Pastor Warren: Some of My Best Friends Are Gay

But has compared gay marriage to incest, polygamy, child abuse
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2008 12:37 PM CST
Pastor Warren: Some of My Best Friends Are Gay
In this Aug. 16, 2008 file photo, then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama joins Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, for a discussion on moral issues.   (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Pastor Rick Warren "loves gays and straights," he said yesterday, in response to the uproar  his invitation to Barack Obama's inaugural invocation sparked among gay rights groups. In a speech to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Warren emphasized that he has "many gay friends" and has "eaten dinner in gay homes," the AP reports.

Warren, who has previously likened gay marriage to incest, child abuse, and polygamy, highlighted his new friendship with lesbian singer Melissa Etheridge, who performed earlier in the evening. "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," said the pastor, who also pledged his love for people of all religions and political views.
(More Rick Warren stories.)

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