Source: New York Times, PastorBobCornwall.blogspot
A little known minister who heads a small, liberal-leaning Protestant denomination has been chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to deliver the sermon at the national prayer service that is held at National Cathedral the day after the inauguration.
Related in Qnews: Bishop Gene Robinson to give prayer at inauguration event 12-Jan-09
Rev. Sharon E. Watkins is the first woman ever selected to deliver the sermon at the service, which is traditionally attended by the president and vice-president, and by members of Congress and justices of the Supreme Court.
Watkins is president of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which has about 3,754 congregations and about 690,000 members in the United States and Canada. She has spoken out against torture and the war in Iraq.
Obama picks minister from liberal inclusive church to deliver sermon at prominent national prayer service [contd.]
The choice of a woman from a generally liberal denomination to deliver the sermon has been contrasted with the choice of conservative Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the inauguration, but an Obama spokeswoman insisted the selection of Watkins was not an attempt to mollify critics of the Warren selection.
Disciples of Christ has not taken a position as a denomination on ceremonies for same-sex couples, but each church associated with the denomination is free to take its own stance on the matter, according to the New York Times. As church president, Watkins has not taken a position on same-sex marriage, the Times reports.
Ms. Watkins told New York Times in a telephone interview that the church in Bartlesville, Okla., where she served as minister before becoming president, could not reach a consensus on whether to allow gay union ceremonies and decided to hold off on a decision.
"We really emphasize the responsibility as well as the freedom of individuals within the church to study Scripture to prayerfully pursue their own spiritual journey," Ms. Watkins told the Times. "That means we end up being incredibly diverse politically, theologically, and socially."
Linda Douglass, the chief spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, told the Times that Watkins had been chosen even before Warren's selection was announced. "Her appeal is that she delivers a message of unity and inclusivity and tolerance and hope -- and those are all central themes we've heard from the president-elect," Douglass said
Rev. Bob Cornwall, a Disciples minister and church historian, who writes a blog on church issues, said that Watkins will bring to the service "a heritage that affirms freedom, diversity, and unity."
Cornwall said that Watkins was little-known even among members of the denomination when she was chosen in 2005 to be its leader:
In many ways her ascent to this position came as a surprise -- she was after all the pastor of a medium sized church in Oklahoma. She wasn't part of the bureaucracy nor had she been a Regional Minister (our equivalent to a diocesan bishop). But we were ecstatic at the choice.
In her inaugural sermon she gave us a sense of vision and hope for the future. And the Disciples, who had been in decline for some time finally had a sense of vision, and we're seeing gains.
Watkins told New York Times, "The kind of message I want to reflect on is the deeper unity we have as a human family."
The sermon will be 10 to 15 minutes and will not be vetted by the Obama team, Watkins told the Times. She added that she would preach in a way that was authentic to her Christian tradition but did not exclude people of other faiths.
Source: Obama Names Minister to Lead Prayer Service - NYTimes.com
Sharon Watkins -- Preacher for Inaugural Prayer Service | PastorBobCornwall.blogspot
Last modified: 25 Apr 09 05:05