Bill Berkowitz: Pastor Rick Warren Refuses to Condemn 'Death Panels' for Ugandan Homosexuals?

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY
by Bill Berkowitz

While the lives of men and woman are at stake in Uganda, a playful and downright jolly Pastor Rick Warren, author of the mega-best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life" and the Pastor of Lake Forest, California's Saddleback Church, recently appeared on the Fox News Channel to promote his book, "The Purpose of Christmas." In the 4-minute-plus interview, Warren smiled and laughed. He told Fox's Steve Doocy and Martha MacCallum that this is the season for "celebration," "salvation," and "reconciliation."

And, in closing out the segment, he invoked Rodney King's comment: "Can't we all just get along?"

In the past few days, a number of religious leaders have spoken out against pending legislation in Uganda -- the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009 -- that would impose severe criminal penalties against homosexuals, including the death penalty.

But Pastor Rick Warren was not on board.

Why has Warren, a fellow not shy about commenting on all sorts of issues, fallen silent?

Released on Monday, December 7, a statement titled "U.S. Christian Leaders' Statement on "Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009" read: "Our Christian faith recognizes violence, harassment and unjust treatment of any human being as a betrayal of Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. As followers of the teachings of Christ, we must express profound dismay at a bill currently before the Parliament in Uganda. The 'Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009' would enforce lifetime prison sentences and in some cases the death penalty for homosexual behavior, as well as punish citizens for not reporting their gay and lesbian neighbors to the authorities."

Organized by Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, the statement noted that "As Americans, some may wonder why we are raising our voices to oppose a measure proposed in a nation so far away from home… We do so to bear witness to our Christian values, and to express our condemnation of an injustice in which groups and leaders within the American Christian community are being implicated. We appeal to all Christian leaders in our own country to speak out against this unjust legislation."

"In our efforts to imitate the Good Samaritan, we stand in solidarity with those Ugandans beaten and left abandoned by the side of the road because of hatred, bigotry and fear. Especially during this holy season of Advent, when the global Christian community prepares in hope for the light of Christ to break through the darkness, we pray that they are comforted by God's love.

"Regardless of the diverse theological views of our religious traditions regarding the morality of homosexuality, in our churches, communities and families, we seek to embrace our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as God's children worthy of respect and love. Yet we are painfully aware that in our country gays and lesbians still face hostility and violence. We recognize that such treatment degrades the human family, threatens the common good and defies the teachings of our Lord -- wherever it occurs.

Signatories to the appeal include Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners; Bryan N. Massingale, president of the Catholic Theological Society of America; Ronald J. Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action; the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; evangelical activist Brian McLaren; Jim Winkler, general secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society; Thomas P. Melady, former U.S. ambassador to Uganda and the Vatican; the Rev. Peg Chemberlin, incoming president of the National Council of Churches of Christ USA; Douglas W. Kmiec, President Obama's new ambassador to Malta and a prominent Catholic legal scholar; David P. Gushee, a leading Christian ethicist at Mercer University; and Melissa Rogers, director of Wake Forest University Divinity School's Center for Religion and Public Affairs and an adviser to Obama on faith-based issues.

According to Politics Daily's David Gibson, "About 85 percent of Uganda's 31 million people are Christian, and about 12 percent are Muslim. Roman Catholics account for about 42 percent of the population, followed by the Anglican Church at 36 percent, with a growing presence of evangelicals and Pentecostals -- who have their relied on North American counterparts for aid and inspiration -- making up the balance."

Gibson also reported that earlier this month, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church -- the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion -- "released a statement voicing opposition to the Ugandan bill and lamenting the work of American activists in pushing the anti-gay act."

In March of last year, allafrica.com reported that Warren said that he supported the "decision by Ugandan bishops to boycott the forthcoming Lamebth conference in England, United Kingdom, a conference that brings together Bishops of the Anglican Communion from all 38 Provinces of the Communion every 10 years.

"The Church of England is wrong and I support the Church of Uganda (CoU) on the boycott," Warren said shortly after he arrived in the country. According to allafrica.com, the Bishops, protesting the Church of England's tolerance of homosexuality, announced the boycott prior to the March meeting: "Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi said that Uganda's action had been prompted by the invitation of bishops of The U.S. Episcopal Church (TEC) who in 2003 elected as bishop, Gene Robinson, a divorced man living in an active homosexual relationship."

At the time, Warren was quoted as telling Ugandan media that he opposed homosexuality, adding that "We shall not tolerate this aspect at all."

In a more recent statement to Newsweek, Warren declined to condemn the pending Ugandan legislation:

"The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator,"

"However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations."

Warren's recent appearance on the Fox News Channel came during a segment aimed at highlighting another battle in the so-called "War on Christmas." According to Doocy, a "principal of a Connecticut school has banned the celebration of all holidays."

The ever-reliable NewsHounds ("We watch Fox so you don't have to.") pointed out that MacCallum mentioned Warren's book, "The Purpose of Christmas" and emphasized the word "Christmas" while saying it. "Warren 'didn't understand' the fear over this issue and said the educators should be educating about the meaning of Christmas and any other holiday. (The 'controversy' is not about teaching; it's about decorations and parties). He then proceeded to tout how he celebrates Jewish and Muslim feasts with his Jewish and Muslim friends and how they're coming to his house for Christmas."

"They're all coming to my house for Christmas, for Christmas services," Warren said. "What's the big deal?"

Warren pointed out that he didn't "have enough faith to be an atheist."

"You know, Steve, if I'm walking down a mountain and I see rock out of place and I go 'that's an accident.' If I'm walking down a mountain -- on the trail -- and I find a Rolex that's evidence of design. It actually takes more faith not to believe in God than to believe in God."

In conjunction with publicizing his new book, Warren said that he is "practicing the three perfect rules of Christmas." The rules: "good times, good news, and good will."

"They're the three things that the angels said. At the very first Christmas, they said first I bring you good news of great joy. Christmas is the time to party. Parties are actually good. … We need some good news right now anyway. And then he said for unto you is born a savior. That's good news. And then he says, peace on earth, good will to men. So it's celebration, it's salvation, it's reconciliation. Can't we all just get along?"

"The actual number of seculars in the world are actually quite small outside Europe and Manhattan," Warren also noted. "It's like we're afraid to even talk about this," he added.

However, what Warren actually appears to be afraid of talking about is Uganda's pending draconian anti-gay legislation.

So how does Warren's refusal to condemn Ugandan's "death panels" for homosexuals fit with his invoking Rodney King's "can't we all just get along?" Talk2Action's Bruce Wilson -- an investigative journalist that has been following this story closely -- recently pointed out that "To little notice, a charismatic network overseen by Warren's doctoral dissertation advisor, C. Peter Wagner, has played a major role in politically organizing and inspiring the Ugandan legislators who have spearheaded the anti-gay bill."

Wilson noted that in Wagner's 2008 book "Dominion," "he describes the process through which this brand of Christianity can take dominion over government and society, and claims that this can be accomplished within a democratic framework. Wagner clearly states that Rick Warren's global P.E.A.C.E. Plan is an example of "stage one."

In the coming days, Rick Warren will no doubt be promoting "The Purpose of Christmas" and maintaining that this is the season of "celebration," "salvation," and "reconciliation."

Isn't it time that Warren stopped the promotion train for a just a moment and spoke out against Uganda's horrific anti-homosexual legislation?

Come on Pastor Rick: "Can't we all just get along?"

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY

Bill Berkowitz is a longtime observer of the conservative movement and a frequent writer for Z Magazine, Religion Dispatches and other online publications. He documents the strategies, players, institutions, victories, and defeats of the American Right from a progressive perspective.