The Washington Post reports that the Obama family's church choice is "likely to be scrutinized," which is not surprising. As everyone in the world knows by now, the Obamas have been members of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago for many years. Trinity is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ.
The United Church of Christ (UCC) was formed in the 1950's. It is a merger of Congregationalists, who were descended from the Puritans, and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, which was more German in ethnicity and Lutheran in its theology.
The UCC recently sent a letter to Pres.-elect Obama inviting him to one of its four congregations in the vicinity of the White House. President Obama may well stick with the UCC. He has, in the past, identified himself as a member of that denomination, and spoke at their national convention last year.
One of the little ironies of our politics is that GOP presidents have tended not to worship outside the White House. When they wanted to pray, they just called Billy Graham. Hillary is a strong Methodist so the Clintons worshiped at Foundry United Methodist, whose pastor then, incidentally, was later to become interim President at the Iliff School of Theology here in Denver. St. John's Episcopal has had so many presidents worship there that they have a pew--number 54--which is the "president's pew."
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) would also be a possible choice for the Obamas. It's one of the places I would go if I lived in DC, the others being the National Cathedral and Foundry UMC. Metropolitan AME is where Rosa Parks' funeral was held, and also where Bill Clinton had his inaugural prayer service in 1993.
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