Urgh.

This is making the rounds on the blogosphere: Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church will be giving the invocation at the Inauguration of Barack Obama. Urgh.

He's the man who spoke out in support of Prop 8, who said that "stopping evil" was the legitimate function of government, and who wrote the truly atrocious Purpose-Driven Life, of which theologian Fleming Rutledge once said (and I paraphrase), "It's a book that starts out by saying, 'It's not about you. It's about God,' then proceeds for the next 250 pages to talk about you."

This is not a good choice. I would be much better. I've even had some practice - in 2008 I gave the invocation at the Iowa Statehouse (and I am pretty sure I'll be invited back in 2009).

Even better than me, though, would be my friend MML or my beloved Mr. LiturgyGeek, because both of them are great ministers and have excellent sensitivities on the diversities of religious experience in the United States of America. I can think of lots of others. Why don't you nominate a few people you think would make a good inauguration-giver in the comments, and I'll forward them to the Obama peeps. Because surely they'll be interested in what I have to say...