Rick Warren re-emerges, says he’s not anti-gay

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, was a controversial pick to give the invocation at the inauguration of President Barack Obama because of anti-gay statements he had made over the years.

Warren appeared on Larry King Live Monday night for what was his first interview since the inauguration. He did some heavy spin: “I am not anti-gay or (an) anti-gay marriage activist. Never have been, never will be.” He told King that he “never once” gave an endorsement to the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 but had simply sent a note to his church members the week before the election that marriage should be defined as being between a man and a woman. He said he only did so after being asked by a member his position.

Poor, misunderstood Warren said his critics “made me something that I really wasn’t.’

Really? Does Warren think we’ve forgotten that he has a history of using the media as a platform to spread divisive anti-gay rhetoric? That he spread inaccuracies about Proposition 8, saying that it would “prevent him from getting up on the pulpit and speaking out against same-sex marriage.” That he also participated in a video interview with The Wall Street Journal on December 18 where he said that marriage for gay and lesbian couples was the equivalent of “having a brother and sister be together,” “an older guy marrying a child” and “one guy having multiple wives.”

I certainly have not forgotten.