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