I suspect trying Jesus is not the same as placing faith in him.
Everybody needs a savior, but not everybody gets one.
What is this 60 days stuff?! A believer in Christ can expect what is promised ... Persecution and Suffering ... Now does that sound like something Ricky would use to entice audience? Of course not!
Unfortunate choice of words. Faith is faith. It’s believing. But giving something a try and then stepping back and seeing how it’s working out for you is just a whole ‘nother thing entirely.
Pascal's Wager (or Pascal's Gambit) is a suggestion posed by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal that even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, a person should "wager" as though God exists, because so living has potentially everything to gain, and certainly nothing to lose. It was set out in note 233 of his Pensées, a posthumously published collection of notes made by Pascal in his last years as he worked on a treatise on Christian apologetics.SourceHistorically, Pascal's Wager, groundbreaking as it had charted new territory in probability theory, was one of the first attempts to make use of the concept of infinity, marked the first formal use of decision theory, and anticipated the future philosophies of pragmatism and voluntarism.
Actually, I think Warren handled it fairly well. He never did agree to anything but Jesus as the One Way. A lot of mega-church types would have folded.
1corinthians 9
Paul became all things to all people to promote the gospal. Take a chill pill
Thanks for posting. I missed that. I think I changed the channel when Al Sharpton was on. :-)
I agree with you. Warren was good up until that question. Then he blew it. wimped out. took the PC route. and Colmes rightly pointed out the silliness of “trying out Jesus”.
What was that about a “stone of stumbling” a “rock of offense”?
Alan Colmes is the one who was mocking. Rick Warren laid out the Gospel as well as one might in ONE MINUTE. For the whole nation. Not a bad place to start.
Sounds like Warren is charging for Jesus but he is kind enough to add a return policy. I wonder exactly how much Jesus costs. Are there frequent believer discounts? What if I want a different model Jesus, say a four wheel drive Jesus? Can I use double coupons when buying a Jesus?
They’re afraid of the Truth.
The truth is that Jesus knows His sheep, they hear His voice, and they follow Him.
The others aren’t His sheep.
Like a friend said at church last week, “Like it or not, the Bible has a whole lot of “appointing” going on.”
:>)
I’m sure he means well but this is an insult to our Lord. God calls us to Him. We either answer the call or not. I suppose if he said, “God is calling, answer the call,” I’d be okay with that. Just like the scriptures tell us that He is at the door knocking.
Try it sounds too much like a bad commercial (try it you’ll like it).
Good Lord in Heaven, people!!
Rev. Warren was speaking in broad, easy to understand, terms. A lot of unbelievers happen to watch Fox News....not just Christians......If you want to turn people off from even the thought of contemplating the possibility that Christ is who he is suppposed to be in their lives, then by all means....lets break out the bibles and start quoting the hard scriptures......watch how many people eyes will glaze over and they will reach for the remote.
If you want the unchurched to at least consider Christ, then speak in terms that will not close them down to that thought.....then let God do the rest. Truth is Truth no matter how simply spoken
St. Paul called it baby food for a reason.
I suppose I’ll be criticized for this view, but I’ve been turned off by every preacher I’ve encountered. I can see value in direct ritual as is practiced in the Orthodox church, and in simple reading of scripture, but pep talks from a pastor/intermediary/coach/cheerleader, however well-intentioned... I just can’t see it.
“Beloved, why can’t evangelical leaders just speak the truth in love and give the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ without the sidebar fodder of feeling like they have to be funny; relate; be relevant; or make Jesus likable.”
Why do so many Christians feel there is only one way to present the gospel (which, by a strange coincidence, always happens to be their way.)
Paul changed the way he delivered the gospel, depending on the audience he was speaking to at the time. His Mars Hill speech was appropriate for the audence he was speaking to at the time (a group of Greek philosophers), but to many other groups of the day (especially Jews) would have not only be inappropriate, but actually insulting.
Have you never seen someone that has firmly resisted the gospel their entire life suddenly open up to it when it is presented to them in a different way?
There are many valid ways to expose someone to the gospel. Instead of condeming those that are trying to reach people via unconventional/non-traditional methods, we should be rejoicing that people are being reached through these methods.
I don't care whether you're Baptist, Buddhist, Mormon, Methodist, Jewish, Muslim, or no religion at all. Jesus Christ still loves you. You still matter to God.
I can see why Warren's joyful proclamation that "Jesus is for everyone" would really irritate naysaying Calvinists.
The idea that Jesus wants all men to be saved and not just the exclusive "predestined" really messes with their morbid, elitist theology.
When you cut out all the interruptions and crosstalk, it seems Warren was doing a pretty decent job under the circumstances. If he came on with a “trust Jesus or you’ll go to Hell” message, it would probably be the last time he was on the show (or any show of its ilk.) You’ve got to work with what you have, and work in the circumstaces you are placed in.
COLMES: ...so you think everybody needs a savior.
WARREN: I do.
WARREN: ...Jesus Christ came for everybody.
WARREN: ...Jesus said, “I am the way.” I’m betting that he’s not a liar. I’m betting that he told the truth.
COLMES: What about what does it say for all those people who do not accept Christ as their personal savior?
WARREN: I’m saying that this is the perfect time to open their life, to give it a chance. I’d say give him a 60-day trial.
COLMES: ...do you look differently upon those people like me who are not Christians but still don’t believe...?
WARREN: We’re all created in the image of God. There’s no doubt about that. There’s not a person on earth that God doesn’t love, but God wants us to learn to love him back.
And to me, God says, “I’ve given you this gift of grace, which means you don’t earn your way to heaven. You don’t work your way to heaven. You simply receive my gift.”
And and that means we need to unwrap the gift that God has given us, and your past can be forgiven. You can have a purpose for living, and you can have a home in heaven.
COLMES: Can you do all those things in other religions, too?
WARREN: I don’t know how you would possibly do that. God didn’t send 100 Jesuses; he didn’t send 1,000. He sent one.
Pastor Warren hasn’t learned to deal with a masterdebater like Combs.
The line Combs is using is very common...Make the opposing side state something that alienates most of the audience. The way to deal with it is to call him on it, then state what the fact is.
“The Truth is, all who reject Jesus are doomed to separation from God for eternity.”
The difference is that Combs tried to make Warren responsible for everyone’s condemnation, and the Truth is that everyone is responsible for their own eternity, based on their choice to accept or reject Christ.
He was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16, "Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah."