Bishop Gene Robinson says that the Obama transition team was talking to him prior to the Warren controversy about being involved in the inaugural ceremonies,but that they clear were trying to make amends by choosing him for this Lincoln Memorial concert event. Bishop Robinson is a good friend of the show; we've him had on the show several times, from way back when he was under attack just prior to being made a bishop, and I will try to have him back on inauguration day or shortly thereafter.
The event will air on HBO for free to those with cable, and Bishop Robinson says he will not give a Christian prayer, which I think is very thoughtful and respectful of him, and in fact would be "horrified" at the thought of pushing his faith on others:
Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.”
“I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.”
Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction.
Bishop Robinson said that his partner of more than 20 years, Mark Andrew, would accept the Obama team’s invitation to join him in attending several inaugural events. The two had a civil union ceremony last summer in a New Hampshire church.
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