Posted on 08/23/2006 6:14:12 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Fox News broadcast a one hour special the other day titled: “The Purpose Driven Life: Can Rick Warren Save the World?” Accidentally, while channel surfing from the Red Sox vs. Yankees baseball game on ESPN to various news channels, I got in on the opening segment of the Warren special and was hooked for the whole.
Much of the Rick Warren story is widely known but some things came together in this brisk, but largely focused, video presentation. My admiration for Warren soared as a result of this broadcast. If “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God” is “to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27) then Rick Warren is practicing the faith of true religion. There can be no doubt that Warren’s faith produces Christ-centered works (James 2:14-26). And, to his great credit, he listens to his wife Kay’s counsel, who is plainly a major reason for his clarity in this and other areas. It is a wise man who listens to such a thoughtful and insightful wife!
Frankly, evangelicals who take shots at Rick Warren ought to be ashamed. But their number increases with everything this man does on an expanding stage of public opinion. I have heard many of the attacks. Warren is too shallow and promotes pop-religion. (If this is true we could use a great deal more of his kind of religion in many of the places where I’ve been in North America.) Warren doesn’t really understand “purpose driven” life theologically enough. (On one level I agree with this criticism, and said so in an article published in our quarterly journal a few years ago.) Warren is naïve about world problems. (I wish we had more naïve evangelicals who understood the relationship of faith and works the way Rick Warren does.) And, Warren is a typical mega-church pastor who doesn’t feed his flock well. (This criticism has a stereotypical view of “feeding the flock” that is rooted in categories that need to be seriously challenged.) Finally, Warren has not proven to be a loyal conservative in many contexts, especially in his open support for the Baptist World Alliance over against the conservative elements in the Southern Baptist Convention who defunded it and protest its “liberalism.” (His actions actually prove that he can rise above fundamentalist politics and seek the greater good of the church in the world.)
Warren’s biggest project right now is Rwanda. He is working closely with President Kagame, a Roman Catholic who loves both Rick and his book (Rwanda is predominantly Roman Catholic). President Kagame was introduced to Warren through Joe Ritchie, a Chicago-area Christian businessman with a degree in philosophy from Wheaton College whom I have known and respected for some time. Ritchie has been actively engaging hot-spots in the world with a clear vision for the kingdom of Christ and its advance for many years. He has a great deal of savvy in such matters. (Ritchie appeared several times on the Fox program.) President Kagame and Rick Warren have formed a partnership that is quite impressive. The goal is to make Rwanda a successful free enterprise context where jobs and wealth are increased so that multitudes can be clothed, fed, and allowed to vote and experience basic human rights and protection from violence. In addition, the ravaging impact of AIDS has to be faced in one of Africa’s worst contexts. Progress is being made on every front but the battle is far from over.
Warren’s next target will be North Korea, slated for a major “Purpose Driven” effort in 2007. I wish him well. I have my doubts about how this effort will work given the brutality of Kim Jong-Il, one of the world’s most deadly dictators. But I have no doubt that Warren will get good advice and seek wise counsel. Who knows, if God favors this man again, as he clearly has in the past, he may do more good in North Korea than all our diplomatic efforts combined.
At the end of the television special Warren said there were four words he wanted on his tombstone when he died: “At Least He Tried.” I give him full credit, he is trying to make a real difference in this world and people who love Christ ought to love and support him in every way possible. We have far too few mega-church pastors with either the vision or integrity of Rick Warren.
John H. Armstrong is founder and director of ACT 3, a ministry aimed at “encouraging the church, through its leadership, to pursue doctrinal and ethical reformation and to foster spiritual awakening.”
Why do you believe that? I believe the documents I've provided state Warren believes:
He doesn't speak about how we are sinners and need to come to Christ.
Did you see my post 16? It quotes from Warren's church which says we are sinners and need to come to Christ.
I've seen enough to know I think he is full of crap.
Sorry to hear that. From what I can tell, Rick Warren's ministry is growing the Body of Christ and if true, that is something fellow believers should rejoice in.
Rick pays lip service to the true Gospel when it suits him. When it doesn't, the Gospel gets jettisoned. Please note that Rick speaking in a synagogue is quite, quite different than the example set by Jesus and Paul.
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/searchview.php?id=16029
From the article I posted:
"Warren told Wolfson his interest is in helping all houses of worship, not in converting Jews. He said there are more than enough Christian souls to deal with for starters."
That tells me everything I need to know about Rick Warren and his view of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul would have run this fake off in short order.
Again, from everything I can tell, the Body of Christ is growing through Rick Warren's ministry. I don't have a problem with that.
Why isn't Rick interested in converting Jews? Why is Rick trying to help all houses of worship? Help them to do what? Why would a true evangelical preacher be trying to peddle his "seeker friendly" methods to a Reform or Conservative synagogue? To help them build up their numbers and get people to attend and still not know about Jesus? Why isn't "evangelical" Rick spending his time preaching the Gospel to those people and trying to get them to start or join a Christian congregation? Why is "evangelical" Rick spending his time helping to build up houses of worship which do not believe in Jesus?
Please allow yourself to consider that this man is a complete, worldly fraud who promotes nothing but himself and his brand of "wisdom."
Hoo, boy. Now you did it (again).
You asked what Warren's definition of the Gospel was. In your comments you included a biblical definition and another, non biblical definition. And from Saddleback's website I demonstrated Warren subscribed to the biblical definition of the Gospel.
And I really do appreciate your concern. And I ask the same of you, please allow yourself to consider that maybe God is using Warren's ministry to build the Body. Because that's what I see happening through his ministry.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." - Romans 1:16
Rupert Murdoch's corporation owns Zondervan, which is Rick Warren's publishing house. Don't expect anyone at Fox News to challenge him too strongly on any issue, if at all.
What can I say? It's a gift. And I didn't get a receipt, so I can't exchange it.
I couldn't agree more. A letter from Screwtape may be fitting here:
I was delighted to hear from TripTweeze that your work is finally paying off. Your patient is really getting libeled, and by their very own no doubt. I would never have imagined the saints would help our side to such an extent. The contemptuous way in which the saints eat their own is incredible.
While your patients ministry is busy pulling many from our grasp, with all the bad press he is getting, many pitiful little infidels are no longer thinking of checking out Saddleback, and that was their last chance for many will die in another disasater our loyal subjects are putting together in Iran.
This is the most entertaining war I've seen in centuries. You will be greatly rewarded for your success.
Your affectionate uncle,
Screwtape
You know, there is nothing stopping you from using Google and doing your own research. Warren has been analyzed and refuted all over the Web.
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/psalm73.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/warren-drivenorbible-obedient.html
As I see it, what you call being analyzed and refuted is merely a disgreement in style. From what I can tell the Body is growing through Warren's ministry, and I can't argue with that.
Let Rick drop his seeker friendly, "let me entertain you" ways and start preaching according to the example set by Jesus, Paul, and Peter, and you will see just how big the Body at his church really is. Many people won't be able to get out of there fast enough. A big crowd of people showing up to be entertained by the rock band, skits, multimedia shows, "I'm OK, You're OK" pop psychology classes, and other ineffectual pablum does not equal true growth in the Body of Christ.
Again you're referring to style. The Body is apparently growing and you're complaining that your personal preference of style would help the Body grow faster. Well, nobody is stopping you or anybody else from doing just that.
No I am not talking about style. I am talking about substance, i.e., what these people really and truly believe, and how many of them would keep showing up if the rock band and other entertainment disappeared, and excellent, serious preaching and teaching that any real Christian would appreciate took its place. That would be an interesting experiment.
You said: Let Rick drop his seeker friendly, "let me entertain you" ways . That is style.
I don't pretend to know the hearts of others.
Oh yes it would. If we could have only had Spurgeon preaching in our time. And to hear what he would have had to say.
We might preach 'til our tongue rotted, 'til we exhaust our lungs and die--but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit uses the Word to convert that soul. So it is blessed to eat into the very heart of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in scriptural language and your spirit is flavoured with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is Bibline and the very essence of the Bible flows from you.That's one of my favorite quotes.
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