Named the #1 Pulpit Rabbi in America (as reported in Newsweek ), David J. Wolpe is the rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and a teacher of modern Jewish religious thought at UCLA. Rabbi Wolpe writes for many publications, including The Jewish Week, Jerusalem Post, Los Angeles Times, and Beliefnet.com. He has appeared as a commentator on CNN and CBS This Morning and has been featured on the History Channel's Mysteries of the Bible. He is the author of six previous books, including the national bestseller Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times.
Evangelical pastor Richard Duane "Rick" Warren was born in San Jose, California on January 28, 1954. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California Baptist University, a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. He worked at the Texas Ranch for Christ before founding the megachurch Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California in 1980. He has written or co-written several books including The Purpose Driven Church, The Purpose Driven Life, and The Daniel Plan Cookbook: Healthy Eating for Life. He has lectured as a theologian at many universities and seminaries and was chosen in 2008 by President-elect Obama to give the invocation at his inauguration ceremony.