Posted on 09/05/2006 2:24:04 PM PDT by Terriergal
IUKA, Miss. -- In April, 150 members of Iuka Baptist Church voted to kick Charles Jones off the deacons' board. The punishment followed weeks of complaints by Mr. Jones and his friends that the pastor was following the teachings of the Rev. Rick Warren, the best-selling author and church-growth guru. After the vote, about 40 other members quit the church to support Mr. Jones.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
MR.WARREN HAD BENIFITED OUR COMMUNITY,BECAUSE WHEN LOCAL FUNDAMENTAL CHURCHES START HIS PROGRAM,THEIR EX-MEMBERS JOIN US.
Hard to convince people of that, Rick, especially with what you wrote in "The Purpose Driven Church" and on your own website about dealing with "resisters".
You misunderstand my post. I said there are SOME on FR who will find your post blasphemy (those whose small minds think THEIRS is the only "valid" interpretation).
I am not one of them but I am warning you they (sadly) are here.
LOL! I have stopped speaking negatively about Warren, because he is doing enough to hurt his own reputation by endorsing the Global Warming theory, the New World Order and all the other liberal agenda thinking.
It is useless to pretend they are the same or reconciliable. That's clear.
Warren quotes Catholics in his Purpose-Driven Life and many conservative Protestants take that as a sign that Warren is somehow "working for Rome."
In reality, Warren is working for himself and is trying to pull in as many paying customers as possible.
If a Catholic priest offered to pay for one of his seminars, he'd send a guy in right away, I'm sure. In fact, I guarantee that this has likely happened already.
What concerns me about Warren is that the main byproduct of his wholescale commoditization of Christ is that he is eroding what true doctrine is left among evangelicals.
A conservative Catholic will say: "Well, Protestants may be wrong about a lot of things - but the conservative ones at least believe in the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, Original Sin, the necessity of grace for salvation, the inerrancy of the Scriptures and other foundational Catholic teachings, so there is hope yet."
But I see an evangelicalism post-Warren in which the Trinity and Incarnation are hazily understood and not essential, where sin and atonement and grace are replaced by misunderstandings and apologies and self-actualization, where the Scriptures are replaced by The Message.
Read this carefully. Please note that the members who left and "took" money with them merely changed churches and pay their tithing elsewhere now. But they make it look as if they actually STOLE the money!
From Warrren's own website:
http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8232
Read this carefully. Please note that the members who left and "took" money with them merely changed churches and pay their tithing elsewhere now. But they make it look as if they actually STOLE the money!
From Warrren's own website:
http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8232
I heard of a consultant firm that consulted with a church, and the entire staff of that church resigned, leaving that pastor up the old creek without a paddle. Oops!
Name one and let's discuss it.
Apprising ministries has apparently paid to have a reprint on their site:
http://www.apprising.org/archives/2006/09/veneration_gap.html
I dunno. It costs almost $200 to get permission to send the link in an email! (according to the rules on the site)
lol
STICK WITH GOD'S PLAN!
2 Timothy 3:13
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
2 Timothy 3:14
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
2 Timothy 3:15
and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:17
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 4:1
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
2 Timothy 4:4
and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2 Timothy 4:5
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
That would be the EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH denomination.
yeah... I know that people say you shouldn't interfere when your opponent is sinking his own ship, but... I feel incumbent upon me to warn other believers. And I don't consider Warren exactly an "enemy" but a useful idiot for the enemy of our souls. And becoming more useful to him as time goes on.
I agree. There are a few practical advice things in his books you could use. But it's very few. Mixed with a lot of 'nuthin' that doesn't encourage anyone to 'repent and believe' in the one true triune God. Just some guy who's all loving and fluffy and is named Jesus for all the reader knows.
We just got a new pastor and his first action was to begin a small group ministry on "The Purpose Driven Life."
After 20 years, we are looking for a new church.
Ah no!
Warren is somehow "working for Rome."
Well at least those factions that want the same thing he wants "Unity at all costs."
I can totally respect your point of view.
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