National Prayer Breakfast 2010 Controversy

National Prayer Breakfast 2010: Obama Calls Ugandan Laws Odious

The National Prayer Breakfast, a major Washington networking event,which is organised by the Fellowship Foundation with it took place on Thursday but was surrounded by controversy. At the event both President Obama and Hilary Clinton strongly hinted tat the problems with gay rights in Uganda, but he added that there were odious laws in Uganda and Hilary Clinton, the Secratary of State, said she met President Museveni through the National Prayer Breakfast.

There was an alternative meeting, called the National Prayer Hour in cities across the United States, organised by liberals who are assembling around Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal Bishop, who are highlighting some issues surrounding gay rights in Uganda.

Hilary Clinton and Obama, who are more liberal in their theological outlook were expected to highlight human rights issues, where there is a bill which is going to make gay activity a capital punishment. Obama came from an ultra liberal wing called Black liberation theology, which is an American adaptation of the Roman Catholic Liberation theology which is popular in South America.

It is astonishing that the National Prayer Breakfasts receiving international coverage because it is mainly a behind the scenes organisation, some would even say it is a mysterious in it operation.But with the problems with Uganda where Christian Churches close to Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. plan, a transformational programme for the whole world, were said to have been influential in the passing of anti gay laws in Uganda.

The National Prayer Breakfast is said to be founded by “the Family” . But even within christianity their goals are often question. Constance Cumbey who has written on the “Cedars” and “The Family” but often highlights that some of their believe are not conventionally Christian. If fact she has written that “the Family” was trying to hijack Evangelical Christianity.

It seems that President Obama and Hilary Clinton are interested in balancing the National Prayer Breakfast crowd and the liberals like Gene Robinson,who seems to have a number of friends in the White House, even though he is one of the main issue dividing the Anglican/ Episcopal union. Africa is always going to be a problem because the liberal church is does not exist in the continent, in the way it does in the West.

The National Prayer Breakfast has come to highlight the difficulties President Obama and Hilary Clinton are having with the Christian Right because in a way they cannot avoid them even though they both are liberals. There was a time when the Democrats could simply ignore the Evangelicals, but they have too many votes to be totally ignored, as witnessed in the last Presidential Elections when every candidate was ready to highlight their Church connections.

But not all Christian believe it is the goal of Christianity to take over governments, but Dominionist, see government as central to influencing society. But many critics of the “Purpose Driven Church” and Dominion Theology think it is dangerous to merge Christianity with big Government. Some would even say that the merger between politics and religion is  anti the United States constitution, which aims to guarantee individual rights regardless of belief.