Pastor Rick Warren Interviewing Obama & McCain

[Heiress2theKingdom]

Tomorrow night Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life is hosting an interview of Barack Obama and John McCain. Rick Warren says that he is not taking a side, but is planning on challenging our presidential contenders to consider domestic issues that matter to evangelical Christians beyond abortion and gay rights issues.

In his Saddleback Church, Warren has been trying to refocus evangelicals on pursuing God in their life rather than focusing on political issues (like taking public stands against abortion or gay marraige). Instead, his goal for the church is to create relationships with Christ, draw in new people to the church, and let the Lord heal them from the sin in their lives.

The interviews will be held on FOX news tomorrow night at 8 pm. Eastern Time.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/15/influential-pastor-to-host-faith-forum/

(I know I'm watching...how about you???)

[nebula]

Thanks - I kept seeing the debate advertised but couldn't see at what time it would be on.

[Heiress2theKingdom]

Kind of surprised at the results to be honest. McCain obviously speaks from more experience, and seems to have a better fit with most Christians' moral/ethical values, however, it was Obama that really put forth a strong answer when asked what it means to be a Christian in every day life.

Hmmmm....

Still considering boycotting the vote at this point...especially since both seem to think that the quality of educators can be accurately measured to determine pay (i'm a teacher, a good teacher, but still scared).

[nebula]

I'm snipping pieces from two reports:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When asked by Warren what being Christian meant to him, Obama quoted Micah’s command to “walk humbly with your God”.

“I know that I don’t walk alone, and I know that if I can get myself out of the way, that I can maybe carry out in some small way what He intends,” he said.

Asked what it meant to be a Christian, McCain said: "It means I'm saved and forgiven."

He quickly moved on to a story about a prison guard who approached him and secretly drew a cross in the sand. "For a minute there -- there was just two Christians worshiping together. I'll never forget that moment," McCain said.

~~~~~~

[Obama] said that one of America’s greatest moral failures lay in not doing enough to support people on the margins.

"We still don't abide by that basic precept of Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me," Obama told the mega-church pastor.

Answering the same question later on, McCain said that America’s greatest moral failure lay in citizens failing to “devote ourselves to causes greater than our self-interests”.

~~~~~

But they also offered starkly different answers to Warren's question: "At what point does a baby get human rights?"

Obama said: "I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade." He added that he supports the landmark decision Roe vs. Wade but said the issue has "moral and ethical content" and stressed his commitment to reducing the number of abortions. [The other source says: Obama stressed his commitment to choice and upholding the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court ruling in favour of abortion.)

McCain, however, immediately responded that a baby's rights begin at conception. Perhaps seeking to tamp down alarm among conservatives over his recent comment that he's open to a running mate who favors abortion rights, he continued: "I will be a pro-life president, and this presidency will have pro-life policies."

~~~~~

Obama and McCain gave sharply divergent answers on which justices they would not have nominated to the Supreme Court.

Obama named Clarence Thomas, who he said was not a "strong enough jurist or legal thinker," and Antonin Scalia, though he said he didn't doubt "his intellectual brilliance."

McCain ticked off the four liberal members: Ruth Bader Ginsberg, John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter and Stephen G. Breyer.

~~~~~

First up for questions from Warren was Democratic candidate Obama, who reaffirmed that marriage was a “sacred union” between a man and a woman but also defended his support for civil unions between same-sex couples.

"I think my faith is strong enough and my marriage is strong enough that I can afford those civil rights to others even if I have a different perspective," Obama said.

Republican nominee McCain stressed his support for “the unique status of marriage between a man and a woman”, saying he opposed the legalisation of same-sex marriages in some states.

“That doesn’t mean people can’t enter into legal agreements. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have the right of all citizens,” he added.

~~~~~

The Arizona senator's focus was also evident in Warren's first question about which three people each candidate would rely on most during his administration. [i recalled the question to have been, "Who are the three wisest people you know?"]

McCain named Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq; John Lewis, the Democratic congressman and civil rights leader; and his economic advisor, Meg Whitman, the ex-CEO of eBay. That allowed him to remind the audience of three campaign themes: his foreign policy credentials, serving a cause greater than one's self-interest and his pledge to use the advice of people like Whitman to turn the economy around.

Obama named [his mother], his wife and grandmother [and then moved onto] a bipartisan list of past and current senators.

~~~~~

Obama offered a long answer to whether evil exists, stating that while "we see evil all the time," individuals will not be able to "erase evil from the world. That is God's task."

But McCain seized the opportunity to mention Osama bin Laden and Islamic extremism, wielding his oft-repeated line about how he'd pursue Bin Laden to the "gates of hell."

[i missed Obama's interview, but the question asked if evil should be accepted, understood, lived with or wiped out. McCain answered flat out, "Wiped out."]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to read the rest go to this link and this link

[Floatingaxe]

What I saw of the forum I liked. McCain did far better with his smart, short answers than Obama did with his long, seemingly sometimes evasive responses.

As Rick Warren has had to put up with much criticism in his ministry, I love the man and give him major praise for presenting this type of forum where these men who are vying for the most important position in pretty much the entire world are given the opportunity to reveal themselves as men.

[Guest]

[georgesbluegirl]

This got my thumbs up. I liked Rick Warren a lot -- we watched this with the Olympics on during commercial breaks....until Phelps coverage started, obviously. My homeboy kicked it hard!

[Guest]

I missed BHO's part of the forum due to a nap attack. Didn't wake up until Rick Warren was talking about how they came up with the questions to ask both candidates. I liked the way they ran it - one at a time.

[Treasure]

Kind of surprised at the results to be honest. McCain obviously speaks from more experience, and seems to have a better fit with most Christians' moral/ethical values, however, it was Obama that really put forth a strong answer when asked what it means to be a Christian in every day life.

Hmmmm....

Still considering boycotting the vote at this point...especially since both seem to think that the quality of educators can be accurately measured to determine pay (i'm a teacher, a good teacher, but still scared).

As frustrating as this election has been, boycotting won't serve any good purpose. If you don't have confidence in either candidate you might consider asking God to show you who He wants in office and vote accordingly.

As for the forum, I recorded it but haven't watched most of it yet. The little that I did see however, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect Pastor Warren to ask such pointed questions about faith and the fruits of that faith.

[jeffnevins]

I listened to it on YouTube while working yesterday- first time I'd heard anything from the canidates (didn't pay them any attention til now).