Rick Warren disciples: Where are you?

WorldNetDaily ^ | November 21, 2006 | Joseph Farah

[TommyDale]

Millions and millions of people have purchased his books.

His California church attracts thousands every Sunday.

He seems to be the go-to guy whenever the establishment, ultra-secular press wants to quote an evangelical leader they like.

I'm talking about Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life" and the pastor of the Saddleback Church.

Ever since I first pointed out the way he betrayed the persecuted church and our Jewish brothers and sisters living in captivity in the totalitarian police state of Syria, I have been expecting to get blasted.

Millions and millions of people have purchased his books.

His California church attracts thousands every Sunday.

He seems to be the go-to guy whenever the establishment, ultra-secular press wants to quote an evangelical leader they like.

I'm talking about Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life" and the pastor of the Saddleback Church.

Ever since I first pointed out the way he betrayed the persecuted church and our Jewish brothers and sisters living in captivity in the totalitarian police state of Syria, I have been expecting to get blasted.

I thought for sure I would hear from these millions of well-educated, well-informed, biblically astute purpose-driven disciples.

It has been six days. God created the whole universe in that amount of time. And, so far, I haven't heard one cogent argument, apologia or rationalization for Warren's actions by any of his flock.

I'm told he's got one of the best PR machines money can buy. He sure is not getting his money's worth.

On the other hand, I can tell you hundreds of thousands of people are reading my critiques of his misadventures in misguided foreign policy. We can actually count those readers on WND. And they are being spread far and wide in a viral way by e-mailers and bloggers.

Is the strategy now to ignore Farah?

Is the strategy to pretend WND doesn't exist?

Is the strategy to ignore the hard facts presented here about what Rick Warren said and did in Syria and hope the controversy blows over?

I've got news for you. It's not going to blow over. I won't let it.

I demand an apology from Rick Warren – not to me, for heaven's sake, but to Christians in Syria who choose to worship outside the state-approved churches he toured. I demand an apology to the Jews who suffer the humiliating life of dhimmitude in Syria today while Rick Warren tells the world they don't exist.

This is a world I know something about.

It was just about a year ago that my Jerusalem bureau chief, Aaron Klein, was prevented from entering Syria for one reason – he's Jewish!

Funny, I don't remember Rick Warren protesting that action – minor, really, compared to the indignities Jews in Syria live with daily, but well-publicized nonetheless.

Perhaps Rick Warren hasn't seen the Syrian TV show – a big hit in Damascus – that renews the blood libel direct from "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," entertaining millions with a graphic story of a rabbi who slits the throat of a young Christian boy so he can use it to prepare the Passover motzah.

Perhaps Rick Warren hasn't noticed that the Syrian government has published an updated version of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," an anti-Semitic story that claims Jews run the world by proxy.

Perhaps Rick Warren is not aware of hundreds of years of genocidal pogroms that have taken place in Syria at the expense of the Jews.

But of course he must know about all these things, because he says he's an avid reader of my column and an expert on the Middle East because of his membership in the Council on Foreign Relations.

Rick Warren thinks it is commendable that Syria has opened its arms to Christians fleeing Iraq. What he doesn't know or doesn't say is that many of those Christians fleeing Iraq are fleeing bullets and bombs and terrorists that have entered Iraq through Syria. He also doesn't explain President Bashar Assad's penchant for keeping his friends close and his enemies closer.

I'm not going to let this matter slide. Not me. Not this Syrian-Lebanese-American Christian journalist. If Rick Warren thinks dialogue with everyone is so great – let the dialogue begin right here. The persecuted church in Syria can't speak for itself. But I will stand with them in answering Rick Warren's lies about their tormentors.

[TommyDale]

I think the silence from the Warren followers speaks volumes.

[Rightly Biased]

They hang out here they'll be along in a bit with their Purpose Driven dribble.

[Mr. Brightside]

Just because a lot of people have purchased ONE book of his, does not mean they are "followers."

We have "the Purpose Driven Life." And we also have "The Jabez Prayer."

But we are not followers of that author either.

[2banana]

Not defending anyone here - just a sad data point. In the entire middle east of islamic countries - syria treats their christians better than any other islamic country.

[OldFriend]

Purpose Driven Global Warming

[100-Fold_Return]

btt

[-=SoylentSquirrel=-]

Purpose driven hypocrisy?

[kjam22]

Have a cup of starbucks coffee..... get in a good community group and you'll be okay.... :)

[GourmetDan]

"We have "the Purpose Driven Life." And we also have "The Jabez Prayer."

I didn't buy or read either one.

It shows how far Christianity has fallen.

That 'christians' would even read such crap, much less purchase it.

[Mr. Brightside]

Jabez was a good book.

[PGalt]

Interesting.

[Quix]

I figure they consider the source, the attitudes . . . the diatribes . . . the fierce biases involved . . .

and realize they have better things to do in terms of being about The Lord's business otherwise and elsewhere.

[ShandaLear]

Just another Christian fad.

[metmom]

Doesn't journalism school teach paragraphs anymore? Gee, this guys writing rivals my kids when they were in grade school, not only in grammar and mechanics but in content.

He's trying to bait people and it's pretty obvious. The old *If you don't say anything it means you agree* tactic, which anyone with more intelligence that the author has (and that doesn't appear to be a very difficult accomplishment) wouldn't fall for.

[showme_the_Glory]

Judge not........

[Quix]

When a Christian fad leaves millions with a beginning and a deepening and an enriched, lasting, more intimate relationship with God Almighty; their Lord Jesus Christ; led by His Spirit . . . as is abundantly true of Rick's ministry

let the fad continue.

Of course, if posters want to do better than Rick, I'd be happy to compare their results with his.

[Paloma_55]

My wife bought the book and we read it together while driving to work. She reads, I drive. Having read it together, I found it to be inspirational and an unusual book in that I believe one can read it FOUR times easily with a different angle each time.

Once to consider your purpose as an individual.
Once to consider your purpose within your marriage.
Once to consider your purpose within your family.
Once to consider your purpose within the church/nation/world.

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End of Advice and Begin of Commentary

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Now, since we have read it once, I should mention that I have not done anything sinful or even wrong. Its amazing. I read a book, and I am now perfect.

Rick Warren, having written the book, must have been perfect much longer than me.

This is one thing about being a Christian, we are perfect.

It is hard to imagine why anyone would criticize a Christian or call them a hypocrite...after all, we are perfect aren't we?

Its not possible for Joseph Farah to understand why a perfect person like Warren would make a mistake...but then Farah must not have fully read and understood the book..or perhaps, its because he is Jewish?

But wait, Jesus was Jewish and HE understood.

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End Sarcasm

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[safisoft]

Funny how the establishment, ultra-secular press never want to talk to R.C. Sproul, D. James Kennedy or J.I. Packer, isn't it?

But then if they did, they would still get a taste of anti-Semitic theology. I admire the conservative positions that these men have taken over the years, but Kennedy and Sproul were signatories to a screed against the state of Israel in 2002, and their theological arguments for that letter were based upon 1,900 years of anti-Semitic history, and in this regard, errant theology.

Supercessionism, or "Replacement Theology" is the baseline for Christian anti-Semitism; which any reader of the ante-Nicean fathers could quickly identify for what it is.

The problem with reformed theology is they stopped 200 years short in their attempts to go back to orthodoxy. They find themselves forever resting on the theologians of the 3rd and 4th Centuries. When the theology of men like N.T. Wright replaces that of men like Kennedy and Sproul, then you will find compatibility between the theology of believers of the 1st Century and that of reformed theology today. Until then, "orthodox" is in the eyes of the beholder, and not an objective word.

[twonie]

I bought the books; I put them in with the wet garbage not long ago. I don't know how many people are going to come out and defend a preacher whose costume of choice is a Hawaiian shirt and who paraphrases the Bible in his books. I am not talking about someone paraphrasing while talking because he cannot remember the exact words off the top of his head - he paraphrases in print in order to fit the Bible in with his current thinking.