Rick Warren tweets: ‘I’d go to jail rather than cave in’ on Obamacare mandate

LAKE FOREST, CALIFORNIA, February 9, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Rick Warren, perhaps the nation’s most influential evangelical pastor, has tweeted he would “go to jail” rather than cave in to a government mandate that violates God’s commandments.

Pastor Rick Warren, pastor of the 20,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, tweeted his defiance of the Obama administration’s requirements that religious institutions cover all forms of contraception, including abortifacients like Ella and the IUD, as part of their health care plans.

“I’d go to jail rather than cave in to a govement [sic.] mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you? Acts 5:29,” he wrote.

The second message quoted that verse of Scripture: “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name” The apostles replied “We must obey God rather than men!” Acts 5:29

Pastor Warren’s third tweet stated, “I’m not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against govt pressure.”

Warren has been called “America’s most influential spiritual leader” and “America’s Pastor.” His 2002 book, The Purpose Driven Life, sold more than 30 million copies.

Warren’s words come as a particularly stinging indictment to Barack Obama, who chose Warren to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration in January 2009.

Warren’s comments come as part of a flurry of evangelical condemnation of the mandate, which goes into effect for religious institutions in 2013.

“We want the law changed, or else we’re going to write our letters from the Nashville jail, just like Dr. King wrote his from the Birmingham jail,” Dr. Land told LifeSiteNews.

Dr. Land urged all Southern Baptist pastors to “preach from the pulpit just how serious and dangerous this initiative by the Obama administration is,” and “encourage their parishioners to contact their congressmen and their senators and the president and let them know how deeply unhappy they are with this decision.”

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said evangelical Christians may be required to face imprisonment over the issue last Tuesday, announcing on his daily podcast, “You at least have to admire the courage of the Roman Catholic bishops in saying they are willing to go to jail rather than to comply with this. How many evangelical presidents and pastors and leaders would be willing to do the same?”

Numerous Orthodox and Protestant churches have joined Roman Catholics in stating the provision, adopted as part of the president’s health care reform bill, violates religious liberty and undermines the First Amendment.Click “like” if you want to end abortion!

You wrote: “Warren was told by everyone, close friend to far acquaintance, that Obama would do exactly as he has done and plans to do. Since Warren disregarded them for the moment’s fame and popularity gain of allowing Obama to speak, he now needs to apologize for it, or we need to write icabod over the doors of Saddleback since their leader is a popularist who will not admit his faults.”

And let’s not forget about Joel Hunter, either. He’s another naive leader of the sheep Obama intends to shear. Not only do so many of these “religious leaders” lack discernment, those who “flock” to hear them speak every week, are no different. IE: “The blind leading the blind”.

Here are merely the tip of the iceberg of the “Joel Hunter” quotes I have in my archives. Not listed yet, (because it’s late), are all his quotes backing Al Gore’s stupid, and now debunked, “Global Warming” movie. The ones where he bashes Rush, Hannity, Fox, and anyone else who stands in the way of his agenda, and that of the “fame” he enjoys as an Obama stooge. I’ll post those quotes later.

These are merely a few excerpts of what I have on his latest comments:

2012:
NRO
February 9, 2012 4:00 A.M.
Unconscionable
By The Editors
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/290603/unconscionable-editors

....Joel Hunter, one of Obama’s pet pastors, says “this policy can be nuanced.” (“I have come to bring nuance,” as Matthew 10:34 does not say. ) He is wrong. [[[ Matthew 10:35-36 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “’a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” ]]]] .....”

****

White House seeks to soothe concerns over contraception rule
By Peter Wallsten and Sandhya Somashekhar, Published: February 7, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-advisors-seek-compromise-on-contraception-rule/2012/02/06/gIQAlUwrwQ_story.html

“There are conversations right now to arrange a meeting to talk with folks about how this policy can be nuanced,” said Joel C. Hunter, a Florida megachurch pastor who has grown personally close to Obama and advised his White House on religious issues. “This is so fixable, and we just want to get into the conversation.” ....

[[[[ Hunter and several other outside Obama advisers reject the charge that the president is anti-religion, but they say the Health and Human Services rule was a policy mistake with negative political consequences. : http://www.washingtonpost.qznewz.info/politics/obama-advisors-seek-compromise-on-contraception-rule/2012/02/06/gIQAlUwrwQ_story.html ]]]]

....“So far, ‘work this thing through’ is just the sugar-coated version of ‘force you to comply,’ ” Anthony R. Picarello Jr., general counsel for the conference, said in an e-mail.

Last week, priests around the country read from their pulpits strongly worded letters from Catholic leaders condemning the administration’s actions. And group officials said they have been told in no uncertain terms that there will be no reversing of the policy. ....

Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), one of a number of Democratic lawmakers who had lobbied Obama to keep the religious exemption narrow, called Axelrod for assurances that his remarks reflected no change of heart. The presidential adviser was “very clear” that “this decision is the same as it was before,” Boxer said. ....”

****

Obama Admin Talks About Backing Off New Obamacare Mandate
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/02/07/obama-admin-talks-about-backing-off-new-obamacare-mandate/
by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 2/7/12 6:07 PM

...Meanwhile, Pastor Joel C. Hunter, a Florida pastor who is a close Obama ally and a member of his faith council, told the Washington Post today that several religious groups with close ties to Obama officials have approached the administration about changing the mandate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-advisors-seek-compromise-on-contraception-rule/2012/02/06/gIQAlUwrwQ_story.html

“There are conversations right now to arrange a meeting to talk with folks about how this policy can be nuanced,” he said. “This is so fixable, and we just want to get into the conversation.”

But the Post indicated officials with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say no Obama administration staffers have talked with them about their concerns and mitigating the problems.

2011:
Obama Admin. Pulls Faith Leaders on Health Care Bill
Alicia Cohn | January 28, 2011
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2011/01/obama_admin_pul.html

“Being a pastor is like being a parent: You’re only doing as good as your most vulnerable family member,” the Rev. Joel Hunter said Thursday in a conference call supporting the Affordable Care Act. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius hosted the conference call including leaders from several denominations. The HHS Department believes that faith and community leaders play an important role influencing community opinion on the health care reform bill.

Faith leaders on the call seemed to affirm Sebelius’ stance that the health care bill is already helping members of their congregations. All affirmed their commitment to educate their congregations about the benefits of the health care reform bill.

“We have been told that it’s very important for us to lead in sharing for our church the affirmation of health care reform and how the health benefits are improving the lives of people and protecting all of our citizens,” said the Rev. Barry Howe, an Episcopal bishop of west Missouri. ....

Hunter said he was “grateful” for the protections the health care bill offered to the vulnerable members of his congregation.

A Politico reporter attempted to ask Hunter how he handles division in his congregation over lingering concerns with federal abortion funding, but Hunter did not remain on the call for questions. ....

Sebelius reiterated the comments President Obama made affirming the Affordable Care Act in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. “Instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let’s fix what needs fixing and let’s move forward,” Obama said in his speech.

2009:

published February 28, 2009
Health Workers’ ‘Conscience’ Rule Set to Be Voided
http://www.templeton-cambridge.org/fellows/showarticle.php?article=145

“This is going to be a political hit for the administration,” said Joel Hunter, senior pastor of the Northland Church in Longwood, Fla., whom Obama recently named to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. “This will be one of those things that kind of says, ‘I knew it. They talk about common ground, but really what they want is their own way.’ “

2008:

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Praying with the president-elect, Part II
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnsblog/month/2008/11/

The Religion News Service blog has already noted that Florida megachurch pastor Joel Hunter had President-elect Barack Obama’s ear just hours before his Nov. 4 election when they joined in prayer. Time magazine has added to the coverage, quoting Hunter as saying that Obama “trusts God and the American people and just wanted to commend himself to each.”

Thursday, November 06, 2008
Down, but not out
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnsblog/month/2008/11/

The watchdogs at Americans United for Separation of Church & State warned yesterday that the religious right may have been defeated in Tuesday’s national elections, but they are still potent at the state and local level.

“The religious right is not dead,” said the Rev. Barry Lynn, AU’s executive director, “but I’m happy that most Americans seem very wary of the movement’s reckless merger of religion and politics. Those of us who value church-state separation must remain on alert to counter the religious right’s next gambit.”

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Let my people go
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnsblog/month/2008/11/

Nicholas Cafardi, the Catholic legal scholar who raised some eyebrows (and some blood pressures) with his endorsement of Barack Obama on these pages a few months back, is back in the spotlight with another swipe at the U.S. Catholic bishops. Money quote: “Every time in the past that the People of God have been held captive by civil power, it has benefitted civil power and hurt God’s people. This time is no different. It is time to end the Republican captivity of our church so that, no longer enthralled to one political party, our bishops can recapture their entire prophetic voice.”

Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The pastor with the president-elect’s ear
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnsblog/month/2008/11/

Is the up-and-coming Joel Hunter of Orlando’s Northland Church, according to Sarah Pulliam over at Christianity Today’s blog.

Hunter prayed with Obama prior to the Grant Park acceptance speech. Money quote from Hunter: “It was a very sweet time. It was just a very meaningful time that you could tell meant a lot to him. Sen. Obama has done a great job with keeping us in consistent conversation and it really is a good signal that he wants us to be a part of the conversation.”

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