Obama and Warren controversy

From WorldNetDaily:

The letter from Faithful Democrats to pastors across the nation came in response to the council's request that Warren rescind an invitation to abortion supporter Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to speak from his pulpit at an AIDS conference seminar today called, "We Must Work Together."

The Faithful Democrats letter said it's "unfortunate" the National Clergy Council and other groups "would exploit the Christian faith to advance their divisive agenda – an agenda that gives almost exclusive attention to a few wedge issues while ignoring the diversity of problems plaguing American communities."

In response, Schenck said his National Clergy Council rejects "the charge that we 'exploit the Christian faith' to advance a 'divisive agenda,'" arguing his members "are fully engaged in a plethora of ministries from prophetically declaring the Truth of God's Word, to evangelism and missions, to outreaches to the homeless, the hungry, the addicted, the sick, the persecuted and the imprisoned."

Schenck said it's "unseemly and regrettable for Christians to point their fingers and beat their chests, competing for the top prize of 'most compassionate' or 'champion of justice.' Jesus said when it comes to Godly acts of generosity we are not to let our right hand know what our left hand is doing. In other words, we are not to brag about the good things we do."

Schenck then pointed out that he and several other executive officers of his group have spent most of their ministry careers in "ministries of Christian compassion."

"Rather than get into a spitting war over who better cares for the needy, let us focus on the real issue at the center of this controversy," he said.

Schenck called the HIV/AIDS epidemic "an enormous human tragedy that demands an immediate and unequivocal Christ-like response."

He complemented Warren and his wife, Kay, for their new initiative and said his "only criticism for Pastor Warren is related to his invitation to share his pulpit – what many of us call 'the sacred desk' – with a politician who has a consistent record of advancing specific policies, legislation and spending that have resulted or will result in the willful killing of babies in the womb and birth canal."