The last Rick Warren column

I was puzzled, because back in November, Warren had told me he was a proud member of the Council on Foreign Relations and had learned much about the Middle East at the organization's briefings. Yet, when concerned individuals wrote to the church seeking to verify that Warren was a member of a group that for 191 years has attacked the idea of nation-states in favor of world government, they were routinely told the report was untrue.

Once again, I sought clarification from the source. I wondered if Rick Warren had been mistaken about joining or had second thoughts. I wondered if an aide had just mixed up the facts. Had he merely attended as a visitor, been asked to join, but decided against membership?

I got my answer last week from Rick Warren. And because he politely asked me not to publish his e-mail, I will paraphrase his responses as much as possible.

Warren once again confirmed he is a member of the CFR. He said the organization wanted more evangelicals and he answered the call because Jesus calls believers to be salt and light in the world. He said his volunteer aide who answered e-mails on his behalf was mistaken.

He also went on to defend his remarks that began the whole controversy between us – that Syria is, indeed, a "moderate" country. He modified that claim only slightly by adding "in terms of treatment of Christians." He also said his standard for that claim was a comparison of Syria to countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.

I responded to Warren by explaining I had no more desire to belabor this issue than he did. But, I explained, as a passionate advocate of freedom for all the people of the Middle East, I can't ignore it when high-profile pastors undermine that pursuit of freedom.

I know he let down believers in Syria and Lebanon because I have heard from some of them directly. They feel betrayed by the American church that Rick Warren – mega-pastor – represents to them.

I also let him know that his standards for Christian free expression in other countries are far too low. If anti-Christian police states like Saudi Arabia and Iran represent the standard of measurement, Emperor Nero might also get a passing grade.

That's a horrible standard given the consequences of converting to Christianity in those countries is death. I noticed that the statistics Warren used to defend Syria were all from the U.S. government – which is hardly in the business of protecting Christians. If it were, Christians would not now be fleeing Iraq for Syria. A better standard to use is Voice of the Martyrs, which works full-time chronicling the plight of the persecuted church, relieving the persecuted church and praying for the persecuted church.

Here are the facts about Syria: Christian evangelism is illegal in the country. It may not carry the death penalty, as it does in Saudi Arabia, but the consequences of actually witnessing and converting Muslims are dire.

I'm not a pastor or a Christian leader or a theologian or a biblical scholar, but shouldn't that be the main criterion Christians use when evaluating whether there is Christian religious freedom in a given country?

In Syria, the philosophy is that if you were born into a Christian family, you can't help yourself. But it is strictly forbidden to evangelize and spread your faith to Muslims. That a U.S. Christian leader considers such restrictions "moderate" demonstrates once again just how self-centered and out of touch the American church really is.

Syria is a police state – an anti-Christian, hegemonic, totalitarian, terrorist-supporting police state. As the grandson of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants, I can tell you there is little to praise about the Bashar Assad regime and the way it victimizes its own people – Christian and Muslim alike. You also can't separate what Syria does inside its borders from what it does in Lebanon – where it is still trying to annex the independent country through the subversion of its terrorist friends in Hezbollah, as well as Damascus' own secret police.

My last word of advice to Rick Warren: "If you want to make Syria better for Christians, pressure its leaders by calling them on the horrors they perpetrate. Don't excuse their evil deeds. That's my two cents."

In closing, I added: "I hope you will consider what I am saying earnestly and lovingly on behalf of the people I love in the Middle East."

Extremely disturbing news, Alex.

Sorry to have to read it.

Clearly, God alone will be able to set him straight, if at all.

I haven't heard back from my source(s) on this issue. I suspect this will settle it.

I made very clear that the CFR is very adept at monitoring and seeking out the leaders in any and every field and then inviting them into the intellectual elite bear hug of influence, pride, movers and shakers etc. . . . of course, with no little amount of demonic deception going on as well.

I do not wish to judge RW's heart--I still am convinced he seeks to do good things. Alas, CFR is NOT an avenue for such. Is not going to be an avenue for such.

Any temporary good CFR does is only for deception and to set the trap more fully and more evily for all mankind.

Thankfully, God is not trapable and has bigger traps for them.

At some point it is impossible to play with such folks without becoming tarred with their evil. I think with CFR, that has to be sooner than later.

I still differe with you on PDL and the rest of RW's ministries. But on this point, I sadly agree that there is no room for applauding such an association.

I suppose it is 0.000000001% conceivable that God could still be leading him on some double agent mission but I seriously doubt it. I think he may already be in over his head and not realize at all the dangerous waters he's swimming in nor the size of the sharks.

I hope people close to him give him an intense crash course in everything related to CFR.

One of the sources in the church I have been dialoguing with insisted that the CFR was full of decent folks etc.

I had somewhat brashly asserted that the leaders were likely satan worshippers. I still ended up saying that I doubted that none of them were because it was certain that the leaders of the puppet masters are given that they are working hard to set up satan as world leader.

And, given that the CFR leaders are working hard and have been working hard for decades, I think it's inconceivable that NONE of it's elite leaders have never worshipped satan in any ceremony.

Anyway--my friend may have decided I was a conspiracy kook, for all I know. But the truth is the truth and I've studied this stuff since 1965. It's deadly. Has always been deadly. Will become more deadly. Were I able, I'd stay a thousand galactic clusters from it.

I know that in these end times, God will be directing unusual agents to do incredible things in the enemy's camp. However, I am extremely skeptical that any of it will be anything like double agent cloak and dagger sorts of things. I think it will be angel and Spirit supported, protected, defended, transported men and maybe women and children who will be confronting evil rulers with edicts of The Lord God Almighty with devastating signs following if the evil rulers do not comply.

Bottom line, I agree. This is dreadful.

ALL OF US must watch our associations routinely as Christians but in these end times, we must be ever more alert, watchful and led of God in greater and greater detail. imho, that will mean loving like Jesus loved but also speaking truth in Love like Jesus did . . . more cat of nine tails at public meetings sorts of resposnes--though likely with words and Holy Spirit's forceful power following . . . and other powerful interactions with evil in all settings.

There will, no doubt, be many agents of The Lord who are infiltrated into many levels of the enemy's camp to rise up and declare, take action or whatever in due course. But I don't see that sort of thing as the major ways of God moving in these end times. I think most of it will be brazenly in the enemy's face with God's power including the sacrificial power of His Love before a watching and hurting world.

But it will also be the awesome power of God Almighty strong to defend and strong to take territory back from the enemy. This is the time when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords takes claim to the title deed property of all Creation and particularly to the to be seat of His government on this odd little planet.

This is decreasingly a time for tea and crumpets with middle of the roaders and wolves in sheep's clothing.

Thanks for the sobering post Alex.

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