How to pray for Obama
Beliefnet.com features “How to Pray for Obama,” written by preacher and author Max Lucado especially for today — Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration day.
If you’ve been watching TV this morning, then you know that Obama’s big day has already begun with much fanfare.
See what Lucado has to say about offering prayers for the new president: “How to Pray for Obama.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Black church celebrates collective dream … and its fulfillment
Those who attended the annual Martin Luther King holiday observance at St. John Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday were reminded once again that the movement led by King and other civil rights leaders started in the black church.
In fact, like King, many of those legendary leaders were and are ministers themselves.
“It has been the black church that has been our shelter,” Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilman Skip Kelly, said to the large crowd gathered.
Everyone knows the influence the black church has, he said, just look at one of the biggest controversies of President-elect Barack Obama’s candidiacy — his membership at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and several sermons preached by its then-pastor Jeremiah Wright.
The holiday observance was filled with allusions to the black faith community’s sense of hope, an expectancy born of faith in God for a brighter day. These ideas have their roots or foundation in the biblical Israelites’ quest for freedom from slavery and oppression. God did indeed bring them out — parted the Red Sea and lead them to the Promised Land, pastors have told many a congregation year after year.
Sunday was no different.
“We thank you Lord because we believe he’s (Obama) the realization of Dr. Kings dream,” the Rev. Bobby Best, senior pastor of Greater Cleaves CME Church, said.
The choir sang several songs, including “Blessed” — a uptempo song that proclaims “We’re blessed in the city! We’re blessed in the field! We’re blessed when we come and when we go!…”
People clapped and swayed to the music as they sang another verse of the song’: “Late in the midnight hour, God’s going to turn it around! He’s going to work in our favor!”
Meanwhile listening to the speakers, I was transported back to my visit to Atlanta in 2004.
I’d gone there with a group of women from my church to attend a religious conference. We used our visit to take time to see some of the places we’d always heard about — one of them being Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King’s father, Martin Sr., had been a longtime pastor.
Seeing the place where King received his spiritual nourishment, so to speak, I was surprised to see how small the church was.
The church had recently opened a new larger facility across the street, but it was in the smaller Ebenezer where young Martin Jr. had experienced the love, faith and vitality that moves through black churches all over the country.
It occurred to me on Sunday that the power of the church, fueled by God, could not and can not be contained in four walls. It had to and has to propel people to march, to educate themselves, to fight against injustice in all its many forms.
Doesn’t matter how big or small the church is, it is what the people of God do with their faith and the divine power given them.
Former State Sen. Angela Monson said it best. She reminded the audience that Obama has challenged people to serve their communities today when many of them have the day off for the King holiday.
And the spirit of service should not just be one day only, particular for church congregations, Monson said.
“We are His hands. We are His feet so we have to step up to the plate. If we want the change to come, we must be the change that we seek,” she said.
Yes, she said it’s “our time.
“We must accept our calling and do what needs to be done. Say ‘I’m here Lord. Use me’.”
Meanwhile, the words to the song that traditionally ends the annual King holiday observance, seemed especially appropriate, given the hour.
The lyrics to the Rev. Charles Tindley’s song were rich with meaning, as people gathered not just to celebrate King’s life, but Tuesday’s historic inauguration of America’s first black president.
King and those who marched with him sang the song as they trekked for the sake of the civil rights cause:
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
Deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome
some day.
I had the feeling on Sunday that, yes, deep in their hearts, many in the crowd, did believe.
They were united with King in that sense.
Israel Houghton at inauguration
Contemporary Christian recording artist Israel Houghton is set to perform at the 2009 Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball at the Warner Theatre on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
I recently interviewed Houghton, who will be performing in concert 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at the SpiritBank Event Center in Tulsa on the “Hello Love” tour with Chris Tomlin.
Houghton was excited about performing at the inaugural ball and said he planned to sing his song “The Power of One” from his upcoming album of the same name. The compilation is set for release on March 24.
Houghton is best known for his songs like “Friend of God” and “Say So.” He is the worship leader at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston.
Others performing at the Heroes Ball include Gospel recording artists Donnie McClurkin and Bebe and CeCe Winans.
Look for my story on Houghton in a future edition of The Oklahoman. And for ticket information to the Tulsa concert, click here: Hello Love.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
More on “Faith of Barack Obama”
Author Stephen Mansfield (pictured at right) had much to say about his new book “The Faith of Barack Obama.”
As promised in today’s edition of The Oklahoman, here is more of my Q&A interview with Mansfield:
Q: In a brief synopsis about your book, you said that you think Obama will continue some of Bush’s faith-based initiatives and that he would probably continue some of the policies oriented toward bringing faith in the public square. Can you talk about that?
A: Most Democrat politicians of the last few decades, even if they were people of faith themselves like Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, came into office, they said they had a faith, they talked about their faith publicly, but they also believed in separation of church and state, that they wouldn’t bring their faith to bear in the Oval Office, that they would simply do the will of the people.
Barack Obama is different. Barack Obama absolutely says ‘I am a Christian of a certain kind and I am going to bring my faith to bear in the Oval Office. I’m going to welcome clergy in. I’m going to make a case for some policies from the basis of my faith.’ For example, he says he’s going to continue Bush’s faith-based initiatives. So that’s the difference with Barack Obama. He’s a Democrat and a left-leaning politician who is not saying I’m going to be secular about my approach to public policy. He’s saying I’m going to bring my theological liberalism and my Christianity to bear on what’s going on in the Oval Office and the policies of my administration. He’s going to be as faith-based as George (W.) Bush is, but it’s going to be coming from a different kind of Christian theology, a very liberal form of Christian theology.
Q: Can you think of anything else you would like to add?
A: I think the big thing that people need to be watching is what happens at the inaugural service and the church that Obama chooses. I think the inaugural service is when the president sort of gets to give his theological stamp. There will be some sort of prayer and there will probably be allusions to faith in his speeches. And of course, sometime soon he’s going to have to choose a church in
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
We knew her first
Many Oklahomans, particulary Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) members, are proud that former Bartlesville pastor Sharon Watkins is poised to become the first woman to preach at the National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral come Jan. 21.
The service will be attended by the new president, vice president and a host of other clergy, dignitaries and lay people.
I interviewed Watkins in July 2005, right after she was elected to lead the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She was the first woman to lead that 700,000-member group.
Watkins, 54, was still pastor of Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville when I talked to her.
I learned that she has diverse background.
She is an Indianapolis native (which is where the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) headquarters are located) and daughter of an ordained Disciples pastor. She graduated from college with a degree in French and a degree in economics.
After college she took a volunteer position as a Disciples adult literacy missionary to Zaire (now Congo).
She was ordained as a Disciples pastor in 1984.
Here’s what she had to say about being the first woman to lead her denomination:
“In a church process like this, you want it to be a process of discernment about who God is calling. At each step along the way, I had to reflect harder and pray harder to be sure within myself that I would be ready and willing to move forward.
“At this particular time, given my background, this is who God is calling. It’s a very exciting time for our church. The fact that I’m a woman is just part of the timing.”
(STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL The Rev. Sharon Watkins, then pastor of Disciples Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), stands in the Bartlesville church’s sanctuary in July 2005.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Joe the plumber has faith
T
he man known to most Americans as “Joe The Plumber” recently talked to an Ohio radio station about his future plans.
Joe, whose last name is Wurzelbacher, made national news during the presidential election campaign when he met then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama who was out campaigning and took issue with Obama’s proposed tax plan. Eventually he became a household name after then-Republican presidential candidate John McCain brought him up during one of the presidential debates.
Wurzelbacher is back in the new. His recent comments were featured as the Religion News Services’s “Quote of the Day” on Thursday.
“Being a Christian, I’m pretty well protected by God. That’s not saying he’s going to stop a mortar for me, but you gotta take the chance,” he told WNWO-TV in Toledo, Ohio, about his plans to report from the Middle East for a conservative Christian Web site, www.pjtv.com. The RNS reports that he was quoted by The Washington Post.
Guess the plumber’s 15 minutes of fame just keep getting longer and longer.
(AP PHOTO ABOVE)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Pre-inauguration prayer and prep
I have two interesting bits of news to share about the upcoming presidential inauguration of Barack Obama.
The Christian Defense Coalition has been issued a permit to conduct a pro-life vigil and display along the parade route during the event set for Jan. 20.
The group plans to display 25 large signs on Pennsylvania showing the development of life from conception until birth.
“It is critical that moments after Barack Obama takes the oath as the 44th President of the United States he drive by a visible reminder of those who will have no voice or rights in his administration,” the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, the coalition’s director, said in a news release.
“While millions will be celebrating along the Inaugural Parade route, we will be speaking ‘truth to power’ and calling for justice and equality for all Americans.”
Meanwhile, Mahoney participated in a prayer service today that included anointing the doorway Obama will pass through on his way to the platform to be sworn in. The Rev. Rob Schenck of Faith and Action also participated in the service.
“Anointing with oil is a rich tradition both in the bible and in the history of the U.S. Capitol,” Schenck said in a news release.
“Oil symbolizes consecration, or setting something apart for God’s use. George Washington used oil during the dedication of the U.S. Capitol. We used oil today to set apart the walkway and doors that will be the literal right (sic) of passage for Barack Obama as he ascends to the highest office in our land.”
(AP PHOTO: People walk past scaffolding used to support bleacher seats along Pennsylvania Avenue at Freedom Plaza in Washington on Jan. 3. The location is part of the parade route to be used for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Prayers for Obama
Not everybody had New Year’s resolutions, weight loss or black eyed peas on their mind on Jan. 1.
That was the day the Christian Defense Coalition launched a new prayer campaign for President-elect Barack Obama.
The campaign is to lead up to Jan. 20, the day of Obama’s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.
The coalition is asking people to pray at noon everyday in their homes, businesses and organizations that Obama change his pro-choice stance on abortion.
As part of the campaign, members of the coalition will lead a prayer vigil at noon everyday outside the White House, concluding with a large prayer vigil on the Martin Luther King national holiday on Jan. 19.
The coalition, in a news release, said an inaugural prayer offered 40 years ago by the Rev. Billy Graham is to be offered:
“We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom and power. This faith in God is our heritage and foundation,” the prayer says.
“The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone,” it continues.
“So we pray, O God, as we enter a new era, that we as a nation may experience a moral and spiritual rest,” it adds. “And in the lonely moments of decision grant him an uncompromising courage to do what is morally right.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Obama to use Lincoln’s Bible
A historic Bible will be used at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama.
The Religion News Service said today that Obama has chosen the Bible used at President Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration.
According to the RNS, it will be the first time a president has used the Bible at an inauguration since Lincoln used it in 1861.
“President-elect Obama is deeply honored that the Library of Congress had made the Lincoln Bible available for use during his swearing-in,” Emmett Beliveau, executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told the RNS.
“The president-elect is committed to holding an inauguration that celebrates America’s unity, and the use of this historic Bible will provide a powerful connection to our common past and common heritage.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Rick Warren speaks out
Pastor Rick Warren has released a statement concerning his participation in the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama.
The statement, sent out through Christian Newswire, reads:
“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.”
——
Stay tuned. This story just keeps evolving. Oh, and you might want to watch Warren’s interview with Ann Curry at 8 p.m. tonight on NBC’s Dateline. I watched excerpts of the interview on the Today show and I think many people, particular the faith community, will be interested in hearing what Warren has to say.
Curry said it was conducted before Warren’s role in the inauguration was made public.
(AP Photo: Sen John McCain, R-Ariz., Pastor Rick Warren and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. stand together at an August forum at Warren’s Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
