Posted on 08/16/2008 11:59:35 AM PDT by XR7
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage today, they will vividly demonstrate the reach that has made the Rev. Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation.
He's a megastar who leads the nation's fourth-largest church and reaches thousands of ministers through the Internet and crusades against poverty and AIDS. That globe-trotting work and his successful book — "The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?" — puts him at the vanguard of a movement that inspires young, socially conscious Christians.
But his willingness to soft-pedal political issues once central to U.S. evangelicals, such as opposition to abortion, has opened him to criticism that he has strayed from his calling to spread the Gospel.
Today's forum also is a sign of religion's importance in the 2008 presidential campaign, and the emergence of a new style of evangelical leadership on the national stage that is not tied to a single party and has broadened its social agenda beyond that of the religious right.
"This is absolutely a changing of the guard, and it suggests that the new guard of the evangelical movement is able to generate the attention and focus of both parties," said D. Michael Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University and author of "Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite."
Warren personally invited the two candidates — "friends of mine" — via their cellphones. His event at the Saddleback Church will be broadcast live on CNN and Fox News Channel and streamed on the Web. It has among its aims "helping the church regain credibility and encouraging our society to return to civility," he said.
It's likely that fans and critics will be watching closely...
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
This was an old fashioned interview...no biased stunts. Just the way it should always be.
@@@@
Rick Warren showed professional ‘journalists’ how to interview politicians. Wouldn’t it be great if ‘journalists’ took the lesson to heart!
Wow- that IS amazing, considering the way the weekend crew has seemed to favor Barry.
I haven’t turned on the tv this morning...peaceful:)
Ellen Rattner was so rattled she was banging on the counter as she spoke. Had FOXNEWS on, but was in the other room wondering if she had a microphone problem.
Dear mbraynard,
“Since I will be voting for neither!”
Ann Coulter rightly states: “ If Demorats had any Brains, they would be Republicans!”
Since You ae NOT going to VOTE, do We assume You are a Democrat that has Brains, so You cant Vote for the Traitorous, Emptysuited, Closet Muslim, Scumbag, Non natural Citizen Osama Obama Hussein and You just cant bring yourself to VOTE REPUBLICAN? or are You a Republican or Independant that wants to stupidly throw your Vote away and bitch for four years about Obama destroying Our Nation and turning it into a powerless Muslim 58th Caliphate and a Leftwing Dictatorship not unlike Chavez’s Venezuala?
Obama was a picture of prozac.
He might take medicine for Attention Deficit, Ritalin is what used to be prescribed, my brother wouldn’t let them put his kids on it.
I believe Obama just gave away who his VP candidate will be.
So you are four times as old as an orphan who needs adult care. I really dislike politicians who distort numbers to make a case for their pet project. This statement of Rick Warren’s reminds me of the “three million homeless” number that we heard for years - a number that was never near reality.
I never, ever watch the Weekend Friends but this morning was up extra early...they were rerunning last night’s forum and the Friends came on afterward. I cannot believe they didn’t have a nice word for their hero Barry.
Since you are “not going to vote”....You are....or....or a troll from the OUBSSAMA campaign
No, no, no! You've got the names reversed. McCain is the old white guy and Obama is the black guy with big ears!
Evidently there were some frantic late night chatting points issued by the DNC to all the drive-bys including c-spin and they are quite apparent in what the WApost and LAslimes had to say in their pathetic and short morning little columns.
Evidently the talking points issued late last night had to go something like this:
1. Admit that there was a debate
2. Do not concentrate on who won at cost and don't play up our guy up too much since he lost big time.
3. keep it short and move on to other topics ASAP since this is a disaster for the dem/rats.
Anyway that is my guess on what the DNC/rats talking points were to the drive-bys and looks like C-spin got the message.
Also if you paid close attention to how c-spin handled it they used about half black callers(strange since the US population is only about 12-13% black, why let half of them get in on a brief half hour take on the debate unless you are spinning and agenda and wildly so)and the rest mostly rabid dems and just a few pubbies got in before they quickly changed topics just like the talking points probably recommended. Just a guess.
Last nights CNN interview already implying things that aren’t supported, Brody should be fired if he can’t support ‘antichrist’ in “ads that John McCain has been running not just on television, but on the web. “;
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/429313.aspx
Brody: Let me ask you a little about some of these ads that John McCain has been running not just on television, but on the web. Let’s face it, let’s call a spade a spade, there has been some Messianic references, there’s been some antichrist stuff going on,
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO READ????????
That IS SOMEONE ELSE THAT SAID THEY ARE NOT GOING TO VOTE!!
PLEASE READ BEFORE MAKING STUPID STATEMENTS!!! PLEASE!
I AM VOTING FOR A WONDERFUL LEADER! A GREAT PATRIOT! and a NATIONAL HERO!! I AM VOTING PROUDLY FOR SENATOR JOHN McCAIN!!! Our Future President of The United States!
Is that clear enough for you?
And that's different than any other day how?
Here’s ‘iron our shirts’ Obama moment where he implies ‘women’ are the only ones collecting welfare, or he didn’t care about the men “WHO WERE GOING TO BE KICKED OFF THE ROLLS”, transcipt is all in capitols at link;
http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-01.txt
REFORM WHERE I ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT WELFARE HAD TO BE CHANGED. I WAS MUCH MORE CONCERNED TEN YEARS AGO WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON INITIALLY SIGNED THE BILL THAT THIS COULD HAVE DISASTEROUS RESULTS. I WORKED IN THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE
TO MAKE SURE WE WERE PROVIDING CHILD CARE AND HEALTH CARE AND OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE WOMEN WHO HAD — WHO WERE GOING TO BE KICKED OFF THE ROLLS AFTER A CERTAIN TIME.
I got in on the end of all that CNN pap but I did see each of the 4 rats doing a summation and all but Dana Bash (an avowed socialist)admitted that Barry lost his ass in the debate. Bash did her best to change the venue as rats are taught but she came off as "challenged" at best.
Bottom line last night you got to see what truly great Americans the McCain's are when John told the story of his adopted daughter and how it all happened.
When John McCain replied that his wife had told him that "he was about to meet his new daughter", if a tear didn't pop into your eyes or drip down your cheek, you aren't a very good conservative. It truly was a defining moment and you could just see a million Democrats run for the closet and lock themselves in securely for the tsunami they knew was coming there way.
Is this the new democratic tactic?
@@@@@
It’s called projection in psychological terms. Dems always accuse us of what they do. Hillary ia a Grand Master of the technique.
Link to several parts of the transcript;
http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/
updated: 10:32 EDT / 9:32 p.m. CDT / 7:32 p.m. PDT
PART 1: MS Word Format | Text-only Format
PART 2: MS Word Format | Text-only Format
PART 3: MS Word Format | Text-only Format
PART 4: MS Word Format | Text-only Format
PART 5: MS Word Format | Text-only Format
PART 6: MS Word Format | Text-only Format
I had to turn the TV off, when she started speaking...talk about delusional! What a ignoramous she is!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.