Chill out people! It's not the end of the world just yet

I cringe to say this and I know folks are going to be a little upset but . . .

Everyone needs to chill out about Obama selecting Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inaguration.

For the record, I am not in favor of the choice. I think Obama was showing that he is a president for all Americans, even though many of us do not share same views on controversial issues.

It was a clumsy attempt but as much as I hate to admit it, I have to give him points for it.

And I will tell you why I feel this way.

I was involved in the protest when Donnie McClurkin toured for Obama in 2006. I didn't like what happened then but mostly I hated how the entire thing ended. There were folks on our side who were too strident and undisciplined, Donnie McClurkin came out of the controversy smelling like a rose, and still the issues of lgbts of color were not addressed.

Subsequently, I did some soul searching and came to the conclusion that sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture before going off half cocked.

Also, I remember how the religious right acted when Bush was re-elected in 2004.

I remember the cocky comments from pastors who loudly declared that they were the ones who got Bush re-elected and as such folks had better show them some respect.

I remember the words of Bob Jones University in a letter written to Bush after the election:

You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ. Honor the Lord, and He will honor you.

I remember how Bush said the election gave him capital and he was going to use it. And use it he did. We are going to be paying for how he used his capital long after he leaves office.

So when I remember these things, I cringe when I hear the comments of my lgbt brothers and sisters who are already declaring “game over” and calling Obama everything but a child of God.

I cringe to hear the extreme hyperbolic claims that Obama has thrown lgbt families over the side.

Has he really?

No he hasn’t. All he did was reach out to a core of constituents.

Warren and people like him have been unfairly appropriating words like “family” and “values” and making their views seem moderate when they are anything but moderate.

But they are Americans too. And while we see them as misguided, Obama sees them as people that he has been elected to reach out to and represent.

The problem here does not lie with Obama. The problem lies with the assumption that Obama’s election is a magic lamp that will make our problems go away.

That’s not the case. The road got less bumpy with Obama in office but it is still a long road that we have to travel to get what we need.

And we still have work to do. We still have to educate Americans (Obama included) on who we are, what our needs are, and how we have a right to words like “family” and “values.”

Obama is going to be in office for at least four years. During that time, I know that I will not agree with every decision he makes.

But I am still glad he was elected. And I am not ready to say “game over” just yet.