White House to Form Faith Advisory Board

Wasn't the NCC useless enough already??

The advisory council is scheduled to be introduced Thursday with the formal announcement of the new White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, according to a religious leader familiar with the details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the details have not been announced.
...

The religious leader with knowledge of the advisory group said representation from the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is also anticipated.

"Certainly, they'll be encouraged to voice their individual voices," the leader said.

full article, Newsvines/AP

Now I'm not sure exactly what an advisory board does, but I can say that this seems likely to be HEAVILY politicized. Is the LGBT community entitled to a token slot in such a committee? I'm sure there are people who can reconcile both being gay and being Christian, but by the same kind of logic, if there are as many gays as there are Orthodox (or vice versa), would the Orthodox be entitled to a slot on this religious all-star team?

Is social service something that can be done by religious ministries without reference to religious dogma? If not, than how can a committee apportion funds to anti-homosexual faiths (err...most of them) as well as to LGBT-friendly groups?

Here's an interesting article I read a few years back about the state of affairs in Canada that came to mind.

Obama Treats Oath of Office like a Sacrament

Well didn't we learn in Sunday school that sacramentum in Latin means oath?

President Obama retakes the Oath of Office:

The do-over was aimed at dispelling any confusion that might arise from Tuesday's take -- in which "faithfully" was said out of sequence -- and erase any question that Obama is legally the president.

However, per the Constitution, Obama became president at noon Tuesday without taking the oath.

"We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the president was sworn in appropriately yesterday," White House counsel Greg Craig said Wednesday in a written statement.

"But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time," the statement read.

full article, CNN

As a devotee of Sacramental Christianity, I find this whole exercise refreshing. They respected the words and spirit behind the oath of office enough to do it right; albeit on the second try. Aside from the obvious motive of avoiding litigation, the Obama Administration is showing that what's written in the Constitution regarding the proper transfer of power actually matters.

I don't think it's a stretch to connect this to our concept of Sacrament in the Orthodox Church. The Liturgy shouldn't be done sloppily nor are we free to rearrange or reword it solely for our convenience. Now, I won't go ahead and argue that a mistated word in the liturgy makes the Eucharist null and void, but I will say that just as Obama recognized that there was indeed something amiss, we too should be meticulous with things as they are handed down to us.

Gay Bishop Included in Inauguration Festivities

Though not quite the prime slot that Rick Warren will be getting, gay Bishop Eugene Robinson will be offering a prayer at an event on Sunday

full article

President Elect Obama and VP Elect Biden will be in attendance.

"It's important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way," Robinson told the newspaper for a story in Monday's editions. "Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority, or in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters."

I'm not terribly sure what a 'sexual minority' is. Would there just be two options: gay or straight? If you include transsexuals, polygamists, furries, robo-sexuals, etc. in the list of sexual classification groups, would Robinson then include religious leaders of THOSE persuasions in inauguration festivities.

...Robinson said he doesn't yet know what he'll say, but he knows he won't use a Bible.

"While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans," Robinson said. "I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation."

Honestly, I can understand not quoting the Scripture at the event. But, if he's not going to be especially Christian in his prayer, who exactly is he praying to? Is he praying for the nation, or for the nation to hear?

By the way, Obama has specifically asked to include "so help me, God" in his swearing in, according to CNN.

-Steve K.