Barack Obama's a politician, I'm a pastor. We speak to two different audiences.

I continue to be a pastor who speaks to the people of God about the things of God.

Barack Obama says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they're two different worlds.

I think one of the things the church service means is hope.

Don't tell me about heaven. What about in this life, that there is a better way, that this is not in vain, that it is not Edward Albee or Camus's absurd, the theater of the absurd, it is not Shakespeare - "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" - that life has meaning and that God is still in control, and that God can, and God will, so people of goodwill, working hard, do something about the situation? We can change.

It gets to be a problem when I decide one position should be the law for everybody. In public life, we [people] have to find a way to live together even though we disagree - and some things we will never agree on. But we've got to leave this I'm-going-to-kill-you-because-you-don't-believe-what-I-believe attitude behind.

Being at odds with policies is nothing new to me.