"Dear Pastor Warren"

Michael Proctor (WashingtoniansforObama2008):

The Obama Campaign was the first time in my life that I felt inspired to support any political candidate. I was one of the early adopters, fervently telling friends and family about the candidate, providing funds and even predicting an Obama victory as early as December of 2007.

I was one of the many people who drove to Seattle on Election Day to join in the historic celebration of the first African-American President of our great nation. It was a joyous affair; unlike any that I have seen before in the 40 years I have lived in Seattle. In the weeks since Election Day, I have been impressed with the high quality people that the transition team has brought forward for cabinet and staff positions in the new administration. Considering the terrible mess our country is currently facing and on multiple fronts; January 20, 2009 couldn't come any sooner for this hopeful citizen. Then I heard that President-elect Obama had reached out and graciously invited you to give the invocation. For me it seems that dark clouds are pooling on the horizon, threatening to sully the moment that I’ve been dreaming.

Please don’t misunderstand my objection as it is not personal or meant to offend. I wholeheartedly support the commitment to disagreeing without being disagreeable! I fully believe that there is no difference of opinion or way of seeing the world that cannot be sung by a chorus of quiet voices, finding harmony where it exists and creating it where it does not.

No doubt, the inauguration will be an historic moment that all Americans should celebrate! But it is almost a sacred day for those of us who worked so hard and seemingly against all odds to help put President-elect Obama into office. After eight miserable years of the Bush Administration where divisiveness was commonplace, all of us and in particular those who were most marginalized, need to see a real break with the past in order to feel refreshed moving forward. This inauguration is as much a funeral for the era of fear-mongering and divisiveness as it is a celebration of the dawn of a new era of change, inclusiveness and mutual respect.

Pastor Warren, for all the good you’ve created and I am truly grateful for your work against poverty and AIDS, why do you feel it necessary to tarnish these acts of love and kindness by also being a messenger of division and disrespect? In a recent interview regarding California’s Proposition 8, I watched in horror as you compared the “redefinition of a marriage” as it pertains to gay marriage to “legitimizing incest, child abuse, and polygamy.” The act of comparing good, law-abiding citizens with those who are considered by most to be the scourge of the earth is an outrageous and despicable act! Reflecting upon our country’s sometimes sordid history for a moment; how is this kind of speech different than the hateful slurs that were used as weapons of prejudice against African-American’s before Dr. King shared his beautiful dream with the rest of us? I, like Dr. King, believe that we are all God’s children. Since I know you also share this belief, with all due respect, who are you to go on record in a public forum making it appear as though God has granted you the unique gift to know with absolute certainty the definition of love, marriage, and morality for the rest of us?

Pastor Warren, considering your recent statements, the most loving, hopeful, and inclusive act that you could do now is to appeal to your better angels and politely advise President-elect Obama that it would be improper for you to give the invocation. This selfless act would send a strong message that you truly understand that by using your station in life to slur gays and lesbians and helping to nullify legal marriages of loving couples is wholly inconsistent with accepting the honor of being a star in the inauguration built upon the promise of hope, change, and inclusion. Though the road ahead is troubled and long, there will be plenty of time where we can work as hard as we did to change the leadership of our country to now change the harmony of our discourse. I look forward to reaching out to you and the members of your congregation to build this great and necessary future, to bring everyone together with mutual respect for our differences and to realize President-elect Obama’s powerful vision.

I pray that this message finds you well.

Thank you and God Bless,

Michael Proctor

Howie P.S.: Mr. Proctor's letter comes from the WashingtoniansforObama2008 listserv. Barney Frank makes a similar argument.

Barack Obama