Thanks for nothing, Opportunity Council; Yay for Unitarians!

So the temperature finally rose above freezing, and the falling snow turned to rain. Which is good for washing away much of the accumulated snow, but turns everything into a sloppy, slushy mess -- and when it freezes again tonight, it will be dangerous. But for now the streets are clear, and it's warmer, so I decided to brave the slush in order to run some errands. It's the first time I've been out of the apartment for days.
( Click for more Christmas Eve adventures )

Rev. Rick Warren accuses detractors of "hate speech" and "Christophobia"

Up until now, I haven't taken a stand on the controversy over the choice of heterosexist Reverend Rick Warren to give the opening invocation at Obama's inauguration next month. My stance thus far has been to just shrug, and say that he's entitled to his opinions. I do not agree with Obama's choice, but I wasn't going to make a fuss, because I understand what Obama's trying to do with being inclusive of evangelicals.

However, Warren crossed the line for me this week. What started as a reasonable disagreement over the choice of invocations has devolved into a divisive shouting match that threatens to overshadow the beginning of the Obama administration.

In the video below, you can see for yourself that Warren is now accusing his detractors of "Christophobia" and engaging in "hate speech," because they disagree with his positions on homosexuality:

I'm sorry, but no. I now see Warren as an entirely inappropriate choice for Obama. With the intense hurt that was inflicted on queers by California Prop 8, gay people have a very real reason to object to an anti-gay minister at the inauguration. It is a slap in the face for the many gay people who worked for Obama's election and voted for him (I was not one of them), and now Warren's unrepentant anti-gay comments are like rubbing salt on an open wound.

Obama clearly miscalculated when he selected Warren, and the objections are only getting louder. Warren has become too divisive for the country as a whole, and the inclusive tone that Obama is trying to foster. It's time for Warren to be a mensch, and quietly step aside for a more inclusive minister to give the invocation. In the aftermath of Prop 8, it is the Christian thing to do.