Radical Talk About Radicalis Part 1

“There are two reasons that nonbelievers 

don’t know Jesus Christ.

One is, they’ve never met a Christian. 

The other is, they have.” ~Rick Warren

Spoken at the Radicalis Conference, Saddleback Church, CA

Source: Rick Warren Urges Pastors to Say Radical 'Yes' to God  
By Eryn Sun, Christian Post, Feb 21, 2011

This is some "radical" talk at the Radicalis Conference by Radical Rick Warren.  After all, this is "America's Pastor" speaking to Christians, these are the words of the same fact and figures man who reported enthusiastically,   

"Did you know that every day 60,000 new people 

come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? 

By the end of today, thousands of new churches

will be started throughout the world, and that will 

happen tomorrow and the next day and the next." ~Rick Warren

The Church – the greatest force on Earth  By Rick Warren  Ministry Toolbox #237, 12-14-2006

 

After reading about (or hearing) these words spoken by Pastor Rick at Radicalis, you might ask yourself.... if Rick is just trying to be funny for his audience by saying such a thing.  You might ask yourself.... if he just trying to get a laugh, or maybe make a point.  After thinking about it, you might come to the conclusion that such a comment as this is not very funny, nor is it true, (to say the least.) It does tend to make a point though, and a rude one at that.  Such words are incomprehensible coming from a Christian pastor, speaking in regards to the church, the bride of Christ.

So, why is media-approved, Purpose Driven, man of the hour, Rick Warren, talking about "Christians" as if they are the worse kind of people you would ever meet?
  
 Surely, if you  are influenced by the words of Rick, he could have you thinking just like him in no time at all.... believing that "Christianity" is a major failure... dying, going nowhere, FAST! --needing to be changed by you and little ol' "Radical for Jesus," "change agent," "pastor" Rick.  Infected by his comments, ready to be a "radical" leader just like Rick (and Jesus,) in no time at all, you will be thinking "healthy" thoughts.  Then you will be climbing aboard his Saddleback PEACE train, helping him rid the world of the evil scourge of the impoverished of society and those "unhealthy pastors..."  (you know, " who have never been to seminary? ".... which he claims is... like disease, ) one of the five "largest problems" (evil giants) in the world!

Quaint... isn't it?  The man is a genius with his words.  He is quite certain, and will work real heard to convince anyone, that they would rather be a "healthy" Christian, than one of THOSE. 

The most amazing thing is to see how both fresh water and salt water pour forth in his words; his talk, as you can judge for yourself,  is quite incongruous.   Quite frankly, his Christian directed, hateful comments about Christians and Christianity, simply should not be coming from the mouth of someone who is supposed to be a shepherd of the flock of God.  His actions leave one to ascertain that there is something strangely brackish, going on.  So, according to Rick, are new people coming to faith in Jesus Christ everyday or is the church inept and totally defunct?  

Rick Warren cannot seem to make up his mind. Either that, or he says what he say, "on purpose;" after all he is a man of "intention" to the utmost degree.  He is,  you know, "Purpose Driven."  It is possible he is simply double minded... or maybe he has no idea what it is he is saying, when he makes statements like these... but it could also be that he selects his words carefully, craftily, on purpose,simply in order to manipulate a crowd, sway them to his own way of thinking.

According to the Orange County Register, (OCR0,  reporting on the Radicalis Conference,

Rick also told his audience, he wants to "draw out those who want to say ‘yes’ to God in a "radical" way.” (Apparently, making people feel special, better, more radical than most, "draws them out.") The OCR also reported Rick as saying, “We decided we want to be distinctly different. We want to be radical. We want to go back to the roots."   

What roots? Is Rick interested in being "fundamental?"  (To investigate further, read this.
Myth of the Mega Church, A transcript of the Faith Angle Conference, article on file at Pew Forum. )

Here is the Radicalis (a... back to the roots"" conference...) advertisement:

And here is the Radical Declaration:(<----read it in it's entirety here)
 
Parts of it say,

" I’m going God’s way. There is no turning back. I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes, with God’s people, on God’s planet, for God’s glory...."






"...I am a radical in the original sense of the word: rooted in Christ, rooted in love, and rooted in his Word."

If you believe everything Rick says, you might believe that being "rooted in Christ " "rooted in his (God's) Word" has something to do with the radicalis roots, but if this is the case. why do we read in his bestselling book, The Purpose Driven Life, on page 231:

“The last thing many believers need today 

is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more

than they are putting into practice.”?

And, why does he tell people at his Radicalis conference, 

 "There are two reasons that nonbelievers

don’t know Jesus Christ. one is,

they’ve never met a Christian...   

The other is, they have.”?

 And what does he mean by being rooted in the "original sense of the word"..."RADICAL?"

Perhaps you's think that he meant he was getting back to the fundamentals of the faitn, except that Rick, despite his "declarations" and member covenants" is really not into creeds.  Besides, in an article by USA Today writer, Cathy Lynn Grossman titled, Saddleback founder Warren driven to expand his reach, Rick Warren himself denied he was a fundamentalist, saying, "What I am not is a fundamentalist. You become a fundamentalist when you stop listening. There are all kinds of fundamentalists," (he said this, listing Christian, Muslim, Jewish, atheist, even secular forms of "fundamentalism")  then said, "I don't happen to agree with any of them."

None of them?  Really Rick?  

Such comments leaves some people in your audience to wonder what fundamental root it is that you are talking about when you tell us that you want to go back to the roots as you promote "Radicalis."

"

What "roots" would this be?

R

A

D

I

C

A

L

ROOTS?  How RADICAL?

RADICAL    RADICAL   RADICAL  RADICAL   

The words...  
the colors, the font....   
are strangely reminiscent of other well-known radicals.... but perhaps it is just a coincidence?

 Perhaps it is nothing but a fluke?

But if it is just a fluke, then why did Warren choose Lenin, Stalin and Mao as examples of great leadership on that Easter Sunday at Angels Stadium on April 17, 2005...asking his congregation for their radical commitment to his own leadesrhip in the global spiritual revolution he was spearheading. 


He even mentioned Hitler.

"If positive Christianity means love of one's neighbour, i.e. the tending of the sick, 
the clothing of the poor, the feeding of the hungry, 
the giving of drink to those who are thirsty,
then it is we who are the more positive Christians. 
For in these spheres the community of the people of
National Socialist Germany has accomplished a prodigious work. " 

~Adolf Hitler, speech to the "Old Guard" at Munich, 24 February 1939

He then had people in the audience hold up pre-made signs with letters against a red background, that read, "Whatever it takes."