Stay classy, Rick

Ever since being declared America's Pastor/Archbishop/Representative on the Church Bake Sale Committee after he gave an invocation at the Inauguration, Rick Warren has done his best not to deal meth, bang hookers, cheat on his wife, be gay, say crazy religious shit, or do anything to disgrace the fake title that was conferred upon him by the media. Well....about that last part. Seems that when he as asked about his affiliation with pastor Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan minister who in addition to setting back effective preventative AIDS measures with his "burn condoms for Jesus" program, also backs legislation that would make being gay punishable by imprisonment or death, Rick forgot to say it was bad. Whoops!

But Warren won't go so far as to condemn the legislation itself. A request for a broader reaction to the proposed Ugandan antihomosexual laws generated this response: "The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations." On Meet the Press this morning, he reiterated this neutral stance in a different context: "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides."

Unless it's on Prop 8 or abortion or a host of other political issues, then you do take sides. But when a guy you repeatedly invite to your church and support is actively trying to pass a law which imprisons and kills people for being gay, you can't even offer a timid "Yeah, that's kind of bad"? I'm sure Jesus is smiling down on you, giving the double thumbs up and remarking to some angel about the excellent way you equivocated. I don't think I can support him in the next election for America's Pastor.

An inability to condemn proposed state backed pogroms? Way to stay classy, Rick.