A friend alerted me recently to the Presidential Prayer Team, an apparently independent organization whose goal is "to enlist 1% of the American population or 2.8 million people, to pray for the President, both this administration and future administrations."

On the one hand, I pray regularly, and I'm not averse to the notion of praying for the President. Sure, it sounds a little hokey, but I do believe that prayer can change things (it can change me, even if it doesn't measurably change the world in a way I can perceive). Praying for the President might be a good idea, even if my flip and off-the-cuff temptation is to pray him right out of office. (Those who've seen Fiddler on the Roof will recognize this post's subject header and its relevance.)

On the other hand, their statement of faith doesn't exactly include me, or anyone like me. Apparently only Christians are invited to pray for the president through this initiative. Not very welcoming, is it?

If I were going to join a national prayer movement, I would want it to be multifaith by default. The fact that they don't want me -- well, that's their loss, though it's kind of frustrating. It bugs me that so many people seem capable of forgetting that this is not a Christian nation. (I've blogged about that before.) And it always bothers me when I'm willing to accept the legitimacy of someone else's faith/path/way of prayer, but they're not willing to accept the legitimacy of mine.

Their FAQ tells me "The Presidential Prayer Team does not involve itself in determining who is praying accurately or who should and shouldn't pray," but I disagree. If they're only open to people who believe Jesus is the Christ, then they are determining who should pray on their team. Which makes me feel both invisible and unwanted. If they're only open to Christians, why don't they call themselves "Christian Presidential Prayer Team"? If they're going to claim to be open to the whole nation, then they ought to be open to everyone.