While controversy swirled around President-elect Obama’s choice for the giver of the invocation at his Jan. 20 inauguration, reaction to the one giving the benediction has been much quieter. National Public Radio aired an interview Tuesday with the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the civil rights activist that Obama personally invited to give the benediction.
While some liberals questioned Obama’s selection of megachurch pastor RickWarren for the invocation, given Warren’s opposition to gay marriage, Lowery views it as a sign of Obama’s embrace of people with diverse viewpoints.
“Oh, I don’t think it hurts. I think it’ll pass,” Lowery told NPR. “I think it’ll even pass before the ceremony is over.”
As for what he’ll pray, Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., didn’t share too many details.
“… I hope that in my closing prayer, I can find a way to inspire people to take that spirit, that warmth – that feeling of conviviality and brotherhood – and take it with us back down into the valley,” Lowery said.
UPDATE: UM Reporter has an article on Lowery here.
