Mike Tidmus

(graphic: Dan Wasserman, the Boston Globe,
shamelessly swiped from Joe.My.God.)

Tony Barboza writing in the Los Angeles Times this morning notes that yesterday about 100 demonstrators, outraged by President-Elect Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to handle the invocation at Obama’s inauguration took their grievance, in the form of a peaceful protest, to the pop-pastor’s home turf — Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. 

The Orange County Register’s account this morning says “dozens of protesters” showed up on Warren’s doorstep, but notes that number eventually swelled to approximately 100.

From The Orange County Register:

Protesters oppose pastor’s inauguration role
Anti-Prop. 8 activists’ demonstration outside Saddleback Church draws a counterprotester.

By AdamTownsend

The demonstrators were voicing their dismay that President-elect Barack Obama chose Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren to give the inaugural benediction Tuesday.

One of the protest organizers was Josh Einsohn of Los Angeles, who founded AllorNotatAll.org, a gay-rights group formed in reaction to the November passage of the Proposition 8 ballot measure that banned gay marriage in California.

“We felt there was good reason to come out and protest a man who’s going to be given a national stage, who preaches intolerance while pretending to be a friend of the gay community,” Einsohn said about Warren. Warren has championed the passage of Prop. 8.

[ … ]

Diane Olson, 55, and Robin Tyler, 66, of North Hills in Los Angeles County were also at the protest – now married seven months, they spearheaded the initial lawsuit that went to the California Supreme Court. The court ruled last year that denying gay men and women the right to marry was unconstitutional.

[ … ]

“We did offer to come down and talk peacefully, they just didn’t respond,” Tyler said.

(Note: I added the link in the text above)

Is not responding getting to be a pattern with Rick Warren?

The Orange County Register, Warren’s home county, if not hometown, newspaper reported a few days ago, that the pop-pastor has also not responded to an invitation from the Reverend Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) of Greater Los Angeles, to meet for a public debate on the issue of marriage equality. Reverend Lee’s invitation was accompanied by 25,000 signatures gathered by the California’s Courage Campaign. The invitation to Warren to debate reads:

Dear Rev. Rick Warren,

As Americans who believe in equal rights for all, we would like to invite you to a debate about Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage.

The Reverend Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) of Greater Los Angeles, has accepted our invitation to debate you at a time and location to be determined.

While we strongly disagree with your views, we also strongly believe that your views must be debated in a public forum.

We hope you agree and accept this challenge to debate Rev. Lee as soon as possible.

The undersigned,

From The Orange County Register:

Rick Warren invited to debate gay marriage
Civil rights leader has made several requests to the O.C. pastor.

By Erika I. Ritchie

LAKE FOREST – A Los Angeles pastor has invited Pastor Rick Warren to a Christian debate on same-sex marriage.

Rev. Eric Lee, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Los Angeles, has sent several invitations to Warren to debate Proposition 8 and marriage equality.

On Christmas Eve Lee and the Courage Campaign – an online network of 400,000 in California – delivered an invitation to Warren to debate Lee about their stances on same-sex marriage. The letter was accompanied by the electronic signatures of more than 25,000 members.

“As a result of your strong public stand on same-sex marriage, we as clergy and spiritual leaders are obligated to present the issues surrounding same-sex marriage to the people of this state, many of whom are gay and lesbian,” the letter said. “We are responsible for healing, for building bridges, for creating community, and not for dividing.”

Lee cited the words of the late Coretta Scott King, who said, “Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union.”

He went on to write: “I count on you to respond favorably to me as fellow clergy.”

So far there has been no response from Warren to Lee. A spokeswoman for Warren said that the Saddleback pastor is focused on President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, in which he will deliver the invocation, and is not making any comments prior to it.

[ … ]

On Monday Lee plans to hold a nationwide conference call inviting all media to participate and learn more about the purpose of the debate, said Rick Jacobs, chair and founder of the Courage Campaign.

I was on that conference call this morning. Both Rick Jacobs and Reverend Lee were in Washington DC for the inaugural events. Both men are optimistic that Warren, following tomorrow’s Inauguration, will respond to the invitation with a yes, possibly as soon as this Wednesday or Thursday. But, according to Jacobs, “We’re not going to give up.”

Reverend Lee made it clear that he sees marriage equality as a justice issue and not a religious issue. He added, “Anytime we use scripture to condemn people, we are not using it in the right way.”

After listening to Reverend Lee this morning speak movingly of Bishop Gene Robinson’s invocation yesterday, of Martin Luther King Day, and of the historical significance of Barack Obama’s inauguration tomorrow, I want a ringside seat at the Warren-Lee debate. It’ll be Lee, by a knockout.