Reverend Joseph E. Lowery speaking at Coretta Scott King’s Funeral
Pastor Rick Warren is going to give the Invocation for President Obama’s Inauguration. Wolf in sheep’s clothing. The kind of man we hoped wouldn’t be welcome in Washington, D.C. after January 19th. If you don’t know who Pastor Warren is by now, go look at Wednesday’s threads. This one mentions some of his associates. And I just heard he is going to be interviewed on Dateline Friday. As if there isn’t enough footage out there of him already.
I wonder if the minister who is giving the Benediction is going to be interviewed. Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery. He hasn’t been mentioned much. But he has a rich history of service and pedigree in civil rights that you may not know about. Oh, just wait until you realize who he is.
When I realized who is giving the Benediction, I thought, that may explain it; Pastor Warren is going to be there to balance out Reverend Joseph Lowery. Lowery, 87,is the man who threw reality at President Bush and others at Coretta Scott King’s funeral. President Jimmy Carter’s words brought the same reaction. Standing ovations. At a funeral. By speaking the truth and taking a stand. And at the Inauguration he’ll get the last word-the Benediction. This might be worth watching after all.
Read Reverend Lowery’s wiki, he’s going to put Pastor Warren in a slam dance party line–count on it.
Just like he did with President Bush and his minions. This man does not miss an opportunity to further civil rights-of every kind.
We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor!
Does the appearance of Reverend Lowery at the Inauguration excuse the tremendous insult and endorsement of the disconnection of social and civil rights that Obama’s nod to Pastor Warren represents? Or make it ok that Pastor Warren, an instigator of hate, a hypocrite in calling himself a man of God, is given the honor of participating in President Obama’s Inauguration? Of course not. It is obvious to me that he was chosen as the balancing act for Reverend Lowery. Bringing Pastor Warren back into the limelight again with such an important role is incomprehensible to me, but even more incomprehensible and unexpected is giving Reverend Lowery the Robin’s Egg of the Inauguration. The Last Word. How perfect.
A man who received a standing ovation at Coretta Scott King’s funeral, the same woman who spoke out strongly that gay rights are a civil rights issue-a woman who endorsed gay marriage.
On April 1, 1998 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, King called on the civil rights community to join in the struggle against homophobia and anti-gay bias. "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood", King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group."
I think President-Elect Obama knew that in order to have Reverend Lowery speak that he had to choose a ‘known’ mega-preacher. I think Pastor Warren was chosen as the lesser of the available evils. It had to be someone annointed by the right.
The aspect I keep coming back to, is that Pastor Warren is outmatched. That will be evident. His appearance won’t matter as much as he thinks it does right now. Not after Reverend Lowery starts to speak and continues the thread of tolerance and civil rights for all that Coretta Scott King tried to get the Southern Baptist Convention to embrace. He won’t shine like a new nickel when Reverend Lowery is done with him and the ideals of Pastor Warren’s proponents will not shine in comparison to the truth-that we are all created equal and until we are all equal someone isn’t doing God’s work. You can bet that Reverend Lowery knows exactly what kind of demon he will be facing, he has an entire lifetime under his belt casting them out. And winning.
If I were Rick Warren, I would be praying to go last. Or I would be planning a family emergency for January 19th.
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Love THIS guy! He’s gonna wipe the floor with ‘paster Rick’.
Bravo!
Thanks very much dmac.
I had the pleasure of meeting Rev Lowery many times while working at a natural/organic food store in Atlanta many years ago. Lowery was a friend of my boss and came in a couple times a month. He was my favorite customer,just the nicest guy. I got the impression he took no crap either,lol.
Oh and Rick Warren is outmatched because he’s a business owner,not a minister. This nonsense of Jesus only bestowing wealth on “good”people who pray enough/the Lord is my vending machine is disgusting.
Thanks for the feedback, guys…When it hit me who he is, I was soooo amused. Lowery will take no prisoners. He’s 87, he’s going to take this opportunity and run with it, he doesn’t play someone else’s game, and you can’t tell me Obama doesn’t know that.
Reverend Lowery is on my ’short list’ of people I would like to invite to my ‘dream dinner party’. He’s a champion whack-a-mole player. And I bet he uses Jedi Mind Tricks. heh.
Well, anyway, I heard Warren was invited by:
But, of course, Obama would have had to ya “yes” wouldn’t he? yes.
of course ! slaps forehead - the ol Balance bugaboo
unfortunately, I think you may have it backwards – what if Lowry was brought in to balance Warren (and, as an afterthought at best) and not vice versa as you suggest ?!?!
No cbl, I’m really serious. lol. When I read that Reverend Lowery was doing the Benediction I absolutely couldn’t believe it. That’s why I stayed up ’till an ungodly hour writing the diary and sticking my neck out by posting it. It’s not a balance at all, the scales are tipped on this one. Heavily.
I’m smackin’ my money down on Lowery.
In one of the posts yesterday, someone relayed a message from a Feinstein aide that Obama made the choice and was not happy that it was being credited to the Inaugural Committee. No link, so, I couldn’t verify it.
thanks dmac!
The Lake should stop giving Warren attention and focus on Lowery. This is very poetic…It shows a transition…of power.
Thanks for the post dmac. This put me into giggles:
Warren apparently has a Masters/Doctor of Divinity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Warren
Right wing neo cons in pursuit of money,fame, and power. The goal of all of these so called mega pastors. They bastardize religion to promote their own agenda. Hate, hate, and more hate; good at preaching that, they are. Like that death and destruction thingie a lot, too, they do.
Jesus was a Jewish Nazarene, not a Christian. Christians follow the teachings of Paul. Paul that enjoyed killing Jews until he figured out that he would be better off joining those that followed Jesus’s teachings of love.
Jesus said that the kingdom of god was within and to pray in private..not for show. He said to love one another; that was the main thrust of his ministry. Not remotely connected to what religion has become in the modern world. Religion today has become the pursuit of money. Seems to me that the bible had some words of wisdom about that.
Every person who says that the bible is literally from god, has a major problem. I think perhaps they have not really read it. And there sure are a lot of different bibles out there to choose from. Preachers in all religions just pick and choose a line here, a line there, extrapolate and use to promote their own agenda. Never a mention of the multiple authors in chapters which has been proven. Never a mention that the bible is an attempt to chronicle the history of the Jewish people.Never a mention of allegory as a teaching tool by Jesus. It is still the same today as it was then. Invade, occupy, slaughter,rape, torture, steal the wealth of other countries..nothing has changed between then and now. The horrors of war are justified in the name of religion, over and over. And citizens fall for the ruse over and over.
Warren is so typical of the propaganda masters. A good example of that church and state separation that is so vital. If Warren thinks the bible is literal..then I wonder what he would make of Genesis 1:26..Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….” The ancients knew the god was male and female. So, why do we let preachers say differently now? Plural means plural..us and our. With all the translations through history..Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, to English..nobody took that sentence ‘out’.
It will be interesting to hear what words Warren spews out on January 20th. I am sure that he will promote Obama continuing the fake war on terrorism. It is beyond me how a ‘war’ on an ideology continues to be ‘declared’. It is a fake war with real dead people. If Obama’s speech mentions continuing this insane agenda, America, you are so screwed. The MIC wins and you lose.
Maybe Not Rahm has been leaking stuff that the Obama people have had to deny before. Rahm has his own agenda and is running with it.
Still id this is Obama ’s doing then what next a Klan Preacher for his weekly church service?
There is being inclusive and being an Ass.
The False Profits at the Gospel of Wealth are never going to go for Obama no matter how much he begs/tries to assimilate.
However the Gays, Lefties etc may leave, remember the don’t ask don’t tell compromise at the beginning of Clinton’e first term Bill’s popularity went down after that.
it is over an hour after my comment upthread, and I am still thinking about your post. I really do think you are on to something here (right church, wrong pew ? – lol) just don’t know who was picked to balance whom
we do agree on Rev Lowry – but I think he may go all ‘Statesman-like’ and not so fiery. will not be disappointed or surprised if I am wrong about that.
Thank you so much, dmac. This really helps a lot. I agree that having Lowery go after Warren is good. I still really resent having Warren there, but I’m with you on thinking that Lowery will find a way to rip Warren to shreds without Warren having a clue that it has happened.
From what I can tell, Mrs King’s statement has been unheeded for the most part. Homophobic attitudes remain very prevalent in the black community.
I will be shocked if Rev. Lowery offers any specific response to Warren’s high profile anti-gay bigotry.
he’s known for being eloquent and outspoken, has spent a lifetime being on the front lines of civil rights and saying exactly what he wants aired, who doesn’t miss an opportunity to put the truth about our country’s social failures out there, and he’s 87, what would you do if you were him?
slam dunk.
i am perfectly willing to eat loads of ‘crow’ later, but i don’t think i will be.
i’m hoping he takes very good care of himself meanwhile.
Fine stuff, dmac. Thanks for a sensible point of view.
unheeded? yes
but not unheard.
Thanks for the post dmac. I suspect you have it exactly right. All the same I think Obama has made a mistake of epic proportions by treating Warren and Lowry as a balancing act. Instead of considering this act of “inclusion” through the prism of homophobia, lets consider it through the prism of racism…
Would it be inclusive and balanced to invite both the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and the head of the NAACP to share the spotlight on the national stage? Of course not. We have gotten to a point in this country where such overt racism is not publicly acceptable.
However, it is clear that we continue to accept homophobic discrimination as perfectly normal and respectable.
I don’t care who else shares the stage with the likes of Warren, he should not be welcomed there at all.
Thanks phred.
I didn’t say it was a way to be inclusive, I am saying it is the way to get Reverend Lowery on the stage. Under the radar.
And there are many reasons for it to be Lowery. I can’t wait.
Oh I know you didn’t say it was to be inclusive, but that’s what the Obama person said yesterday. It is abhorent. I’m not a big fan of the poster boy of sexism (Larry Summers) getting a cabinet post either. Like I said, racism is not socially acceptable these days, but homophobia and sexism remain a-ok with Team Obama. Lowery or not, Obama deserves to be excoriated for that.
Lowery speaks out about both homophobia and sexism and racism and bigotry and poverty and equal rights for all. and obama knows exactly who reverend lowery is.
that’s one reason why i can’t wait to see it .
Much ado about nothing (ducks to avoid charge of engaging in marginalization) ’cause if Warren’s Saddleback megachurch is so “powerful,” then why did BOH win Cali by 61%?
I am a Christian, but I do think that megachurches are poor representations of the Christian faith and that they result in the perversion of the faith because of the unilateral power they invest in their pastors. Reflect on what the early Christians had to go through (Book of Acts, many of St. Paul’s letters) to spread Christ’s message of God’s love and contrast that with the “safety” to condemn that megachurches, (by virtue of their numbers) allow their leadership to perform. Safety in numbers vs. St. Paul being imprisoned, and risking his life, on journeys around the Roman Empire, the Near East and on ships on the Mediterranean.
The “Gospel of Wealth,” IMO, is heresy, or at least apostasy.
I hope you are right about this.
Hi, dmac–as Rachel Maddow says, I needed a talking down…
Sure hope you’re right. I do feel a little better now.
i feel it, but don’t know if i’ll be right……but it’s things like this that tell me i am–in the above video, he says he’ll ‘behave’ to the presidents and their wives, but then starts with this—and this isn’t even the money quote–
“how marvelous that presidents and governors come to mourn and praise. But in the morning, will words become deeds that meet needs?”
if that’s not throwing down a gauntlet i don’t know what is. then he goes on to throw another. and another. in an eight minute speech with a specific constrictive purpose. spoken so softly and evenly that you almost miss the ‘hits’..he made sure to bring up homophobia. at coretta scott king’s funeral, you can’t tell me this isn’t a big issue with him…the benediction will be a wide open space of subject matter to choose from. i want to hear what he chooses for what might be his last chance to lay it all out for a national audience. oh boy. he knows what kind of an opportunity this is.
he co-organized the bus boycott. he led the selma march at the request of rev. king. countless things that required the kind of sacrifice some of us will never know. he is a methodist minister-anyone who knows a methodist knows the doctrines that are embedded into our brains by our ministers–social justice, direct involvement. he has a doctorate. he is no dummy and has seen and lived through just about everything i bet.
read his wiki, he’s something.
I think we’ll be hearing a thing or two from him.
i forgot to add, the main thing that sticks in my mind about him is, people who actually walk the walk of their convictions don’t think much of hypocrites. and if you walk the walk, you know how to render them irrelevant. with the truth. the truth wins every time. that’s why people like him are such good speakers, it’s easy to talk when you are telling the truth. you have a clear head. what you believe comes out as genuine, it flows. even if someone doesn’t agree, they hear you. because the truth resonates. resonates, comes back like a boomerang. that’s why it wins.
my old bumper sticker said–when you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said.
i think he’ll be telling a lot of truths on Inauguration day. i just hope he chooses the ones that aren’t being told right now. i think he will.