President-elect Barack Obama promised to make his inaugural events the most inclusive ever -- and he is making good on his promise.  Just over two weeks after gay rights activists condemned his choice of Saddleback pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the ceremony itself, the President-elect and his inaugural committee announced the choice of Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly-homosexual Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, to open the mass event at the Lincoln Memorial with prayer.

Predictably, the committee insisted that the invitation has nothing to do with the furor over naming Warren, who angered homosexual activists and their allies by supporting Proposition 8 in California.  "They called up and said this has actually been in the works for a long time," the bishop told The New York Times.  He added that the committee also expressed, "and at the same time, we understand that people in the [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] community have been somewhat wounded by this choice, and it's our hope that your selection will go a long way to heal these divides."

The event Bishop Robinson will open with prayer will be a huge opening rally featuring major entertainment figures and a mass gathering on the mall.  Artists invited to perform at the event include Bono, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen, along with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington.

The choice of Bishop Robinson is not a complete surprise, since the President-elect had met with the bishop during the campaign.  Of course, Bishop Robinson is one of the most controversial figures in the entire history of the Episcopal Church.  Controversy over his election has led to a schism in his church and a rupture that threatens to unravel the world-wide Anglican Communion.

One interesting facet of the controversies over Warren and Robinson is the fact that the inclusion of the one does not placate the critics of the other.  Homosexual activists are still angry over the choice of Warren to deliver the invocation on January 20.  A host of others will be offended by the choice of Bishop Robinson.  These two responses illustrate the depth of the divide over the issue of homosexuality.  The question cuts to the heart of issues including biblical authority and the very nature of humanity.  Representation is undoubtedly symbolic, but Rick Warren and Gene Robinson represent radically divergent worldviews and incommensurate goals.  They are not two very different representatives of one religion.  They are instead two very symbolic representatives of two very different religions.

That point is made clear courtesy of Bishop Robinson.  Consider this section of the report in The New York Times: