Rick Warren the Avid Reader

"I read everything Peter Drucker writes.  His book, the Efffective Exectutive is a favorite I reread every year. "  

~Rick Warren, Building on Your  Strengths by Rick Warren, 

CMBC Article, 5/24/2004

 "... I have read through the complete set of Jonathan Edwards – it was about 22 volumes and 800 pages each – he clearly was an influence on me."

Rick Warren in Interview, 

Rick Warren Clarifies Doctrine, Purpose Driven Life with John Piper

 Christian Post article by Michelle A. Vu   May 28, 2011, 

 “I want to stay sharp, and that’s why I read everything Dr. Amen writes, and you should too!”

– Rick Warren, (back cover, Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, May 2012

"I read everything Chuck Colson writes.  He is one of the most brilliant thinkers and cultural analysts of our time...."  Rick Warren

Rick Warren's endorsement of Chuck Colson's book, The Good Life

"So I went out and bought every book I could find on Bible study methods. I think it was about 30 or 40 books at the time, and I read every one of them."

Rick Warren, Preaching Magazine, 40 Days in the Word: An Interview with Rick Warren By Michael Duduit

" I thought, you know, these are men and women that I read all of the time and I respect, and I want to thank you for the columns and the articles that you write..."

"....As a writer, you never know who is reading your stuff and so I just wanted you to know I am reading you. I read a book a day and I read tons of magazines, tons of articles, and I just devour enormous quantities of material, and thank God for the Internet. I get The New York Times and I get The Wall Street Journal, and I get the local papers in L.A., but the rest I have to read online or in the magazines that I subscribe to."

                                 - Rick Warren,(spoken to Pew Forum Journalists, 8/26/2005)

                                      See also: CBS News Article ,The Rick Warren Movement, by Wendy Kaminer

"In January, I'm starting a Christian Leader's Library webcast. For much of my life I've read a book a day." 

- Rick Warren, December 1 2010, Facebook Post 

"I began collecting books at 14. I use to read a book a day. I read a book a day for many years. Today, I probably have 35,000 volumes in my library."

Rick  Warren The World Over, Part 2 Interview with  Raymond Arroryo

It would take a person 96 years to read that many books... if they read a book a day.

Just saying....g.

He's evidently been so busy reading everything but the Bible that he missed 2000 verses!....

"Okay. I mean I went to a Bible university, and I went to two seminaries, earned a Doctorate, how did I miss 2,000 verses in the Bible on the poor....Well, evidently, I just had on cultural blinders. "

~Rick Warren

Interview with Alison Rostankowski, 2006

http://www.theopedia.com/Rick_Warren

"It wasn’t like I was doing bad stuff, I mean, we were pastoring Saddleback church and which now has  82,000 names on the roll and, I was very busy, we baptized 15,000 new believers in the last 10 years, )so I wasn’t  just twiddling my thumbs… But God says, but, your not caring about the people I care about most. Your are not caring about the marginalized… the poor, the sick, the uneducated.   And I had to say, “God, I will use the rest of my life whatever affluence and influence you give me to help the church you know, recover this. And as I began to read scripture I found over 2000 verses )on the poor, and I had to say, how did I miss this? I mean , I went to a bible college and two seminaries…. I have got a doctorate.  How did I miss 2000 verses on the poor?? It was the cultural blinders that kept me from seeing who God cared about. "

-Rick Warren, OPEN LINE PROGRAM, Moody Radio,

 October 7, 2005 with  Wayne Shepherd

As a pastor, as a "learned" man, he told the world that he had no idea what the Bible said about caring for the poor.... 

Really?

He said several times publicly that he, a bible scholar,  had no idea...  had completely missed those "2000 verses" on the poor. 

How does that work?

He was a pastor, he held a Doctorate, went to "Bible university" and "two seminaries"  (not to mention spent time reading a book a day!  This is a travesty.  It disqualifies him from being thought of as someone who actually knows what the Bible says.

However, he still thinks that he knows everything.  After all, he has read everything under the sun.  He even figured out how to use those two thousand verses he claims to have "discovered" to support his PEACE Plan idea! 

Then, as now, Rick sees only what he wants to see in the scriptures.  He has the audacity to uses the bible to is own advantage.  He has his own ideas about what the Bible says and doesn't say.

Ever-learning, some people are 

never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:7

“The Bible says that as long as your heart is beating God has a plan and purpose for your life … to grow personally, to get to know God, to serve others, and make the world a better place.”  

- Rick Warren,

  Pastor Rick Warren Is Well Prepared For A Purpose Driven Retirement by Robert Laura, Forbes Magazine, 3/21/13

No mention of eternal life  or where in the bible we learn all of that.

"The Bible Says Love Requires Risk"  -Rick Warren

The Bible Says Love Requires Risk, By Rick Warren — May 21, 2014, rickwarren.org, Daily Hope

 Where in the Bible are we told this? 

"The Bible says in Proverbs 28:20, “A faithful man will have many blessings.” (HCSB) I want your life to have many blessings.   But in order for you to have that blessing, you’re going to have to learn faithfulness."

 -Rick Warren  

The Importance of Faith By Rick Warren —v  November 8, 2014 rick warren.org, 

Rick wants your life to have many blessings.....

 but in order for you to have that blessing....you have to learn faithfulness.

Is this what Proverbs 28:20 says?   Where?

Because Flattery is Deceptive!

"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people."

 Romans 16 verse 17-18 (above) has some words about flattery.  It says that "..... smooth talk and flattery deceive.   It's remarkable to note how besides braggadocios, Rick Warren's words are so often full of flattery.  

To his followers, (many of whom are "young," he tweets:
"I am so impressed with the next generation of Christians.The ones I know are teachable, loving &  courageous."  Rick Warren Tweet,  Jan. 23, 2012 

Teachable..... loving..... courageous!   They must be so flattered!  Being "teachable" means the most to Rick though.

 To other pastors that desire tips from Rick on how "to grow" their church, Rick tells them,
 

"Do you realize that if your weekend attendance totals about 90 people, you’re an above average church (at least in the United States and when measuring by such numbers)?"

~Rick Warren, Eight Steps to Grow Your Church, 

pastors.com and ministrytodaymagcom

They must be so flattered to be "above average"  By the way, according to U.S.A.Churches.org a church "with 90 people in weekly attendance" would be considered "medium" in size, (not "above average"). So really, t They must be so flattered to be "above average" instead of just thought of as  "medium." 

Rick, talking to David Brooks, flattering both David and his other guests....

"I am truly honored to be here. I really mean this. When I saw your names and who was going to be on this list, I thought, you know, these are men and women that I read all of the time and I respect, and I want to thank you for the columns and the articles that you write. Just to be sitting up here with David Brooks, I feel like we ought to reverse this, let him talk and let me comment on him because I love reading his stuff. I read all of your stuff all of the time and I just wanted to start off by saying thank you. Thank you for helping me grow, helping me develop. "  

 ~ Rick  Warren 

Pew Forum, May 2005, Myths of the Modern Megachurch 

That is called going overboard.   First he reads everything by everyone all the time....and thinks they are great.... then, he is super impressed with being able to sit with David....and tells David he thinks instead Rick should be interviewing him.  What flattery!  The  way Rick talks to and about David has one believing that Rick is who he is today because of the man now interviewing him that helped him grow and develop.


Here is Rick talking to all who were viewing him on TED.  Here he flatters people with the notion that they impress God:

“Did you know that God smiles when you be you. Some people have the misguided idea that God only gets excited when you're doing “spiritual things” like going to church or helping the poor or confessing or doing something like that. The bottom line is that God gets pleasure watching you be you." 

 ~ Rick  Warren 

 A Life of Purpose TED Talk,  July 2006

Pastor Warren tailors his appeals to his audience.  To Calvinists, he stresses his support for the “solas” of the Reformation.  Yet he tells prosperity evangelist David Yonggi Cho, “I’ve read your books on Vision and Dreams – speak to pastors about how you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?…What advice would you give to a brand new minister?…Do you think American churches should be more open to the prayer for miracles?” (“Breakfast With David Yonggi Cho And Rick Warren,” Pastors.com).  - See more at: http://www.whitehorseinn.org/blog/2010/04/01/michael-horton-on-rick-warren-modern-reformation-and-desiring-god/#sthash.0kEdjkFD.dpuf:

 Sadly, Rick never told them them that Jesus died for their sin.  he never told them that by God's Grace, through faith in the one that God sent they could have eternal life.  They did hear though that God get's pleasure just by watching them.

Here is Rick as he Rick flatteringly convinces Melissa Etheridge he's "her biggest fan," and impresses her by telling her he had all of her albums too. This is her account of the conversation...( and she is quite impressed with Rick's flattery of her too.)

"On the day of the conference I received a call from Pastor Rick, and before I could say anything, he told me what a fan he was. He had most of my albums from the very first one. What? This didn't sound like a gay hater, much less a preacher. He explained in very thoughtful words that as a Christian he believed in equal rights for everyone. He believed every loving relationship should have equal protection. He struggled with proposition 8 because he didn't want to see marriage redefined as anything other than between a man and a woman. He said he regretted his choice of words in his video message to his congregation about proposition 8 when he mentioned pedophiles and those who commit incest. He said that in no way, is that how he thought about gays. He invited me to his church, I invited him to my home to meet my wife and kids."

Melissa Etheridge, talking about her conversation with Warren
 Huffington Post, The Choice is Ours, 5/25/2011 (2009)
See also this article on gawker

Pastor Warren tailors his appeals to his audience.  To Calvinists, he stresses his support for the “solas” of the Reformation.  Yet he tells prosperity evangelist David Yonggi Cho, “I’ve read your books on Vision and Dreams – speak to pastors about how you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?…What advice would you give to a brand new minister?…Do you think American churches should be more open to the prayer for miracles?” (“Breakfast With David Yonggi Cho And Rick Warren,” Pastors.com).  - See more at: http://www.whitehorseinn.org/blog/2010/04/01/michael-horton-on-rick-warren-modern-reformation-and-desiring-god/#sthash.0kEdjkFD.dpuf

That was not a typo.  Melissa Eldrige has a wife and kids.  


And a final example.... here, Rick is "deeply humbled" and applauds Muslim leadership at an  Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) convention applauding them, for "the courage" to invite him, an "Evangelical pastor," to speak to their group.  

“As-salamu Alaykum. I come to you today deeply humbled and honored by this invitation. I truly mean that. I applaud your courage for inviting an Evangelical pastor. Thank you.”

 Rick Warren, at the Islamic Society of North America, July 4  2009

Unfortunately, Rick, describing himself as an Evangelical pastor, was not there on any "evangelical" mission. He was not there to talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ to the group.  No, his official capacity was to simply flatter  them by being there, and talk about the "common good."

 Romans 16:18
....For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple."

Pastor Warren tailors his appeals to his audience.  To Calvinists, he stresses his support for the “solas” of the Reformation.  Yet he tells prosperity evangelist David Yonggi Cho, “I’ve read your books on Vision and Dreams – speak to pastors about how you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit?…What advice would you give to a brand new minister?…Do you think American churches should be more open to the prayer for miracles?” (“Breakfast With David Yonggi Cho And Rick Warren,” Pastors.com).  - See more at: http://www.whitehorseinn.org/blog/2010/04/01/michael-horton-on-rick-warren-modern-reformation-and-desiring-god/#sthash.0kEdjkFD.dpuf

On The Same Team?

"Sometimes Protestants think that Catholics worship Mary like she's another God.  That's not exactly Catholic doctrine. There's the understanding... and ... and people say, "Well what are the saints all about?" and  "Why are you praying to the saints?"  And when you understand what they mean by what they re saying, there's a whole lot more commonality; now, there's still real differences, no doubt about that!  But the most important thing is: If you love Jesus, we're on the same team!"

- Rick Warren, Catholic News Service Video, November 2014

So what , exactly, did Rick say and not say?  He said,

"Sometimes Protestants think that Catholics worship Mary like she's another God.  That's not exactly Catholic doctrine."
 

- Rick Warren

Sure, that's not "exactly" catholic doctrine....but note how Rick uses a qualifier to  help excuse his bad reasoning . The question is not, "Do Catholics worship Mary like she's "another" God?"  The question is, "Do Catholic worship Mary?   

Rick's point is misleading and Catholic's will tell you, they do not worship Mary, but they, instead  "venerate" her.....( and by the way, you are supposed to overlook that venerate is a synonym for "worship" ) Hopefully, Catholics believe in the trinity of Father Son and Holy Spirit..... not something else....and hopefully they do not believe Mary is ANOTHER God.

Regarding Mary, Catholics sing about Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the  "holy queen enthroned above" (They do this even though there is nothing in the Bible that tells us she is "enthroned" above as a "queen,") Catholics are also taught directly by Vatican publications like this one about the Rosary, that she intercedes for mankind to God...  and this is done despite the Christian doctrine preserved and derrived from the scriptures that says that there is one mediator between God and men, (1 Timothy 2:5)  and that Jesus is the only Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12)  Additionally, Eternal Word Television Network, (EWTN) an educational arm of the Vatican uses for teaching their  faithful Roman Catholic laity via television, teaches that Mary is "Co Redemptrix,"  It is interesting to note that Christians worship Jesus as God and as the reddemer of mankind..... and if this is the case, what do Roman Catholics do with a "Co Redemptrix?"  It's anybody's guess.

Rick says,
"..... and people say, "Well what are the saints all about?" and  "Why are you praying to the saints?"  And when you understand what they mean by what they're saying, there's a whole lot more commonality; now there's still real differences, no doubt about that! "

Saints are those who believe in God's Word..... dead or alive, they are saints.  Christians do not pray to one another... they pray to God.... not in a saints name, but in Jesus' name, because that is what Jesus told them to do.

Real differences? Why... yes.  No doubt, there are real differences....
Like veneration of the Mother of Jesus..... by kneeling before statues of her.and asking for her to intercede for us for salvation now and at the hour of our death....( instead of to Jesus) ... and praying because of beads as well as statues of "saints".that are claimed to help finding lost articles or sell houses,and this instead of simply praying to God... in Jesus' name. 


"...now there's still real differences, no doubt about that!"

 - Rick Warren

Differences?  Yes.  

Rick would like you to believe that there are more things in common between various denominations than there are differences.  One thinghe says is that catholics and protestants have in common is they both  "believe the Bible."  But what do catholics beliee about the bible?  What is the official stand on the authority of scripture?  

Roman Catholicism puts their own tradition above the authority of what it says at face value, and this is a difference.... and a problem, because the scripture, while given to all that from it we might obtain God's promises, is of no private interpretation.  It belongs not to sinful man, but to God..  

" If you love Jesus, we're on the same team!" - Rick Warren

That's odd. Maybe Rick has no idea that not everyone who claims to love Jesus is on the "same team."  There are those who call Jesus "Lord"... and those who call Jesus "Lord." However, apparently, based upon what we are told in the scripture, not all who claim to call Jesus "Lord" are, (as Rick says,) on Jesus' "team."

See Matthew 7:21:

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, 

shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; 

but he that doeth the will of 

my Father which is in heaven" - Jesus

See Luke 6:45-46

 

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, 

and do not the things which I say?” -Jesus

SeevMatthew 7:22-24 

 

..... Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.