as a prayer, it doesn’t make a lick of sense.

As a speech where you’re really talking to everyone but God, but addressing “God” (just like the “guy on main street”) it was a good speech.

Frankly, the same thing can be said about Rick Warren’s speech, but he used more “Christian friendly” language.

Logically, his prayer doesn’t make sense. To me at least.

But it’s a pretty great speech.

And let’s face it, these “prayers,” no matter who they’re given by in these scenarios, are more about the speechifyin’ than the prayerifyin’.

That said, I won’t be stopping by Robinson’s church any time soon.

There is a difference between not discriminating and standing for your faith. There’s a difference between admitting we are idolaters and saying that idolatry is OK and we should embrace it (spot on that God is an idol-smasher). There is a difference between having different views of God* versus being prepared to present a reason for the hope that we have. Even in the most broad reading, this is non-Christian. I am all for tolerance. I agree that our freedom of speech affords all the right (privilege) of speaking in honor of whatever they want. We can’t say that Robinson doesn’t have a right to be there (that would be discrimination in a negative manner). He clearly does have the right (we don’t live in a Theocracy). However, there should be impassioned responses to this. We should stand for our God. Not doing so behind a veiled let’s-all-be-friends (or log-plank) motif is the lukewarm church. If you’re giving a lecture on religions of the world, great, (we must) include talk of others’ beliefs, if you’re discussing the rights of humans in-totem across the world, again, have at “the god’s of different people” (we should). When you’re a Christian and you begin to pray to God, there is no room for praying to the many gods of others.

To tag onto what Joshua said (and Darius Amen’d), I was reading Philippians the other day and ran across this:

“For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.”

Weeping for those who do not know Christ. There is no justification for idolatry. To attempt to dismiss it is to rejoice in their position. We should be praying and weeping for them. Something that should have been the first words out of my “mouth” (to the joy of those around me, I don’t read my comments aloud .

* – Though anyone calling themselves Christian have a specific view of a singular God who became man and died for our sins….Robinson very clearly does not. I know you didn’t say that specifically as there is a difference between what God wants and who He is.

At least he realizes that tolerance as properly defined and understood still means that people believe he’s living a sinful life… so instead he prays that people “warm[ly] embrace” sinful lifestyles.

“Help him remember his own oppression as a minority…”

Ah yes, that oppression that led him to be elected one of the youngest presidents in history. Stupid oppression, always keeping the black man down. In Robinson’s world, it appears that just being a minority means you will be oppressed.