Washington veterans. This is the team that pleased moderates and even some Republicans, reassured financial markets -- and made the party's liberals complain about "retreads" and wonder what all that change rhetoric was about.

The second wave of appointments, most coming in the past week or so, is composed of lesser-known names, new faces and, all told, the kind of folks who look like the fabled "agents of change" promised in the campaign.

Obama's team lacks the ideological fervor:

But the most striking characteristic of the emerging cast of characters is this mix of old and new faces. What the two camps have in common is a general lack of obvious ideological fervor.

The gay community is really upset about Rick Warren giving his inaugural blessings. I think this guy is being elevated to more than his worth. I understand the outrage, though. An Obama advisor assures Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic that he's with gay people:

The deeper dynamic, though, is this: liberal groups are used to being treated like stepchildren in Washington. They are used to being under seige at all times, and it's going to take some adjustment to realize that gay rights are probably not in danger because of things like the Warren pick. (An Obama adviser, discussing this matter with me, urged patience, saying that Obama is committed to the substance of his campaign promises to expand gay rights.)
A little private reassurance would go a long way, and it seems that the Obama team ihas not accounted for the fact that everyone, on all sides, is going through a period of psychological adjustment from the Bush years.
This includes liberal interest groups accustomed to being slapped around by Bush and taken for granted by Bill Clinton.

Rick Warren praises Obama's "courage." Seems to me Warren could've offered a bit more humility to the gay community. Warren will be on Dateline tonight declaring that he's not homophobic. I think Warren is too big for his britches. That's the one of the problems with the choice of Warren. It validates his views. But he's not worth the fuss.

I commend President-elect Obama for his courage to willingly take enormous heat from his base 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.

Mike Madden of Salon asks: How the hell did Warren get inauguration tickets?
All the people at Salon are angry about Warren:

Even on vacation, I can't quite get over the choice of pastor Rick Warren to give Barack Obama's inaugural invocation. I'm all for Obama (and Republicans, for that matter) reaching out to the other side. I am not theoretically opposed to Obama choosing an antiabortion gay-rights critic; I'm opposed to Warren himself. He's a poster boy for kinder, gentler 21st century bigotry, and Obama shouldn't validate him with this lofty symbolic role.

Sarah Palin's daughter's Bristol's soon to be mother-in-law (Levi Johnston's mom) is busted on drug charges. The Palin clan never stops making news. 

Yes There's Warren But Lowery Gives Benediciton

Pastor Rick Warren isn't everyone's choice to give the inaugural invocation. It's not worth throwing a fit about either, but I understand completely why people are mad.
Obama is intent on reaching out to everyone, and as Obama explained today, Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader, who's views contrast with Warren, gives the benediction. So forget about Warren. Focus on Lowery. 
Here he is talking about the possibility of a President Obama. He must be pleased. Read more about Lowery here.

More on Lowery:

The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will give the keynote address for Duke University’s Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, in Duke Chapel.

The speech is part of a program in the chapel celebrating King’s life. The program, which will include music and dance, is free and open to the public; parking is available in the Bryan Center Parking Garage (see map).

Lowery and King were part of the group that founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta in 1957. Lowery was an active partner with King throughout the Civil Rights Movement, leading marches and sit-ins against segregation. He pastored churches in Mobile, Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta.

Lowery served as president of the SCLC from 1977 to 1998. He also has been active in such causes as Middle East peace, ending apartheid in South Africa and cleaning up toxic waste in North Carolina.

A retired United Methodist minister, Lowery has won numerous awards, including the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, Martin Luther King Center Peace Award and United Methodist Church Justice Award. The Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice & Human Rights at Clark-Atlanta University is named in his honor. He spoke at King’s memorial service, and gave eulogies at the funerals of Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King.

“Dr. Lowery and Dr. King were partners in laying the foundation for the changes that we now see occurring in America’s public life,” said Ben Reese, one of the King committee co-chairs and Duke’s vice president for institutional equity. “His appearance here will give the Duke community an opportunity to reflect on that foundation and inspiration to build upon the principles and tenets of Dr. King.”

The news folks are all over this. It is a controversy after all. Ann Curry asks Rick Warren why he supported Prop 8 and how he can live with that. She asks if he's homophobic. He answers not so well:

Obama Answers Rick Warren Choice

Obama answers the choice of Pastor Rick Warren (I paraphrased):
I am a fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It's something that I've been consistent on and I intend to continue to be consistent on this. But it's important to come together.
I was invited to Rick Warren's church even though my views were different than his.
That dialogue is what my campaign was all about. We have to agree to disagree without being disagreeable and focus on those things we have in common.
Joseph Lowery, who's giving the benediction, has contrasting views to Warren. There are going to be a wide range of viewpoints presented. That's how it should be. We are diverse, noisy and opinionated.

Full Inauguration Schedule Jan. 20

For the Swearing-In Ceremony, security checkpoints will open for ticketed guests at 8:00 am and the musical prelude begins at 10 am. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies advises arriving no later than 9:00 am to ensure that you are through the checkpoints by the time the program begins. Screening will end when the program begins at 11:30 am and late arrivals will not be able to enter the grounds.

Ticket holders should walk or use Metro due to road closures and restricted access around the US Capitol.
Read the bios of the performers here. Official inauguration site here.

The order of the day's events:

Musical Selections
The United States Marine Band

Musical Selections
The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus

Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

Invocation
Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA

Musical Selection
Aretha Franklin

Oath of Office Administered to Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
By Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
The Honorable John Paul Stevens

Musical Selection, John Williams, composer/arranger
Itzhak Perlman, Violin
Yo-Yo Ma, Cello
Gabriela Montero, Piano
Anthony McGill, Clarinet

Oath of Office Administered to President-elect Barack H. Obama
By the Chief Justice of the United States
The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.

Inaugural Address
The President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama

Poem
Elizabeth Alexander

Benediction
The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

The National Anthem
The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”

After President Obama gives his Inaugural Address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House with groups traveling from all over the country to participate.

Later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host ten official Inaugural Balls. More details about the Inaugural Balls will be released at a later date.

Rick Warren To Give Invocation at Inauguration

After Rick Warren appeared to set Obama up for the big hammer at his presidential "civil forum" during the primaries, Warren gets the good gig. After the civil forum, Warren went on to criticize Obama for his answers and democrats' response to abortion. He even said democrats were faking religion. You can read that here. He also said an atheist should never be president. I would've liked to have seen Warren stand up against the republican's smears that Obama was a stealth terrorist Muslim. Nope. No leadership there. 

I liked Warren's book and I like his overall message but he seems a bit too self-righteous. 

Without a doubt, Obama is a very pragmatic guy, who appears to hold no grudges.

MA: Here's a bit of a surprise: Dr. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church will give the formal invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration. The good pro-life theologian first met Obama in 2006 at a Saddleback AIDS forum in California. Obama used the occasion to press the evangelical pastors present to embrace "realism" when they considered the issue; preach abstience, yes, but preaching against contraception can kill. (Here's some of what Obama said that day: "I know that there are those who, out of sincere religious conviction, oppose such measures. And with these folks, I must respectfully but unequivocally disagree. I do not accept the notion that those who make mistakes in their lives should be given an effective death sentence.")

Update: People are mad, especially the gay and lesbian community. I don't blame them. I think it's creepy how evangelicals try to be righteous by stoning others. The community is trying to recover from the blow of the passage of Prop 8. This is salt in their wounds.
In fact, after thinking about this, Warren is the worst choice Obama has made thus far. I'm just glad Warren will be in and out and not some permanent staffer.

CNN: "[It's] shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now," Andrew Sullivan wrote on the Atlantic Web site Wednesday.

People for the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert told CNN she is "deeply disappointed" with the choice of Warren, and said the powerful platform at the inauguration should instead have been given to someone who is "consistent mainstream American values.

"There is no substantive difference between Rick Warren and James Dobson," Kolbert said. "The only difference is tone. His tone is moderate, but his ideas are radical."

Dobson, a social conservative leader, is founder and chairman of Focus on the Family.

Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Obama, defended the choice of Warren, saying, "This is going to be the most inclusive, open, accessible inauguration in American history."

"The president-elect certainly disagrees with him on [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] issues. But it has always been his goal to find common ground with people with whom you may disagree on some issues."

Douglass also noted Obama and Warren agree on several issues including advocating on behalf of the poor and the disadvantaged, and people who suffer from HIV/AIDS.

Warren's support of California's Proposition 8 — a measure that outlaws same sex marriage in the state — sparked the ire of many gay rights proponents earlier this fall.

Warren, who has made it a practice not to endorse candidates or political parties, wrote in October that the issue of gay marriage is not a political issue, but instead "a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about."