Politics, Pastors, Presidents, and Prayer

We have witnessed a transfer of leadership among evangelicals in American politics for the first time in 30 years. Since folks like Jerry Falwell burst onto the political scene in the late 1970s, evangelicals and politics have been closely, and oftentimes detrimentally, entwined. While I am pro-life and consider myself a political conservative on most issues, I have cringed at how many evangelical leaders have used their positions of influence as a political hammer for partisan power. The Old Guard of the Religious Right - Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Paul Weyrich, and James Kennedy, just to name a few - have given way (either by death or by fading influence) to new evangelicals who seek to promote a more holistic influence on the culture, while remaining, as much as possible, neutral concerning partisan politics. Billy Graham gracefully walked this line as pastor to the past presidents (except for a brief time with Nixon). It appears that the new American pastor, as well as the new voice for evangelicals, has become Rick Warren.

So what's the difference between Warren and someone like James Dobson? Their views on abortion and marriage are the same. They both are passionate about Jesus Christ. However, James Dobson and others like him made a career out of alarmism and judgmentalism on the political front, along with attempts at "king-making." Political power can be a corrupting seducer. As the Old Guard accumulated influence in the Republican Party, they lost sight of their truest selves. Political positions often trumped theology, causing the old Religious Right to lose some integrity and focus. They moved from prophetic voices to participating voices in the political elite. Warren hasn't compromised his pastoral integrity by involving himself in partisan party politics - and hopefully he won't. But he hasn't ignored the political world either. He has brought attention not only to the traditional social issues (abortion & sexuality aka "pelvic politics"), but also to commonly ignored issues such as the effects of HIV/AIDS, drug rehabilitation, and poverty. Warren has Republican and Democrat friends, and Republican and Democrat enemies. Isn't that how it should be? Invited to pray at Obama's inauguration, Warren will be hearing plenty over the next month from supporters and detractors. There are some on the right who think Warren shouldn't associate with Obama, and some on the left who think Obama shouldn't associate with Warren . However, as one of the new leaders among evangelical voices, Warren needs to be there, demonstrating that Christianity is not a partisan game, but a barrier breaking relationship with Christ that is more important than any political party. And kudos to Obama for inviting him.

One bit of warning though to Warren - he needs to set term limits for himself. As the next president and certainly future presidents come calling, he must set a date to withdrawal from pastoral politics altogether. If the old guard had set term limits for themselves, perhaps they could have avoided the seduction of political power. It would be a shame for Warren to follow their lead.