"Leaders don't do what they WANT to do;
they do whatever is necessary."  Rick Warren  Tweeted  5-24-11

Rick might as well have said, "whatever it takes," like he did in Anaheim stadium back in 2005 at the  Sadldleback Anniversary Party.  He told the crowd listening to him then, to hold up signs that said, "Whatever it takes" as they pledged to do the same.... "whatever" it takes.  


Rick gave a speech that day, saying how people in his projects had been on a secret mission:
"For the past 18 months we have been on a stealth, secret mission - project - around the world. We've been sending members out, actually over 4500 members somewhere overseas, over the period of the the last few years, going out to do what we're gonna call the PEACE plan......Friends, this is going to be a revolution. You see, over the years as we've been training these 400,000 churches around the world, we've built a network, and there are literally tens of thousands of other churches waiting to do what Saddleback has been testing the last few years.


What is the vision for the next twenty-five years? I'll tell you what it is. It is the global expansion of the Kingdom of God. It is the total mobilization of this church and the third part is the radical devotion of every believer. Now I choose that word radical intentionally. Because only radicals change the world. Everything great done in this world is done by passionate people. Moderate people get moderately nothing done.


In 1939, in a stadium much like this, in Munich Germany, they packed it out with young men and women in brown shirts, for a fanatical man standing behind a podium named Adolf Hitler, the personification of evil.  And in that stadium, those in brown shirts formed with their bodies a sign that said, in the whole stadium,

"Hitler, we are yours." And they nearly took the world.


Lenin once said, "give me 100 committed, totally committed men and I'll change the world." And, he nearly did. A few years ago, they took the sayings of Chairman Mao, in China, put them in a little red book, and a group of young people committed them to memory and put it in their minds and they took that nation, the largest nation in the world by storm because they committed to memory the sayings of the Chairman Mao. 

When I hear those kinds of stories, I think 'what would happen if American Christians, if world Christians, if just the Christians in this stadium, followers of Christ, would say 'Jesus, we are yours' ?

What kind of spiritual awakening would we have ?


"Jesus said, 'I want you to do this publicly.' So what I want you to do is take the card, and in just a minute, and if you say 'Rick, I am willing to serve God's purposes in my generation.'


I want you to open up to the sign that says 'Whatever it takes.'Whatever it takes.
And I want you to just say, 'This is my commitment, before God and in front of everybody else. I'm in.' "And I would invite you to just stand quietly and hold up 'Whatever it takes'. . .
I'm looking at a stadium full of people who are saying 'whatever it takes'.

Whatever it takes, God.  Time, talent, energy, money, effort, vision... God, whatever it takes.  Whatever it takes, that's what I'm going to do.
 
And I believe that today we are making history. We're making history that's going to start a movement that will bring a new Reformation in the church of God and a new spiritual awakening in our world. And, our world needs it. And today, as you say 'whatever it takes,' you're saying publicly,


"I'm in, God. I'm in...
...I'm in.' "

...
That was Rick Warren speaking, April 17, 2005, Anaheim Stadium. It has been a few years, but Rick has not changed his tune.  Seems he thinks those great leaders he mentioned... Hitler, Stalin and Mao, simply did what they had to do.  It was their "leaership" (you know) that made them "great."  Of course Rick wants to Christianize his concept, so he tells people to dedicate themselves to "JEsus" in this way, but why does he use Hitler and Stalin as examples of leadership and the greatness one can achieve through service.... doing, "whatever" it takes, to meet the end goal.  This is not Christian ways of thinking, the ends does not always justify the means.


Looking at Rick Warren's other recent tweets, I just want to say that am currently unimpressed that he has set himself up as some sort of wisdom guru as he tweets his own quips and quotes on life.. and most of which is in reguard to this idea, or concept of "leadership." HE is making an army of leaders.  Fynny thing, is that JEsus called us Christians to be followers and doers.... of the word.

What really kind of amazes me about Rick, even today, is that he seems to have a sort of "talent" or art in stroking the parts of a person psychologists call, "the Ego," and he uses it often.   He talks about the greatness one can achieve... the greatness YOU can achieve... but then, it's not about you.  I believe he uses this special art form quite effectively.  He knows how to get those with itching ears to heed his guru-like beck and call.  People in the crowd that day, held up signs to the world and told God, they would do "WHATEVER it takes" whatever is necessary, but "whatever" is a very big word, and it includes more than simply what is right, noble, holy, good, pure, lovely.... etc.

 I fear, that in the end, all those itching ears, people in the church in particular, who found themselves seeking greatness... maybe even seeking to do something great "for God".....will discover that they forsook the scriptures in order to listen to Rick, embraced this PEACE Plan and false, grand, wisdom and vision for the church and the world.  I wonder if those dreamers will wake up one day and find themselves without an anchor to the truth,  reading the purpose driven life instead of the bible, wondering, "What on earth went wrong?"

"Leaders don't do what they WANT to do;

they do whatever is necessary."

Other recent Rick Warren tweets:


 "The greatest leaders are those who develop followers who exceed their own skills & impact. It's not about you."   Rick Warren  5-24-11

So.. who is "it" about?  Rick doesn't mention that... just that it is not about YOU.--- and, what is "it" anyhow?  One thing is certain, Jesus died for YOU.... (and everyone else in the wolrd.) 

"Believe on JEsus and you will be saved."  That is what the scripture tells us.  

In a way it is about YOU....In't it?

"There are no secrets to success.The principles are visible to anyone who invests the time study those who've succeeded."  Rick Warren   5-23-11

So... if you you do not KNOW the principals, it's your own fault, because you didn;t 

take the time to study those who have succeeded... 

and one of those is obviously 

YOU KNOW WHO....

JEsus.... is probably not who he is talking about,

for if he were he would have mentioned him by name, and the funny thing is that Rick all always talking about "secrets" for being successful in his messages, 

which makes statements like this manipulative, at best.

 "God made your mind to be a storehouse of wisdom, not an outhouse of waste. Stop filling it with crap from our culture." Rick Warren, 5-22-11

Now I do not know about you, but in my opinion, this is rather rude and crude.  Besides, "crap" is not 

a very nice word to be flinging about at someone listening to or reading your words.  I mean, he could have been more precise and said, "desrtuctive" or "disgusting" 

but he didn't, he just resorted to the base word, "c---." 

I happen to live in a Christianized culture, and as such, there are a lot of good things and these are the things I tend to try to focus on.  How about you?  I am reminded that not every "culture" is bad.  This is nothing more than a blanket statement, a platitude, and really, it only serves to lump all sorts of thing to gether, some of which do not fit into the works.  It can serve as a trick to the mind, and leaves me to wonder, what culture, he is talking about. 

He does not say; so it is whatever culture you have in your mind.

Rick , if he is Christian, would do better to feed the sheep  who hear his speak

on the word of God, but he seldom does.  Instead, we get earthly, "leadership" wisdom, and examples to look to of leadership like Hitler, Stalin and Mau.

"You need Jesus as your Savior, Lord & Best Friend not because you'll die tonight but because you've got to live tomorrow."  Rick Warren,  5-21-11

Consider....

IS he saying living your life tomorrow,

(not death and the eternal life JEsus gives us when we die) 

 is the reason you need Jesus? 

Tricky Rick.

Why is he saying it like this?  Could it be because it is what he believes?

 

"There's no elevator to the top 4 effective ministry.You must climb every painful step to develop your character&competence"  Rick Warren 5-18-11

So, according to Rick, it's about you and what you do.

It's about you being great... (at the top)

                                                                                          
                                                                                            "You have to "climb every painful step 

to develop your character and competence."

  

No one else is going to do that for you.  So take the bull by the horns and get climbing!

That is, if you want to have an effective ministry and be at the top like he is

  This, I believe, is worldly wisdom, a bit Pharisaical too. It kinda misses the whole point of submitting to God.  It fails to acknowledgedoing what we do, not in our own strength and power, but in

His (God's) strength, His might, His power....the strength he gives us,

and not our own.

Yes, we must strive to develop character, which comes from submitting to doing what is right 

and saying no to temptation.  We do desire to be trust worthy, responsible people, 

but this all comes by submission to God and to his word. 

Most importantly, we must remember that God's word is always "effective."

ISAIAH 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: 

it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish

that which I please, and it shall prosper 

[in the thing] whereto I sent it.

A prosperous, and "effective ministry," a true effective ministry, is  one that preaches the word and believes God.  It is one that believes the wisdom and power of God to move any mountain...

and raise the dead.. 

Defender or Disciple; Christian, What Do You Believe?

A recent Warren "tweet" said,
"It's easier to fighter (I think he means "fight" or maybe he means "be a fighter") for truth than live it. It's why there are more Defenders than Disciples."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Rick Warren, Twitter, April 2011

Are there really more "defenders" than "disciples"?

Are there actually these two categories of people, a defender, and a disciple? (oops, caps o the "D's", if you please)  Really, are people one or the other?

Do you, like Warren apparently, think that a disciple of Jesus would not be a defender of the faith, a defender of the truth of God?  HE makes it seem like you are either one, or the other....

Rick is attempting to separate people into these two distinctions, and it is an old strategy, called,  "divide and conquer." By making you pick a side, preseferably his, you have just mae his enemy smaller.... and made the smaller group... (in this case, those who might "defend" your enemy too.  So, which side of the Warren "coin" would you put yourself.. a defender or a disciple?

All that one has to do is pick one of the two options, and WHALLA!   You have either just sided with Rick and frown on those who would defend the truth rather than live it like you do... or you are about to be an enemy to Rick and those who think like him.  The important thing that happens though is that now, instead of one large group of believers who are both disciples and defenders of faith and truth, the group of potential defenders of truth is smaller, because he has convinced some, not all, to be silent about true faith in Christ, just like him.

According to Rick, defenders are the "bad" choice to want to be and disciples, are the "good," who "live out the gospel," (that is the "gospel, accroding to Rick and the purpose driven paradigm he touts)   He would have you believe that "Disciples," unlike those nasty "Defenders" who speak out against false doctrine like his own, live out their faith.

That, in case you didn't notice, is falttery... to those who believe what Rick has to say on matters of the practice and undersanding of the Christian faith, but take a look at what "living out the truth," looks like, in the scriptures.... and you will see it looks most like Jesus, who gave his life trusting what he believed and then too the apostles who preached not themselves, like Rick does, but Christ and him crucified to set the captives of sin, and death... finally.... and forever, free!

Jesus is the way and the TRUTH and the life!  (John 14:6)

He is the true God from true God.  As a man, the only begooten son of the Father, He was born into this body we all share called humanity.  He died, was buried and was raised from the dead....on the third day... according to the scriptures which he not only fullfilled but also taught... and this is the truth that we believe as Christians, disciples of JEsus as we follow him and believe in him with that mysterious thing called FAITH.  This is the truth that we stand upon and even perhaps "defend" as being true....  for it is worthy of our trust, if God, and if his sin Jesus Christ are true.  As for living out the truth...  the thief on the cross, crucified  beside JEsus, lived out the truth when he believed and so will we who will live, even though we die.  This is of course, because we do believe and are saved.

Rick certainly has a bad habit of whining about the church and here we see yet another example of him whining that people in the church defend their faith.  These are those who stand firmly grounded in the truth of God's word to us and do not accept Rick's ursupation of leadership which is what he would like to see. 

Those "defenders"... are an offense to him, impermeable to his manipulation and high sounding, lofty words, and so one of his devices is to turn people who like his flattery of being those who "live out the gospel" against those who would "defend."  He derogatorily calls them, "defenders;" and insinuates that those who would defend the faith do not "live" the truth.

Christian, what do you believe?

There are ungodly men who deny our Lord Jesus Christ, willing to take captive those who fall prey to them, unware.  What should we do, be silent?  Let them?

Jude 1:2-4

Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

^{There are those who would believe it is the law, not faith in JEsus Christ that saves....}

^{Galatians 2:16-21}

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Christian, what do you believe?

, "God Wants to Talk With You" says Rick Warren

If you are interested in this topic, please listen to the March 21 broadcast of Fighting for the Faith with Chris Roseborough and his Sermon Review, "God Wants to Talk With You" by Rick Warren.
On a scale of 1- 5 pretzels (to be awarded for extreme scripture twisting) Rick Warren maxes out at 5 pretzels! 

If you are a Christian, and you believe what Rick is telling you.... think again.  Read your Bible and listen to Jesus instead.

The Lord's Prayer- A Book For Children

"In praying the Lord's prayer together  it will become a meaningful bedtime ritual a treasured memory and a lasting legacy that bears good fruit for generations to come."

 Rick Warren,  Promo Video for The Lord's Prayer For Children Book, You Tube, 2011

 Rick Warren is reaching out to children worldwide with his newest book sensation, this time his book is "for kids."  It is called "The Lord's Prayer."   Yes, he has published a book the little ones, and you can get a sneak peek of it on Amazon.... just click here.  The book's description tells us readers, "Warren explains the meaning behind the words Jesus taught his disciples with line-by-line commentary, teaching young readers the value of prayer."   

If anyone knows the Lord's Prayer... it should be Rick. It was, if you remember, Rick Warren who lead the American nation, the United States, in the recitation of this prayer at the inauguration of our 44th president, Barak Hussein Obama, back in 2008.  Besides he is the leader of a church, "a pastor" and claims also to be a :christian."  Yes, if anyone SHOULD know the Lord's Prayer, he would be one.  There is however some redefinition of things that goes on as he teaches others about it.

Rick has been working on promoting the Lord's prayer in America. In addition to the kids book, Rick has been working on writing a book for adults based on the Lord's Prayer, called  The Hope You Need.   This book, intended to go public in 2010, has not been published yet, but he has taken the opportunity to still teach about the prayer in sermons at his church, Saddleback Community Church, in CA.   Recently, on  January 23, 2011, it was at his church, in a sermon titled, "The Prayer that Changes You," His listeners got a dose of Rick's "Lord's Prayer" teaching for adults, but more on that in a moment....

The kids book appears to be simply a timeless version of the prayer to present to children, a rendering of the timeless, King James Version, complete with pretty illustrations (and notably, a hearty introduction for parents guardians and teachers by "Pastor" Rick.) As you might guess, Rick highly recommends this book; he even made a video promotion for the book to help further it's use.  (Watch this video...click here.)  But note:  he has made this book (the Lords Prayer for children).... in King James English, (something he routinely dismisses as "archaic.")  Note too, that this book is not simply a book as presented upon the shelf; his book for kids also comes with a special on-line study guide so that parents and Sunday school teachers can know how to use this book.

Now, you have to wonder.... what parent or school teacher would not know how to open up the book and read it to and with their children?  Are they not capable of enjoying the pretty pictures without some help?  And you have to wonder, after hearing at his recent sermon at Saddleback "The Prayer that Changes You," (where he taught the adults that saying the Lords' Prayer, the way Christians have been taught, was wrong...) why, if he believes that to pray this prayer word for word ... is like praying in heathenish, vain repetition which the Bible warns about, does he so highly regard parents teaching the prayer to their children o that they can say it every day... in King James English, no less!? 

And what does he teach adults?

In his Prayer That Changes You sermon, Pastor Rick had his congregation take a look at the scripture in writing, a look at the words in and around the Lord Jesus teaching his disciples this way to pray, and when they did, he had everyone in his audience circle the word "like" in the passage of Matthew 6:9, , where Jesus says, "pray like this."  

Circle that word will ya, in your mind.  LIKE

Then he made the suggestion that the prayer as Jesus taught, was only to be a model for our own prayer not a repeated prayer.  He said that not to use it as a model for our own prayer, was "vain repetition," something the bible clearly warns against!  Just the same, in (tricky-rick) Rick Warren double speak fashion, he publishes a book, The Lord's Prayer, (for children of the world) and encourages parents to teach their children this prayer.... even suggests they make it a bedtime ritual to do with their kids. 

In the Prayer that Changes You sermon, Rick also made it a point to say that we people, are not supposed to pray that prayer verbatim, (word for word) but instead that we were actually supposed use the prayer as "a model" and pray "like" (reference you previously circled word) that prayer.  Now he put himself in a position of authority, over parents and their kids, tell them to buy his verbatim book on the prayer and pray it, read it, every day ritualistically.  You, if you are like me, might wonder... "Which is it supposed to be, Rick?"  But his Prayer That Changes You sermon, wasn't really only about the Lord's Prayer; he also used the sermon to publicly defend his position regarding what he calls "meditation."  

And how does Rick Warren define meditation?

“But meditation is simply focused thinking—

a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere.”

pg. 90, Purpose Driven Life,( PDL)

Rick was defensive.  Regarding the matter of meditation and the definition of the word, because apparently there are some people, (Rick called them, "confused Christians," ) who actually have the audacity to promote the idea that Rick is teaching what they call,  transcendental, New Age, forms of "meditation," and Rick doesn't appreciate that,  Rick wanted to clear the air.  He,no doubt, wanted to ensure that everyone in his audiences knew that meditation was biblical, especially when these "confused people" make the claim that Rick promotes something that is not, something they consider as eastern religion types of meditation being promoted, by Rick, within what should be the Christian Church.  Rick insisted at this sermon,  just as he has written in his Purpose Driven Life book,(See the quote above,) that "meditation is biblical" and it just means "focusing on God. "

 "The bible tells us to "pray all the time".

How is it possible to do this? One way is to use 

"breath prayers" throughout the day, 

as many Christians have done for centuries. 

You choose a brief sentence or 

a simple phrase that can be repeated

to Jesus in one breath:"

-Rick Warren PDL pg 89

His teaching on the Lord's prayer that day, began with him reiting a portion of the scriptures and then telling he people what it "really" was and how then, knowing this, and using it as a model, they REALLY should be praying.  HE recited:

"Our Father.. who art in heaven, 

hallowed be thy name."  

Then Rick said this is where you think about ,"how much God loves you." 

Apparently, Rick reads that prayer a little differently than Christians through the ages have.  I would like to ask Rick, if he thinnks they too, were ALL confused, and he finally has the word revealed on the meaning of this passage.  You see, I say this because Christians throughout the centuries have not been confused when they have actually believed that this part of the prayer is where we address God for who he is in relation to us....  how great and holy God is and how he resides so far above man and his ways.This section of the scripture is not about God's love for me or for you.  It is about his place... our place  and God's Holiness.

. 

Rick then said, very specifically, "not" to think about your sins, worries or problems.... just think of God and how "God is Love."

Rick is correct, God is love...

but is that what this part 

of the Lord's prayer says? 
No.

Rick, that trusty change-agent that hs is,
is simply changing 
right before your eyes., 
and mine, 
what it means.

Rick goes on to say in his sermon, about this particular part of the Lord's Prayer... that there are a lot of names for God in the Bible... 

Which is also true....
God has revealed  
himself time and time again.

There are many names by which God is known...
Provider, healer...deliverer, 
our very present help in time of need,
to name ja few. 
But one could ask,
"What does he mean exactly?"

 

Rick explains that there are "so many names for God" that there is a name of God that is the antidote and answer for every negative human hang-up, hurt or.. emotion you can have-- things like  worry, fear, impatience...

It is true...Elohim, El Sahddai, Jehovah, Jehova-M'Kaddesh, Jehovah Jirah, Jehovah Rophe, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shalom, Adonai, Abir, Branch, Stone, El Roi, Theotes.... there are many "names" for God, but Rick never mentioned any of them.  HE simply made a statement about it leaving one to wonder the whole point of saying this at all, if not to point to God who is all those things and then to him come in the flesh.  there is after all a name above all other names, we are told.

It makes you wonder if  
he is here making 
the inference that

some other religions are 

just worshiping the "same God" 
by another name.

Also, since we are talking eastern thought 
specifically on "meditation",  here, it is the kind of thing 
that makes you wonder if God according to Rick, is 

like the god of Buddhism where you 

simply call on whatever God you need

by name, for whatever problem you have... 

Rick Warren made comments to the crowd about how we,  (And remember, he is speaking to "Christians" here... in his church,) we,  "just do not know God enough."  In fact, he says, "if we knew God" more, we would be more connected to God our Father.  

Rick should be teaching that there is only one way to connect to God the father.... John 14:6. Instead, his message is that Christians just do not know God enough.

This is the kind of statement that makes you wonder how Christians connect to God at all.  They will be more connected to God.... than they are now....of course.... only if they listen to Rick.

Lo and behold, Rick is right again....

IF the people who called by God's
name "knew God"that  more...

they would know this man, 
Rick Warren, 
was teaching nonsense that saves no one.  
They would recognize that this
is not the voice of their shepherd... 
not the voice of someone 
who loves sinners in need of a savior
like God does.  They might even notice that

Rick was simply drawing disciples 
after himself.

If people knew Jesus...

if they knew his voice at all,

they would know he was the exact

representation of the Father....

through which anyone could be 

 quite connected to God the father, 
safe and secure where nothing can be

snatched from his hand.

These would be God's Children

and these would pray,

"Our Father, who art in heaven..." 
not something made up to pray in it's place.

They would know his name is holy,

and that it is he who has

given us one name

under heaven by which men

might be saved....

"Jesus Christ."

But along comes Rick....  
teaching that Jesus taught his disciples 
the Lord’s Prayer, 
but that Christians are doing
it wrong.

But then, didn't Warren make a display of himself as  Christian, 
the day he prayed the Lord's Prayer with the nation, 
that most memorable day aon the White House Lawn?  
Didn;t he also write the Lord's Prayer book for children....
and encourage parents to read it 

and teach it,

in KJV,

to their kids---

complete with his "expert" pastorial 

commentary on it.. 

of course!

 

Rick further taught the congregation, "meditation is biblical."

He said that the bible "commands" meditation.

He said too, that when he talks about meditation, he means nothing more than "quiet time" in prayer with God. 

"....Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven

give us this day our daily bread"

But despite how simple "mediation" was just described by him to be, Rick seems to have this idea that prayer is really hard to do.  He then went on teaching how prayer must have the four components  (which he the proceeded to teach on) and how there are actually six steps to prayer, (things you NEED TO DO in your quiet time with God.)  No, according to Rick, prayer is just not simple.  It's a work, one that you must be expert at and do just as he instructs... because Rick knows, and teaches what he knnows... that praying to God is not as simple as the model Jesus taught his disciples to pray. You have to use it as a model for your own prayer... and then pray like Rick Tell you and learn all his steps and and components too.

After  laying all these heavy burdens on people about praying to God in the right way, and teaching that we bring God's kingdom down to earth by prayer, he got to the next part and recited,

"and forgive us our debts as we forgive 

our debtors, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil...."

According to Rick, the "main" thing, is to learn to forgive yourself. 

Funny...  the Lord's Prayer...  here... is about asking God for forgiveness and forgiving others, but there is nothing about forgiving one's self mentioned in there. 


But back to the book for kids...

The book description tells us readers how in this book,  "Warren explains the meaning behind the words Jesus taught his disciples with line-by-line commentary, teaching young readers the value of prayer."  He explains the meaning to kids, with an  online curriculum for the Lord's Prayer for Children by Rick Warren.  What does Rick teach in it?.

"In the Lord's Prayer, we are asking God

to make the earth as amazing as heaven, 

 the place where he rules and he is always present."  

page 11

Is this what the Lords Prayer is about?  
Are we asking God to make this earth 

as amazing as heaven? 

NO.

We are asking for his will, not our own to 
be done.

"Wouldn't it be great if all the treasures in heaven 

were on earth? The lord's prayer says that we can

pray for God's rule, authority, and presence to come to earth. "

   Page 13

"(Jesus) said that if we knew how 

valuable heaven was, we would want to

give up everything for it."   

 page 13

"Having just been told about

praying for heaven to come to earth,

now being told how "valuable" heaven is,

you get the idea that heaven on

earth is a possibility IF....

if you are willing to give up everything for it.

Funny how, according to Rick,
we are to want heaven on earth.
Funny too is this idea presented that 

we can have "heaven" on earth if we just 

give up everything for it.

 

What could this man mean by this? 

But it is not just through the words,,,, but also through the illustrations in the book, that children are supposed to be taught.  What do they learn the various parts of the prayer mean and represent through these pictures?  The curriculum explains:

"Our Father who art in heaven "...the picture represents how  "God provides parents and other adults to help you"

                                                                                                                                                    Nice.  Parents and teachers are helpers,
but is that what this scripture is about?  No.

And, who helped the 
Israelites escape Egypt
and who parted 
the Red Sea? 

Hint: It wasn't teachers and parents... 
and it wasn't Moses either.

"Give us this day our daily bread."  .... "God provides a world for children to live and grow in"

Nice thoughts here too.
the verse is  But once again, 
so much more than:

"God provides a world 
for children to live and grow in."

"Thy will be done on earth " ......"God gives us creativity to make the world a better and more beautiful place."

The niceness continues, but 
it is not true to the written word on the page.

  The will of God being done on the earth
is not that people 

would be creative in making 

"the world a better 

and more beautiful place."

Obedience...doing things that are right and good and true....
repenting of doing wrong... even
Faith in the one whom God sent to save us....
all come to mind, but instead we hear something about 
our own human abilities to "make the world a better 
and more beautiful place"

That sounds more like 
someone's fanciful
political agenda.

 

"As it is in heaven" ..... "God provides animals for food companionship and work."
                                                                                                             Pg 20,21

Regarding, "As it is in haven."

 This is about animals?
Wow. 
Is it really about animals?
Answer: no.

Yes, now thanks to Warren's new book, all those kids under the tutelage of teachers in Sunday school or in their homes with doting parents, wanting to train up their children in the way that they should go, can have Rick Warrens help.  He, and his friends,  can teach them all about the concept of bringing heaven to earth, without Jesus of the Bible being the only way to God, the only name under heaven by which men might be saved and receive not just life for this world, but eternal life.   They can make the world, their world, a better and more beautiful place, by being creative and by being willing to listen to Rick Warren, and be willing to take his advice and give up everything, for it.

Thanks to Rick, and to the children-loving parents and well-intentioned Sunday school teachers he has convinced to listen to him, who buy and use this book, (who have no idea that Rick changes what the Bible does say, and what words actually mean, the way Rick does, ) kids everywhere will be vulnerable, to his false teaching of what the Bible "says."They will have a new and changed perspective on the very prayer that Jesus himself taught his disciples, God's own children, to pray...
the prayer Christians call the Lord's Prayer. 

Rick Warren on Fundamentalism

"Muslim fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism - they're all motivated by fear. Fear of each other."

~Rick Warren

Really? That reasoning seems pretty simplistic.  It it the kind of reasoning that puts the three major religions in the world on the same common denominator, when they are each distinctive on their own.  In fact, if you were to take a look into it and study it, you might see that religious fundamentalism is motivated by a lot of things, not just "fear."   

But what is "fundamentalism" anyhow?

Wordnet.princeton says: "the interpretation of every word in the sacred texts as literal truth"

Wiktionary says, "The tendency to reduce a religion to its most fundamental tenets, based on strict interpretation of core texts;"

 

Christian "fundamentalism" then, would be a religious view that stresses the infallibility of the Bible's words and message, not only in matters of faith, morals and in the practice of that faith, but also as a  historical record of the Jews, the early church, and the life and death of Jesus Christ.  It would also be one that takes what the Bible teaches into understanding on topics like the creation of the Earth, animals and all that is in it, not to mention the stars and heavens above, and even the origin is things like angels and humans.   Fundamentals of the Christian faith would include, but not be limited to, a belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, (the Messiah who was to come to the Jews,) his teachings, his life, death and the part about his physical resurrection too, which was claimed by those first Christians who wrote the New Testament scriptures, to be God's blood atonement made sacrificially by him in our place for sin.  Add to this the believe that Christ will come again... his Second Coming and you understand what it is that Christians FUNDAMENTALLY believed 2000 years ago, as well as today.

Warren expressed a lot of his views about "fundamentalism" at a conference in Florida in 2005.  Here are excepts of his conversations from a transcript highlighting his opinions on the subject.  You can read the transcript in it's entirety, here.

Pew Forum: Myths of the Modern Megachurch

Note:Underlined parts and emboldened sections are done for emphasis (by me)  Underlined parts are parts to be noted in general and the boldened black font parts are what Warren specifically says about "fundamentalism."  

".... about a hundred years ago, Christianity split into two wings in the Protestant division and this hasn't been happening with Catholicism, but it did happen in Protestantism." ~ Rick Warren

Since when has there not been divisions in Catholicism?

"There is a fellow named Walter Rauschenbusch, who is the man who came up with the term "social gospel." Rauschenbusch was a liberal theologian and he basically said we don't need this stuff about Jesus anymore; we don't need the cross; we don't need salvation; we don't need atonement; we just need to redeem the social structures of society and if we do that people will automatically get better. This is basically Marxism in a Christian form.                                                               " ~ Rick Warren

So here, Rick makes mention of Rauschenbusch....

the one who taught, what Warren calls,  

Marxism in Christian form.

But really, do we know of anyone else working 

to  redeem "the social structures of society," Someone like.... (Rick Warren.) 

You know, someone who  is hoping to 

get everyone on his own bandwagon and 

work together to eradicate his list of terrible evils 

of our world,(Rick's P.E.A.C.E. Plan)  eliminate, things like  "unhealthy"

pastors and those other social ills...

poverty, disease and illiteracy.

Interesting isn't it, how Warren made it a point to identify this man, 

Walter Rauschenbusch and tell us how he taught a social gospel...
,,,what Warren calls, "Marxism in a Christian form,"  This is an interesting introduction to  a man named Raushenbausch and what he taught... by a man who does the same thing. 

It;s a case of the "pot calling the kettle black,"

"And there were even magazines like The Christian Century, (Might he mean the Christian Oracle?)which was a pretty audacious title when it started at the beginning of the 20th century - as if to say, this is going to be the Christian century; we are going to bring in the millennium simply by changing the social structures of society. Well, nobody believes that anymore after two world wars and a bunch of other stuff."                                                      ~ Rick Warren


But what happened is Protestantism split into two wings, the fundamentalists and the mainline churches. And the mainline churches tended to take the social action issues of Christianity - caring for the sick, for the poor, the dispossessed, racial justice and things like that. Today there really aren't that many Fundamentalists left; I don't know if you know that or not, but they are such a minority; there aren't that many Fundamentalists left in America."

                                                                                 
                                                                                  Christian ones?

"Anyway, the fundamentalist and evangelical movement said they were just going to care about personal salvation when they split from the mainline churches. What happened is the mainline churches cared about the social morality and the evangelicals cared about personal morality. That's what happened when they split. But they really are all part of the total gospel - social justice, personal morality and salvation. And today a lot more people, evangelicals, are caring about those issues."                                       ~Rick Warren

The Myth of the Modern Megachurch, Pew Forum, Transcript, 2005


The "total gospel?"

Social justice, personal morality and "salvation," mind you,
are not exclusive to the Christian faith.
These are pertinent to every religion.
That is exclusive to Christianity is "the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
and it is the same thing John the Baptist preached
about the man from Nazareth, born in
Bethlehem, named Jesus.
"Behold, the Lamb of God!"
The "total" gospel is all inclusive of this statement by John
and it would include what the apostles believed
and wrote and publicly proclaimed after Jesus'
Resurrection from death.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
you and your household,
and you will be saved."

"....we need to help journalists use the right terms. There is a difference between "evangelicalism" and "fundamentalism" and "the religious right." And people use them like they are synonyms. They are not - they are very, very different. I am an evangelical. I'm not a member of the religious right and I'm not a fundamentalist. "                                               ~Rick Warren

The Myth of the Modern American Megachurch, Pew Forum, Transcript, 2005

I'm not a fundamentalist. " ~Rick Warren

One year (2005) he says he is not a fundamentalist.
(they are just too radical, 
too extreme in their beliefs.)

and a few years later, (2011...
he is "radical" about the roots of Christianity.

“You need to be radical 
in your connection to God 

so that you are rooted" 
~Rick Warren
 

 Rick Warren said this regarding his recent Radicalis conference.

Also regarding the Radicalis conference,
Liilian Kwan, reporter for the Christian Post quoted
Warren telling the world what being radical meant::
"Being a radical in the truest sense

of the word: rooted in Christ,

rooted in his love,

rooted in the Word."
~Rick Warren
  

Duplicitous Rick
would claim to be
all about fundamentals,

even call himself "Radical,"

but deny being anything
like a Christian "fundamentalist"
who actually believes

the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

" MR WARREN: How do you explain a book by a pastor selling now over 25 million copies? And that's in English. The book has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. And I'm not even a writer.I tell you, there's nothing in the book that's new - not a single thing in the book that's new, that's not in historic Christianity over the last 2,000 years. I just happened to say it in a simple way

ELSA WALSH, THE NEW YORKER: So are you saying doctrine won't be important or is not important if you bring together all these -

MR. WARREN: No, no. I think, though, it's what Augustine said: "In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity." And I think that's how evangelicals and Catholics can get together. And I don't know if you know this or not, but fundamentalists and Pentecostals don't like each other, okay? They don't. But they could get together. "In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

The Myth of the Modern Megachurch, Pew Forum, Transcript, 2005

Evangelicals  and Catholics
even in their differences, 
find fundamental common ground

As for "fundamentalists".... who,
according to Rick warren, 

"do not like "Pentecostals"
note how he is contrasting groups of people
makeing certain to once 

again isolate :"fundamentalists"

as the negative people.

Note also that "Petecostals"
claim to believe those five

the fundamentals of 
the Christian faith.

 JUAN WILLIAMS, NPR: Picking up on this business about the disagreements between the fundamentalists and the Pentecostals, I mean, this struck me as news because when journalists write about it, we go to people like Robertson and Falwell to represent the evangelicals. And that's the way it comes across, so it strikes me that we're ill informed or you're wrong. (Chuckles.) And secondly, that you're not using this God-given influence you spoke of, because your influence is not showing up in the American media in terms of supplanting people who you would tell us are bogus.

MR. WARREN: Well, I tell you, that's the reason I accepted this meeting, because I'm just tired of having other people represent me and represent the hundreds of thousands of churches where the pastors I've trained would nowhere, no way, relate to some of the supposed spokesmen of a previous generation.... Now the word "fundamentalist" actually comes from a document in the 1920s called the Five Fundamentals of the Faith. And it is a very legalistic, narrow view of Christianity, and when I say there are very few fundamentalists, I mean in the sense that they are all actually called fundamentalist churches, and those would be quite small. There are no large ones. ~Rick Warren

 "Legalistic?"  "Narrow view?"

Seriously???

Does Rick Warren mean legalistic,
as in they might actually hold to a
belief in the Ten Commandments?

Is this "narrow view" concept of Christianity
mean they have the audacity to believe
the scriptural ways of
narrowness, like John 14:6?

While Rick faults the Five Fundamentals document,
Rick himself is in the business
of redefining and replacing
and changing Christianity...
be ready for a little slight of mind,
you see,
as Rick finds fault some obscure document

 you never paid much attention to before,
he would be happy to get you to ascribe
another concept of fundamentals...

Five of them...called the Five Purposes.

MR. WILLIAMS: Bob Jones is not a mega-church?

MR. WARREN: No, no, no, no, no, no no. Bob Jones is not a mega-church. That's right exactly, it's not, and that group is shrinking more and more and more. On the other hand, Pentecostalism and charismatic evangelicalism is growing by leaps and bounds. It's growing huge all over the world. And so that's the movement that's growing.

MR. WILLIAMS: What's the difference between a fundamentalist and a Pentecostal?

MR. WARREN: A fundamentalist would deny the miraculous today. They would - for instance, one of the hallmarks of a Pentecostal would be praying for miracles of healing and speaking in an unknown tongue and things like that. Those would be hallmarks of Pentecostalism and fundamentalists would say, "Oh no, all that stuff died at the end of the New Testament." They would not accept the miraculous today.

Rick is a bit misleading..  

"Fundamental" teachings
of the Christian faith, 

like the virgin birth and
the resurrection of Jesus,
resurrection from the dead

are not your common everyday occurrence;

these are miraculous indeed, and Christians 

who believe the fundamentals of Christianity

believe those very things.
They do believe in miracles.

As Christians they have the liberty
to be like Bereans
and search the scriptures
so as not to be deceived
when dealing with

signs, wonders and

sensational appearances  

of things like gold teeth
that appear  in people's mouths
and then appear
to some as "miracles"

MR. WILLIAMS: So what's the difference between you and the fundamentalists?

MR. WARREN: Well, I don't agree with that. I believe there are miracles today.

MR. CROMARTIE: Let me give you a quick answer to that. The difference between an evangelical and a fundamentalist is an evangelical is someone who really, really, really likes Billy Graham. A fundamentalist is someone who thinks Billy Graham is a liberal.

MR. WARREN: That would be true. A fundamentalist basically would look at many others in Christianity and say, "You're not even a Christian." They'd say it about Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics. You know - even evangelicals. It's interesting - maybe 15-20 years ago, Falwell stopped calling himself a fundamentalist, and actually left the fundamentalist fellowship, and he went and joined the Southern Baptist Convention - which is as wide - I mean you can find anything in that."

The Myth of the Modern Megachurch, Pew Forum, Transcript, 2005

 

"MR. GOLDBERG:....The question is, do you think your followers - or the people who come to church, the people who read your books, the people you are talking to all over the world - are sophisticated enough to hold this contradiction in their minds and to see Jewish people as not just Jews, but let's divide the world between the saved and the unsaved. Do you think that they are sophisticated enough -

MR. WARREN: I do. Absolutely, without a doubt because the fundamental issue of Christianity is this: the purpose-driven life is built on two verses of scripture, both by Jesus. One is called the Great Commission, and the other is called the Great Commandment."

The Myth of the Modern Megachurch, Pew Forum, Transcript, 2005

Be amazed as you 
watch Rick redefining 
what a "fundamental" Christian is. 
 He is stating that the purpose driven paradigm is 
built not on fundamentals already established, 
Watch how he circumvents that idea... 
and tells his listeners Purpose Driven
is the  fundamental issue of Christianity.
and it's not built on Jesus, but rather 
built on two commandments...
Jesus gave.
                                
THIS, is manipulation, and it is legalistic.

"And so I think fundamentally Christianity and Judaism both teach that it's all about love. It's all about loving God and loving your neighbor. That's why I was serious when I was saying you're my cousin; I obviously have far more in common with someone who is Jewish than I do with someone who is a secularist - far more in common because we worship the same God; it is Adonai, it is Jehovah. We worship the same God. We are cousins in the faith.

Now the ridiculous thing is this myth that all religions are not mutually exclusive. If you've studied them - anybody who has studied the world religions knows they cannot all be right because they totally contradict each other. Anybody who says they don't has never studied the world religions. They are mutually exclusive, and that's why I come back to my earlier statement that I'm going to bet my life on one of them because I cannot bet my life on all of them. And I think the stupid thing is not to make a bet."                                                                                      ~Rick Warren

The Myth of the Modern Megachurch, Pew Forum, Transcript, 2005

 

"Now the ridiculous thing is this myth that all religions are not mutually exclusive."

 ~Rick Warren

 

"I think fundamentally Christianity and Judaism both teach that it's all about love. It's all about loving God and loving your neighbor"

"Muslim fundamentalism, 

Christian fundamentalism,

Jewish fundamentalism, 

secular fundamentalism -

 - they're all motivated by fear.

Fear of each other."

                                                                                       ~ Rick Warren

.