Rick Warren has been bashed, mostly by Christians, for his controversial decision to pray at President Oboma’s Inauguration.
View Rick Warren’s Inaugural Prayer here:
Why is Rick Warren’s Decision to pray controversial?
Some are saying that you shouldn’t go into the enemy’s (the liberals) camp- “Isn’t there a Christian chorus about that saying that I took back what the enemy has stolen?
Others say that you can’t mix religion and politics- I’m tired of religion and politics also, but isn’t it time that we modeled Christ in the political arena?
Still others would complain that Rick Warren is endorsing a new President who ran on a liberal platform approving abortion and gay marriages- Is praying for our leaders an endorsement?
Let me ask you a question. If you were given the opportunity to pray at the inauguration of a President would you accept the invitation?
If it were me, I’d even accept the opportunity to pray for the mayor of a small town of 500 people no matter if he shared my moral views or not.
Aren’t we suppose to pray for our leaders?
It doesn’t matter if we agree with everything they stand for.
Rick Warren got a head start on all of us. He was the first person to publicly pray for our new President.
You may be reading this and thinking to yourself that I support Obama. I didn’t vote for him. Bur he is our new President. He’s already in office.
Perhaps we should be praying like never before.
Cheers to Rick Warren for modeling a great prayer for us all.
By the way, Just in case you missed Pastor Rick’s inaugural prayer – you can watch the video here:
http://www.rickwarrennews.com/video_player12.htm
or by clicking play on the video below:
I am also including the transcript below since I believe that we should model after Godly Christians such as Rick Warren who was given the honor of praying at the Presidential inauguration.
God Bless You and God Bless America!
Ed
Transcript of Rick Warren’s Inaugural Prayer
Let us pray.
Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.
History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.
Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”