The Gospel According to Rick Warren
This is why I struggle with "America's Pastor". He talks way more about his global initiative than he does about Jesus Christ. Worse yet, his global initiative is for all faiths to work together "for the common good." What happened to working for the sake of the Gospel? For that matter, what happened to the Gospel?
Here's his version of it and he promotes it every chance he gets from Larry King, to Colbert to The World Economic Forum: "Can't we all just get along?.....It doesn't matter why you do good, it only matters that you do good!......I have Jesus Christ as my motivation, you may have something else...."
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I am not a promoter of Rick Warren's watered down version of the Gospel, but, taking this one instance out of context with whatever else he may be saying or doing, I have to give the guy some credit for being able to speak for almost 10 minutes and give a brief testimony of the position Jesus Christ has in his life to a multi-national, multi-religion forum without a single interruption. I have not heard him explain the reasons for his methods, if he has explained them, but maybe he thinks that if everyone does good things long enough then the small seeds he plants can take root.
ReplyDeleteIt's not exacty the same, but might there be some similarity in how Rick Warren hangs out and talks with unbelievers and how Jesus dined with tax collectors and sinners. I am not a learned theologian, but I recall that most often Jesus shows a lot of love and kindness and not stearn admonishment when he dealt with sinners whom he subsequently forgives. Might there also be a time when some of those in Rick Warren's audience would hear this very brief message, become motivated to hear/learn more and finally turn to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour?
Isn't the parable of The Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 describing this "do good" idea to some extent? Ultimately, to have eternal life one must love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind plus, that little kicker, love your neighbor as yourself. The sequence in the Law would indicate you need to love the Lord first then love others second. However, by saying the Samaritan, who did not necessarily love the Lord, is the model that the expert in the Law was to follow implies to go ahead and "do good" to all people without regard to ones own love for the Lord. I am not about to fault Jesus' method of teaching, but it is not documented in this section of scripture that he went on to reiterate to the lawyer that he had to also love the Lord. Maybe that came later?
If Rick Warren continues this watered down message with the believers in his congregation then that's a different thing.
I understand where you're coming from, Jim. The harsh reality is that every time Warren gains a national or international platform, he espouses this same rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteThis approach is close enough to the truth to be palatable to plenty of folks but Warren never gets to the gospel part of the truth.
Jesus never sat with the sinners and proposed a multi-national, inter- faith cooperative in making the world a better place.
The parable of the good Samaritan was not about doing good whatever your motivation is, even if you're motivated by profits or Bhudda or anything else other than pleasing God and being faithful to Him..
I want to give Rick Warren the benefit of the doubt but I've been following him ever since he wrote "Purpose Driven Church" and his philosophy of inclusive-ism and tolerance towards other beliefs has always compromised his capability to share the gospel.
Don't get me wrong, I believe we are to love these folks, indeed. But Scripture is very clear about not yoking ourselves with unbelievers. Standing with Catholics and Muslims and proclaiming that we can all work together because we all share the same God (which is what he did in Syria last year)is not the Gospel and not the message he should be spreading regardless of what audience he's speaking to.
We are commissioned, as believers, to share Jesus Christ with a lost and fallen world. I would be the first to agree that we need to exercise sensitivity and love in doing that then we sit among those who are not believers. Thee is a huge difference between sensitivity and tacit acceptance and approval of other beliefs which is sprinkled throughout Warren's speeches. HE actually opens with the statement, "The future of the world lies in religious pluralism." To that I respond with what the Bible says about the future of the world...."Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."....no pluralism there!
How does Rick Warren justify these public statements with the public profession of his churches belief as described at http://saddleback.com/flash/believe2.html ? I'm sure there must be times when he and someone like John McArthur have gotten together in some forum or maybe just an interview where he has had to reconcile or account for this difference. Do you have any links to something like that?
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