My sick daughter/frozen pipes/burst pipes trifecta-of-chaos this weekend prevented me from fully enjoying the pre-inaugural festivities here in Washington. But I watched a bit of the celebrity concert that got things going (I can’t get enough of Mary J.) and was sorry to see that HBO did not broadcast the opening prayer by Bishop Gene Robinson.
Friends who went down to the Lincoln Memorial reported that the microphone cut out just as Robinson began his prayer and only came back on as he said “Amen.”
I haven’t seen any substantive media coverage of the prayer, although religion journalists made sure to mention it on their blogs. Jeffrey Weiss at the Dallas Morning News called it the Obama Prayer Controversy #1. Here’s how the Boston Globe post begins:
In the invocation offered by Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire at today’s inaugural welcoming ceremony, the openly gay bishop called on God to “bless us with anger — at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.”
Not surprising for Robinson but certainly interesting. Perhaps we’ll see more stories in the next day or so. Not that all the stories about, say, the pre-inaugural rush for Botox aren’t important. But when the Associated Press is allocating 87 words for entire stories about pre-inaugural sermons of note, I guess I shouldn’t be too hopeful.
One great religion news story was filed by Nikita Stewart and Hamil Harris at the Washington Post. They covered the Obama family’s visit to a local church on Sunday:
Barack Obama and his family attended services yesterday at one of the oldest historically black churches in Washington, thrilling a congregation that honored the president-elect for advancing the legacy of such civil-rights icons as Rosa Parks and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The story is packed with details about the church and the Obamas’ visit. We learn that the church originated in 1802 as a congregation of slaves and whites who worshiped together. Later it was sold to Black Baptist ministers. It is known for its progressive politics, in which it is very active. Former attorney general John Ashcroft is one of many notables who has attended services there.
Early on we are told that the Rev. Derrick Harkins focused his sermon on how God prepares people to do incredible things in challenging times:
After learning that the Obamas were coming yesterday, Harkins said, he agonized about his sermon, which he titled “For Such a Time as This.” Whatever nervousness he felt, he said, was dispelled once he met the Obamas just before the service. And, indeed, Harkins exuded a confidence, almost as if counseling Obama. From time to time, he would get fiery and loud and then speak in a hushed tone.
Obama appeared pensive, sitting with his hands folded at his chin. At least twice, he took a pen out of his pocket and jotted down a note.
In his sermon, the pastor talked of the biblical heroes Mordecai and Esther, who met the challenge and saved themselves and their fellow Jewish people. He cited another event that has dominated headlines in recent days: the heroic actions of the pilot of a faltering US Airways jet that safely landed in the Hudson River. The pilot had years of training before that moment when he had to save the plane. You never know, Harkins said, when the experiences you accumulate in daily life will be put to a test.
And so it is with Obama. “You are aware that you are here for such a time as this,” Harkins said. He urged the president-elect to remember two things when times grow difficult. “First, look to your wife as an encourager,” he said. And second, “God is in the transformation business.”
So often these visit to church stories neglect to include any of the actual substance of the service. This story did a great job of providing some color — they hymns, the general scene, the sermon. It’s a welcome change.
And if you’re looking for an upcoming prayer controversy story, the Politico reports that one of the participants at the Wednesday prayer service heads an Islamic group that federal prosecutors say is linked to Hamas. Who says the religion beat isn’t exciting?
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Comments (17) |
January 19, 2009, at 8:01 am
Yes, the religion beat is exciting with stories like the Washington Post’s and with blogs like Get Religion! Thanks so much for this posting.
I also appreciate the botox story. If I don’t read things like this, I end up watching events and thinking that the rarified air around there makes people look fantastic!
January 19, 2009, at 8:54 am
Babyblue is reporting that the microphone was off for all but the last sentence of the prayer to the “god of many understandings.” What irony.
January 19, 2009, at 11:02 am
The You Tube in the post above sounds like the mic was on.
January 19, 2009, at 11:13 am
See here with excerpts from the NYT, etc.
http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2009/01/babybluepodcast-sound-of-silence.html
Apparently it wasn’t a microphone but a speaker tower.
January 19, 2009, at 12:34 pm
[…] Ziegler Hemingway offers an omnibus post on press coverage of tomorrow’s inauguration. Have I said lately how much I love MZH? Catch […]
January 19, 2009, at 12:59 pm
Good grief. If I had not known that the AP decided AHEAD OF TIME what is newsworthy, I would have no doubt been grumpy tomorrow. I’m not sure how you found out ahead of time that they know what is going to be newsworthy but can I get them to tell me what stocks to buy?
That fact should set of quite a bit of cognitive dissonance amongst some.
Since Hamas is also the democratically elected government of Palestine, being linked to them could be guilt by association or something else. After all, he could be involved with trying to bring aide to the people who are suffering there or arms smuggling. The simple word linked does not tell us any real facts.
The AP is certainly doing their “best” to make sure religion is ignored tomorrow and that itself should ignite some controversy. But maybe a few real reporters will ignore their embargo on real stories and report on the prayers that are said and the reaction of the audience. I can hope that one or two real reporters cover the event and a couple of real editors allow the story to be told.
January 19, 2009, at 2:21 pm
Did they leave out the part where Gene fed the multitudes with 2 fish and 5 loaves?
January 19, 2009, at 2:48 pm
I would have thought the more controversial thing that Robinson said wouldn’t be that he asked God for righteous anger, but the “non-specific Deity” to whom he actually prayed.
I blogged about this earlier today on nhreligion.com. Here’s an excerpt:
As I note, this is surely not going to go over well with the conservative African Anglicans and US Episcopalians who are ALREADY headed for the exits. Clearly, this is an odd thing for a “Christian” bishop to be fretting about, and it must be raising serious questions about how his activism has affected his understanding theology. If I was Episcopalian here in New Hampshire, it sure would be ringing alarm bells for me.
And of course, the HBO incident isn’t going over well with gay activists.
So it seems like there’s a lot of anger going around already. No need to pray for more!
January 19, 2009, at 4:59 pm
I just have to say something that everyone reading this already knows: For any member of the Episcopal church there is no surprise in Mr. Robinson’s prayer or comments preceding his prayer as to how he will concoct a prayer. Mr. Spong got everyone used to it a long time ago.
January 19, 2009, at 7:10 pm
the real scandal is the absence of Catholics…
January 19, 2009, at 8:03 pm
Archbishop Wuerl and Auxiliary Bishop Gonzales of Washington will participate in the Inaugural Prayer Service at the National Cathedral on Wednesday.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gz_T76b-squOB77UgN6yQArkYruAD95OGEP80
To stop a public prayer with “To the God of our Many Understandings isn’t particularly offensive to me, but then I’m not impressed with most prayers in the civil setting. We don’t share a common faith and it’s a little silly to go through the motions of common prayer.
January 19, 2009, at 8:19 pm
It just occurred to me that Gene Robinson is a recovering alcoholic and “God of our Many Understandings is substantial the same as the AA formula: God as we understand God”.
January 19, 2009, at 9:00 pm
There’s an inauguration?!? According to the Washington Compost, I was convinced it was going to be the Second Coming.
January 19, 2009, at 9:32 pm
even TIME magazine noticed the absence of Rabbis and priests…link
January 20, 2009, at 2:22 pm
Right after Reverend Joseph Lowery finished his closing prayer at the Inauguration God looked down and said…”Man… you’re cool”
January 21, 2009, at 4:19 pm
“I haven’t seen any substantive media coverage of the prayer, although religion journalists made sure to mention it on their blogs.”
It’s 2009, Mollie. Blogs can be, and often are, “substantial media coverage.”
January 21, 2009, at 4:32 pm
Bruce,
Emphasis on “mention it” not “blogs.”