The fundies are po'd at Rick Warren

Hate is the family value that holds the religious right together. And when one of them strays, when a religious right leader tries to back away in shame from his own homophobia, the rest of God's bigots get very very angry.

As you'll recall, I reported a few days ago about how evangelical leader Rick Warren appeared on Larry King the other night and seriously distanced himself from his past advocacy for Prop 8 in California, to the point of lying about his previous anti-gay positions and advocacy.

Well. That didn't go over very well in thumperland.

From the cult-run newspaper, the Moonie Times:

Evangelical leaders say they are bewildered and stunned by the Rev. Rick Warren's apparent turnaround on gay marriage after the famous California pastor said earlier this week that he was not a proponent of California's Proposition 8....

"I was extremely troubled by the way he appeared to be so anxious to distance himself from the same-sex issue and to make clear he was not an 'activist' and that he'd only addressed the issue in a very minor way," said the Rev. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said his denial is "absolutely baffling."

"Whether he supports Proposition 8 now, after the fact, is overshadowed by the bizarre claim that he did not say what the evidence so clearly proves he said."

Someone clearly had a come to Jesus with Rick Warren over the gay issue. And Mr. Warren, who isn't exactly what one would call camera-shy, seems to have understood that his ties to the religious right are hurting his attempt to become the next Billy Graham - i.e., the likable far-right extremist. So now it's an open battle between Warren's ambition and his bigoted friends in the religious right. This should be truly fun to watch. And to think we have Larry King to thank.

I re-read what I wrote, and asked myself: Is it possible that Rick Warren simply feels honestly sorry for his past homophobia, and is trying to make amends? Maybe. But he didn't say that on Larry King. Warren lied about his past homophobia, rather than confessing his sins and seeking forgiveness. That makes me think that Warren's ambition, and not his heart (or soul) are guiding his newfound tolerance.