The California pastor, who wrote the best-selling hardcover book in US history and built up from scratch one of the largest churches in the nation, is widely considered the most visible and successful champion of a new form of political engagement for evangelicals, one that is less partisan, and concerned about more issues, than the abortion-and-gays-focused religious right associated with Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson.
But in the weeks since he was tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to deliver the invocation at tomorrow’s inaugural ceremony, Warren has become a lightning rod for criticism because of his opposition to same-sex marriage. This genial, Hawaiian-shirt wearing preacher, whose website describes him as America’s Pastor and whose utterances have appeared on Starbucks cups, finds himself for the first time being scrutinized and attacked.
