I hope you will post Rev. Lowery's benediction. Note that he began with verses from the Black National Anthem and made pointed reference to the gap between the rich and the poor with rich biblical allusions. The power of God, the tenderness of God, and the justice of God were all present in his words. For those of us who have known his work even if we were children during the Civil Rights era, it was a moving movement as this veteran of peace and justice making stood with grey brow and hair, firm in faith and challenge.

Coincidentally I'm teaching both "History of Religion in America" and "African American Religion and Theology" this semester at the college where I am on the faculty. Having heard all three (I'm counting Bishop Robinson's) prayers, I'm seriously thinking of having a public conversation on campus called "A Tale of Three Inaugural Prayers." But it's always hard to gather people on a busy campus, so I will at least go with the "captive audience" of the classrooms and see if we can examine the content, background and contexts of what we have heard...

I confess to having cheered and pumped my fist at Rev. Lowery's prayer and shouted "Amen" to the television. One of you many clergy sistern and brethren out there can now absolve me, if you think I need absolving.

I loved the poem, too.

So this isn't a comment on Pastor Warren, but there wasn't a space for comments on Rev. Lowery.

Jane beat me to it, but I'd love to see the full text of the Rev. Lowry's benediction, too, whenever you can get hold of it.

June Butler

I listened, and listened carefully, to Pastor Warren's prayer. It was better than I feared, certainly. It was not all I hoped, perhaps. I was with physicians, and leaned to the doctor next to me, a practicing Jew, and said, "How included did you feel in that prayer?" In fact, he chuckled and said, "That was good. That was really good." So, so far, so good, and credit where due.

I hope Pastor Warren will imagine how he can live more fully into his own words about respect for all our citizens.

Marshall Scott

Jane,

God help those students you are indoctrinating if you think Lowry's prayer was anything but stupid, racist, and total bunk- GOD DOES NOT SEE COLORS- HE SEES HEARTS-

Your religion is failing it's people if you are an indication of one of it's leaders!

Howard,
I'm sorry, but your remarks are the ones that come across as racist. Rev. Lowry's benediction, from the Negro National Anthem to the humorous rhyming refrain at the end ("when you're yellow, you're mellow") are straight out of the Civil Rights movement. (That last bit of rhyme was especially good for lightening up the mood, at a time when color caused people to suffer hardship and death.) You clearly are unfamiliar with both the words and the context. Chill out and enjoy this historic moment.

Dear Howard Greene --

I teach these courses as an academic, a professor of religious studies who asks students to observe and learn. I happen to have loved Rev. Lowery's prayer, as you read, but that was my personal statement here as a religious person. (The statement was also partly humorous, but perhaps that wasn't clear.) No fist-pumping in class, I assure you!

In the classroom as a professor my job is to help people read, understand, analyze, critique, and appreciate the context in which religious texts (including prayers) arise: What is the history behind the prayers or other spoken or written words? What bilical references do they contain? Who is the person offering or writing the prayers or other texts, and and what is this person's history? Why might she or he be saying those words?

It is also my job to help students learn, understand, and appreciate the way in which prayers (and other religious speeches and writings) are received by their audiences. May I have your permission to share your reaction with my class? It is certainly part of "how the prayer is received." It is important for my students to know the diversity of responses to Rev. Lowery's prayer.

Of course God sees hearts. God loves all creatures with a love that is deep and wide. Rev. Lowery would certainly agree. God also made us diverse, of many cultures and colors and races, and we have throughout our history caused one another suffering -- sometimes suffering unto death. In this country we did this, among other ways, because of differences in race. We used race to exclude and harm, sometimes intentionally and willfully, sometimes without realizing what we were doing. The suffering was and is real.

Rev. Lowery spoke of this suffering and did so peacefully and with passion.

I wish you peace as well.

I happen to have loved Rev. Lowery's prayer

Make that a double.

Rick Warren was grandstanding...again.

See the video of the prayer here.

Lovely prayer from Dr Lowery. From beginning with the hymn Lift Every Voice (the Negro National Anthem), reminding us of the struggle of right versus might during the Civil Rights years and finishing by restating the doggerel 'if you're black, get back...' to 'don't get back', he spoke truth to the power and reminded us all how far we've come; and we still have to keep going.
Thank you Dr Lowery.

(editor's note: full name next time, please, Eric.)

I was proud of Rev. Warren. It seems as if public prayers in the USA are expected to be sanitized to be inclusive. A believer in Jesus needs to stand firm and invoke the name of Jesus, since it is only through that Name that people are saved and since it is only to Him that all knees will eventually bow.
I applaud Rev. Warren for invoking that Name.
Did Dr. Lowery do the same????