Contact: Peggy Birchfield, National Clergy Council, 202-546-8329, ext 103

MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), who was recently quoted in the Los Angeles Times and on National Public Radio criticizing Pastor Rick Warren for announcing he would not pose questions on hot-button issues to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain during tonight's Civil Forum on the Presidency, reversed his negative opinion before the event had even ended.

"I was wrong to jump to negative conclusions," said Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council and a minister to elected and appointed officials in Washington, DC. "I made the wrong assumptions. As a result of his Saddleback Forum, Rick Warren helped us to get a clearer picture of the candidates, their moral and spiritual principles and their philosophy of government. It was better than I had prayed it would be."

Rev. Schenck, who has been a critic of Warren's in the past, did add he would have been even harder on each of the candidates than Warren was and would not have let them ramble on at times with well-worn stump speech language. Still, Schenck praised the contribution the forum has made to the election process.

"While it is not the final word on which candidate is best, Christians and all Americans should find this forum very helpful as they consider who they will pick to occupy the White House in 2009. Rick Warren didn't cover it all, and we all have ideas on how we could have done it better, but he did accomplish more than anyone else has so far in unpacking who the two candidates really are. I applaud him."

Rev. Schenck is available for further comment over the weekend at mobile 703-447-7686 and during weekday hours at 202-546-8329, extension 101.