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Warren Prays, Not in Jesus’ Name, but in Jesus’ Names
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Part 7 of series: Rick Warren, the Obama Inauguration, and Praying in Jesus’ Name
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Ya gotta hand it to Rick Warren. He always seems to have a surprise or two up his sleeve. I’ve been following his ministry for almost twenty years, most of which I served as a pastor in a church fourteen miles away from Warren’s Saddleback Church, and I’ve always been impressed with Warren’s ability to be unpredictable. Sure, in some ways he is utterly predictable. Chances are pretty good that you’ll hear him use the phrase “purpose-driven” for example (though not in his prayer!). But Warren is a creative and innovative leader, who can’t be put neatly into a box.
I’ll bet almost nobody in the whole world predicted that Warren would pray not only in the name of Jesus, but “in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus (hay-SOOS), Jesus.” (You can find the AP text of the prayer here. But they got the placement of (hay-SOOS) wrong. For a video of the prayer, check this link, or click the image to the right.)
Warren did not say “we pray in the name of Jesus,” but “I pray.” This was right on target. Many who prayed along with him did not actually pray in the name (authority) of Jesus, and would not have been able to join Warren in saying so. It was interesting to me that Warren made his use of Jesus even more personal, saying, “I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus . . . .” I like this, because it makes clear why Warren used the name(s) of Jesus. For him, it’s a matter of deep personal faith.
Of course the biggest surprise was the way Warren referred to Jesus, not just as “Jesus” in English, but as “Yeshua” (Aramaic, what Jesus was actually called), Isa (what Muslims and Hindus call Jesus), Jesus (hay-SOOS) in Spanish, and Jesus. I’d love to know exactly what Warren was intending here. Was he wanting to say: “Jesus changed my life, but he’s not just for me, but for everybody”? Or was he trying hard to include the major religious traditions? If so, why did he use Spanish? Was this an effort to be inclusive, even as Warren was praying in an exclusively Christian manner? Or . . . ?
What I like about Warren’s four-fold reference to Jesus is its boldness. If you’re going to pray using Jesus’ name, might as well just say it. I’ve heard preachers in civic settings say things that try to get around the problem, like, “I pray in the name of the teacher from Nazareth,” but this always impressed me as rather wimpy. Besides, do you actually think those who would be put off by a prayer that mentions Jesus would somehow be fine with a clever circumlocution? Not!
I thought the rest of Warren’s prayer was solid. His use of biblical themes and theology was excellent. His language was reconciling rather than divisive. Contrast what Warren said with the invocation given a couple of days earlier by the Episcopal Bishop, Rev. Gene Robinson, and you’ll see what I mean. I found Warren’s specific prayers for President Obama and his family to be touching, though I don’t understand his peculiar way of saying the names of the President’s daughters. Perhaps this is a personal matter.
I’ve heard several commentators criticize Warren for being too casual, or for looking awkward in such a setting as a presidential inauguration. I, on the contrary, appreciate his willingness to be himself. Praying in front of a nation, Warren didn’t sound any different from when he prays in front of his own church family.
Rick Warren may or may not be “the next Billy Graham,” whatever that means. But I believe he offered a sincere, thoughtful, truthful prayer today, one that reflected well on the evangelical Christian community, even as it articulated the prayers of the nation. In the days ahead, I’m going to analyze some similar prayers, including the one by Bishop Robinson, as well as several inaugural prayers by Billy Graham. I find the contrasts to be fascinating.
But before I get to this analysis, I want to talk about another kind of prayer related to President Obama. Stay tuned . . . .
Topics: Praying in Jesus's Name |
16 Responses to “Warren Prays, Not in Jesus’ Name, but in Jesus’ Names”
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January 21st, 2009 at 12:09 am
Good analysis. I’m a fence-sitter with Rick Warren, but I thought he handled this well.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:14 am
I also appreciated the way he handled it.
Everyone knows he is a Christian, so I think that most people would have expected him to pray to/through Jesus…
January 21st, 2009 at 7:17 am
Yours is a website I visit every day. For me, Rick Warren’s invitation to then Senator/P.Candidate Obama to come to Warren’s church to face his congreagation and the nation (along with Senator McCain) was an invitation and a challenge, first to evganelicals, then to the nation as a whole-but especially to the those present at the church, to see everyone there in a powerful way as WE. The inaugural invitation to Rick Warren was a hand reaching back, “we may be really different but it is “we” and not “us” and “them” here today”. Politics on both sides may have been a motivator, we all have egos and agendas, but I think God was showing us another example of what it looks like when we do unto others what we want others to do to us.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:22 am
I always appreciate those who pray before groups in a spontaneous, Spirit-driven way. And yet…it didn’t quite work in this setting. A reminder that, at times, there is nothing wrong with a formal written prayer, either. But, I am willing to let Pastor Rick be himself, I guess.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:32 am
I was also quite impressed with Warren’s use of the Shema from the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as calling God “the compassionate and merciful” (a standard referent for God in Islam). I thought he was as inclusive as he could possibly have been while still praying a Christian prayer. It seemed to me that pretty much everyone who is religious could relate to what he was saying, even if they couldn’t, strictly speaking, pray along with him.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:06 am
Yesterday i was so pleased and happy claim Rick Warren as a brother in Christ. I had tears in my eyes as he did a great job. today I am disheartened as i read the jabs and jeers from the Christian bloggers unhappy with Warrens words. Criticism is so easy, leading a country like ours in prayer so hard. Why are so many Christians so critical as to be an embarrassment and a stumbling block?
Way to go Rick! Shame on you fault finders seeing the motes in his prayer. Watch your beams.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:11 am
[…] Warren Prays, Not in Jesus’ Name, but in Jesus’ Names by Mark D. Roberts […]
January 21st, 2009 at 11:40 am
[…] I didn’t watch any of the inauguration, but kudos to Rick Warren for his prayer. […]
January 21st, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Ten thumbs up for Rick Warren. Having been critical of his teachings myself, I didn’t think he had it in him. I was wrong.
It’s amazing how many points he scored with true, bible believing Christians by standing firm in the name of Jesus. NO COMPROMISE! It was the only REAL prayer offered that day.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I bet I know what is up next….
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:00 am
If Warren did not pray that Obama would repent of his zeal to increase abortions, he did not do much. Where are the Jeremiah’s and John the Baptists today?
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Doug G….you are right. But let’s remember he was the one asked and not us. I am a pastor and you are a seminary professor. We are small potatoes compared to Brother Warren. I think he was right on and certainly surprised me with how he ended his prayer and went right into the Lord’s Prayer.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 am
President Obama has a “zeal to increase abortions ” ? Hmmmm
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 am
[…] I liked this blogger’s review of the prayer. […]
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:14 am
[…] I liked this blogger’s review of the prayer. […]
January 24th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Amen. I was much moved and impressed by Warren’s prayer. Maybe he had memorized it, or was going with notes, or more likely had it written out. But it reflected his tradition, and I think was well spoken both in manner, and in content.
Helpful analysis. Thanks.