Warren invited to speak at King service

ATLANTA, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Evangelical Rev. Rick Warren has been invited to speak at the Martin Luther King Commemorative Service in Atlanta the day before Barack Obama's inaugural.

Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California and author of the best-selling "The Purpose Driven Life," will be the main speaker for the Jan. 19 service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said. The service is one of the major events of a week of activities in Atlanta in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated in April 2008.

A Southern Baptist, Warren opposes abortion and gay marriage. His agreement to deliver the invocation at Obama's inauguration in Washington on Jan. 20 has angered both liberal supporters of Obama and religious conservatives, who disagree with Obama's support of abortion rights and civil unions for gays, although not gay marriage.

During the campaign, Warren sponsored a joint appearance by Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, at his church, where they both had the opportunity to talk about their values.