windcatcher
New Member
Honestly, I'm less concerned whether he is Baptist than I am whether he is a Christian in compromise. (But many Baptist churches and other denominations..... for that matter.... are using his 'Purpose Driven' resources and, in effect, looking to him for authoritive leadership and example....... which not only promotes his fame, but also his position of influence.)dcorbett said:I see nothing about marriage on his website(rickwarren.com) ....and I don't see the plan of salvation there either.
I went to his church website and see a plan of sorts....no where in the plan is a mention of a need to repent. If a person doesn't repent of sin, how can he or she be "saved" ??????
Warren is not a Baptist at all.
When there's a lack of evidence currently available re: RW showing an active conviction, then there appears to be enough assertions by others which give evidence to compromise. I'm hoping and preferring that this is not the case..... but, as I responded in a thread regarding "The Purpose Driven Life", I felt there were many opportunities in the context of the book to make Christians aware of the authority and guidance of the God who bought our salvation, and to call all to repentance..... and those of the body of Christ to renewal..... but were lacking in the text.
The Bible, which is the foundation and the first and the last word, says far more than any 'self-help book' can ever say about our need and deprivitey and dependance on God, and how God can help us; but he (RW) paraphrases and uses so many various translations, which he explains is to make the familiar clear..... says the opposite to me as it causes a confusion when I must occupy my library with more copywrite Bibles just to verify the authenticity of his quotes and he doesn't present enough consistancy of usage to make one translation as sufficient for memory work. And familiarity and memory is the strength of the Word when we must depend upon knowledge and memory and the spirit for discerning in times when we are without a Bible to consult.
Oh, dear Lord! I understand that these people who have difficulties with their lifestyle, which they've choosen but deny that they had a choice, differ little in their excuses from the rest of us in the way we excuse our desires and excessive appetites, instead of conforming to the discipline required to bring us more into conforming to the image of Christ: However dispicable we behold their lifestyle, however abdominable it is to Almighty God; as humans in need of stable relationships in our own lives, it is too easy to understand the difficulty of those who chose a lifestyle which offers no permanance, no stability, no recognition, no security, no recourse for breech of promise.......... BUT................ WE MUST REMEMBER ALWAYS,.... that this was a choice they exercised to sin and these problems are the result of their choice and continuance to sin. Altering these conditions which are the product of their sin is not our problem, nor that which will bring them closer to God. We can have compassion and understanding but WE OWE NO COMPROMISE to the unrepentant regarding that which God has concluded as abdominable.
I stand by my earlier post:
May God show RW the possibility of being a Daniel! May God raise up a holy boldnest in both the pulpits and the pews of churches across the nation! We need many Daniels. There are too many fronts for one person to fight the spiritual battles ...... and one person who becomes a spokesman for the people of God, who may feel he stands alone, is too easy for others to accept to follow instead of accept their own leadership and servanthood.... and too easy to topple, compromise, or give the appearance of compromise.Pray for Rick Warren. The more he is given, the more will be required. The world will require its due for what it perceives as its recognition and God has his expectations for the conduct of the servant to whom he's bestowed with opportunity.
As Christians, we have a foremost obligation, more than that of being critical, and that is to love one another and to pray for one another: The more so when we realize one is entering the arena.
Indeed, we need more Daniels!