Rick Warren: The Cool Goatee is Not Enough

You've probably heard by now that Rick Warren has agreed to offer the invocation prayer at the inauguration of President Obama in January. You've probably also heard that both sides of the political spectrum are hopping mad. Some on the right have attacked Warren for giving political cover to a pro-choice politician. Some on the left are outraged that a supporter of California's Proposition 8 will be on the podium. To them, anyone who disagrees with them on gay rights, no matter how courteous and civil the expression of that disagreement, is a hatemonger.

Jared Wilson had some wise words on the controversy at The Gospel-Driven Church

Here's the thing: Warren is not saying anything outrageous for a Christian minister. He is simply, as most evangelical Christians do, saying that babies should get to live and that homosexual behavior is sin. That he is getting branded a radical hatemonger for these things should tell us a lot about the culture we live in, which -- PAY ATTENTION HERE -- doesn't care if you're a cool, goatee-sporting, social justice loving, Obama voting Christian. If you simply follow the Bible's counsel about life and sin, you're Hitler.

We will see more and more of this. And hear me on this also: this is not cause to rejoin the culture war and restock the Christian Coalition. It is certainly not cause to give up caring about social justice or whoever's being elected president. But it also not cause to give up living the rightside up culture of the kingdom of God, which turns all worldly niceties on their heads. And inspires people to hate us.

Don't be surprised. Don't rev up the marketing campaigns to renegotiate public approval.When they hate you, when they insult you, when they curse you, it's not because you fell out of God's favor. Being hated was promised by Jesus to those who follow him.Jesus doesn't need new PR. (He doesn't need anything, really.) He wants self-crucifying, dead-to-the-world, cross-taking lovers of Truth.

If the world doesn't think you're stupid, maybe you're doing something wrong?

Dr. Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Seminary on why he would not have accepted the invitation to pray at the inauguration.