Rick Warren

[A5pointer]

Did anyone catch his hour long Christmas special on Fox news? Even though I expect very little of him it was very disappointing. The cross was not mentioned once. Jesus death was mentioned only once in a very casual way. Once in an hour long program. The closest gospel concept, pardon, was presented as a mulligan or "do over" in life. Any way those looking to escape lonliness and to have purpose were surely pleased with the good news that Christ came to provide them relief.

 

[puritan lad]

Typical. Check out 1-888-NEED HIM - Why Am I Here? What Makes My Life So Hard? Answers to Life's Greatest Questions for more relief for the lonely and those who have a "hard life".

One has to wonder what kind of gospel these people can offer the the happy, rich, and popular sinner.

 

[Pilgrim's Progeny]

Rick Warren appears to do little good for Christ, I would even go so far as to say the following news article paints him as an enemy.

Rick Warren Counsels Jews on Recruiting Congregants | Christianpost.com

Rick Warren Counsels Jews on Recruiting Congregants

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren attended a large Reform Jewish gathering last week to share tips on how to build a community.

Warren - who saw his church expand from seven people meeting in his house to 22,000 people worshipping in an expansive treasure island-like campus – said the key to holding onto visitors is involving them in a small group.

“We believe congregations have to grow large and small at the same time,” Warren said Thursday, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. “We don’t really feel like people are in the congregation until they’re in small groups.”

The “Purpose-Driven” pastor spoke to thousands of Jewish leaders Thursday night at the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial convention in San Diego.

With the holiday season in mind, Warren urged clergy to take advantage of crowded events to publicize other programs so people can get involved in the community through smaller groups.

“There are some principles that apply regardless of our faith, if it’s Jewish or Christian,” he said at the convention.

One of his principles: “Just be nice to people. Smile.”

After Warren spoke a few minutes at the podium, he sat alongside two popular Southern California rabbis for a casual talk about strengthening congregational life.

Other advice given by Warren included looking at everything from an outsider’s viewpoint, such as simplifying worship terms, making strangers feel welcome, and encouraging interaction.

“The congregation that really loves people, you have to lock the doors to keep people out,” said Warren, whose Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., is scheduled to host 14 Christmas services this year with an estimated crowd of 45,000 people.

The biennial meeting of the largest Jewish denomination in North America began Dec. 12 and concluded on Sunday.

Other guests at the conference included the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America.

 

[DMcFadden]

His popularity as an "acceptable" Christian by the MSM has only increased with his invitation to Obama to speak at his church and some of his high-profile social ministries. I saw him interviewed recently along with his wife. It did nothing to enhance my appreciation for the man.

Regardless of what you think of Graham's soteriology, at least Franklin is unabashed about the exclusivity of Chistianity and regularly works biblical quotes into his interviews. He never tires of proclaiming that one must repent and trust in Christ for salvation. Even when dealing with his signature shoe box program, he boldly declares that Jesus is the only way to God. Whether speaking with a Jew (Colmes) or warning about the dangers of Islam, the man is indefatigable.

Rick Warren seems a little bit too impressed with his own press releases (in my opinion).

BTW, his high profile conflict with the IRS did serious damage to housing allowances for clergy in this country. The post-Rick Warren rules are much more constrictive due to the perceived abuses by Warren of the system.

 

[panta dokimazete]

**sigh** - I am about to have to repent in dust and ashes for defending the dude on the board when I was first introduced to him...

 

[panta dokimazete]

- I am working up to a post on my areas of repentance - likely a New Year's post

 

[Larry Hughes]

JD,

Brother don't feel bad about trying to give him a chance. Luther even at first thought he was protecting the Pope from rogue ministers, then was shocked to find out the Pope was part of the problem. False and deluded teachers rarely reveal themselves overtly or even openly and keep in mind, they don't think they are false but are quite sincere. But as Luther reminds us when it comes to God, men can be sincerely wrong.

Apart from seeing God revealed in Christ, we all run the danger of idolatry (e.g. the Jews had a particular knowledge of God but concocted idols from that). All idolatry comes from some inherent reality of God generally known to all men combined with the fallen heart that does not really know Him, His will.

The image is like this: Ever know a man or woman, things about them, some of their essential traits BUT you don’t know their will or disposition toward you? So, you concoct this idea of them in your head that you later find out to be entirely wrong, even the very opposite! This is how idolatry starts: Some knowledge of God, that He is, creates all things, is righteous, is sovereign, will punish the wicked. Add that with the fallen heart that is inwardly turned and trapped under the Law to develop and assess God’s will and disposition toward you/us and suddenly you have Allah, Moloch, even an idea called the Christian God. On the one hand you know some general things of God, even distilled from Scripture but on the other you forget or don’t grasp His will/disposition toward you/us = idol. But you don’t think its an “idol” but the REAL God. Even the pagans think they have THE real God but its only an idol of the real God and is in fact not God but a god from our dreamy ideas. What was most startling about medieval Rome was that EVEN under the name of Christ and Christian – complete idols where honed (i.e. idols are not just stock and stone but doctrine for both are the expression of the fallen heart). This should alarm protestants today, remember the Judiazers where bible only too!

Thus, as both Luther and Calvin said no knowledge of God whatsoever can be had of God apart from Christ and Him crucified/risen. Loose the revealed God and you loose the hidden God. Idolatry must NECESSARILY follow all ideas of God, no matter how closely they stick to even Christian names or ideas, if the revealed crucified God is lost.

Why did the devil and the Jews and Romans not recognize God behind the incarnate Jesus? The devil is the arch type of fallen man’s religion. Because they were looking for an idol, a God that becomes crucified for sinners was COMPLETELY outside of the natural man’s fallen idea of religion and God. A god that would come to just blast sinners would have been exalted. The heart and essence of God is locked up and revealed at the Cross, love that loves the unlovable and unattractive devoid of all self-seeking. This the devil and fallen man cannot see, they cannot see this to be God and thus always seeks to kill and destroy this idea.

Merry Christmas,

Larry

 

[panta dokimazete]

Thanks, brother - the fact of the matter was that I was SO desperate for a good teacher to be revealed and leading a godly ministry that I tended to overlook some of his problems. Believe me when I say - I do not put my trust in men or princes, but only in Christ Himself...but it still breaks my heart.