Rick Warren "Explains" Himself
by Sandy Simpson, 11/25/06

I got this email from a friend of our ministry.  He spotted it on the web.  Rick Warren's letter is in italics.

From: "Pastor Rick" <pastorrick@saddleback.net>
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2006 12:53:56 -0800
Subject: MESSAGE THIS WEEKEND!

Dear Saddleback Family, Happy Thanksgiving.  This weekend I'll announce the new giving commitments that are joining the rest of us in "EXTENDING THE VISION; For the Next Generation"  PLUS ... I'll be sharing a very personal message on "Living By Your Convictions."

If by "living by your convictions" Warren is speaking of "doing what is right in (his) own eyes" (Judges 17:6) then he is a proper authority to speak on that subject.  If by "living by your convictions" he means living in accordance to the Word of God, then I can't see how he could POSSIBLY be a good person to preach on this subject.  Rick Warren and his whole program of Dominionism have NOTHING to do with our mandate as Christians to be light and salt in the world.  Who told Rick to brag in his P.E.A.C.E. plan that we can "overcome" five of the biggest problems of the world? “Our goal will be to enlist 'one billion foot soldiers for the Kingdom of God', who will permanently change the face of international missions to take on these five “global giants” for which the church can become the ultimate distribution and change agent to overcome Spiritual Emptiness, Self-serving Leadership, Poverty, Disease and ignorance (or illiteracy)." (http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s05040087.htm) The only time the problems of poverty, disease and ignorance will be "overcome" is in the Millenial Kingdom by Jesus Christ Himself.  For now we will always have the poor with us (Mark 14:7), disease has and will continue throughout the history of the world and through the Tribulation, and ignorance is a universal problem, especially among those who twist Scripture like Rick Warren. (2 Pet. 3:16). Self-serving leadership?  Need I say more?
When Kay and I announced the launching of the P.E.A.C.E. plan a few years ago, we both knew we could expect severe opposition coming from different angles.  The P.E.A.C.E. plan empowers churches to do the 5 things Jesus did, and Jesus warned us, "People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me." John 15:21 (CEV)  Millions of Christians throughout history and around the world right now know that persecution is real.
I see.  So Rick Warren is now being "persecuted" for the cause of Christ.  But then wouldn't you have be be obedient to Christ to be persecuted for Him?  This is exactly the same false argument cultists, Third Wavers, Word of Faith heretics and many others use when true biblical Christians disagree with them.  True followers of Christ are told to mark and avoid false teachers (Rom. 16:17) who do not teach according to what the Bible says.  Rick Warren's whole plan is unbiblical from the foundation up.  Not only that but he has the audacity to claim that his "plan" will "empower churches to do the five things Jesus did."  Isn't it the Holy Spirit Who empowers the Church (1 Cor. 5:4-5)?  Jesus Himself did not come to "overcome ... Spiritual Emptiness, Self-serving Leadership, Poverty, Disease and ignorance (or illiteracy)” of the whole world.  He came to die on a cross to save us from our sins! When He comes again he will make things right, not before.  His death and resurrection are the Gospel, not this Dominionist "take over the world for Christ" silly business.  What Warren is accusing anyone, including born again Christians who disagree with him of, is that "People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me." John 15:21 (CEV)  In other words anyone who does not go along with Warren's programs, buy his books, sign his manipulative covenants, does not know the Lord Jesus Christ.  I find that incredibly offensive!
We are in a spiritual battle for the lives of billions, so we expect opposition. The Bible tells us that "Satan is the accuser of the brethren."  Unfortunately, sometimes Christians do Satan's job for him.  They accuse and criticize other believers.  I'm sure that makes Satan smile.
This is almost exactly what the heretics at Brownsville A/G were saying during their "revival".  Rodney Howard Browne, Benny Hinn and many other false teachers have made the same accusations against Christians.  We were all told that if we did not jump in "the river" that we were the devil, Satan, Sennacharib, demonic, etc. This kind of talk demonstrates that Rick Warren is EXACTLY like his mentor C. Peter Wagner and his Third Wave false apostles.  They use diaprax to demonize ANYONE who raises a biblical objection to what they are doing.  You have to marvel at the hyper-inflated egos of people like Warren with their claims of influence on "the lives of billions".  Just because millions bought his books does not make him the leader of Christianity or make him influential with "billions" or prove that God is sanctioning his projects.  We have many articles on just how biblically far afield Warren's "Purpose Driven" drivel is.  What "makes Satan smile" is when false teachers are allowed to call themselves evangelicals and drive Christendumb (not misspelled) into misguided and fruitless Kingdom Now theology.
The Bible says it is foolish to spout off about issues before knowing the facts, but the Internet has made it very easy to do. God says, "He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame." Prov. 18:13 (NIV)   God also says, "Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions." Prov. 18:2 (NLT)
Ah, so anyone who disagrees with Warren is also a "fool".  Doesn't the Bible say we should not be calling people fools? (Matt. 5:22)
Recently, 4 "bloggers" made accusations about my visit to Syria (between speaking in Germany and Rwanda). They based their accusations on a Syrian state press release!  Of course, they had no idea what my motivation was, what I actually did and said, and the confidential results. But they attacked me anyway. Not a single newspaper carried the story, but several websites repeated the gossip without talking to me to get the facts.  Most sites were already critical of The Purpose Driven Church and Life, and were just happy to have something else to attack. Before going to Syria (as a pastor, not a politician) I called Franklin Graham who is very experienced in dealing with the Middle East and asked him what I should say. He said "Thank the government for protecting the freedom of churches from radical Muslims."  The Christian leaders I met with in Syria said the exact same thing. This does not excuse other government actions that we've all read about.  But my visit was not political, but to encourage the Christian leaders there, and to get permission from the government to do the PEACE plan in Syria, which we were given!
First of all, I know there are "bloggers" out there who have stuff about Warren on their sites.  I am not a blogger.  I have had an apologetics web site online since the Internet began, and before that I had a BBS for those of you with long memories.  My web sites predate Saddleback's web site, just for the record.

But actually what happened is that Warren, in schmoozing with the enemy, put down the very country that has given him the freedom to speak as he wishes and elevated a religion and nation that is in the process of taking over the world by force of terrorism.  Just because Warren spoke to Franklin Graham does not make him an ambassador for Christianity.  Who asked Warren to say the things he did in Syria?  There are many believers that would rather see Rick keep his mouth shut and not represent Christianity to the world after seeing him on many, many TV shows where he was given many golden opportunities to preach the Gospel but chose instead to play politics.  It is not our place as Christians to be politicians.  Our mission is to preach the Gospel and disciple Christians from all nations.  Why in heaven's name would Syria be interested in Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan?  This P.E.A.C.E. plan is nothing more than a Christianized package of what the UN has already been trying to sell for years.  Just how influential has the U.N. been in countries like Syria and Iran?  The answer is that the UN has had very little influence on them.  Are the UN's ideas for peace in line with what the Bible calls Christians to be doing, or are they a fulfillment of dire prophecies of Scripture?  This is just another evidence that Warren is on the same wavelength as the UN and CFR because this is the same globalism that is being promoted by them. Please note the meetings Warren has been invited to attend including "the United Nations ... (and) the Foreign Affairs Council".  Conversely, this is not anything that would remotely resemble a presentation of the Gospel.

Another blogger claimed I've invited Barack Obama to preach in my pulpit to the Saddleback congregation. Of course that is untrue. I'd never invite ANY politician to speak from the pulpit to our congregation. Never. The blogger got his facts wrong but he told everyone to call our church office and complain. Many of these people were quite rude and vicious to our receptionists this past week.
Ah, but Obama IS scheduled to speak at Saddleback!  Read on.
Next week, the Global Summit on AIDS and the Church will be held on the Saddleback campus. It is not a church service, but an international summit for pastors and world leaders.  Leaders from churches, denominations, health, NGOs, Christian organizations, governments, businesses, and entertainment will meet together to discuss how they can work with churches to end AIDS.
I think it is high time to move the UN out of New York to Saddleback, don't you?  Of course now Warren is going to have to explain his badmouthing of NGOs just recently on Fox that he has now invited to Saddleback. “I would trust a pastor or a rabbi of a synagogue or an imam of a Muslim mosque more then I would trust a government or NGO.” (Can Rick Warren Change the World? Fox Video – video time 2:15 Aug.19, 2006 Fox News). Warren will also have to explain why he called Christians who disagree with him in any way unbelievers, Satan and fools.
Participants will hear messages from Laura Bush, Sen. Bill Frist, Sen. Sam Brownback, Bill Gates, Bono, the doctor who discovered AIDS transmission heterosexually, Franklin Graham, the President of World Vision, the President of World Relief, the President of Compassion, and about 30 other speakers who are concerned about AIDS.
Wow.  What a panel!  In a church!!  So glad Franklin Graham is now cozying up to Warren.  I guess once you get the #1 spot on the Time Magazine most influential evangelicals like Warren did then God has spoken and everyone must now go to Saddleback "UN West" and schmooze with unbelievers like Gates and Bono.
Sen. Obama is one speaker at a conference which includes Republicans and Democrats, Christians and non-Christians, pastors, business leaders, and all kinds of races from around the world. Yet the vitriol and unChristlike slander was over the top.
But I thought that it was "untrue" that Obama was invited and politicians are never invited to Saddleback?  What is Rick talking about?  Is he bipolar?  He is doing the very thing he berates others for pointing out in truth.  Why is it "vitriol" to show that Warren has made a mockery of Christianity in his church?  I am sure there were some angry phone calls to Saddleback, but then those who are being rebuked and who do not have a love of the truth ALWAYS see rebuke as "vitriol". When you see people who think they are leading the Christian world turning truth into a lie and back again, you have to know another spirit is at work.
This weekend I am teaching a message called "Living By Your Convictions" where I'll explain the 6 Biblical convictions that are the framework for all we do at Saddleback.  This message will be released on pastors.com for free on Monday.
I am wondering if "living by your convictions" includes telling the truth?
Of course, you friends know my heart, my motivation, and my 26 year track record.  What matters to me is not pleasure...possessions...prestige...politics...power.. or popularity. I couldn't care less about these things.
Of course.  We can all see this in the way Warren has comported himself over a number of years since his books hit the bestseller lists.  When I think of people who have no desire for prestige, politics, power or popularity the very FIRST person that comes to my mind is Rick Warren!
I care about bringing people to Jesus, and I will do whatever it takes to "Reach One More For Jesus" as my father's dying words instructed me.  No criticism will ever stop me from doing that.
Aparently criticism will not stop him in whatever he deems right in his own eyes.  But it has certainly not prodded him into any real presentation of the Gospel in his books or on TV.  Apparently "reach one more for Jesus" means something different to many of us out here because that entails actually telling the truth and preaching the Gospel, especially when given some of the wide open forums Warren has been given because of his popular books and how he has dropped the ball consistently when it comes to preaching the truth.
Like Paul, God has called me as a missionary to non believing cultures, and he has opened doors in amazing ways to share the Gospel behind lines that pastors don't normally get invited to. Paul was willing to go anywhere and talk to anyone about Jesus. So was Billy Graham. So am I.  I'd go into hell if I could bring some people out with me.
Sorry, Rick, but you are NOTHING like Paul.  Paul would have some choice words for you, of that I am sure.  Does Rick Warren think that mission work started with him?  I got news for him: The real day of missions is coming to a CLOSE because of people like Rick Warren.  You can't tell millions of women that they must "learn to love (themselves)" and be preaching the Gospel.  You can't be teaching your church growth methods to false religions and cults. Yet Warren's pastor-training programs welcome Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews and ordained women. "I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won't try to change other denominations. Why be divisive?" he asks, citing as his model Billy Graham, "a statesman for Christ ministering across barriers." ("This evangelist has a 'Purpose'", by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY,  7/21/2003)  I think it's time for Rick Warren, who says he has no desire for prestige, to stop dropping names and repent for the untruths HE has told.
No matter where I've been invited to speak- to Congress, to the Davos World Economic Forum, at Harvard and Oxford and Cambridge, to the United Nations. to the Foreign Affairs Council, from Rabbis at the University of Judaism to Muslim leaders in the Middle East, from Urban Gays to Rural Cowboys - my message is unchanged: We all need Jesus!
Which "Jesus" would that be?  The one who has a "purpose" for everyone alive without regard to salvation according to "Purpose Driven Life"?  Those of you who have heard Warren on TV interview programs know that he speaks very little of "Jesus" and a lot about his big plans to save the planet.
Left or Right is irrelevant to me. I'm not a politician. I am a pastor, and my calling is to go "to ALL nations and ALL people " with the saving knowledge of Jesus.
If Rick is not a politician, then why has he been acting like one in virtually every public appearance he has made?  Why is he making trips to Syria without the authority to do so?  Why is he inviting unbelievers to Saddleback to play politics with Christians?
I believe the Good News with all my heart and I want everyone to have the opportunity to respond to it -  not just those who come inside the doors of churches.
Well, we'll believe you Rick if Bono, Obama, Gates and others get saved in your church.
I hope you'll join us this weekend, and I hope you'll email the message to others when we post it for free on Monday. I love you all! We're going to have a fantastic Christmas season together! ... Pastor Rick
If this is Warren's idea of a wonderful Christmas, then he and I are living in alternate realities.  It is time for Rick Warren to stop doing what he is doing.  Biblical Christians should have NOTHING to do with his ego trip plans and programs that are incredibly short on true Bible teaching and long on politics, globalism and power.