I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesús, Jesus, who taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

(Messianic Jews and Hebrew Christians consider Yeshua to be the what ancient Hebrews called Jesus. Isa is the Arabic name by which Muslims call Jesus. Jesús is how Spanish-speakers say Jesus’ name.)

It was fairly brazen and promiscuous name-dropping in the face of inflamed speculation about whether Warren would dare to utter what famed preacher Rev. Billy Graham had not at three inaugural invocations, in 1989, 1993 and 1997. Graham’s son Franklin — the elder Graham’s successor as president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which was headquartered in Minneapolis until 2003 — said “Jesus” once at President George W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration. (So did the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell at Bush’s 2005 inaugural.)

Warren largely skirted the original source of controversy over his selection to lead the inaugural prayer: his attitude toward gay rights and gay marriage. But close listeners didn’t miss at least one swipe. Writing for the Dyke Abroad blog, Gully Online editor Kelly Jean Cogswell detected “a tasteful jab at the queers uncivilized enough to demonstrate [against] his participation” in this part of Warren’s prayer:

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.

Here is a video clip of Rev. Warren’s inaugural invocation:

At issue are the scheduled events involving the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, a prominent civil-rights pastor, and the Rev. Rick Warren, whose statements about same-sex marriage and abortion have created an uproar among progressives.

“Under the Establishment Clause, Plaintiffs have a right to view their government in action without being forced to confront official endorsements of religious dogma with which they disagree. This is especially the case when that dogma stigmatizes them in the process,” reads the lawsuit. “Being forced to confront such religious dogma as the price to pay for observing a governmental ceremony is a substantial burden upon Plaintiffs’ rights of Free Exercise as well.”

The suit says that the planned religious services will impinge on the freedoms of some Americans. “One cannot freely live as an adherent to a religious ideology when the government uses its ‘power, prestige and financial support’ to impose a contrary religious doctrine while such individuals are observing its ceremonies.”

August Berkshire, president of Minnesota Atheists, issued a statement Tuesday, stating the organziation is “pleased to accept a personal invitation from Michael Newdow to be a plaintiff in this lawsuit. The swearing in of a president is a secular event. The oath of office is in the U.S. Constitution and it contains no religious references. It is unfortunate that while Barack Obama campaigned on a theme of unity, the very act of becoming president will serve to divide Americans along religious lines.”

The lawsuit is expected to be filed this week in United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Warren answers the question, “Are you a homophobe?”

Contrary to early reports, AmericaBlog reports that Obama himself made the decision to include Warren, not the inauguration committee. “A powerful Democratic friend contacted me this morning to let me know that they talked to the key players yesterday, and Diane Feinstein, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, had nothing to do with the pick of Rick Warren as Obama’s invocation speaker at the inaugural. The decision was made by Obama himself, I’m told, and Feinstein just assumed that he had vetted it with his staff.”

The Obama camp also passed out talking points ont he controversy:

Pastor Rick Warren has a long history of activism on behalf of the disadvantaged and the downtrodden. He’s devoted his life to performing good works for the poor and leads the evangelical movement in addressing the global HIV/AIDS crisis. In fact, the President-elect recently addressed Rick Warren’s Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health to salute Warren’s leadership in the struggle against HIV/AIDS and pledge his support to the effort in the years ahead.

The President-elect disagrees with Pastor Warren on issues that affect the LGBT community. They disagree on other issues as well. But what’s important is that they agree on many issues vital to the pursuit of social justice, including poverty relief and moving toward a sustainable planet; and they share a commitment to renewing America’s promise by expanding opportunity at home and restoring our moral leadership abroad.

As he’s said again and again, the President-elect is committed to bringing together all sides of the faith discussion in search of common ground. That’s the only way we’ll be able to unite this country with the resolve and common purpose necessary to solve the challenges we face.

The Inauguration will also involve Reverend Joseph Lowery, who will be delivering the official benediction at the Inauguration. Reverend Lowery is a giant of the civil rights movement who boasts a proudly progressive record on LGBT issues. He has been a leader in the struggle for civil rights for all Americans, gay or straight.

And for the very first time, there will be a group representing the interests of LGBT Americans participating in the Inaugural Parade.

Obama also hit the airwaves to explain his side of the story.

Pundits and columnists are making their displeasure over Warren known. The Nation writes:

Warren represents the absolute worst of the Democrats’ religious outreach, a right-winger masquerading as a do-gooder anointed as the arbiter of what it means to be faithful. Obama’s religious outreach was intended, supposedly, to make religious voters more comfortable with him and feel included in the Democratic Party. But that outreach now has come at the expense of other people’s comfort and inclusion, at an event meant to mark a turning point away from divisive politics.

And three different Democratic pundits share three different views on CNN:

The Human Rights Campaign sent an open letter to Obama:

Let me get right to the point. Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans. Our loss in California over the passage of Proposition 8 which stripped loving, committed same-sex couples of their given legal right to marry is the greatest loss our community has faced in 40 years. And by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.

People for the American Way responded:

Pastor Warren, while enjoying a reputation as a moderate based on his affable personality and his church’s engagement on issues like AIDS in Africa, has said that the real difference between James Dobson and himself is one of tone rather than substance. He has recently compared marriage by loving and committed same-sex couples to incest and pedophilia. He has repeated the Religious Right’s big lie that supporters of equality for gay Americans are out to silence pastors. He has called Christians who advance a social gospel Marxists. He is adamantly opposed to women having a legal right to choose an abortion.

Joe Sudbay, writing for AmericaBlog, said, “I’d expect George Bush to have a homophobe on the stage. But Obama? That’s not the kind of change I expected, and it’s not change I can believe in.”

Blogger Pam Spaulding wrote, “This selection is clearly not about ‘change’ — it’s about making a high profile decision to give the stage over to a known homophobe; choosing Rick Warren is tantamount to asking any of the professional ‘Christian’ set to stand up there. There is no excuse for this; given so many leaders of the faith community that are in alignment with equality for all.”

The Slog at the Seattle Stranger said, “Why? Because this kind of dog-whistling to the religious right gets politicians reelected. (See, esp., George W. Bush.)”