Okay, so, Rick Warren. I tend to agree withJohn’s posters that it’s a nice opportunity to slap Dobson in the head, and withAtrios that it’s such bullshit to think that anything that pisses your base off is good politics if you’re a Democrat but dangerous if you’re a Republican. I also tend to think that anybody screaming OMG I TOLD YOU SO YOU GOT FOOLED BY YOUR MESSIAH OBAMA HAH HAH HAH AREN’T YOU SORRY NOW ADMIT I’M RIGHT DO IT LOUDLY DO IT ON THE TODAY SHOW DO IT IN SKYWRITING TAKE A PICTURE OF IT should consider whether screaming “I told you so” has ever changed anybody’s mind about anything.
Here’s my problem with Warren. It’s not just that he’s an anti-gay bigot, actually. He’s not the first at that nor is he frankly the best. My problem with Warren is that he’s reduced a particular interpretation of Christianity, withbigotry included, toa brand, a marketing ploy, designed to appeal to comfortable people in comfortable lives who buy a sense of satisfaction and get this — to use a fundie favorite phrase — shoved down their throats too. It’s particularly insidious, this fluffy feel-good Christianity that reinforces what you already think and takes your credit card statement to prove it. Buy the book! Then buy the special edition just for commuters! (The fuck?) Then buy the one for graduates! Then buy the journal! Then the soundtrack! Then the wall calendar! You’ll have really done something then! Way to go, you! Don’t forget the VHS tapes! DVDs! Study guides! Don’t forget this thing:
It’s the holidays — thank God there’s aChristmas edition! How else would I know how to think? And if along the way I happen to buy into an ideology that tells me America needs to abandon that whole “equal protection under the law” thing along with my daily affirmations, well, joke’s on me, and Rick Warren’s laughing all the way to the bank.
And when something comes along like Prop 8 that he has to talk about, he cloaks his bigotry in dishonest canting about freedom of speech and loving the sinner, civility and acceptability, so that he wouldn’t turn off potentialcongregants customers who could be slightly uncomfortable with all the hating going on. At least with the dude on the street corner ranting about sinners burning in hellfire for all eternity, they’re up front about what they think, and if they’re trying to make a buck off it, at least you know what you’re buying.
A.