At the first inauguration of George W. Bush as president, the Rev. Franklin Graham raised eyebrows by using an edgy word in his prayer.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cMay this be the beginning of a new dawn for America as we humble ourselves before you and acknowledge you alone as our Lord, our Savior and our Redeemer,\u201d said Graham, the fiery son of evangelist Billy Graham. \u201cWe pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Four years later, the word showed up again.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cNow, unto You, O God, the One who always has been and always will be, the one King of kings and the true power broker, we glorify and honor You,\u201d said the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston. \u201cRespecting persons of all faiths, I humbly submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Scholars who keep watch over the rites of American civil religion took note of the firestorms caused by these prayers. Clearly, it was becoming dangerous to use the J-word \u2014 the name of Jesus \u2014 in the public square.<\/p>\n\n
But it\u2019s old hat for Republicans to use explicit God-talk. This year, Sen. Barack Obama and his team went out of the way to invite progressive and even mainstream Evangelicals to the Democratic National Convention \u2014 including taking a turn at the podium. This was cutting-edge prayer in an age of theological tolerance.<\/p>\n\n
One lesser-known voice backed out at the last moment \u2014 Cameron Strang, the 32-year-old editor of Relevant Magazine and son of publishing magnate Steven Strang of Charisma magazine. Nevertheless, Strang the younger was willing to arrange for a rising star to take his place \u2014 Donald Miller, author of the spiritual memoir \u201cBlue Like Jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Miller ended his prayer with a call for unity within diversity, but also found a way to say \u201cJesus\u201d without causing trouble.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cGod we know that you are good. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans,\u201d said Miller. \u201cI make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice. \u2026 Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
The key was that Miller stressed the word \u201cI,\u201d making sure that his listeners knew he was claiming this was his own prayer \u2014 not asking them to share his embrace of the second person of the Christian Trinity.<\/p>\n\n
Still, when it comes to church-state strategy, the most groundbreaking prayer was offered by the Rev. Joel Hunter of the giant Northland Church near Orlando \u2014 especially since his benediction ended the mile-high rally that included Obama\u2019s acceptance speech.<\/p>\n\n
A self-identified \u201cpro-life Republican,\u201d the preacher offered a conventional prayer that included appeals on behalf of infants, children, the poor, the persecuted and those who are enslaved, as well as for peace and for the environment. Then, at the end, Hunter paused to interject a unique \u201cclosing instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI want to personalize this,\u201d he said. \u201cI want this to be a participatory prayer. And so therefore, because we are in a country that is still welcoming all faiths, I would like all of us to close this prayer in the way your faith tradition would close your prayer. So on the count of three, I want all of you to end this prayer, your prayer, the way you usually end prayer. You ready? One, two, three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Hunter, on his own behalf, spoke into the microphone: \u201cIn Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.\u201d Meanwhile, 80,000 or so other people were free to name their own God or gods.<\/p>\n\n
After fielding questions about his actions, the pastor stressed that it would be \u201ctaking the Lord\u2019s name in vain\u201d if he created confusion in such a setting. The goal was ensure that participants did not believe they were being asked to accept a prayer that forced them to \u201ccompromise their core beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Thus, \u201cI did not ask people to pray to another god; I asked them to finish a prayer according to their faith tradition,\u201d argued Hunter, on his church\u2019s website. \u201cThis may be a small point linguistically, but it is a huge point theologically. \u2026 <\/p>\n\n
\u201cAs you may imagine, I prayed long and hard before feeling like God had given me the precise words for this prayer. I believe that He in His sovereign way will use it to bring people to Himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At the first inauguration of George W. Bush as president, the Rev. Franklin Graham raised eyebrows by using an edgy word in his prayer. \u201cMay this be the beginning of a new dawn for America as we humble ourselves before you and acknowledge you alone as our Lord, our Savior and our Redeemer,\u201d said Graham, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[230,294,1534,473,1544,676],"class_list":["post-1506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-civil-religion","tag-democrats","tag-evangelicals","tag-jesus","tag-politics","tag-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\n