The Rev. Dr. David Swanson is praying that God will give him the humility and godliness necessary to communicate the hope, unity and wholeness that comes through God alone, when he prays with those gathered at tomorrow’s National Prayer Service.
David Swanson
Swanson, senior pastor and head of staff of First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Fla., will be among 26 faith leaders from across the country taking part in the service to be held at 10 a.m. at the Washington’s National Cathedral.
Speaking to Carmen Fowler LaBerge, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and host of The Reconnect radio show, Swanson said the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) told him that the President-elect and Vice President-elect wanted the interfaith service focusing on unity and wholeness. They wanted a wide representation of faith groups, and specifically wanted a Presbyterian in that mix.
Swanson said someone on the PIC knew a member of his church, and when he was contacted about participating, he agreed. “When a person asks a Christian to pray, we pray,” he said.
He referenced I Timothy 2:1-2, specifically verse 2, when speaking about the privilege or prayer:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
When asked how Christians should pray, Swanson said that our hope is not found in politics but in Christ.
LaBerge’s full interview with Swanson will air at 3 p.m. today as part of The Reconnect with Carmen LaBerge. Those interested in hearing the interview can listen to it live on the show’s web site. First Presbyterian-Orlando is part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
According to the Washington Post, participants provided by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, include:
- Carlyle Begay, Navajo Nation
- Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington, Episcopal Church
- Rev. James B. Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Federal Ministries, Episcopal Church
- Randall Marshall Hollerith, Dean, Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Church
- Cantor Mikhail Manevich, Washington Hebrew Congregation
- Rabbi Fred Raskind, Temple Bet Yam, St. Augustine, Fla.
- Alveda King, Pastoral Associate, Priests for Life, Atlanta, Ga.
- Bishop Harry Jackson, Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, Md.
- Priest Narayanachar L. Dialakote, Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Md.
- Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Imam Mohamed Magid, All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, Sterling, Va.
- Sajid Tarar, Baltimore
- Pastor Greg Laurie, Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, Calif.
- Jack Graham, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Tex.
- His Eminence Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
- Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan, Canon of Worship, Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Church
- David Jeremiah, Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon, Calif.
- Ronnie Floyd, Cross Church, Springdale, Ark.
- David Swanson, First Presbyterian Church, Orlando
- Jesse Singh, Chairman of the Board of Sikh Associations of Baltimore
- Ian McIlraith, Soka Gakkai International — USA, Los Angeles
- Anthony Vance, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States
- Cissie Graham Lynch, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Charlotte, N.C.
- Pastor Ramiro Pena, Christ the King Baptist Church, Waco, Tex.
- Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., Roman Catholic Church
- Darrell Scott, New Spirit Revival Center, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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It was Oscar Wilde that said, irony is always the best revenge. For the majority of the early Republic most of its Presidents where Episcopal. Recently we have Obama, UCC. Bush 2, evangelical Christian, Clinton UMC, Carter, American Baptist, to Nixon, Quaker. The last notable American President from historic mainline Presbyterianism was Woodrow Wilson. Eisenhower though attended a Presbyterian church in his tenure, never identified public ally with the denomination. Now we have the 45th President who claims a religious heritage. And that can be linked to the PCUSA related houses of worship. The PCUSA has prayed for quite sometime I suppose for a President to rise from its nurture. And he is now President Donald J. Trump. Ironic.
What’s even more ironic, is that the Presbyterian pastor that was asked to pray, is one that left the liberal Presbyterian denomination for the more biblically faithful EPC
Peter Gregory incorrect in saying that Eisenhower “never identified publicly with the denomination. He was baptized as a Presbyterian and became a member, the same day, of National Presbyterian Church, Washington, where he was a member for the eight years of his presidency. Upon leaving Washington, he (and Mamie) immediately transferred their membership to the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church. Twenty years later, one Ronald Reagan attended, and had pastoral relationship with the ministers of said National Presbyterian Church, even while retaining his membership in the Bel Air Presbyterian Church in California, to which he returned, still as a full member there, after his retirement. Rev. John Boyles, a pastor to Ronald Reagan at National Presbyterian in Reagan’s first term.