Posted on 12/31/2006 8:41:18 AM PST by Gamecock
The facade is beginning to peel back from the so-called ministry of Southern California Pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life." Unfortunately, many among his ample flock have far too much invested in him, both emotionally and otherwise, to admit their mistakes and cut their losses.
Moreover, he certainly faces no possibility of in-depth scrutiny from the "mainstream media," as his brand of "Christianity" poses little or no threat to their liberal social agenda. Yet to the degree that anyone at all questions Warren as anything less than authentic, his response is thoroughly telling as to his true character, as well as the nature of his "ministry."
Joseph Farah, editor-in-chief of the Internet news site, "World Net Daily," opened a can of worms by calling Warren to account over his fawning praise of the terrorist stronghold of Syria. While there, Warren lauded the brutish dictatorship as "peaceful," claiming that the Islamist government does not officially sanction "extremism of any kind."
When confronted by Farah, an American of Middle Eastern decent who knows too well the history of horror and tragedy faced by persecuted Christians in that region of the world, Warren immediately denied ever making such statements.
Subsequently, Farah offered as evidence a "YouTube" video from Saddleback Church, where Warren is pastor, inarguably proving Farah's statement. So Warren's church simply pulled the video from circulation and continued the denial, being unaware that a copy of the video file had been downloaded and is still in circulation. Warren's follow-up to this inconvenient circumstance is perhaps most telling of all.
In a concurrent set of moves, Warren sent a seemingly conciliatory e-mail to Farah while distributing another to his "flock," in which he characterized Farah's pursuit of the incident as nothing less than "doing Satan's job for him." Throughout this sorry episode, Farah's only error has been to suggest that Warren's disturbing behavior represents some new departure from consistency.
In fact, Warren is actually being entirely consistent. Whether his audience might be Farah himself, Syrian despot Bashar Assad or the Saddleback congregation, Warren tells each exactly what he believes they want to hear.
This pattern is the essence of what Warren is and what has made him so "successful" from a worldly perspective.
For those among his congregation who sincerely want to know the truth, the evidence is ample. Unfortunately, it always has been available, and any present "confusion" merely results from past decisions to ignore that evidence.
For example, his letter to the congregation decrying the "attack" and making his defense by invoking Scripture is barely four paragraphs long. Yet in those four paragraphs, he employs three different "translations" of the Bible. Why, it must be asked, does he not trust any single translation to convey God's message to humanity?
Could it be that he has his own message and agenda to advance, and that he has found it very convenient to utilize different wordings of different passages, not because they better convey God's purpose, but rather his own?
It would be better to ask, could his motivation possibly be anything else?
As Farah has refused to let this indefensible situation simply drop, Warren has responded by taking it to another realm, making personal attacks against Farah in an interview with the magazine, "Christianity Today." But once again, by so doing, Warren succeeds in revealing much more about himself than about his adversary.
Warren, who has not to date been known as any sort of standard bearer for Christian principle in the political arena, decries Farah (whose societal and moral views fall unambiguously on the right) and his ideological allies as part of a wrongful "political" encroachment on the faith.
In contrast, Warren's forays into the political realm prove, not surprisingly, to be decidedly leftist. At a recent conference on the African AIDS epidemic, Warren invited the very liberal Senator Barak Obama (D-Ill.) as a keynote speaker. He justified the inclusion of Obama, who avidly supports abortion and same-sex "marriage," on the grounds that Obama offered a worldly solution to ostensibly curb the spread of the disease through condom usage.
The morally ambiguous message conveyed by the advocacy of condoms, along with their inherent unreliability, make them nothing less than iconic to the abortion industry, which fully understands how much new business they generate. In the face of such pragmatism, one has to wonder what will be next. Perhaps Warren's church will sponsor a "designated driver's ministry" at every bar in its locale.
Appalling though Obama's inclusion in the conference may be, it is nonetheless entirely consistent with Warren's behavior from the beginning.
Leading a megachurch in the culturally disintegrating landscape of Southern California, Warren certainly knows that his prospects of maximizing the "flock" will be greatly enhanced as long as he shows proper deference to the real religion of the area, "political correctness."
In this, his Christian populism movement has proven to be far more palatable to the God-hating secularists of the surrounding communities than such stodgy, old-fashioned and "intolerant" notions as "Thou Shalt Not." And the Warren influence has been predictable wherever it can be found.
If other churches that abide in the Warren philosophy, such as Chicago's gargantuan "Willow Creek," were to truly uphold Christian values among their enormous congregations, they would certainly be a constant "thorn in the side" of their surrounding populace, acculturated into the modernism as those communities certainly are. Yet an amazing degree of compatibility and congeniality exists between the Warren Church model and the social structures of Chicago and Southern California.
The tradeoff between true Christian principle and acceptability to the locals is apparently worth the spiritual sacrifice it entails, with expanding parking lots, increasingly lavish facilities and, of course, fuller collection plates bearing witness. Meanwhile, such churches offer ever less of a worthwhile and much-needed alternative to the ailing world around them.
Ultimately, Warren gives conformist Christians, wearied from their ongoing battle with a world that is increasingly hostile to true Christian faith, an apparent "out" by offering a version that the modern world can find more acceptable while remaining in its present spiritual darkness.
Many among Warren's vast following have made the mistake, in light of his "purpose driven" ministering, of presuming, at the heart of the movement, a Christ-driven purpose. Yet as Warren's real character continues to be revealed, it is becoming apparent that members of that following are presuming too much.
(Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer and staff writer for the New Media Alliance. He lives in southeastern Wyoming and has been active in local and state politics for many years.)
Good article. Thanks for posting.
Thankfully, Warren has shown his true colors.
Another thoughtless defense by another blind follower of the most destructive "minister" in modern times.
the most destructive "minister" in modern times.
= = = =
I don't believe that's God's perspective. I prefer God's perspective over the perspectives elaborated so pontifically on these bash RW threads.
Actually, I'm not really a follower of RW much at all. I didn't even read every line of PDL. But I do hate seeing someone so foundationally Biblical in their essential, core beliefs and practices get bashed so ruthlessly so constantly and so . . . wrongly.
Sure, I'd like to see him come 100% clean on the Syria thing and get some more wisdom in this or that area. But the bulk of the accusations are nothing more than phariseeism of the modern era. And I'm not any more in favor of that than Jesus was 2,000 years ago.
Have you read the documented accounts of the division caused within the hundreds (if not thousands) of churches by the "40 Days" Warren program? The Wall Street Journal has done two stories so far, and the editor at the WSJ could probably write a book, just from the amount of information that was gathered.
"If you just prayed that prayer for the very first time, I congratulate you. You've just become a part of the family of God."
I've never really paid much attention to this guy but the previous passage is full of crap and completely bogus.
It was missing a few things.:
Where was the acknowledgement that God created and rules everything?
Where is the acknowledgement that I have sinned and come short of Heaven?
Where is the prayer that asks Jesus Christ to become my savior and that I accept his gift?
Do all that ... THEN you're a Christian.
ping
The author of the article agreed with you. He responded to Rick Warren's statement with:
" this a response to the gospel? Where is repentance, acknowledgement of need, or confession of personal sin? Where is the cross? The Bible tells us that saving "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." [Romans 10:17-18] But none of the Scriptures that show the gospel are mentioned in this first lesson. Biblically illiterate friends and neighbors who join the group would pray this prayer without any real knowledge of the cross, of the Savior, or of God's view of sin. In fact, the meaning of salvation isn't included in the first lesson. And if it had been there, the context of the lesson would suggest that we are merely saved from a purposeless life -- not from bondage to sin."
You said -- "Do all that ... THEN you're a Christian."
Here's the very specific "formula" (if you will)
Romans 10:9-10
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
That's about it, as far as the Bible is concerned (which means, as far as God, the Holy Spirit, and, Jesus Christ are concerned).
Of course, you can add a lot more personal knowledge to that equation (by reading the Bible, studying, praying, going to church -- and so on), but you won't add any more to your salvation, than just those two verses.
Regards,
Star Traveler
That's something I didn't think of. I believe you are right!
You said -- "Article makes it clear he is a charlatan!"
Well, he very well knows the Gospel and can preach it, if he wants to. And, I believe he's a Christian (in terms of Romans 10:9-10).
But, he's got another agenda going and it's more along the lines of building a big church and developing all sorts of programs to push. And so, he's not helping a lot of others, who may end up following *him* instead of following Christ. He's only catering to those "itching ears" and saying what is easy for people to hear.
A person who goes to Rick Warren's church may or may not ever find out what it takes to be a true Christian, unless they already know before they get there.
And if that church were to disappear, along with Rick Warren, the question is -- would they be following Christ or would they look for another like Rick Warren to follow. I think that a great number of them would look for another one similar to Rick Warren and never find out what Christ is all about.
He may be a Christian, but he's not helping very many find Christ.
Regards,
Star Traveler
" Where is repentance, acknowledgement of need, or confession of personal sin?'
Where does it say that is needed? This is a protestant church, after all. Works not necessary -- futile, actually.
Well, I have not trusted that guy since the ME story came out. He is not teaching God's word but what HE believes. Why do people stay with someone like him? I know our minister teaches the Bible word for word and we are growing each year.
In general I have no problem working with the pagan on a humanitarian issue. But the pagan shouldn't be allowed in God's house as if he belongs there.
Not exactly.
Works is proof of faith.
The problem is....he might be a speaker at both conventions.
Interesting comment. I've been taught that EVERY man is welcomed in God's house, be they Christian, pagan, or pink with purple stripes.
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