Prayer has become more common at presidential appearances under the Obama administration, including at nonreligious events such as stimulus rallies. The White House is acting in a deliberately inclusive, interfaith way that seems to limit opposition.
Church-state experts say the policy, which President Obama also followed while campaigning, does not appear to be illegal because the White House tells people who lead the prayers to be nonsectarian. But some raised concerns about prayers being scripted or reviewed in advance.
People who helped plan public events for former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton say they did not routinely organize prayers before non-religious events. Historians note that there is no clear record of prayers before presidential appearances, but they could not remember prayers being said as routinely as they are now.
I thought Obama was pre-screening the prayers to make sure they weren’t ‘too Christian’? [url=http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3356]Al Mohler[/url] has more on this.
[blockquote]”In a departure from previous presidents, his public rallies are opening with invocations that have been commissioned and vetted by the White House.”
During Obama’s recent visit to Fort Myers, Fla., to promote his economic stimulus plan, a black Baptist preacher delivered a prayer that carefully avoided mentioning Jesus, lest he offend anyone in the audience. And at Obama’s appearance last week near Phoenix to unveil his mortgage bailout plan, an administrator for the Tohono O’odham Nation delivered the prayer, taking the unusual step of writing it down so he could E-mail it to the White House for vetting. American Indian prayers are typically improvised.
Though invocations have long been commonplace at presidential inaugurations and certain events like graduations or religious services at which presidents are guests, the practice of commissioning and vetting prayers for presidential rallies is unprecedented in modern history, according to religion and politics experts.[/blockquote]
Al Mohler’s opinion continued:
[blockquote]Consider what is at stake here. When the White House requires a prayer to be submitted in advance, it takes on an editorial role. This editorial role means that the White House is explicitly approving certain prayers for delivery. The prayer delivered in this context should bear a label that clearly identifies it as approved by the White House — government-approved prayer.
Gilgoff also reported the case of Pastor James Bing of Ft. Meyers, Florida. Earlier in his report, Gilgoff described the pastor as delivering “a prayer that carefully avoided mentioning Jesus, lest he offend anyone in the audience.” The pastor self-censored his prayer, explaining: “For some strange reason, the word Jesus is like pouring gasoline on fire for some people in this country . . . . You learn how to work around that.”
You learn how to work around that? How can any Christian pastor justify “working around” the name of Jesus out of fear of offending anyone? If the Christian cannot pray in the name of Jesus, let someone else deliver the prayer.
Interestingly, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki commented that the practice of vetting prayers had “been standard since the campaign.” This revelation raises a host of other questions. What about the prayers offered at President Obama’s inauguration? Did the administration approve or edit the prayers offered by pastors Rick Warren and Joseph Lowery?
The examples cited by Dan Gilgoff should be sufficiently troubling to evangelical Christians. Whether by self-censorship or censorship by the government, the integrity of prayer is subverted and prayer becomes an extension of government policy.
All this points to something the Obama administration — and anyone asked by the administration to offer a prayer — had better learn fast. The government has no authority and no proper role in the vetting of prayer. No Christian should allow any prayer to bear the label, “This prayer approved by the White House.”[/blockquote]