One more point on Rick Warren*: He is not simply a religious figure. He is a political figure. He explicitly involved himself and his flock in the fight over Proposition 8. He has gone on Sean Hannity's show and commented on war with Iran. He hosted a presidential forum, where he asked political candidates questions on everything from Supreme Court justices to taxation. Warren is a religious leader who leverages his prominence and spiritual credibility for political purposes. That is an understandable decision. But it makes it impossible to argue that he should be understood as a purely religious figure. He has a discrete policy agenda, he uses his prominence to advance it. Thus, when asking whether Obama should give Warren the most important religious-political honor available, you have to ask whether it's a good thing for Warren to be a more powerful political figure. *That is, one more point unless I think of another point I want to make. Woo Blogs!
