Early this year, black megachurch pastor and presidential
spiritual advisor Kirbyjon Caldwell endorsed Barack Obama. The
endorsement seemed not to have hurt Caldwell’s friendship with
George W. Bush, whom he had endorsed in 2000 and 2004. Caldwell
conducted the wedding for Bush’s daughter at the Bush ranch in May.
More recently, Caldwell unveiled a website initiative to enlist
pastors nationwide for Obama.
But more interesting was an incident in January, not widely
reported, in which pro-Obama gay groups complained about Caldwell’s
church and its stance on homosexuality. Caldwell pastors the
largest United Methodist congregation in the world, with at least
14,000 members at Windsor Village Church in Houston. An
evangelical, Caldwell excited some controversy over his benediction
at Bush’s first inaugural, in which in cited “the name that’s above
all other names, Jesus the Christ. Let all who agree say Amen.” A
little more careful when he once again led the inaugural
benediction n 2004, he concluded, “respective of all faiths, I
submit this prayer in the Name of Jesus.”
Caldwell has previously expressed conventional Christian views
about homosexuality. His church, like most black congregations, is
theologically conservative. His denomination, the 7.9 million
member United Methodist Church, prohibits ordination for practicing
homosexuals and any celebration of same-sex unions, policies
reaffirmed at its governing General Conference in April. But after
Caldwell’s Obama endorsement, gay groups discovered that Windsor
Village Church hosted a ministry that offered “Christ Centered
instruction for those seeking freedom from homosexuality,
lesbianism, prostitution, sex addiction and other habitual
sins.”
Called Metanoia, and headed by a woman on staff at Caldwell’s
church, the ministry advertised on its
web link that its objective was “to assist participants in
understanding that change is possible. In doing this, a safe,
nurturing and accepting environment will be created whereby
participants will be able to deal with issues without fear of
judgment or rejection. Participants will be encouraged to exercise
their faith in the saving, healing and delivering power of God
through Jesus Christ, and to see themselves as God sees them.”
The ministry further noted that “God has created each of us with
four deep emotional needs,” including “knowing you are loved,”
“knowing you are individually significant,” “knowing you are well
protected,” and “knowing that you have a reason for living.” Goals
of the ministry included “support groups for ex-gays and those in
the process of coming out of homosexuality,” and helping
participants understand that “change is possible” in a “safe,
nurturing and accepting environment” without “fear of judgment or
rejection,” and relying on the “saving, healing and delivering
power of God through Jesus Christ, and to see themselves as God
sees them.”
ALL OF THIS WAS too much for indignant gay groups, who warned
against any Obama association with Caldwell. One gay group angrily
referred to the “shady characters” in the church world with whom
Obama had been associating. Politico.com contacted Caldwell, who apparently
declined to defend the ministry. “I got to tell you, this is going
to sound real stupid, but I didn’t know it was on our website,”
Caldwell explained. “I was surprised and embarrassed by it. I’m
embarrassed from the standpoint that I should have known. We have
120 ministries at the church. You can’t be on top of
everything.”
Declining to answer whether he supported such a ministry,
Caldwell instead insisted: “It’s not a ministry of the church. It
is not supported financially by the church. It is not located at
the church. That is pretty much where I am with it.” Caldwell gave
a statement to Americablog.com declaring: “Neither Senator Obama nor his staff
knew of this outside ministry, nor have they expressed any
agreement with my church’s beliefs on gay rights. I support Senator
Obama because of his ability to bring Americans together, not
because of our agreement or disagreement on any one issue.”
Americablog.com reported that the Obama campaign had assured it
that Caldwell would not be invited to campaign for Obama or appear
with him.
When Politico.com asked Caldwell whether he supported same sex
unions, he responded: “I would need to check with the church.” It’s
not clear whether Obama was referring to his congregation or his
denomination. But it’s extremely unlikely that evangelically
inclined Windsor Village Church has an uncertain stance towards
marriage. And the United Methodist Church has long had a policy of
disapproving of same-sex unions, but supporting laws that define
marriage as man and woman, as surely Caldwell knows. Almost
certainly, Caldwell felt obliged to distance himself from the
Metanoia ministry so as to protect the Obama campaign, or his
relationship with it. The Metanoia ministry was removed from the
church’s website, though the listed contact person for it, Barbara
Hicks, seems to remain as part of the church’s Prayer Institute. An
associate of Hicks has described her ministry for homosexuals as
having been “rooted in Black Pentecostal or charismatic prayer and
healing ministry” and different from better known groups that
specialize in “conversion or reparative therapy” for
homosexuals.
Meanwhile, most recently, Caldwell has launched a website to
refute charges by James Dobson that Obama distorted the Bible in a
2006 speech to Jim Wallis’s Sojourners group. Called “James Dobson
Doesn’t Speak for Me,” the website explains: “We are a coalition of pastors and
other Christians, led by Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell who are standing
up for our Christian faith and supporting Barack Obama.” But how
far will traditional pastors who support Obama be permitted to
“stand up” publicly for their Christian faith if their theology
contravenes the political correctness demanded by some in the Obama
coalition?
