The purpose-driven pastor (Rick Warren calls Christian fundamentalists an enemy)

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | Jan. 08, 2006 | Paul Nussbaum

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Methinks "pastor" Warren has departed "the narrow way" in his efforts to attract many lost folks to his version of "church".

Yep, yep, yep. Ol' Rick has mesmerized a lot of folks and the "fruit" of his seminars is destroying churches everywhere.

These QUOTES should give every Christian pause.

[xzins]

Evangelicals are often equated with fundamentalists or the religious right, which annoys Warren. Although he's politically conservative - opposing abortion and gay marriage and supporting the death penalty - he pushes a much broader agenda and disdains both politics and fundamentalism.

I think this wasn't explained directly. The probable explantion is early in the article when he says he prefers 19th century Christianity to 20th century Christianity because 20th was into talking and not acting.

Maybe that's what's meant.

[ReformedBeckite]

I'm not to excited about Warren either, but I think what Warren is trying to get at when he calls fundamentalists an enemy of the 21st century is that he is referring to the hillbilly type mentality of Christians that exist out there in large numbers. People who go to church because that's the thing to do, people who believe certain things because that's what've they've been taught to believe without ever questioning whether it is the gospel truth or not. People who really don't think though things in life, they just live by there emotions and move with the crowd.

[pajama pundit]

I attended Communion at the National Cathedral last Easter and the sermon was all about how much we (as wealthy, wasteful, and gluttonous Americans) owe the rest of the world, how we should take care of the environment, feed the poor in Africa, "save the whales," etc.

I looked around at the immense structure of the National Cathedral, the opulence, the pretentious (IMO) robes of the pastor, and marveled at the hypocrisy.

SOCIAL GOSPEL vs. Christ’s Commission to the disciples:
Christ did indeed advocate treating others with respect, kindness, and encouragement (emotional and physical). But, His priority was to spread the good news that you can be saved permanently from the troubles in this life by accepting The Messiah as your Savior.

1. The poor will be with us always. Implies just that – we can’t solve the world’s problems.

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.
When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Math. 26.6-10

2. Emphasis – “Preach the gospel” (not solve world hunger, AIDS crisis, etc.)

“Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Mark 16.14-15

3. Peter and John didn’t give this man money (or food), but the gift of eternal life. Yes, they healed him, but that was secondary to the most important event – the man believed “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” and although he eventually died, he is in heaven today.

1 “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon),
2 [When] a certain man crippled from his birth was being carried along, who was laid each day at that gate of the temple [which is] called Beautiful, so that he might beg for charitable gifts from those who entered the temple.
3 So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them to give him a gift.
4 And Peter directed his gaze intently at him, and so did John, and said, Look at us!
5 And [the man] paid attention to them, expecting that he was going to get something from them.
6 But Peter said, Silver and gold (money) I do not have; but what I do have, that I give to you: in [the [a]use of] the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!
7 Then he took hold of the man's right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong and steady,
8 And leaping forth he stood and [b]began to walk, and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking about and praising God,
10 And they recognized him as the man who usually sat [begging] for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement (bewilderment, consternation) over what had occurred to him.
11 Now while he [still] firmly clung to Peter and John, all the people in utmost amazement ran together and crowded around them in the covered porch (walk) called Solomon's.
12 And Peter, seeing it, answered the people, You men of Israel, why are you so surprised and wondering at this? Why do you keep staring at us, as though by our [own individual] power or [active] piety we had made this man [able] to walk?
13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified His Servant and [c]Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], Whom you indeed delivered up and denied and rejected and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to let Him go.(A)
14 But you denied and rejected and disowned the Pure and Holy, the Just and Blameless One, and demanded [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you.
15 But you killed the very Source (the Author) of life, Whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
16 And His name, through and by faith in His name, has made this man whom you see and recognize well and strong. [Yes] the faith which is through and by Him [Jesus] has given the man this perfect soundness [of body] before all of you.
17 And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance [not aware of what you were doing], as did your rulers also.
18 Thus has God fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (the Messiah) should undergo ill treatment and be afflicted and suffer.
19 So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean),” Acts 3.1-19 (Amplified Bible)

[HarleyD]

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with M-the-WD or being sarcastic. I wasn't impressed by those quotes. Those quotes do give me pause.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Oh dear. I didn't mean to leave any doubt. I am totally agreeing. The quotes trouble me deeply. Warren's philosphy of self is poisoning my own church right now. So far our Pastor is standing strong but he and the rest of we "resisters" are in a real battle.

[wallcrawlr]

Here another anti-fundie thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1555483/posts


from Jimmy Carter

[RnMomof7]

The quote you used was not mine??

I was "in charge" of his church growth program at a former church, I found it ungodly and carnal .

It relies on the ways of man not God to build the church.

That is simply my observation.

[xzins]

Correct. It was not your quote. It was from the article.

I'm pretty much in favor of any moral program that gets the gospel out to others or gets others in to hear the gospel.

[Alex Murphy]

"The Gen X-ers are sick and tired of flash and hype and marketing," Miller said. "The soft sell of a Rick Warren is far more attractive to them than a highly stylized TV presentation of the Christian message."

This "soft sell of a Rick Warren" is just another form of the same "flash and hype and marketing" that the article claims the Gen X-ers are sick and tired of. I don't care whether it's Rick, Saddleback, or his publisher that's pushing these sorts of "soft sell" press releases, it's just more flash and hype and marketing.

[Full Court]

I think we have apples and oranges here.

I think we have Rick Warren getting bold enough to expose his true hatred of traditional Christianity.

[Terriergal]

Yeah I heard about "i just wanted more land" Jabez author getting tired of the people who didn't share his visions of grandeur.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

It relies on the ways of man not God to build the church.

EXACTLY !!!! It's all Rick and his seeker sensitive gimmicks.....no Holy Spirit.

It saddens me to see how many people have fallen in line behind him.

There are so many things he has said that should send up red flags, but it seems he has dazzled many away from discernment.

[Terriergal]

IS anyone even reading the article?

Warren said he sees religious institutions as more powerful forces than governments for solving the world's problems.

Ok...

"I would trust any imam or priest or rabbi to know what is going on in a community before I would any government agency."

OK...How about Bin Laden?

But, powerful as churches can be in working for the powerless, they can't succeed without governments and nongovernmental organizations, Warren said.

He just disavowed the entire New Testament. Which is it? He's talking out of both sides of his mouth. First churches are more powerful than Government, then they aren't.

He's toeing the Jim Wallis line, can't you see that?

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Wow! Saving that one to archives for sure.

Such a stunning mis-use of scripture.

[Cecily]

Rick Warren may be headed down the same road in Rwanda, but I don't know enough about his program there to say. His Global P.E.A.C.E. plan sounds like it runs along the same lines as Wilkinson's big visions for "saving" the world. I hate to tell these guys, but the world already has a Savior, and His name isn't Rick or Bruce or Bono.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Saving that one to archives for sure.

It's a keeper for sure. I always have it handy along with a whole bunch of other revealing truths about Warren.

I've been in this war for a long while now. Some members of our church are working night and day to make us Purpose Driven and thankfully they have not succeeded. However they have not given up and it has ripped at the very core of relationships in the congregation. This apostasy is very destructive.

[Terriergal]

That's why you should do some more research before supporting this Sojourners/Jim Wallis mentality clothed in pseudo-Christian garb.

He already defined it he said "of all varieties" btw

Here he rejects the five fundamentals of the faith:

He also told everyone that departing from apostate churches which embrace homosexuality as something other than what the Bible says about it is a 'silly mistake.'

http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/content/news/2005/7_28_2005/ne280705warren.shtml "Warren: Global Baptists 'are all in this together'
By Trennis Henderson
Kentucky Western Recorder

BIRMINGHAM, England - Affirming that Baptists from around the world can "have unity without uniformity," Rick Warren told reporters at the Baptist World Alliance's (BWA) centenary congress that the withdrawal of Southern Baptists from BWA was a "silly" mistake. "

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Yikes !!!! It was an error that part of my sentence went into the tagline on post #28. Sorry.................

[Terriergal]

The money is irrelevant to me. It's his corrupt teaching which he is passing on that is my concern.