Obama Ushers In An Era of Inclusion

"He put together liberal Protestants, evangelical Protestants and African American Protestants. It's a clear signal of no more religious division. This is not a place where we're going to put up with theological disputes messing up the vision of extending the hand of compassion to our brothers and sisters here in the United States and around the world."

Martin Marty, professor emeritus at University of Chicago Divinity School, said Lowery -- and almost anyone -- could have easily filled the gap between Warren on the right and Robinson on the left.

"Once you've had those two in there, you can smuggle almost anyone else in between them," Marty said. "Once you've done that, you've got a lot more room to breathe."

But the Lowery pick was quite intentional, symbolically harkening back to the civil rights era that helped Obama become the first African American president, and pointing the nation ahead to a new era of inclusion and justice, observers say.

"Clearly [Obama] doesn't talk the same narrative as the old guard of the civil rights movement, but at the same time, he deeply appreciates that generation of leaders," said William Turner Jr., an associate professor of Duke University Divinity School and a civil rights veteran.

Lowery's prayer was so broad that even a secularist could embrace it -- and did.

"He didn't say this prayer was for Jesus or Allah or any other god, he said let all who embrace justice say amen," said Lori Lipman Brown, director of the Secular Coalition for America. "I hardly ever say amen, but how could you not say amen to embracing justice?"