The Civil Forum sponsored by the Saddleback Church and its founder and pastor Rick Warren was the first chance for voters to see presidential candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama answer questions about faith. What the voters actually saw was a polished Senator Obama using illustrative words and nice platitudes but saying very little. Senator McCain, though less polished, showed his serious engagement with the demands of the Gospel. Pastor Rich Warren, an admirable man, showed us both the failings of this format and a glimpse of the coming collapse of the Mega-Church Era.
Listening to Senator Obama I was reminded of my days as a teacher. Every high school teacher or college professor has a few students they can recall who wrote excellent papers or gave spell-binding speeches that really said very little. So it was with Senator Obama. When Pastor Rick Warren asked Senator Obama when life begins, he said, “…that is above my pay grade.” Senator McCain, simply said, “Life begins at conception.”
It was like that much of the evening.
I imagine many, like me, were watching the Olympics that evening. I only saw the forum when CNN repeated it at midnight once the Olympic coverage was over. It was vintage Senator Obama, though Senator McCain outshined him. Senator Obama’s delivery made it appear to many that he could hold his own against Senator McCain in appealling to an Evangelical audience.
As some of you are aware, I noted in my book The Tide is Turning Toward Catholicism that the mega-church era has peaked and is on its way down. I have written that I believe few if any mega-churches will be in their current form in the year 2020. After watching the Civil Forum at the Saddleback Church, I am tempted to move up the date of my projection. As I have said on numerous occasions, Pastor Rick Warren is a truly amazing man who has helped many, especially in the Third World. He reverse-tithes the profits from his 25 million-seller book, The Purpose Driven Life, which means he has given away 90% of the profits, a truly admirable gesture.
However, being a leader of a church and just sitting there while a presidential candidate says that the answer to when life begins is beyond his pay grade, is truly an abdication of leadership. What are Christians suppose to take away from this? Was Senator Obama’s answer in keeping with Christian tradition? It would appear that since the pastor of one of America’s largest mega-churches never asked for a clarification or never explained to the contrary, supporters of Senator Obama are left to think he must have spoken correctly.
Compare Pastor Rick Warren, one of Evangelicalism’s most beloved pastors with a Catholic bishop loved by orthodox-minded Catholics. I just can’t imagine the recently transferred Archbishop Burke, formerly of St. Louis or Archbishop Naumann of Kansas City listening to Senator Obama’s response and not doing something about it. Pastor Rick Warren said he didn’t want Senator McCain or Senator Obama demonized. They are both great men, said Pastor Warren. However, the Spiritual Works of Mercy tell us we must admonish the sinner. It doesn’t mean that they have to be demonized, just challenged.
The whole mega-church model of marketing and telling people what they want to hear comes apart at the seams when a church leader can’t defend or at least “call out” a presidential candidates who says knowing when life begins is above his pay grade. Senator Obama also said he would not have selected Justice Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court because he was too inexperienced. Again the irony cried out for a response from Pastor Rick Warren. None was given. To be sure, the Catholic Church has been let down by some in leadership positions in the Church who also completely abdicated their responsibilities. We are well aware of who they were and what they did and didn’t do. However, it is in performances like we saw Saturday night that we see the mega-church plan for what it is: a movement that wants people to feel good and not be threatened by liturgy, rules, or the hard words of Jesus. Too many mega-churches seem more into Stephen Covey or Oprah Winfrey and their slogan may be “location, location, location,” instead of “repent and believe the Gospel.” Saturday night was very illuminating in more ways than one.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:28 am
While I agree with you that Obama’s “above his pay grade” response is actually very alarming, I disagree with you on Pastor Warren’s lack of a challenge. I didn’t view his role in the discussion as a pastor offering and providing spiritual guidance to a member of his congregation. I viewed his role as creating an environment that was not antagonistic where voters got a chance to better know the make-up, the character of each man. I think Warren rightly took an approach that was even handed and put the spotlight on each candidate. I’m sure he could have challenged both men on vartious answers, but I’m glad he did not. In the end, I think it showed the character weakness of Obama and the strength of mCcain, hopefully soon President McCain
August 21st, 2008 at 9:39 am
I think there were probing non-”antagonistic” ways to ask him to expand his answer. For example, Warren could have inquired, “Then you don’t know whether the occupant of the womb is a human being or not or when during the course of a pregnancy it comes to have that status?” If he answered affirmatively, Waren could have followed up with, “Then you acknowledge the possiblity that abortion is taking the life of an innocent human being?” If Obama kept up with the agnostic position, Warren could have inquired about the hunter who shoots not knowing whether he aims at a deer or another hunter, or the developer who orders the demolition of a building not knowing whether it is occupied by homeless people or not. He could have asked, “In other instances where a human being MIGHT be present the law requires due diligence to protect life, so if a human being might be present in the womb, why should the law not protect that life?”
These would have been perfectly acceptable, non-antagonistic questions that would have truly accomplished what Warren claimed to set out to do an allow the candidates to reveal themselves to the American people. He could have similarly probed McCain’s position on ESC research. In both instances, he would have done a much better service to the American people.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:12 am
McCain’s performance may be completely undone (i.e., shown to be mere words, not backed up by action) if he chooses a pro-abortion politician to run as his VP.
I pray he will choose wisely.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:47 am
I feel the discussion absolutely revealed where the candidates stand on key issues and served it’s purpose. Yes, he could have probed deeper into each question, but then the breadth of what was covered would have been limited. I came away from the evening with a much clearer picture of the moral and ethical nature of each man.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I did enjoy Pastor Warren’s efforts to present a “civil” forum and it certainly was. Warren spoke with CNN afterward and said he got the answers he expected from both candidates and that he wanted to make follow-up questions but fo rthe sake of time and breadth of the program did not. I don’t think anyone learned anything new about the candidates except that there styles were emphasized. Obama was nuanced and shallow and McCain was straight-forward. The forum may have ultimately done more for Rick Warren and Saddleback than for either of the candidates.
That said when you look at Saddleback, think about how many of the congregation are former Catholics, that says more about being “let down by some in leadership positions in the Church who also completely abdicated their responsibilities” than any other statement.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:33 pm
David - it is in Pastor Warren’s silence that the paucity of Obama’s “pay grade” response stood out to me.
Claudia - GodSpace
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
Knowing full well that I am still a sinner, I sometimes still have inclinations to jab someone I’m not particularly fond of when they’re down. Accordingly, my first inclination is to agree that I too would like to have seen Warren press for a more intellegent and revealing response. However, after pondering the notion I think as Catholics we’re better of to soak up the silence and let Obama’s lack of a qualified response speak for itself. After all, he said it and we weren’t the only ones to acknowledge his overt side-step reply.
I think an excerpt from Cheryl Dickow’s article from 08/22 “Our Jewish Roots: Silence” says a lot: “We often say that He took on human form to experience life in such a way as to be able to empathetically relate to our own experiences. He became our example for resisting temptation, to live with a humble spirit, and to show how to serve one another. He, too, became our example of the need for silence. Jesus shows how it is often in this silence that God is able to quell our aching heart and share answers to our prayers.
pax et bonum