The Lighthouse Trails blog reports on Rick Warren’s comments recently on the interfaith quality of his purpose-driven reformation. After all, says Warren, we do serve the same Lord.

Um, no, Rick, we don’t. There is only one true God, and He is found in the Bible. The rest of the world serves idols that are an abomination to the true God. Rick Warren is riding high right now with the world’s political movers and shakers. His whole idea of an Interfaith reformation based on good works, not the Gospel, fits in perfectly with the “be the change” philosophy of New Spirituality proponents. Increasingly, the spiritual and the political are coming together.

This video answers that garbage of a claim.

CrossTV

Here’s a new puff piece on Rick Warren from the Washington Post’s Eboo Patel. He writes glowingly of Rick Warren’s pluralism:

Courtesy of Chris Rosebrough.

Imagine asking a pastor for advice and Bible verses on dealing with a specific problem. He isn’t your pastor, but it’s someone you respect, and you ask for advice. Within a short period of time, the pastor decides that the news is so juicy, it just has to be told publicly. That’s what happened to Sarah Palin when she returned a September 6 phone call from Rick Warren and asked him for Bible verses on dealing with pressures she is facing. (He stated it as though she had called him out of the blue for advice.)  Rick Warren’s apparently insatiable need to hang with the movers and shakers and to puff his ego was bigger than his respect for Mrs. Palin’s privacy.

I wish this was a problem unique to Rick Warren. It isn’t. I once had lunch with several pastors and their wives, and one Bible church pastor regaled us during the meal with how he was counselor to several players on our city’s major league baseball team. He informed us cheerfully that he was providing marital counseling for one of the players—a man he named. The pastor was in total violation of state statutes regarding clergy/client confidentiality, and I later called him and told him so. Most secular professionals understand that if they blow confidentiality, they can lose their license. Unfortunately, some “pastors” have no such ethics or grasp on the seriousness of spouting off confidential information to look important. As for losing their licenses to engage in spiritual malpractice, well, that doesn’t happen. Anyone who counsels with a pastor should check that he understands this confidentiality issue before a word is spoken. Failure to do so can be catastrophic.

UPDATE: Palin’s camp has clarified that the Alaska Gov. was returning Warren’s call. According to a Palin spokeswoman, Warren called her on Saturday, September 6, and she returned his call on Monday, September 8. The Monday phone call is when the above conversation described by Warren took place. My point absolutely stands. Warren, as a pastor, had no business discussing any private conversation publicly. “Dr.” Phil did this when Britney Spears was in a psyche hospital and got slapped down by her family. There is no “need to know” factor here for the public. It was PR for Warren.

Richard Abanes got YouTube to pull the Crosstalk video that addressed his horrific comments about those who stand for biblical truth. The video is now back up at a different link on YouTube. There’s a truth war on, friends, and Mr. Abanes is on the other side. I am glad that he can’t prevail. Thank you to Lane Chaplin for his work on this. Over 1,000 people had viewed the video in the hours it was up before Abanes had the original removed.

This is a good column by Dave Daubenmire on the election forum at Saddleback. The real issue wasn’t whether Rick Warren would be a congenial host and interviewer. Few doubted that. The question is how could a man calling himself a minister of the Gospel have played that kind of role when it came to issues of good and evil, right and wrong? Daubenmire writes:

My brother in the Lord Steve Camp, who ultimately toned down his original blog headline, felt led to heap praise upon Rick Warren as “brilliant, incisive, lucid and inviting.” I am sure that Warren was all of these things. But what does that have to do with being a minister of the Gospel? Why did Rick Warren call sin “moral failure”? How was a man allowed to go unchallenged in Warren’s church when he defended the right to slaughter preborn children and yet claimed a relationship with Jesus Christ?

Every day on my talk show I have issues like this this arise. I have the choice of being viewed as a nice person, or I can speak the truth when callers call in and say that 50 million dead children are not a big deal because a candidate is going to bring needed “change”. It’s my job as a Christian communicator to say, “Wait just a minute, there. What did you say?” How much more serious the responsibility of Rick Warren as a pastor to bring biblical truth to these topics. But let’s get honest about it. The only reason Rick Warren was allowed to do the political forum in the first place was because both candidates were completely confident that the issue of biblical truth, the reality of sin, the need for a Savior, and the narrow way of following Jesus would have nothing to do with the discussion. They knew their host and their host did not let them down. But he let the Lord down when he denied his role as spiritual caretaker and played politician for the evening. Rick Warren is beloved by the media and the world. He has his reward right here and now. But what matters most is eternity and what God will say when opportunity after opportunity was squandered by Mr. Warren to speak up for the Gospel and he refused to do it because being liked was more important.

This afternoon I have found it necessary to post, despite my being off today (or at least attempting to be off today.) Richard Abanes, you will remember, is the  self-proclaimed “well-established Christian apologist” and “best-selling author” whose recent reprehensible conduct online resulted in Ken Silva having to relocate to another server and have his site rebuilt. Mr. Abanes huffed and puffed for weeks online at any blog that would take him, attempting to blow the “ODM” houses down. By God’s grace, he did not succeed with his histrionics in doing anything but exhausting himself. He has apparently recovered.

Now, strangely enough, after publicly and shrilly accusing Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries of “violating federal copyright law”, it appears that Mr. Abanes has done that very thing regarding Slice material.

With this post, which Abanes has now very slightly altered after I contacted him by phone message and email, he uses the vast majority of the post typed by a guest blogger on Slice today which was removed earlier. Abanes has no permission to use it. None. I have had the following publicly posted on my site under the About section for some time now:

And I wrote this also recently:

I am publicly calling on Richard Abanes to take down the post from Kevin Williams from his site which had already been removed from Slice earlier today. I will be more fully writing about the event at Saddleback later in the week and intend to do it justice at that time. Abanes is very good at shrieking about his rights being violated as he aggressively violates those of others. Abanes never sought permission to publish anything from Slice of Laodicea and tried to justify his use of the full post by saying it was for “information purposes”. Yes, Richard. That’s the same purpose Ken Silva had when he made public IPower’s grim notice, generated by your email, that his site would be taken down if he didn’t remove an article that wasn’t to your taste.

In the case of Ken Silva, he had every right to do what he did, because it was a communique written to him. In the case of Richard cutting and pasting from Slice, he had no right to do so, and the post needs to come down now. Richard Abanes is so protective of his writing that he copyrights his own emails and threatens others about quoting them. Yet he somehow feels that what’s posted on Slice of Laodicea is free for the taking. Sorry, Richard. It doesn’t work that way.

*Mr. Abanes has sent me an email informing me that he has “amended” his piece to “conform”, as he puts it, “per the guidelines” of the “fair use laws” that “govern the United States”. I would like to thank Mr. Abanes for amending his piece to make it lawful.* **Further Update** Richard Abanes now has his hair on fire again, proclaiming in capital letters that INGRID SCHLUETER TRIES TO SILENCE BLOG! No, Richard. I’m only trying to make you understand that you can’t cut and paste posts from other people’s sites. I would further suggest that if this hysteria continues, discussing benzodiazepines with your doctor may be helpful.

Rick Warren isn’t exactly getting kudos from the Washington Post for his sponsorship of a political forum this weekend at Saddleback. As the columnist points out, we won’t be getting straight, from the heart answers from either candidate, but rather well-rehearsed slogans and phrases designed to win over voters. Meanwhile, the forum positions Rick Warren as a high-level political mover and shaker and advances his own highly political agenda.

Meanwhile, several pro-life student organizations across the country banded together to demand that Rick Warren raise the issue of the sanctity of human life at the forum. Don’t hold your breath. Abortion, which has taken the lives of nearly 50 million Americans, is about as likely to get addressed at Saddleback as Obama’s well-documented past relationship with Frank Marshall Davis. That is to say, it won’t be addressed by Rick Warren in a way that points out the horrof of the holocaust. That Barack Obama would have voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois more than once says everything a Christian needs to know about his values. That John McCain would consider a pro-abortion running mate tells me everything I need to know about him. That these two men are the best both political parties can offer for leadership tells me everything I need to know about America. God help us.

I’m trying to imagine Rick Warren holding either candidates’ feet to the fire over abortion. In that Warren is the only one allowed to ask questions, I find myself daydreaming that Rick Warren might miraculously have some moral courage. Imagine the scenario…

Rick Warren: Senator Obama, you twice voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in your home state, and you even tried to cover up your vote on this. This was the bill that would have allowed tiny babies who had survived the murder attempts of the doctor a chance to survive by requiring medical care for such infants. According to testimony in your state house by a nurse who witnessed it, such babies are routinely left to die in places like dirty laundry carts shoved into closets. What would you say to those human beings who struggle hopelessly for breath on dirty sheets, denied even the comfort of human arms to hold them?”

Obama: I represent change. Real change you can believe in. I’m a Christian. I’m not a Muslim. If you want change, vote for me.

Warren: About the dying babies, Senator?

Obama: I oppose dying babies and want to make it a rare event. That’s why I want abortion kept safe and legal so any woman who wants to, uh, terminate, can do so.

Warren: We’ve had 50 million dead children and counting, Senator.

Obama: Did I tell you that I represent change? Lots and lots of change. Change you can believe in. Change you can count on, more change than you’ve ever seen before…

Warren to audience: Can you believe that this man is trying to win over evangelical votes with a platform and voting history like this? Ladies and gentlemen, let’s call a spade a spade. Senator, you have blood on your hands. The blood of these millions of babies cries out to the heavens for justice, and you, sir, have aided and abetted these brutal butchers of mankind from your political office.

(Warren turns to Obama.) I’m going to ask you to leave the premises, Senator. Just as I would not have allowed the Nazi propagandists and political leaders on this platform who justified the murder of millions of Jews and minorities, I need to ask you to leave. Hitler and Stalin combined did not murder as many as the abortion murder machine in this country. As a pastor, I’m telling you, Senator, that you need to repent for your defense of the murder of preborn children. Jesus Christ alone can forgive you. You need to seek Him while there is still time.

And now, Senator McCain, I understand you are open to a pro-choice running mate. I have some hard questions for you, sir…

###

As a Christian pastor, Mr. Warren has an obligation to do  more than just ask where they stand on the abortion issue. He needs to confront both candidates as a moral obligation. We already know where both of the candidates stand. What’s needed is for them both to realize is that their positions will have consequences on election day for the voters who still have a moral conscience on the issue of the killing of the pre-born.

National Pro-Life Youth Organizations Send Open Letter to Pastor Rick Warren

LAKE FOREST, Calif., Aug. 14 /Christian Newswire/ — The following open letter was sent to Rick Warren of Saddleback Church regarding the upcoming “civil forum” where Senators Barack Obama and John McCain will appear this Saturday, August 16.

Dear Dr. Warren,

You have been given a wonderful opportunity to provide Americans with the ability to place a well- informed vote on Election Day. Millions of Christians will be watching the upcoming forum at Saddleback, waiting for you to pose questions that will reveal what the candidates truly believe.

We ask, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of youth we lead and represent, that you will not ignore the crucial issue of abortion as you face Senators Obama and McCain. For many Americans, a candidate’s position on abortion will determine their vote. We have a right to know the truth about the candidates’ abortion positions, and you have a responsibility to share that truth.

According to James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

The global AIDS crisis has created millions of orphans. Poverty worldwide has added its own millions. Photographs of starving and sick children are displayed prominently in Christian magazines, urging the godly man and woman to give. Give of their time, their resources, their hearts. Christians should not ignore the pleas for help. We are called to respond to the needs of orphans and widows, those who are in distress.

However, the Christian church must not pick and choose which orphans to help based upon the popularity of the cause. While 300,000 children die annually from AIDS, 40 million children have died in the past year alone due to abortion. But the worldwide church remains silent, for the most part.

To continue reading the letter to Dr. Warren, go to http://survivors.la/open-letter-rw.pdf

The following signatures accompanied this release:

Danielle White Versluys, Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust

Kristan J. Hawkins, Students for Life of America,

Bryan Kemper, Stand True

Michael Spielman

John Ficker, Teens for Life

John Jansen, Generations for Life

Brandi Swindell, Generation Life,

Melissa Lindsley, Commission Life

Today on Crosstalk I will be discussing the statement posted recently on several websites by apologist and Harvest House author, Richard Abanes, that likens people such as myself and others to Branch Davidian cultists. In his statement, Abanes expresses his deep concern over Christians who manifest the following traits:

1. a deep seated ‘us vs. them’ mentality
2. feelings of persecution
3. paranoia
4. A kind of xenophobic response to any and all attempts to have a more tolerant/civil approach to various issues.

Abanes opines,

“…Not surprisingly, such a perspective is also often linked to an extremist end-time obsession that acts as fertile ground for the planting, watering, and harvesting of all kinds of conspiracy theories related to such things as the anti-Christ, the Great Apostasy, and the so-called coming One World Government. This is all very disturbing, but God is in control…”

We’re going to let the tens of thousands of Crosstalk listeners hear what Mr. Abanes has posted publicly, and we will address this kind of trash talk going on about those who are Bible-believing Christians. The kinds of terms Mr. Abanes used will be examined today in light of historic propaganda efforts.

“Extremists, xenophobic, paranoia, isolationism, reactionary, isolating the mind from rational thought and logical analysis…” These are the kinds of words Mr. Abanes uses about those who raise a criticism of things like the Purpose Driven campaigns. If you oppose Mr. Warren, friends, you are, by definition, mentally ill and possibly dangerous.

You can listen live at 2pm Central at the website or to the archive later.

It’s a pretty lucrative thing to be hosting the Presidential candidates at Saddleback. How lucrative? There are 5,000 seats at Saddleback. They’re holding a drawing to decide who gets the privilege of paying the following amounts to get in that night. There are four different drawings:

DRAWING A: For FREE seats in Video Venues (Refinery, Tent 2, and Tent 3)

DRAWING B: Charter members who joined between 1980-84, Small Group Hosts, and Volunteers who serve in children’s or student ministries may apply for the drawing of FREE seats in the worship center.

DRAWING C: To buy a $500 Bleacher seat in the Worship Center.

DRAWING D: To buy a $1,000 Angled Floor seat in the Worship Center.

DRAWING E: To buy a $2,000 Front Center seat in the Worship Center.

Two grand it will cost you to get a front and center seat as  America’s Pied Piper of Purpose does his biggest political gig yet. If Barack Obama wins, I fully expect that he will be offered a highly significant position within the Administration, possibly cabinet level. Rick Warren is moving away from the first phase of his Purpose agenda to the political phase. It is fascinating to watch this man’s ascendency on the political scene. There’s far more to come. Millions of evangelicals who have departed a biblical gospel, and who have linked themselves to the Purpose-Driven train, will follow behind him wherever he leads.

Over the years, I’ve been sent a lot of books by publishers.  I’ve watched certain catchphrases and buzzwords come and go. For Christian publishers it’s monkey see, monkey do. Copycat books with nearly identical titles often come within days or weeks of each other. As far as buzzwords or popular phrases, how many times have I heard the term, “God’s Dream” used in recent years? From New Agers to emergent writers, to Rick Warren and a whole lot of others, “God’s Dream” is a term thrown around a lot. So does God have a dream? Does he sit in the heavens, fantasizing about the way things could be if only some guy with a book contract from Rupert Murdoch could organize the masses sufficiently? There are two important articles on this on Herescope.com that explain the background of this term and what is meant by it. Don’t miss them.

Article One: “God’s Dream”

Article Two: What Does God’s Dream Mean?

This was posted on Christian Newswire minutes ago:

In Ingrid’s absence, I am updating readers on the Richard Abanes/Apprising Ministries situation. As of 5pm Central Standard Time, the Apprising Ministries website that featured hundreds of important articles on current Christian issues was deleted. Richard Abanes, Harvest House author and chief apologist for Rick Warren and his Purpose-Driven global campaigns, accomplished this by filing a complaint with the legal department of IPower, Apprising’s web hosting service. Due to Richard’s claims of slander and libel regarding a 2005 article written by Apprising Ministries head, Ken Silva, the web hosting service,which does not check out any of these claims to see if there is any merit to them, gave Ken 48 hours to conform to Richard’s ideas of what should be on his website. The choice was this: take down your piece or lose your website. Ken correctly did not give in to this kind of threat and the site is now down.

The implications for all bloggers, religious or otherwise, are clear. Anyone who has a complaint about your views can claim that you have engaged in slander and the ISP Terms of Service usually allow for the companies to remove your website if you don’t take the material in question down. The First Amendment means nothing in these cases. Reportedly, a press release is about to go out to national media about this incident because it provides a clear precedent that has grave and clear implications for all who value the right to express their views online, regardless of the subject matter.

Everyone who values the right to read and publish blogs on the Internet has a vested interested in this. There will be more on all of this shortly.

You can read and comment regarding this at Richard Abanes’ blog.

One News Now is reporting that the political forum sponsored by Rick Warren at Saddleback is being co-sponsored by the liberal social justice group, Faith in Public Life. The president of this group is a pro-homosexual, Unitarian Universalist minister.

Christian newswire reported the following yesterday:

Well, we already know exactly what both Senator McCain and Senator Obama think of the Constitution in that they both have voting track records. Obama has a voting track record both in the US Senate and the Illinois Senate. He was voted most liberal Senator for 2007. We already know that he thinks the US Constitution gives women the right to have their unborn children murdered, and he also believes that should that baby happen to survive the murder attempt, it should not have the right to be rescued but should die a lonely and terrible death on a dirty laundry cart. (See nurse Jill Stanke’s testimony on the atrocities at the hospital where she worked in Illinois.) Voting twice against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act should tell us all we need to know about Barack Obama’s views on leadership.

Rick Warren calls such a man his “friend”. I want to make it clear that no man who actively works against the saving of precious babies is a friend of mine, just as in Nazi Germany no neighbor, no family member, no former friend who would refuse to acknowledge the humanity of the Jewish people would have been a friend of mine. Barack Obama, by refusing to acknowledge the humanity of the most vulnerable and helpless Americans, those in the womb, has positioned himself as an enemy of God. God tell us in His Word that even before we were formed in the womb, He knew us. How dare anyone take the life of that child that God created and worse, seek to allow that killing to continue as a legal act? How dare anyone claiming to know Jesus Christ call someone defending child-killing “friend”?

The question isn’t how these leaders will lead. The question is always, where are they leading us? The same is true in churches. Leadership conferences are legion. How to lead, how to become a leader, developing leadership skills, creating new leaders, these are the obsessions today. Nobody is asking, where are these leaders taking us? What do they believe about the Bible? What gospel are they preaching? World history is littered with astoundingly successful leaders. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin come to mind. They led nations very, very effectively, and they were evil incarnate. Nobody asked the right questions in those countries. Few are asking the right questions in our churches either.

Rick Warren continues to position himself as a global leader who runs with the political movers and shakers of our time. He is bringing Tony Blair to Saddleback in September. He is an amazing leader. The question that should thunder through the minds of Christians is this: where is he leading the church?

CrossTV

First Baptist Church of Boynton Beach

CrossTV

White Horse Inn