Gene Robinson
I saw a post at the Episcopal Cafe .... Obama asks Gene Robinson to give Inaugural concert invocation. Here's a bit of it .....
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[...] We received this email from Bishop Robinson this morning:
I am writing to tell you that President-Elect Obama and the Inaugural Committee have invited me to give the invocation at the opening event of the Inaugural Week activities, “We are One,” to be held at the Lincoln Memorial, Sunday, January 18, at 2:00 pm. It will be an enormous honor to offer prayers for the country and the new president, standing on the holy ground where the “I have a dream speech” was delivered by Dr. King, surrounded by the inspiring and reconciling words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It is also an indication of the new president’s commitment to being the President of ALL the people. I am humbled and overjoyed at this invitation, and it will be my great honor to be there representing the Episcopal Church, the people of New Hampshire, and all of us in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
+Gene
(Editor's note: There will undoubtedly be some controversy over whether Gene was invited as a response to the intense criticism of Obama's selection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. We don't know. We've been sitting on this news since just before Christmas, so it has been in the works for a while. But if Gene had been contacted before the Warren selection was announced, it seems unlikely he would have spoken out so strongly against the choice.) .......
Bill Donahue of the Catholic League is predictabily unhappy. In reference to his statement, it should be noted that it isn't at all unusual for a clergy person of one denomination to give a retreat fo clergy of another denomination, and that this is generally done at the invitation of retreatants. Additionally, it is libelous to say Bishop Robinson left his wife and children for a man, as he hadn't met his partner, Mark Andrew, until well after he and his wife divorced ......
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Me here again .... I think it's great that Gene Robinson has been chosen. During the Lambeth Conference, I read a lot of his blog posts on the conference and he seems like a wonderful person.
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[...] We received this email from Bishop Robinson this morning:
I am writing to tell you that President-Elect Obama and the Inaugural Committee have invited me to give the invocation at the opening event of the Inaugural Week activities, “We are One,” to be held at the Lincoln Memorial, Sunday, January 18, at 2:00 pm. It will be an enormous honor to offer prayers for the country and the new president, standing on the holy ground where the “I have a dream speech” was delivered by Dr. King, surrounded by the inspiring and reconciling words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It is also an indication of the new president’s commitment to being the President of ALL the people. I am humbled and overjoyed at this invitation, and it will be my great honor to be there representing the Episcopal Church, the people of New Hampshire, and all of us in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
+Gene
(Editor's note: There will undoubtedly be some controversy over whether Gene was invited as a response to the intense criticism of Obama's selection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. We don't know. We've been sitting on this news since just before Christmas, so it has been in the works for a while. But if Gene had been contacted before the Warren selection was announced, it seems unlikely he would have spoken out so strongly against the choice.) .......
Bill Donahue of the Catholic League is predictabily unhappy. In reference to his statement, it should be noted that it isn't at all unusual for a clergy person of one denomination to give a retreat fo clergy of another denomination, and that this is generally done at the invitation of retreatants. Additionally, it is libelous to say Bishop Robinson left his wife and children for a man, as he hadn't met his partner, Mark Andrew, until well after he and his wife divorced ......
*************************
Me here again .... I think it's great that Gene Robinson has been chosen. During the Lambeth Conference, I read a lot of his blog posts on the conference and he seems like a wonderful person.
posted by crystal | 4:10 PM
12 Comments:
I was glad to see that Bishop Robinson is doing that.
Note to Bill Donahue: Shut up! SHUT UP! For all of our sakes, just shut up!
I think it's great too - given that God-talk from/sponsored by politicians has become the norm in the post Reagan era.
Ditto. Will Mr. Donahue please shut the hell up?
Bill Donahue would find some reason to bitch, if Jesus and the twelve apostles came back.
There will undoubtedly be some controversy over whether Gene was invited as a response to the intense criticism of Obama's selection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. We don't know.
God, how cynical I must be about politics. To actually entertain doubt over the move. . . I wonder what that would be like.
Obama's decision might have meant more to me if it had come a bit earlier in the process.
Hi Paul,
Yeah, it's seems that politics and religion become ever more entwined.
Jeff - also ditto!
Hi Garpu,
Ha :) I fear you're right.
William,
Interesting that the Episcopal Cafe (and Gene, I guess?) knew around Christmas that he had been picked but it wasn't announced then. I'm cynical too - I like Obama, but sometimes his chopices seem so contrived.
I meant "choices" :)
My response.....Jack
Hi Jack.
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