Rick Warren critics over OBAMA told to leave the church...

TownHall ^ | 12.14.2006 | Kevin McCullough

[jodiluvshoes]

Members of the congregation at Saddleback Church, the church led by Rick Warren, are evidently being ushered right out of membership for voicing any concern over the idea of Barack Obama being allowed to speak at the church recently.

I received a lengthy letter from a member of Saddleback this morning that confirmed as much:

[TommyDale]

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

[KingArthur305]

NO RICH WARREN not you too...

[wideawake]

Presumably Warren's employees are doing to these congregants what they told the WSJ they normally do - call the pastor of whatever church these excommunicants wind up joining and advise him that they are troublemakers who should not be welcomed.

[2banana]

By their fruits you shall know them...

[My2Cents]

The true sign of a meglomaniac pastor (of which there are many). They ostracize members, not for blatant sin or an unwillingness to repent, but for voicing an opposing viewpoint. The pastor of the church we left wouldn't tolerate opposing viewpoints either. He condemned such from the pulpit as a "critical spirit;" not for disagreeing with the Bible or basic teachings of the church, but for having a different opinion from the pastor. In other words, fall in line with Pastor Uber Alles, or leave.

[TommyDale]

((( PING! )))

[Rutles4Ever]

It's rather Scientologist of them, don'tcha think? Just a short distance between "non-denominational church" and "cult".

[rovenstinez]

American Mega Church Christianity probably wouldn't be TOO happy if the REAL Jesus showed up on a Sunday morning with a bull whip. They have been sellin' lots.

[Abigail Adams]

Holy crap!

[Cold Heat]

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Yeah, ya can't have bad smells in the Pew!

[My2Cents]

From the blog:

It's too bad that these "seeker friendly" churches are actually unfriendly to their own congregation for simply asking the spiritual leadership of the church to be doctrinally strong.

[MikeA]

So Rich Warren has drunk the media Koolaid about this phony Obama huh? And free speech has no place in his church either apparently.

[TommyDale]

They both use the same Delphi Technique, they just call it something different.

[Rurudyne]

You shall know the truth and the truth will get you kicked out.

Maybe the Dems like to sing 'We are overcome!' these days.

[swmobuffalo]

And leave they should, the type of apostate gospel that is promoted in that church is dangerous and a sign of the times.

[TommyDale]

"Yeah, ya can't have bad smells in the Pew!"

In this case, the bad smells are in the pulpit!

[Red Badger]

In other words, fall in line with Pastor Uber Alles, or leave.

Now you know why there are so many Baptist churches.......

[Ladysmith]

Boy, you aren't a-kidding! Counting down to a Providential smackdown ...5...4...3...

[My2Cents]

Now you know why there are so many Baptist churches.....

The pastor I'm referring to is pastor of a Baptist church. "Conservative Baptist" at that.

[WalterSkinner]

..we have plenty of room in our church--come on down!

[No.6]

Apparently, the editors erred in correcting the title of Rick's book, which was originally named "The Pompous-Filled Life."

[TonyRo76]

The Purpose Driven® Charlatan strikes again.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Wonder if Warren knows Obama attended Madrasa's (sp) until afterhis mother and second husband were divorced, only then did he go to Catholic School. Wonder how much Warren knows or understands about Islam and it's teachings.

[Nathan Zachary]

Amen. No church is immune either. Stick to the gospel Christ warned.

""This people honors me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless; the doctrines they teach are only human regulations." (Matt.15:8-9).

[alpha-8-25-02]

rich warren ping!

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Or "The Hubris-Driven Life"

[Mamzelle]

He means, why so many churches split.

Warren is getting dizzy from his meteroic rise to influence.

[buck61]

Not that it's any of my business but, is it a Southern Baptist church?

[Mamzelle]

The Hubris-Drive Life.

WOW--now, that is pithy! Consider it stolen.

[Wuli]

Help us "home churched"; what is the Delphi Technique?

[Eva]

My sister had a falling out with her minister after she told him that the problem with the church is that they don't pray.

Uh=oh, I'd better get going. I just looked out the window and I see sleet coming down. We are expecting a huge storm, and I need to get to the store.

[sanjacjake]

Bingo.....JK

[Veto!]

Delphi technique? What is that?

[Gamecock]

Busy day for the YBPDLN Ping List

[Gamecock]

Your Best Purpose Drive Life Now is quite a megatrend.

[ark_girl]

Not every large church is bad.

Churches have people which opens them up to flaws and sin. Satan is alive and well. My mama always said "if I ever find the perfect church, I won't join because I'll mess it up sure enough" ;-)

Not excusing what did or didn't happen at this one church. But, I would go around making blanket assumptions about all large or non-demoninational churches. There are non-demoninational churches of a whole lot of different sizes and creeds. In the end, we *should* all be playing on the same team, though. Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, whatever. We all serve the same Master. We just do it in different ways and don't always agree on some of the details...

[My2Cents]

My sister had a falling out with her minister after she told him that the problem with the church is that they don't pray.

That was one of our issues as well. I was chairman of the elder board, and I'd instituted a second meeting a month, devoted solely to prayer (no business items allowed). The pastor hated it, and told me he considered a prayer meeting a waste of time. I eventually concluded that attending his church was a waste of time.

[Halls]

this doesn't surprise me one bit!

[Hatteras]

It's not because of what you may think. They just need the extra pew space to fit Obama's EARS!!!!

[My2Cents]

He means, why so many churches split.

Ah, I get it. Sorry Red Badger. That's actually a pretty funny, and insightful, comment.

[Paperdoll]

I hope Saddleback members leave by the droves! This man has, indeed, proven himself to be a false prophet.

[pby]

Saddleback is in the Southern Baptist Convention.

[Nathan Zachary]

Indeed. We should all rely on the gospel. No church should deviate from it. All churches should serve the purpose of bringing people to the gospel.

A church isn't a museum for saints, it's a gathering place for sinners.

[Alex Murphy]

Members of the congregation at Saddleback Church, the church led by Rick Warren, are evidently being ushered right out of membership for voicing any concern over the idea of Barack Obama being allowed to speak at the church recently.

Not a terribly wise idea on Saddleback's behalf, but then again what is? Statistically, 2006 has already shown that Warren/PDL/Saddleback is a fad on it's way out. Sounds like 2007 is going to show even greater declines....

"... Purpose-Driven Life, a HarperCollins title, isn’t flying off the shelves at the rate it has in previous few years..."

"...Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., with bestselling author Rick Warren took a plunge down from number five to number thirty-nine. New membership gains in the past year dropped by nearly 1,500 people to 1,149."

[AT7Saluki]

Just a thought here; we are still on the internet. Can I see some actual proof that what is being asserted as having happened, actually happened (letter, member, etc. etc.)?

[hosepipe]

[ You shall know the truth and the truth will get you kicked out. ]

LoL....

[doc30]

If Obama speaks at Saddleback Church and there is any political content, should the church not lose its tax exemption?

[Rightly Biased]

Largest Southern Baptist Church in the Denomination

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Can you give me the particular version that you quoted that passage from? Just asking, thank you.