Purpose Driven or Scripture Driven - Holy Bible Institute
Purpose Driven or Scripture Driven - Holy Bible Institute
Purpose Driven or Scripture Driven - Holy Bible Institute
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<strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong><strong>or</strong> <strong>Scripture</strong><strong>Driven</strong>A Warning about RickWarren & the <strong>Purpose</strong><strong>Driven</strong> PhilosophyBy David Cloud
<strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> <strong>or</strong> <strong>Scripture</strong> <strong>Driven</strong>Copyright 2008 by David CloudSecond edition February 2009ISBN 978-1-58318-110-2Published byWay of Life LiteratureP.O. Box 610368, P<strong>or</strong>t Huron, MI 48061-0368866-295-4143 (toll free) fbns@wayoflife.<strong>or</strong>g (e-mail)http://www.wayoflife.<strong>or</strong>g (web site)Canada:Bethel Baptist Church,4212 Campbell St. N., London, Ont. N6P 1A6 519-652-2619 (voice) 519-652-0056 (fax) info@bethelbaptist.ca (e-mail)Printed in Canada byBethel Baptist Print Ministry2
CONTENTSA Review ―The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life‖ .................................. 4A Visit to Saddleback Church ........................................... 24Warren‘s Anti-Fundamentalist Tirades ............................. 31Saddleback Church Rocking & Rolling ............................. 40Warren‘s Global Vision ..................................................... 52Warren Tells Past<strong>or</strong>s to Get Rid of Troublemakers .......... 55Book Calls Warren Opponents ―Leaders from Hell‖ .......... 57Warren Joins Hands with Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance .............. 59Warren Speaks at Yoido Full Gospel Church ................... 76Warren Joins the W<strong>or</strong>ld‘s AIDS Bandwagon .................... 78Warren Teams up with Alpha International ....................... 81Warren‘s Message in the Ladies Home Journal ............... 84Warren Doesn‘t Mention Jesus Once to Jews .................. 92Warren Predicts a ―New Ref<strong>or</strong>mation‖ .............................. 94An Analysis of the <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Strategy ..................... 96Who Art Thou That Judgeth Another Man‘s Servant? .... 1233
A REVIEW OF “THE PURPOSEDRIVEN LIFE”The book “The <strong>Purpose</strong> Drive Life” by Rick Warren ofSaddleback Church in southern Calif<strong>or</strong>nia has sold m<strong>or</strong>ethan 18 million copies.Saddleback is associated with the Southern BaptistConvention, but Warren‟s “<strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong>” philosophyhas spread to most denominations.Called by Christianity Today “America‟s most influentialpast<strong>or</strong>,” Warren‟s influence is vast. It reaches into everysphere of Christianity in our day, from Catholicism toM<strong>or</strong>monism to liberal Protestantism to evangelicalismto fundamentalist <strong>Bible</strong> and Baptist churches.Many independent Baptist churches are beinginfluenced by Warren‟s teaching. F<strong>or</strong> example, Warrenconducted a <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Super-Conference inOctober 2003 at Jerry Falwell‟s Liberty University inLynchburg, Virginia (Falwell affiliated with theSouthern Baptist Convention and the Baptist <strong>Bible</strong>Fellowship). Simultaneously, Warren‟s 40 Days of<strong>Purpose</strong> campaign was shown by telecast in m<strong>or</strong>e than4,000 churches, including independent Baptist.Bruce Ryskamp, president of Zondervan, said, “The<strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life is m<strong>or</strong>e than a bestseller; it‟sbecome a movement.”Over 12,000 churches from all 50 states in America and19 countries have participated in Warren‟s 40 Days of<strong>Purpose</strong>, which is drawn from the book. Over 60,000past<strong>or</strong>s subscribe to Rick Warren‟s Ministry Toolbox. Hehas provided materials and teaching to Christians inm<strong>or</strong>e than 117 countries on all seven continents.4
Richard Bennett observes, “The movement is becominga global empire.”Rick Warren has been called “America‟s past<strong>or</strong>,” and itis f<strong>or</strong> good reason. He is so shallow in his teaching, sopositive in his approach, so slighting of repentance, soneglecting of unpopular doctrines such as Hell andjudgment and repentance, so tolerant of heresies, soenthusiastic of rock music, so soft-spoken on that nastysubject of w<strong>or</strong>ldliness, that apostate America can‟t helpbut love him.All of these characteristics are reflected in his bestsellingbook.A Foundational Err<strong>or</strong> in Warren’s BookIs the Extreme Shallowness andInsufficiency of His GospelIn chapter 7, “The Reason f<strong>or</strong> Everything,” Warrenexplains to his readers how they can become aChristian.―If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to dois receive and believe. ... First, believe. Believe God lovesyou and made you f<strong>or</strong> his purposes. Believe you‘re not anaccident. Believe you were made to last f<strong>or</strong>ever. BelieveGod has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus,who died on the cross f<strong>or</strong> you. Believe that no matter whatyou‘ve done, God wants to f<strong>or</strong>give you. Second, receive.Receive his f<strong>or</strong>giveness f<strong>or</strong> your sins. Receive his Spirit,who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. ...Wherever you are reading this, I invite you to bow yourhead and quietly whisper the prayer that will change youreternity. ‗Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you.‘ Goahead. If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations!Welcome to the family of God!‖ (The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life,pp. 58, 59).5
This is one of the most superficial “gospels” I have everseen. There is nothing here that would offend <strong>or</strong> convictthe Pope <strong>or</strong> a M<strong>or</strong>mon. It‟s not the gospel that waspreached in the book of Acts <strong>or</strong> Romans.F<strong>or</strong> one thing, there is no clear dealing with the sinissue. Warren‟s book is intended f<strong>or</strong> wide distribution insociety at large, and it is not enough in such a contextmerely to mention the w<strong>or</strong>d sin. The average person inN<strong>or</strong>th America will admit that he is not perfect and thathe is a “sinner” in some sense, but he also thinks ofhimself as a pretty good person. When he thinks ofhimself as a sinner, he does not mean what the <strong>Bible</strong>means, that he was shaped in iniquity and conceived insin (Psa. 51:5), that his heart is deceitful above allthings and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9) and full ofevil (Ecc. 9:3), that he is unrighteous and unprofitable(Rom. 3:10-11), that in his flesh dwells no good thing(Rom. 7:18), and that his very righteousness is as filthyrags bef<strong>or</strong>e a holy God (Isa. 64:6). Warren‟s incrediblyshallow approach allows any person who will admitthat he is a sinner in any sense to pray a prayer andthen think of himself as a genuine Christian, eventhough he might continue to deny what the <strong>Bible</strong> saysabout sin.There are many other things we could expose inWarren‟s gospel. There is nothing about God‟s holinessand justice. There is no clear teaching on what Jesusdid on the cross. There is nothing about the blood.Warren invites the reader to “believe on Jesus.” WhatJesus? People today believe in all s<strong>or</strong>ts of false christs,but Warren does not warn them of this n<strong>or</strong> does he takethe time to identify the true Jesus of the <strong>Bible</strong> in anyclear fashion and to distinguish Him from false ones.6
Just a vague “believe on Jesus” and presto you areready to Heaven.And Warren completely ign<strong>or</strong>es repentance. There isnot a hint here that the sinner must repent of his sinand idolatry and false gospels. This is not the gospelthat Paul preached. Paul summarized his message asfollows: “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to theGreeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward ourL<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Warren says that hebelieves in the Great Commission and he mentions it inpassing in The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, but he ign<strong>or</strong>esrepentance, which is a part of the Great Commission.Christ gave the Great Commission in Luke 24:44-48 andHe commanded that “repentance and remission of sinsshould be preached in his name among all nations.”Paul boldly preached repentance to the philosophersand idolaters in Athens, and if he were alive today, hewould certainly preach repentance to the idolaters inAmerica! Paul said that God “now commandeth all menevery where to repent” (Acts 17:30), and we can besure that God hasn‟t changed His mind.Warren Teaches a Self-Esteem Theologyunder the Guise of W<strong>or</strong>ship and ServiceThough Warren professes that his teaching does notexalt man but rather exalts God and he claims that hedoes not teach a self-help program, in reality he teachesnothing less than a Robert Schuller-style Self-Esteemtheology.Notice the following statements:―The moment you were b<strong>or</strong>n into the w<strong>or</strong>ld, God was thereas an unseen witness, smiling at your birth. ... It provesyour w<strong>or</strong>th. If you are that imp<strong>or</strong>tant to God, and he7
considers you valuable enough to keep you f<strong>or</strong> eternity,what great significance could you have? ... Anything youdo that brings pleasure to God is an act of w<strong>or</strong>ship ... Youmay be gifted at mechanics <strong>or</strong> mathematics <strong>or</strong> music <strong>or</strong> athousand other skills. All these abilities can bring a smileto God‘s face. ... You only bring him enjoyment by beingyou. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you arerejecting God‘s wisdom and sovereignty in creating you. ...God also gains pleasure in watching you enjoy hiscreation. ... When you are sleeping, God gazes at you withlove, because you were his idea. He loves you as if youwere the only person on earth‖ (pp. 61, 64, 74, 75).Here w<strong>or</strong>ship is turned on its head by making it asmuch about me as about God. I am so loveable and soimp<strong>or</strong>tant and so desirable to God that whatever I dobrings God pleasure and theref<strong>or</strong>e is w<strong>or</strong>ship.Wonderful me! The self-esteem theology is m<strong>or</strong>e aboutcelebrating self than dying to self, even when it talks ofdying to self! Warren says that if I reject any part ofmyself I am denying God‟s sovereignty. What about sinand what it has done to “myself”?Consider another statement from Warren‟s popularbook:―If you want to know how much you matter to God, look atChrist with his arms outstretched on the cross, saying, ‗Ilove you this much! I‘d rather die than live withoutyou‘‖ (p. 79).Thus, the cross is sanctified by the self-esteem theologyso that it is about me and how the L<strong>or</strong>d couldn‟t livewithout me. Wonderful me!Consider another statement:―God is a lover and a liberat<strong>or</strong>, and surrendering to himbrings freedom, not bondage. When we completelysurrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is ... nota boss, but a brother...‖ (p. 79).8
The self-esteem God is dedicated to liberating me. He isnot a boss! He‟s just a Big Buddy, a Powerful Pal.Warren quotes from Olympic runner Eric Liddell: “Togive up running would be to hold him in contempt.”Thus, to deny what I am gifted at and what I like to dois to deny God. Isn‟t it clever how that Warren hasidentified self-will with God‟s will so that they havebecome one and the same?In fact, things I am gifted f<strong>or</strong> and enjoy oftentimes comeinto conflict with God‟s perfect will. God oftentimescalls upon an individual to give up even legitimatethings f<strong>or</strong> which he <strong>or</strong> she is highly gifted and qualified.Many men have given up such things when God calledthem to be a preacher <strong>or</strong> a missionary. Peter, James,and John gave up fishing. In the 1980s, I met a Chineseman in Singap<strong>or</strong>e who was a brilliant chess champion.God had saved him and called him to preach and hewas preparing himself in a <strong>Bible</strong> College. He told mehow that f<strong>or</strong> awhile he had written a column on chessf<strong>or</strong> a newspaper f<strong>or</strong> extra income toward his <strong>Bible</strong>training, but he discovered that it was not possible tokeep the chess moves out of his mind when he wastrying to study <strong>Scripture</strong> so he gave it up entirely,though he was highly gifted at it and enjoyed it. That istrue dying to self.Note the following quotes from chapters 30 and 31 ofThe <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life which deal with finding myplace in God‟s will:―Listening to your heart. The <strong>Bible</strong> uses the term heart todescribe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests,ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. Your heartrepresents the source of all your motivations--what youlove to do and what you are about most. ... Don‘t ign<strong>or</strong>e9
your interests. Consider how they might be used f<strong>or</strong> God‘sgl<strong>or</strong>y. There is a reason that you love to do these things.... How do you know when you are serving God from yourheart? The first telltale sign is enthusiasm. When you aredoing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you <strong>or</strong>challenge you <strong>or</strong> check up on you. ... The secondcharacteristic of serving God from your heart iseffectiveness. Whenever you do what God wired you tolove to do, you get good at it. ... Figure out what you loveto do--what God gave you a heart to do--and then do it f<strong>or</strong>his gl<strong>or</strong>y. ... What I‘m able to do, God wants me to do‖ (pp.237, 238, 239, 243).Note that Warren does not warn his readers that theheart is deceitful above all things and desperatelywicked (Jeremiah 17:9). What a gross, inexcusableomission! While it is true that you can trust your desiresto some small extent when you are a mature Christianand you are delighting in God and immersed in HisW<strong>or</strong>d and obeying Him (Psa. 37:4), how many of thereaders of The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life are in that condition?A great many of the millions of readers of this book aredoubtless complete unbelievers <strong>or</strong> nominal Christians <strong>or</strong>novices <strong>or</strong> carnal, and to teach them that what they loveto do is God‟s will is frightful heresy. Many areprofessional sp<strong>or</strong>ts fanatics, f<strong>or</strong> example. Others arerock & roll fanatics. Others are fanatics about modernfashion trends. Are they fanatic about such thingsbecause that is the way that God made them? No, theyare fanatic about such things because they areconf<strong>or</strong>med to the w<strong>or</strong>ld and walk in the way of sinners(Psalm 1:1; Romans 12:2).There are many things that professing Christians aregifted f<strong>or</strong> and effective at that are NOT God‟s will!Again, we see that when Rick Warren‟s theology isexamined carefully it is about self-fulfillment, but it is10
presented under the guise of w<strong>or</strong>shipping and servingGod.Warren builds his self-esteem theology upon strangeversions of the <strong>Bible</strong>. Consider an example:―The <strong>Bible</strong> says, ‗Noah was a pleasure to the L<strong>or</strong>d.‘ Godsaid, ‗This guy brings me pleasure. He makes mesmile‖ (The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, p. 69).Warren is quoting Genesis 6:8 in the Living <strong>Bible</strong>. Infact, this verse should say, “But Noah found grace in theeyes of the LORD.” It has nothing to do with Godgetting pleasure from Noah. It has everything to do withNoah getting fav<strong>or</strong> from the L<strong>or</strong>d! The Living <strong>Bible</strong>perverts this verse, turning it upon its very head.Nonetheless, since it fits Rick Warren‟s theology hegrabs hold of it and pretends that it is <strong>Scripture</strong>.Consider another example of how Warren builds his self-esteem theology upon inaccurate versions of <strong>Scripture</strong>.―The <strong>Bible</strong> says, ‗Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice isthe way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self‘‖ (p.19).Here Warren quotes Matthew 16:25 in The Message.Actually, the verse should say, “F<strong>or</strong> whosoever will savehis life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life f<strong>or</strong>my sake shall find it.”There is not a hint here about self-help <strong>or</strong> finding yourtrue self. The verse is not teaching about findingyourself but about finding your life. What Warrenquotes as <strong>Scripture</strong> is actually a presumptuousprefabrication by Eugene Peterson, the auth<strong>or</strong> of TheMessage.11
The Message also takes away the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s solemn warningthat whosoever will find his life shall lose it. This fits inperfectly with Warren‟s unscriptural positivism.Warren Slights over Hell and Judgmentand the Fear of GodThe L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ preached on Hell frequently.There are nearly 100 references in <strong>Scripture</strong> to fearingthe L<strong>or</strong>d, and God‟s judgment is a never-ending themeof <strong>Scripture</strong>.However, when it comes to Rick Warren, he does notmention God‟s judgment, never urges his listeners tofear the L<strong>or</strong>d, and he makes only one passing referenceto Hell. This is on page 37, and in the same section, hequotes C.S. Lewis twice. Lewis believed that Hell is ametaph<strong>or</strong> and a state of mind: “And every state ofmind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creaturewithin the dungeon of its own mind--is, in the end,Hell” (Lewis, The Great Div<strong>or</strong>ce, p. 65).Not only did the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ preach much on Hell,but he also preached it hot and furiously.―And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better f<strong>or</strong> theeto enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go intohell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where theirw<strong>or</strong>m dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thyfoot offend thee, cut it off: it is better f<strong>or</strong> thee to enter haltinto life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into thefire that never shall be quenched: Where their w<strong>or</strong>m diethnot, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offendthee, pluck it out: it is better f<strong>or</strong> thee to enter into thekingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to becast into hell fire: Where their w<strong>or</strong>m dieth not, and the fireis not quenched‖ (Jesus Christ, Mark 9:43-48).12
There is no a hint of this kind of preaching in RickWarren‟s woefully inadequate ministry.If ever there were an hour in which the people of thisw<strong>or</strong>ld need to hear Hell and judgment and the fear ofGod preached fiery hot and powerfully plain it is thispresent unbelieving, mocking, blasphemous, pleasuremad, self-loving, self-content, self-righteous age, but thepopular preachers won‟t touch it. It is too negative. Toodamaging to self-esteem. Too dogmatic and intolerant.Too likely to offend and cut into the size of myaudience.Warren Promotes Every Strange <strong>Bible</strong>VersionIn The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, Warren uses 15 different<strong>Bible</strong> versions, including two Roman Catholic ones (TheNew American <strong>Bible</strong> and the New Jerusalem <strong>Bible</strong>). Hisfav<strong>or</strong>ites are the “dynamic equivalency” versions such asthe Living <strong>Bible</strong>, the New Living <strong>Bible</strong>, Today‟s EnglishVersion, the Contemp<strong>or</strong>ary English Version, and TheMessage. The latter seems to be his most fav<strong>or</strong>ite.As a result, it is often impossible to know exactly what<strong>Scripture</strong> he is quoting because it is so strangelyparaphrased and wildly inaccurate.On page 70, Warren quotes Hebrews 11:7 from TheMessage.―By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. Hewas warned about something he couldn‘t see, and actedon what he was told ... As a result, Noah became intimatewith God.‖In the dependable King James <strong>Bible</strong>, this verse says:13
―By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen asyet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of hishouse; by the which he condemned the w<strong>or</strong>ld, andbecame heir of the righteousness which is by faith.‖We can see that The Message adds to and takes awayfrom the W<strong>or</strong>d of God in an amazing manner. It addsthe bit about Noah building a ship in the middle of dryland. It omits the fact that Noah moved with fear. Itchanges “became heir of the righteousness which is byfaith” to “became intimate with God.”On page 20 of The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, Warren quotes 1C<strong>or</strong>inthians 2:7 from The Message:―God‘s wisdom ... goes deep into the interi<strong>or</strong> of hispurposes ... It‘s not the latest message, but m<strong>or</strong>e like theoldest--what God determined as the way to bring out hisbest in us.‖In the King James <strong>Bible</strong>, this says:―But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even thehidden wisdom, which God <strong>or</strong>dained bef<strong>or</strong>e the w<strong>or</strong>ld untoour gl<strong>or</strong>y.‖It is obvious that The Message is not a translation in anysense of the w<strong>or</strong>d; it is a presumption. It is not God‟sthoughts but man‟s. It is almost childish, not because itis simple but because it is ridiculous.Warren claims to have quoted m<strong>or</strong>e than 1,000<strong>Scripture</strong>s in The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, but most of thequotations are similar to the previous examples andhave no right to be called <strong>Scripture</strong>.When I visited a service at Saddleback Church in 2003,I observed that only a few people were carrying <strong>Bible</strong>sinto the audit<strong>or</strong>ium. The reason became clear when Isaw the multiplicity of versions that were used in thepreaching. It would be impossible to follow along in14
one‟s <strong>Bible</strong>. The result is that the people do not bringtheir own <strong>Bible</strong>s and do not theref<strong>or</strong>e carefully test thepreaching. How could they, when any biblical statementthey would attempt to examine has dozens ofcontradict<strong>or</strong>y variations in various versions?Warren Slights Scriptural BaptismThe <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life has a page and a half dealingwith baptism, but there is not a w<strong>or</strong>d about the mode,which is one of the most imp<strong>or</strong>tant aspects. Warrenleaves the reader with the impression that pouring,sprinkling, <strong>or</strong> immersion is equally acceptable.Obviously, it would offend many readers if he were topresent a truly Scriptural position on baptism as a burialin water, but what else would a true <strong>Bible</strong> believer anda true Baptist do?Warren Claims That God Loves All Kindsof MusicIn chapter 8 of The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, Warren becomesa prophet, saying:―God loves all kinds of music because he invented it all--fast and slow, loud and soft, old and new. You probablydon‘t like it all, but God does! ... Christians often disagreeover the style of music used in w<strong>or</strong>ship, passionatelydefending their preferred style as the most biblical <strong>or</strong> Godhon<strong>or</strong>ing.But there is no biblical style! ... God likes varietyand enjoys it all. There is no such thing as ‗Christian‘music; there are only Christian lyrics. It is the w<strong>or</strong>ds thatmake a song sacred, not the tune. There are no spiritualtunes‖ (pp. 65, 66).This idea that music is neutral and that any music canbe used in the service of the L<strong>or</strong>d, has opened the do<strong>or</strong>15
f<strong>or</strong> the w<strong>or</strong>ld to come into the churches, as few otherthings.Though the <strong>Bible</strong> nowhere says, n<strong>or</strong> even hints that Godloves all kinds of music, we are to believe that he doesbecause Rick Warren says so. His only evidence f<strong>or</strong> thisoutrageous statement is his reasoning that since God“invented it all” He must like it all. Yet, where is theevidence that God invented all music? Are you tellingme that the devil and sinful men are not involved in thefield of music? That is a ridiculous thought, seeing thatthe devil is called “the god of this w<strong>or</strong>ld,” and music isone of the most powerful influences among men. Sinfulmen have used music since Cain‟s children built the firstsociety apart from God and made musical instrumentsto satisfy their carnal pleasures (Genesis 4:16-21).Styles of music are not neutral. Rock musicians havetestified that they play their particular style of rhythmf<strong>or</strong> the very reason that it is lascivious. Frank Zappasaid: “Rock music is sex. The big beat matches thebody‟s rhythms” (Life, June 28, 1968). Gene Simmonssays, “That‟s what rock is all about--sex with a 100megaton bomb, the beat!” (Entertainment Tonight, ABC,Dec. 10, 1987).Note that they are not talking merely about rock music‟slyrics and associations but also about its RHYTHM, thethumping back beat! These men of the w<strong>or</strong>ld believethere is such a thing as a sexy rhythmic pattern. RapperMissy Elliot‟s album, “Miss E ... So Addictive,” wasdescribed as “a seductive cocktail of quirky rhythms andhypnotic beats.”Why do these secular rockers describe their heavilysyncopated rock rhythms as sexy, seductive, andhypnotic? They are saying that music is not neutral and16
that the heavy rock & roll backbeat that can be heard onany Sunday at Saddleback Church is sensual andlicentious and that is exactly why they, secular rockers,love it.As f<strong>or</strong> the idea that there is no biblical style of music,we could not disagree m<strong>or</strong>e fervently. The <strong>Bible</strong> tells usexactly what type of music to sing in our churches, asfollows: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymnsand spiritual songs, singing and making melody in yourheart to the L<strong>or</strong>d” (Ephesians 5:19).Spiritual songs are not the same as unspiritual <strong>or</strong>sensual <strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>ldly, hymns are not the same as rockmusic, melody is not the same as raucous repetition.Spiritual is something that is set apart from the w<strong>or</strong>ldunto a holy God; something that is different incharacter than the things of the w<strong>or</strong>ld. The <strong>Bible</strong> givesplain instruction about the Christian‟s affiliation withw<strong>or</strong>ldly things, and any music that draws the child ofGod into fellowship with the w<strong>or</strong>ld is to be rejected(James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16). The <strong>Bible</strong> f<strong>or</strong>bids theChristian to be conf<strong>or</strong>med to the w<strong>or</strong>ld (Romans 12:2).Yet the Contemp<strong>or</strong>ary Christian Music that Rick Warrenuses in his church is nothing if not conf<strong>or</strong>med to thew<strong>or</strong>ld‟s musical styles.“And be not conf<strong>or</strong>med to this w<strong>or</strong>ld: but be yetransf<strong>or</strong>med by the renewing of your mind, that ye mayprove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,will of God” (Romans 12:2).“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful w<strong>or</strong>ks ofdarkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).“Love not the w<strong>or</strong>ld, neither the things that are in thew<strong>or</strong>ld. If any man love the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the love of the Father17
is not in him. F<strong>or</strong> all that is in the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the lust of theflesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isnot of the Father, but is of the w<strong>or</strong>ld. And the w<strong>or</strong>ldpasseth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeththe will of God abideth f<strong>or</strong> ever” (1 John 2:15-17).(F<strong>or</strong> m<strong>or</strong>e about this subject see the book Contemp<strong>or</strong>aryChristian Music under the Spotlight and the videopresentation Distinguishing between Sacred andContemp<strong>or</strong>ary Styles of Music, available from Way of LifeLiterature, http://wayoflife.<strong>or</strong>g.)Warren Promotes an Unscriptural JudgeNot PhilosophyThe <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life contains extensivedocumentation of Rick Warren‟s dangerous andunscriptural “judge not” ecumenical philosophy.On page 164, Warren says:―God warns us over and over not to criticize, compare, <strong>or</strong>judge each other. ... Whenever I judge another believer,four things instantly happen: I lose fellowship with God, Iexpose my own pride, I set myself to be judged by God,and I harm the fellowship of the church.‖In typical New Evangelical fashion Warren makes nodistinction between judging hypocritically (which isf<strong>or</strong>bidden in Matthew 7) <strong>or</strong> judging on the basis ofpersonal preference in matters not taught in <strong>Scripture</strong>(which is f<strong>or</strong>bidden in Romans 14) and judging on thebasis of the <strong>Bible</strong> (which is required by God).The child of God has an obligation to judge everythingby God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d. The believers at C<strong>or</strong>inth were rebukedbecause they were careless in this regard and weretolerant of false teachers (2 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 11:1-4). The18
Bereans, on the other hand, were commended becausethey carefully tested everything by <strong>Scripture</strong> (Acts17:11). The <strong>Bible</strong> says “... he that is spiritual judgeth allthings” (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 2:15) and Jesus taught that we should“judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). We are tojudge preaching (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 14:29) and sin in the churches(1 C<strong>or</strong>. 5). We are to try the spirits (1 John 4:1).To test preachers and their message carefully by God‟sW<strong>or</strong>d is not a matter of pride, but of wisdom andspirituality and obedience.On page 34 of The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, Warren says:―God won‘t ask about your religious background <strong>or</strong>doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did youaccept what Jesus did f<strong>or</strong> you and did you learn to loveand trust him?‖If this is true, why does the <strong>Bible</strong> say so very muchabout doctrine and why did the apostles call f<strong>or</strong>doctrinal purity on every hand? Paul instructed Timothyto allow “no other doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3). That isthe very strictest stance on doctrinal purity, and it isprecisely the stance we find throughout the apostolicwritings. Rick Warren has a lot to answer f<strong>or</strong>, becausemillions of people are basing their lives upon histeaching rather than upon the pure W<strong>or</strong>d of God.If God is unconcerned about doctrine, why did theapostles spend so much time warning about falsedoctrines and doctrines of devils? See, f<strong>or</strong> example, 2C<strong>or</strong>inthians 11:1-4; Galatians 1:6-12; Philippians 3:18-21; Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 2 Timothy 4:1-4; 2 Peter 2; Jude 3-23.Rick Warren requires his church members to sign acovenant promising to protect the unity of the church19
(The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, p. 167). This is a dangerousand unscriptural covenant. The child of God is notinstructed to submit to a church <strong>or</strong> to its leaders blindlyand at any cost. We are commanded to “prove allthings” (1 Thess. 5:21), and all things means all things.The Bereans are commended and called noble becausethey “searched the scriptures daily, whether thosethings were so” (Acts 17:11). No preacher <strong>or</strong> church isabove being tested by God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d. The <strong>Bible</strong> says, “Letthe prophets speak two <strong>or</strong> three, and let the otherjudge” (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 14:29). Preaching is to be carefullyjudged by God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d. The past<strong>or</strong> has God-givenauth<strong>or</strong>ity (Heb. 13:17), but it is not unquestionableauth<strong>or</strong>ity and it is not his own auth<strong>or</strong>ity; he is not ashepherd over his own flock; he is an undershepherdover God‟s and he will give an account to the GreatShepherd (1 Peter 5:1-4). The past<strong>or</strong>‟s auth<strong>or</strong>ity is notin his own w<strong>or</strong>d; it is in God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d (Heb. 13:7); and ifhe strays from the W<strong>or</strong>d of God he has no auth<strong>or</strong>ityover God‟s people and he should not be followed. Blindloyalty to a church is popery and it is a gross heresy.Warren even claims that “conflict is usually a sign thatthe focus has shifted to less imp<strong>or</strong>tant things” (p. 162).If this were true, then the apostles and preachers in theearly churches were sidetracked much of the time,because they were frequently involved in doctrinalconflicts. Paul was involved in such conflicts almostcontinually. Many of his epistles contain lengthysections in which he takes a stand against falseteachers. In his epistles to his fellow preacher Timothy,Paul repeatedly warned about false teachers by name (1Tim. 1:19-20; 2 Tim. 1:15; 2:17-18; 4:12, 14).20
Paul taught Timothy to have respect unto all doctrineand not only to the “cardinal truths.” At the conclusionto the first epistle to Timothy Paul said:―I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickenth allthings, and bef<strong>or</strong>e Christ Jesus, who bef<strong>or</strong>e Pontius Pilatewitnessed a good confession; that thou keep thiscommandment without spot, unrebukeable, until theappearing of our L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ‖ (1 Timothy 6-13-14).Observe that Timothy was instructed to keep thedoctrine he had been taught in this epistle “withoutspot.” That refers to the details. The theme of firstTimothy is church truth. Paul said, “But if I tarry long,that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behavethyself in the house of God, which is the church of theliving God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1Timothy 3:15). The epistle contains instruction onmatters such as prayer and the woman‟s spiritualministry (1 Timothy 2), the qualifications of past<strong>or</strong>s anddeacons (1 Timothy 3), avoiding doctrines of devils (1Timothy 4), the care of widows (1 Timothy 5), and the<strong>or</strong>dination and discipline of elders (1 Timothy 6). Thattype of doctrine is considered “peripheral” and“secondary” by evangelicals today, but Paul taughtTimothy to have respect unto such doctrine and to keepit without spot.Warren Promotes HereticsIn keeping with his unscriptural judge not philosophy,Warren uncritically quotes from a wide variety oftheological heretics, especially Roman Catholics such asMother Teresa, Henri Nouwen, Brother Lawrence(Carmelite monk), John Main (Benedictine monk whobelieves that Christ “is not limited to Jesus of Nazareth,but remains among us in the monastic leaders, the sick,21
the guest, the po<strong>or</strong>”), Madame Guyon (a RomanCatholic who taught that prayer is not from the mindand does not involve thinking), and John of the Cross(who believed the mountains and f<strong>or</strong>ests are God).Warren does not warn his readers that these aredangerous false teachers who held to a false gospel.Mother Teresa and Henri Nouwen, who are quoted atleast four times in The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life, believed thatmen can be saved apart from personal faith in JesusChrist. When Mother Teresa died, her longtime friendand biographer Naveen Chawla said that he once askedher bluntly, “Do you convert?” She replied, “Of course Iconvert. I convert you to be a better Hindu <strong>or</strong> a betterMuslim <strong>or</strong> a better Protestant. Once you‟ve found God,it‟s up to you to decide how to w<strong>or</strong>ship him” (“MotherTeresa Touched other Faiths,” Associated Press, Sept. 7,1997). Henri Nouwen said, “Today I personally believethat while Jesus came to open the do<strong>or</strong> to God‟s house,all human beings can walk through that do<strong>or</strong>, whetherthey know about Jesus <strong>or</strong> not. Today I see it as my callto help every person claim his <strong>or</strong> her own way toGod” (Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey, p. 51).Why does Rick Warren continually and non-criticallypromote heretics? The <strong>Bible</strong> asks, “Can two walktogether, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).Warren’s Shallow Encapsulations of theNew Testament FaithOn every hand, Rick Warren presents his own shallowencapsulations as the true essence of biblicalChristianity. F<strong>or</strong> example, in chapter 39 he lists “God‟sfive purposes f<strong>or</strong> your life.” They are (1) Love God with22
all your heart, (2) Love your neighb<strong>or</strong> as yourself, (3)Go and make disciples, (4) Baptize them into [achurch], and (5) Teach them to do all things.There is nothing in these “five purposes” about holiness,contending f<strong>or</strong> the faith, separation from the w<strong>or</strong>ld,separation from false teaching, reproving sin and err<strong>or</strong>,and many other things that are emphasized in the NewTestament <strong>Scripture</strong>s. Obviously, Warren‟s five purposesf<strong>or</strong> life do not equal the sum total of God‟s.My friends, we don‟t need some misguided man‟sabbreviated f<strong>or</strong>m of Christianity; we need the “wholecounsel of God” as found in the <strong>Scripture</strong>s (Acts 20:27).The <strong>Bible</strong> as a whole, not a few select parts thereof, isthe sole and sufficient auth<strong>or</strong>ity f<strong>or</strong> faith and practice.The L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ instructed the churches to teach“all things” rather than a few things (Mat. 28:19-20).Beware of “The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life.” It is not faithful to<strong>Scripture</strong>, and if followed it will lead you away fromGod‟s will.23
A VISIT TO SADDLEBACK CHURCHSaddleback Church in Lake F<strong>or</strong>est, Calif<strong>or</strong>nia, past<strong>or</strong>edby Rick Warren, is one of the most influential churchesin the w<strong>or</strong>ld. Warren says, “This is a w<strong>or</strong>ld class churchmaking a w<strong>or</strong>ld class impact.” He is right about theimpact, but sadly, that impact is not encouraging strictfaithfulness to God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d.I visited two of the three m<strong>or</strong>ning services atSaddleback on August 24, 2003, the one at 8 a.m. andthe one at 9:45 a.m.The church complex is huge. The main audit<strong>or</strong>ium seatsmany thousands, and there are dozens of otherbuildings f<strong>or</strong> various ministries. The overall mood of theservices is casual in the extreme. The people dress muchas they would f<strong>or</strong> a secular sp<strong>or</strong>ting event. Women aredressed in sh<strong>or</strong>ts, sh<strong>or</strong>t skirts, tight pants, and othertypes of immodest attire. The church bulletin f<strong>or</strong> thatSunday was patterned after the cover to the TV Guide.The w<strong>or</strong>ds “TV Guide” were replaced with “SC Guide”f<strong>or</strong> Saddleback Church. Television was mentionedseveral times in the message but there was not a hint ofwarning about its dangers.The MusicThe music was pure rock and roll. There were fivesingers, two electric guitars, a drum kit, an electrickeyboard, two saxophones, a piano, trumpet, trombone,and flute. Three special numbers were perf<strong>or</strong>med with anightclub effect, complete with swirling lights in thebackground and attractive female singers swaying anddancing to the music. It appeared to me that not many24
of the people were actually participating in the w<strong>or</strong>shipservice. Most were merely watching the show up front.W<strong>or</strong>ship at Saddleback: Any W<strong>or</strong>ldlyWay You Want ItSaddleback Church features nine different “w<strong>or</strong>shipvenues.” There is a w<strong>or</strong>ship style to suit every w<strong>or</strong>ldlytaste. The Overdrive venue is “f<strong>or</strong> those who like guitardrivenrock band w<strong>or</strong>ship in a concert-like setting thatyou can FEEL.” The Ohana venue comes “complete withhula and island-style music,” and on the first Saturdayof every month you can take hula lessons during thepotluck following the service. The Country venuefeatures line dancing. I didn‟t make this up, folks. It isright from Saddleback‟s web site.―Love not the w<strong>or</strong>ld, neither the things that are in thew<strong>or</strong>ld. If any man love the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the love of the Father isnot in him. F<strong>or</strong> all that is in the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the lust of the flesh,and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of theFather, but is of the w<strong>or</strong>ld. And the w<strong>or</strong>ld passeth away,and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of Godabideth f<strong>or</strong> ever‖ (1 John 2:15-17).The SermonThe sermon, which was titled “The Potential of a SingleLife,” was a witty, motivational challenge to singlepeople to dedicate themselves to God. Rick Warren said,“You are as happy as you choose to be. … You canwaste your life on vanities, spend your life on yourself,and invest your life f<strong>or</strong> God.”Mother Teresa was used as an example with no warningabout her false gospel. There was no specific mention ofthe hard things of God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d such as sin, separation,25
judgment, Hell, <strong>or</strong> repentance. These were replacedwith general and vague references to biblical truth. Noclear gospel message was given. Some of the statementswere good, but the err<strong>or</strong> lay chiefly in what was notsaid. This is the hallmark of New Evangelicalism, whichis characterized not so much by the heresy that ispreached but by the truth that is neglected in an eff<strong>or</strong>tto present the <strong>Bible</strong> in a m<strong>or</strong>e positive light.Everything about Saddleback is shallow. Truth has beenboiled down to such a low common denominat<strong>or</strong> thatnot much is left. F<strong>or</strong> example, the SaddlebackStatement of Faith has six simple points. Note thefollowing statement on salvation, which we are quotingin full:―Salvation is a gift from God to mankind. We can nevermake up f<strong>or</strong> our sin by self-improvement <strong>or</strong> good w<strong>or</strong>ks.Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God‘s offer off<strong>or</strong>giveness can we be saved from sin‘s penalty. Eternallife begins the moment we receive Jesus Christ into ourlife by faith.‖Note that the gospel is not actually given in thisstatement. There is nothing about Christ‟s death, burial,and resurrection, nothing about His shed blood andatonement. Sinners are exh<strong>or</strong>ted to trust Christ but thatis not explained in any sense whatsoever. Paul, on theother hand, summarized the gospel in 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians15:3-4 as follows:―F<strong>or</strong> I delivered unto you first of all that which I als<strong>or</strong>eceived, how that Christ died f<strong>or</strong> our sins acc<strong>or</strong>ding to thescriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose againthe third day acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the scriptures.‖I talked with one man who told me he has been amember of Saddleback f<strong>or</strong> two years. I asked him whenhe was b<strong>or</strong>n again. He replied, “I have always been a26
Christian. I grew up in the Christian Church.” By that,he was referring to the Disciples of Christ, whichpreaches baptismal regeneration. He said that hismother took him to church, though his father was aBuddhist. I asked him what he was required to do tojoin Saddleback, and he replied that he “rededicated”his life at that time. I asked him if that was when hewas b<strong>or</strong>n again, and he insisted again that he hasalways been a Christian.<strong>Bible</strong> VersionsAn outline of the sermon was handed out with thebulletin, and six <strong>or</strong> seven <strong>Bible</strong> versions were quoted,most of them loose paraphrases <strong>or</strong> dynamicequivalencies such as the Living <strong>Bible</strong>, the New LivingTranslation, The Message, the Today‟s English Version,and the Contemp<strong>or</strong>ary English Version.I observed on the way into the audit<strong>or</strong>ium that only afew of the people carried <strong>Bible</strong>s, and the reason becameclear when I saw the multiplicity of versions that wereused in the preaching. It would be impossible to followalong in one‟s <strong>Bible</strong>. The result is that the people do notbring their own <strong>Bible</strong>s and do not theref<strong>or</strong>e carefullytest the preaching. How could they, when any biblicalstatement they would attempt to examine has dozens ofvariations?Avoiding Doctrinal ControversyIn an interview with USA Today that ran in the July 21,2003, issue, Rick Warren cited Billy Graham, the king ofecumenical “positive onlyism,” as his model. Warrensaid:27
―I‘m not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials.I won‘t try to change other denominations. Why bedivisive?‖Since Mr. Warren has asked his question, I will answerit.The reason we need to be divisive in an apostate hour isbecause God has commanded us to preach all of HisW<strong>or</strong>d and to “reprove, rebuke, exh<strong>or</strong>t” (2 Tim. 4:2).The emphasis in 2 Timothy 4 is as much “negative” as“positive,” and that is the preacher‟s divine standard.God has commanded us not only to believe sounddoctrine but also to earnestly contend f<strong>or</strong> it (Jude 3).That means we are to fight aggressively against thatwhich is false. This is exactly what we see in theuncompromising ministry of the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s apostles. Theirepistles contain strong and clear warnings about falseteaching. Paul often named the names of the falseteachers. Such a ministry naturally causes divisionsbetween those who are committed to the truth andthose who are following err<strong>or</strong>. Paul made no eff<strong>or</strong>twhatsoever to avoid doctrinal controversy. He enteredthe fray in practically every one of his epistles.The apostasy of our time is much advanced comparedto that of Paul‟s day (2 Tim. 3:1-13; 4:3-4). The <strong>Holy</strong>Spirit warned that “evil men and seducers shall waxw<strong>or</strong>se and w<strong>or</strong>se, deceiving, and being deceived” (2Tim. 3:13). That is the st<strong>or</strong>y of church hist<strong>or</strong>y. Theapostasy that was just beginning in the days of the firstchurches grew quickly as the centuries passed,eventually producing the Roman Catholic Church, andit has continued to grow and spread throughout theage. The <strong>Bible</strong> warns that pri<strong>or</strong> to the return of Christ,the apostasy will be almost complete. Jesus asked28
het<strong>or</strong>ically, “... when the Son of man cometh, shall hefind faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).Thus, preachers today are obligated to be even m<strong>or</strong>eaggressive and m<strong>or</strong>e divisive, if you will, than theapostles! We are obligated to “earnestly contend f<strong>or</strong> thefaith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude3).That, Mr. Warren, is why we should be divisive, andyou will give an account at the judgment seat of Christf<strong>or</strong> promoting your unscriptural “positive-only, avoiddivisiveness” emphasis. And in that day the W<strong>or</strong>d ofGod will wash away the man-made wall of churchgrowth, seeker-sensitive philosophy that you have builtup to defend your methodology and by which you haveduped so many.I believe this with all of my heart, and I weep over thedamage that is being caused to the churches of JesusChrist by a methodology that is breaking down the wallof separation between God‟s people and the w<strong>or</strong>ld butthat is doing so under the guise of a love f<strong>or</strong> the truth.This philosophy of rejecting strict scriptural separationdestroyed Israel of old and it will destroy every churchthat goes down the same road. What God complained ofthen is occurring in our day:―Her priests have violated my law, and have profanedmine holy things: they have put no difference between theholy and profane, neither have they shewed differencebetween the unclean and the clean, and have hid theireyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned amongthem‖ (Ezekiel 22:26).29
RICK WARREN’S ANTI-FUNDAMENTALIST TIRADESRick Warren preaches a non-judgmental message andrefuses to denounce the Pope <strong>or</strong> the M<strong>or</strong>mons, but hehas reproved biblical fundamentalists with greatenthusiasm.Warren Says Christian FundamentalismWill Be One of the Great Enemies of the21st CenturyWarren says that Christian fundamentalism will be “oneof the big enemies of the 21st century.” He lumpedChristian fundamentalism in with “Muslimfundamentalism” and “secular fundamentalism” (“The<strong>Purpose</strong>-<strong>Driven</strong> Past<strong>or</strong>,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan.8, 2006). Thus, the Christian fundamentalist whomerely seeks to take God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d seriously and to live itand to preach it faithfully bef<strong>or</strong>e his Heavenly Master issaid to be as dangerous to this w<strong>or</strong>ld as a Muslimterr<strong>or</strong>ist <strong>or</strong> a radical atheist.Warren said that Christian fundamentalism is motivatedby fear. One of the many problems with this statementis that the <strong>Bible</strong> often speaks of fear in a positivemanner. Paul was afraid that the devil would deceivethe believers. He said:―But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiledEve through his subtilty, so your minds should bec<strong>or</strong>rupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. F<strong>or</strong> if he thatcometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have notpreached, <strong>or</strong> if ye receive another spirit, which ye have notreceived, <strong>or</strong> another gospel, which ye have not accepted,31
ye might well bear with him‖ (2 C<strong>or</strong>. 11:3-4).We should follow the apostle‟s example and fearspiritual deception, both f<strong>or</strong> ourselves and f<strong>or</strong> others.The <strong>Bible</strong> says past<strong>or</strong>s who sin should be rebukedbef<strong>or</strong>e all “that others also may fear” (1 Tim. 5:20).Would that Saddleback Church would take that verseseriously and rebuke their heresy-preaching past<strong>or</strong>publicly!Noah is commended because he feared God‟s warning(Heb. 11:7). We are to pass this earthly sojourn withfear (1 Pet. 1:17). We are to save some by fear (Jude23).May God‟s men today fear God enough to obey HisW<strong>or</strong>d and to preach the whole counsel of God, to“reprove, rebuke, exh<strong>or</strong>t,” to warn the people of falseteachers like Rick Warren.Where, by the way, are the “staunch conservative” <strong>or</strong>“nearly fundamentalist” Southern Baptist leaders whoare exposing their fellow Southern Baptist RickWarren‟s err<strong>or</strong>s? They ridicule and speak against menlike me f<strong>or</strong> warning about err<strong>or</strong>s within the SouthernBaptist Convention, but they don‟t lift a voice on theirown. Well, I think I will just keep on warning!Warren Likens Biblical Fundamentaliststo Muslim Extremists and AtheisticSecularistsIn his interview on Larry King Live on December 2,2006, Rick Warren again likened biblical32
fundamentalists to Muslim extremists and atheisticsecularists. He said:―There are all kinds of fundamentalists, Larry, and they‘reall based on fear. There are Christian fundamentalists.There are Muslim fundamentalists. I‘ve met some Jewishfundamentalists. You know that there are secularfundamentalists. They‘re all based on fear. Secularfundamentalists are afraid of God.‖This statement is a vicious libel against Christianfundamentalists. Ge<strong>or</strong>ge Dollar, in his hist<strong>or</strong>y offundamentalism, defined it in this way:―Hist<strong>or</strong>ic fundamentalism is the literal interpretation of allthe affirmations and attitudes of the <strong>Bible</strong> and the militantexposure of all non-biblical affirmations andattitudes‖ (Dollar, A Hist<strong>or</strong>y of Fundamentalism inAmerica, 1973).Looking back over the hist<strong>or</strong>y of the fundamentalistmovement since the 1930s, John Ashbrook defined it asfollows:―Fundamentalism is the militant belief and proclamation ofthe basic doctrines of Christianity leading to a Scripturalseparation from those who reject them‖ (John Ashbrook,Axioms of Separation, n.d., p. 10).That is the type of fundamentalism that thousands ofchurches throughout the w<strong>or</strong>ld seek to emulate. RickWarren has set himself up against this scripturalposition and has likened it to Islamic terr<strong>or</strong>ism andsecular atheism.If fear is a central aspect of biblical fundamentalism it isthe fear of God that leads to strict obedience to HisW<strong>or</strong>d, and that is scriptural and right. That was exactlyhow Paul instructed the believers at C<strong>or</strong>inth to live:“Having theref<strong>or</strong>e these promises, dearly beloved, let uscleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and33
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 C<strong>or</strong>.7:1).Paul instructed the church at Philippi to “w<strong>or</strong>k out yourown salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).Hebrews 12:28 says we are to “serve God acceptablywith reverence and godly fear.”If Rick Warren does not have this fear, he is not a trueChristian, and if he does, let him apologize publicly f<strong>or</strong>saying that fear is a wrong thing and f<strong>or</strong> likening thosewho practice it to dangerous extremists. I won‟t holdmy breath, though.Friends in Christ, beware of Rick Warren. This popularSouthern Baptist preacher is an extremely dangerousman.Warren Rails against FundamentalistsAgainIn 2007, Rick Warren railed against fundamentalistChristians yet again. At a three-day summit on adoptionin Col<strong>or</strong>ado Springs Warren said:―We‘ve got some people who only focus on m<strong>or</strong>al purityand couldn‘t care less about the po<strong>or</strong>, the sick, theuneducated. And they haven‘t done zip f<strong>or</strong> those people.‖He said that too often Christians these days are definedby their ―big mouth‖--what they argue against, not whatthey embrace (―Christian Groups Launch MassiveAdoption Campaign, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2007).Warren mentioned James 1:27, which says pure religionis to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.What he failed to acknowledge is that the same versesays that pure religion is also to keep oneself unspottedfrom the w<strong>or</strong>ld. That describes a very strict type of34
separation, which requires reproving every f<strong>or</strong>m ofw<strong>or</strong>ldliness (Ephesians 5:11), and the <strong>Bible</strong> just asplainly teaches that we are to separate from andrenounce err<strong>or</strong>. Yet Warren denounces those who areattempting to obey these biblical injunctions.Biblical Christianity involves caring f<strong>or</strong> the needy as wellas maintaining strict standards of holiness and truth,and that is what biblical fundamentalists are doing.I have written m<strong>or</strong>e than 30 articles warning about RickWarren‟s err<strong>or</strong> and compromise, so I obviously have a“big mouth” by his definition, but my wife and Iadopted a special-needs child and have dedicatedalmost two decades of our lives to the f<strong>or</strong>eign missionfield and to giving away thousands of dollars of ourown money to the po<strong>or</strong>.Warren’s Duplicity in Regard toFundamentalismRick Warren apparently got some feedback in regard tolikening “fundamentalism” to Islamic terr<strong>or</strong>ism andhumanist atheism and calling it “one of the big enemiesof the 21st century” (“The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Past<strong>or</strong>,”Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 8, 2006), so he is busycovering his tracks.In an article entitled “Rick Warren on Fundamentalism”at the Saddleback Church web site, we learn that theyare fundamentalists after all!―Within Christianity, there‘s a large group of believers whoaffirm that there are certain facts about our faith that mustbe embraced, even if it isn‘t popular to proclaim thesefacts as true. These are facts such as Jesus was God inthe flesh, God raised Jesus from the dead, and theResurrection opened the singular path available f<strong>or</strong> men35
and women to intimately and eternally connect with God.These are among the fundamental truths of our Christianfaith (<strong>or</strong>, to use another phrase, they are foundationaltruths to our faith). Now, if you believe that thesefundamental truths are essential to the Christian faith, thenyou are a ‗fundamentalist‘ in the very basic sense of thew<strong>or</strong>d, and within that definition and context SaddlebackChurch is unapologetically fundamentalist. There is,however, another kind of fundamentalism that has nothingto do with fundamentals of the Christian faith; instead, it isabout keeping the right rules in the right way in <strong>or</strong>der toplease the right people. I‘m not speaking here about theTen Commandments <strong>or</strong> any of the other God-spokenstandards that light our way on the narrow path; I‘mreferring to the fanatical pursuit of keeping--and insistingthat others keep--rules that are man-made and oftenculturally influenced, rules that insist all Christians mustlook, act, and smell the same in <strong>or</strong>der to be consideredgenuine believers.‖This statement is so wrongheaded it is difficult to knowwhere to begin.First of all, Rick Warren stood bef<strong>or</strong>e the Pew F<strong>or</strong>um inMay 2005 and made the following statement:―Now the w<strong>or</strong>d ‗fundamentalist‘ actually comes from adocument in the 1920s called the Five Fundamentals ofthe Faith. And it is a very legalistic, narrow view ofChristianity ... I am an evangelical. I‘m not a member oft h e r e l i g i o u s r i g h t a n d I ‘ M N O T AFUNDAMENTALIST‖ (―Myths of the Modern Mega-Church,‖ May 23, 2005, transcript of the Pew F<strong>or</strong>um‘sbiannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics andpublic life).Warren did not try to explain to the Pew F<strong>or</strong>um that heis actually his own kind of fundamentalist and that he ismerely opposed to certain types of fundamentalism. Hesimply stated that he is no kind of fundamentalist andcriticized fundamentalism in the harshest of terms!Will the real Rick Warren please stand up!36
Of course, if we allow a man to make up his owndefinitions, he can be anything he pleases, and that isjust what Saddleback Church has done in regard tofundamentalism. Real and acceptable fundamentalism,we are told, is simply to affirm that there are a few facts(Saddleback mentions only three) about the Christianfaith that must be embraced.That, my friend, is a brand new definition offundamentalism. There never was a document called“the Five Fundamentals of the Faith.” The name“fundamentalist” was derived from a series of bookscalled “The Fundamentals” that was published from1910-1915. The series, composed of 90 articles writtenby 64 auth<strong>or</strong>s, did not promote “five fundamentals” (<strong>or</strong>three) but rather dozens of fundamentals. (F<strong>or</strong> m<strong>or</strong>eabout the hist<strong>or</strong>y of fundamentalism see http://www.wayoflife.<strong>or</strong>g/fbns/fundamen1.htm.)Notice that Saddleback Church warns of “another typeof fundamentalism” that is described as “keeping theright rules in the right way in <strong>or</strong>der to please the rightpeople.” That is a smoke screen. It is a straw man. Idoubt that Rick Warren knows anyone who actually fitsthat definition. How would he know whom otherpeople are trying to please? Can he see the motives ofmen‟s hearts?Biblical fundamentalism does not “keep rules” in <strong>or</strong>derto please people; it keeps the precepts of the <strong>Bible</strong> in<strong>or</strong>der to please God and to help people be prepared tomeet God.How strict are we supposed to be in keeping God‟sW<strong>or</strong>d?Consider Christ‟s Great Commission:37
―Go ye theref<strong>or</strong>e, and teach all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the <strong>Holy</strong>Ghost: TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGSWHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: and, lo, Iam with you alway, even unto the end of the w<strong>or</strong>ld.Amen‖ (Mat. 28:19-20).The church‟s job is to teach each disciple to observe ALLthings that Christ has commanded. That is a farreachingcommand. It involves training the saints notonly to know but also to obey everything that Christ hasleft us in the New Testament faith.Consider Paul‟s final instruction to the elders atEphesus:―F<strong>or</strong> I have not shunned to declare unto you ALL thecounsel of God‖ (Acts 17:27).Paul left us the example of declaring all of the counselof God. He didn‟t focus merely on three, four, <strong>or</strong> five“fundamentals.”THIS IS THE TRUE AND ORIGINAL “PURPOSEDRIVEN” CHURCH. Its purpose is to gl<strong>or</strong>ify Jesus Christby teaching and obeying all things whatsoever He hascommanded us in the New Testament <strong>Scripture</strong>s.Biblical fundamentalism does try to keep the right rulesin the right way, because it seeks to hon<strong>or</strong> Jesus Christby exalting the <strong>Bible</strong> as the sole auth<strong>or</strong>ity f<strong>or</strong> faith andpractice and keeping it as strictly as Jesus Christ and theapostles taught we should keep it.Biblical fundamentalism does not exalt man-maderules; it seeks, rather, to be faithful to the principles anddetails of God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d. When the <strong>Bible</strong> says, “Love notthe w<strong>or</strong>ld, neither the things that are in the w<strong>or</strong>ld” and“be not conf<strong>or</strong>med to this w<strong>or</strong>ld,” the biblicalfundamentalist takes this seriously and seeks to follow38
the Spirit‟s leading in applying this great truth to everyarea of his life, including the clothes that he wears andthe music he listens to. When the <strong>Bible</strong> says it is ashame f<strong>or</strong> a man to wear long hair and the woman‟slong hair is her gl<strong>or</strong>y, the biblical fundamentalistdoesn‟t make excuses f<strong>or</strong> it, he simply tries to obey it.When the <strong>Bible</strong> says God f<strong>or</strong>bids a woman to teach <strong>or</strong>usurp auth<strong>or</strong>ity over a man, the biblical fundamentalistdoesn‟t try to find a way to ign<strong>or</strong>e it.Saddleback Church calls this “legalism,” but it is nosuch thing and one day Rick Warren will give a solemnaccount f<strong>or</strong> the way he has perverted and redefinedterms and set up straw men to poison people‟s mindstoward those who are guilty of nothing m<strong>or</strong>e thanloving God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d.What kind of “legalism” is it f<strong>or</strong> a blood-washed, savedby-gracesaint to aim to preach all of the truths of God‟sW<strong>or</strong>d and to be faithful to God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d in all matters?Though we are saved by grace without w<strong>or</strong>ks, we aresaved unto good w<strong>or</strong>ks (Eph. 2:8-10). If that islegalism, Paul was a great legalist, f<strong>or</strong> he testified, “F<strong>or</strong>I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counselof God” (Acts 20:27). By my count, there are 88 specificduties that Christians are instructed to follow in thebook of Ephesians alone, the very book that emphasizessalvation without w<strong>or</strong>ks!Rick Warren is a very dangerous man, the blind leadingthe blind. His books are accepted by the w<strong>or</strong>ld (e.g., his“40 Days of <strong>Purpose</strong>” has been used by Coco-Cola, F<strong>or</strong>d,Wal-Mart, the NBA, LPGA, NASCAR, professionalbaseball teams, etc.), because he is of the w<strong>or</strong>ld.―Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! f<strong>or</strong>so did their fathers to the false prophets‖ (Luke 6:26).39
SADDLEBACK CHURCH ROCKING &ROLLINGWe have often warned that one of the dangers anderr<strong>or</strong>s of contemp<strong>or</strong>ary Christian music is its refusal toseparate from secular party music such as rock and rap.This is evident at Rick Warren‟s Saddleback Church insouthern Calif<strong>or</strong>nia.Warren Perf<strong>or</strong>ms Purple HazeOn April 17, 2005, when Warren announced hisP.E.A.C.E. program to Saddleback Church, he first sangJimi Hendrix‟s drug-drenched song “Purple Haze” to thecongregation, accompanied by his “praise and w<strong>or</strong>ship”band. He said he had wanted to do that f<strong>or</strong> a long time.Though long dead, Jimi Hendrix‟s influence lives on,but it is an evil influence that should be reproved ratherthan encouraged. His music and his life epitomized therock and roll philosophy, which is live as you please;don't allow anyone to put restrictions upon you; flauntany law that gets in your way; have fun while you can;if it feels good do it.Music was Jimi Hendrix‟s god. He attended churchsome in his youth, but later he testified: “I used to go toSunday School BUT THE ONLY THING I BELIEVE INNOW IS MUSIC” (cited by Curtis Knight, Jimi).Hendrix flaunted an imm<strong>or</strong>al lifestyle, living intimatelywith a succession of women but never marrying. Hesaid: “Marriage isn‟t my scene; we just live together.Those bits of paper you call marriage certificates areonly f<strong>or</strong> people who feel insecure” (Henderson, p. 245).40
Hendrix also promoted imm<strong>or</strong>ality through his musicand his concerts. His song “Fire” was “basically a vehiclef<strong>or</strong> shouted phrases of sexual innuendo that went asclose to the b<strong>or</strong>derline as possible” (Henderson, 'ScuseMe While I Kiss the Sky, p. 115). Hendrix's 1968 albumElectric Ladyland featured 20 nude women on the albumcover.When complaints were made about his erotic behavi<strong>or</strong>onstage, he replied: "PERHAPS IT IS SEXY ... BUTWHAT MUSIC WITH A BIG BEAT ISN'T?" (Henderson,p. 117). Hendrix was m<strong>or</strong>e candid and honest about thecharacter of rock than the CCM musicians who aredefending it today. We would agree that rock & roll issensual by its very nature.Hendrix also promoted violence through his music, attimes destroying his guitars and amplifiers duringconcerts and setting his guitar on fire. This would sendthe young concert-goers into a frenzy.Hendrix abused drugs and alcohol. He took acid,smoked marijuana, used heroin and amphetamines, anddrank liqu<strong>or</strong>. Hendrix‟ bassist, Noel Redding, testified:“Whether it was true <strong>or</strong> not, we felt we had to be stonedto play properly. Good dope equaled good music” (ATime to Rock, p. 200).Hendrix was deeply involved in occultism andmysticism and these themes permeated his music. Hissong “Voodoo Chile” gl<strong>or</strong>ified voodoo practices such asout of body experiences.His biographer, who spent five years researching hislife, noted that “Hendrix demonstrated a high <strong>or</strong>der ofvoodoo ... [he] showed the voodoo that related to thestars and to magical transf<strong>or</strong>mation” (Henderson, p.41
394). Hendrix believed in numerology, UFOs,transcendental meditation, reincarnation, and a varietyof pagan and New Age concepts. He thought rainbowswere bridges that linked this w<strong>or</strong>ld with the unseenspirit w<strong>or</strong>ld.In July 1970, Hendrix set up a perf<strong>or</strong>mance in Maui,Hawaii, in an attempt to reach a higher level of NewAge spiritual awareness. When he arrived in Hawaii, heconsulted an elderly German f<strong>or</strong>tune teller named ClaraSchuff and was told that he descended from Egyptianand Tibetan royalty and that his next life would beconcerned with the magical systems of Tibet. Theperf<strong>or</strong>mance was called “The Rainbow Bridge Vibrat<strong>or</strong>yCol<strong>or</strong>-Sound Experiment.” Hendrix was invited toparticipate in this experiment by a commune called theRainbow Bridge Occult Research Meditation Center.The Hendrix group gathered on the side of the OlowaluVolcano, revered as a very holy place and called theCrater of the Sun by native Hawaiians. F<strong>or</strong> the occasion,Hendrix w<strong>or</strong>e Indian medicine-man clothing and used amedicine-man tent. He and all of the participants werehigh on LSD, hash, and liqu<strong>or</strong> during the“experiment.” (Two months later, he was dead.)Hendrix believed his music could open his listeners to“cosmic powers” and that people can rise throughvarious spiritual levels through music. He believed inreincarnation and thought he was from another planet,an asteroid belt off of Mars, and that he had come toearth to show people new energy. He thought he hadassumed other life f<strong>or</strong>ms in previous lives:“There's no telling how many lives your spirit will gothrough--die and be reb<strong>or</strong>n. Like my mind will be backin the days when I was a flying h<strong>or</strong>se” (Hendrix,42
interview with Robin Richman “An Infinity of Jimis,”Life magazine, Oct. 3, 1969).Hendrix understood the mystical and hypnotic power ofrock music. He said:"ATMOSPHERES ARE GOING TO COME THROUGHMUSIC, BECAUSE THE MUSIC IS A SPIRITUAL THINGOF ITS OWN. ... I can explain everything better throughmusic. YOU HYPNOTIZE PEOPLE to where they go rightback to their natural state, which is pure positive-likechildhood when you got natural highs. And when you getpeople at weakest point, you can preach into thesubconscious what we want to say. That‘s why the name‗electric church‘ flashes in and out" (Hendrix, interviewwith Robin Richman ―An Infinity of Jimis,‖ Life magazine,Oct. 3, 1969).―ONCE YOU HAVE SOME TYPE OF RHYTHM, LIKE ITCAN GET HYPNOTIC IF YOU KEEP REPEATING ITOVER AND OVER AGAIN. Most of the people will fall offby about a minute of repeating. You do that say f<strong>or</strong> three<strong>or</strong> four <strong>or</strong> even five minutes if you can stand it, and then itreleases a certain thing inside of a person‘s head. ITRELEASES A CERTAIN THING IN THERE SO YOU CANPUT ANYTHING YOU WANT RIGHT INSIDE THAT, YOUKNOW. So you do that f<strong>or</strong> a minute and all of a suddenyou can bring the rhythm down a little bit and then you saywhat you want to say right into that little gap. It's somethin‘to ride with, you know. You have to ride with something. IALWAYS LIKE TO TAKE PEOPLE ON TRIPS. THAT'SWHY MUSIC IS MAGIC‖ (Hendrix, cited by Henderson, p.356).These are observations and warnings that should betaken seriously by Christians. Though Hendrix was alicentious drug user, he was also a brilliant and giftedmusician and he understood the nature of rock music asfew men have. He was using music to “take people ontrips.” What trip? We know that his trip is actually thedevil‟s trip. Hendrix had a “church,” but it was not thechurch of Jesus Christ. Those who think that there is no43
spiritual danger in rock music are deceiving themselvesand are leading others down the primrose path ofdelusion. Observe that Hendrix was referring to thepower of the music itself without the w<strong>or</strong>ds.Hendrix believed in religion and “spirituality,” but heunhesitatingly rejected <strong>Bible</strong>-believing Christianity andconsidered the laws of God a f<strong>or</strong>m of bondage. He sawhimself and other rock singers as liberat<strong>or</strong>s of youngpeople from such laws:―We‘re in our little cement beehives in this society. Peoplelet a lot of old-time laws rule them. The establishment hasset up the Ten Commandments f<strong>or</strong> us saying don't, don't,don't. ... The walls are crumbling and the establishmentdoesn't want to let go. ... The establishment is so uptightabout sex...‖ (Jimi Hendrix, quoted by Henderson, pp. 214,215).In January 1969, Hendrix expressed his philosophy asfollows:―When I die I want people to play my music, go wild andfreak out and do anything they wanna do‖ (Hendrix,interview with Don Sh<strong>or</strong>t, Daily Mirr<strong>or</strong>, Jan. 11, 1969).Hendrix believed he was possessed by the devil.Girlfriend Fayne Pridgon said:―HE USED TO ALWAYS TALK ABOUT SOME DEVIL ORSOMETHING WAS IN HIM, you know. He didn‘t knowwhat made him act the way he acted and what made himsay the things he said, and the songs and different thingslike that ... just came out of him. It seems to me he was sot<strong>or</strong>mented and just t<strong>or</strong>n apart and like he really wasobsessed, you know, with something really evil. ... Hesaid, ‗You're from Ge<strong>or</strong>gia ... you should know how peopledrive demons out‘--He used to talk about us going ... andhaving some root lady <strong>or</strong> somebody see if she couldDRIVE THIS DEMON OUT OF HIM‖ (sound track fromfilm Jimi Hendrix, interview with Fayne Pridgon, side 4,cited by Heartbeat of the Dragon, p. 50).44
Producer Alan Douglas stated the same thing:―Now one of the biggest things about Jimi was. . . hebelieved that he was possessed by some spirit, and I gotto believe it myself; and that‘s what we had to deal with allthe time—he really believed it and was wrestling with itconstantly‖ (sound track from film Jimi Hendrix).Note the two following testimonies about Hendrix byfellow rocker Carlos Santana:―Everything was fine f<strong>or</strong> the first few moments but then,Carlos remembered sadly, Hendrix started freaking outand playing some ‗wild s—-‘ that had nothing to do withthe song. . . ‗His eyes were all bloodshot and he wasfoaming at the mouth. It was like being in a room withsomeone having an epileptic fit...‖ (Marc Shapiro, CarlosSantana: Back on Top, p. 91).―On another occasion, Santana was taken to watchHendrix rec<strong>or</strong>ding and what he saw frightened him, ‗Thefirst time I was really with him was in the studio. He wasoverdubbing ―Roomful of Mirr<strong>or</strong>s‖ and it was a realshocker to me. He started rec<strong>or</strong>ding and it was incredible.But within fifteen <strong>or</strong> twenty seconds he just went out. All ofa sudden he was freaking out like he was having agigantic battle in the sky with somebody. The roadies lookat each other and the producer looked at him and theysaid, ―Go get him‖. They separated him from the amplifierand the guitar and it was like he was having an epilepticfit‘‖ (Simon Leng, Soul Sacrifice: The Santana St<strong>or</strong>y, p.51).On September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died in Londonat age 27. The official cause of death was “barbiturateintoxication” and “inhalation of vomit.” He died in aPurple Haze.It is inexcusable f<strong>or</strong> Rick Warren and his “w<strong>or</strong>ship”team to perf<strong>or</strong>m any Jimi Hendrix song on any occasionwhatsoever.45
Saddleback’s Rock DancesThe following inf<strong>or</strong>mation from the Saddleback websitef<strong>or</strong> 2005 describes their enthusiasm f<strong>or</strong> rock and rolldances:―Our dances have become some of the most anticipatedof our social events with hundreds of people attending.This Summer‘s Night dance in our W<strong>or</strong>ship Centerpromises to be the same. It will begin with a light buffetstyle dinner followed by dancing to the sounds of our DJon a huge 3,000 square foot ballroom competition flo<strong>or</strong>.Professional lighting, effects and sound all blend togetherf<strong>or</strong> a high-quality experience, all at an extremelyreasonable price! Whether you bring a special friend,come alone <strong>or</strong> with a group, make sure you come ready tohave fun! Music will consist of a wide variety providing f<strong>or</strong>specific dances and freestyle. And what‘s a summer nightwithout some beach music and reggae?‖Pelvic Thrusts at Saddleback W<strong>or</strong>shipConcertThe following statement from the Extreme Theologywebsite f<strong>or</strong> December 9, 2006, describes a video onYouTube of a Saddleback “W<strong>or</strong>ship” Concert thatfeatured vulgar “pelvic thrust” rock moves:―This is a video of a Saddleback W<strong>or</strong>ship Concert. Thereare teenage girls doing dance moves that include PelvicThrusts. Is this really w<strong>or</strong>ship to the one true God of the<strong>Bible</strong> <strong>or</strong> is this w<strong>or</strong>ship to one of those pagan sex gods?You be the judge? You can go to the <strong>or</strong>iginal YouTubepost at http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_heSAajS0. Afterseeing this, Is there any wonder why Saddleback‘sw<strong>or</strong>ship is so appealing and attractive to unbelievers?Saddleback is offering jiggly-dancing and sexualstimulation at church and calling it w<strong>or</strong>ship. ‗Even so everygood tree bringeth f<strong>or</strong>th good fruit; but a c<strong>or</strong>rupt treebringeth f<strong>or</strong>th evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring f<strong>or</strong>th evilfruit, neither can a c<strong>or</strong>rupt tree bring f<strong>or</strong>th good fruit. Every46
tree that bringeth not f<strong>or</strong>th good fruit is hewn down, andcast into the fire‘ (Matthew 7:17-19).‖Recently a Southern Baptist state association made aruling that churches supp<strong>or</strong>ting homosexuality are notwelcome. That is commendable, as far as it goes, butwhy is imm<strong>or</strong>al dancing in the name of w<strong>or</strong>shipping aholy God any less wicked than same-sex relations?Where is the Southern Baptist Convention when itcomes to such things? The silence is deafening.Saddleback Team Features Lennon’sAtheistic Song “Imagine”Another YouTube video containing a slide show from anArgentina missionary trip by Saddleback Churchmembers featured John Lennon‟s atheistic song“Imagine.” The trip, made August 1-12, 2006, was partof Warren‟s P.E.A.C.E. program. The soundtrack usesseveral pieces of music, including John Lennon‟s<strong>or</strong>iginal rec<strong>or</strong>ding of Imagine. The lyrics say:―Imagine there‘s no heaven/ It‘s easy if you try/ No hellbelow us/ Above us only sky.‖W<strong>or</strong>ship Any Old Way You Want ItSaddleback Church features nine different “w<strong>or</strong>shipvenues.” There is a w<strong>or</strong>ship style to suit every w<strong>or</strong>ldlytaste. The Overdrive venue is “f<strong>or</strong> those who like guitardrivenrock band w<strong>or</strong>ship in a concert-like setting thatyou can FEEL.” The Ohana venue comes “complete withhula and island-style music,” and on the first Saturdayof every month you can take hula lessons during thepotluck following the service. The Country venuefeatures line dancing.47
Saddleback’s School of RockUnder the W<strong>or</strong>ship section of Saddleback Church‟s website there is a “School of Rock,” where you can learn tosing “like your fav<strong>or</strong>ite pop artist” and play guitar“songs by legendary bands.”This is “w<strong>or</strong>ship” of a holy God--Rick Warren style.The “Beyond the Blues” class “will take your bluesplaying to another level, along with classic blues licksby the masters.”They f<strong>or</strong>got to say that the legendary rockers, pop stars,and classic blues artists were and are drug- and alcoholdrenchedand their lives and music m<strong>or</strong>ally filthy.Strange Saddleback Rap VideoA rap video prepared f<strong>or</strong> Warren‟s <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong>W<strong>or</strong>ship Conference 2006 is one of the sickest things Ihave ever seen, and I have been researching thespiritually sick w<strong>or</strong>ld of CCM f<strong>or</strong> many years. It is by arapper named Smitty and is mis-titled “Filled with theSpirit.”It featured a heavy sensual rap beat with the followinglyrics:―Ohhhhhh, I‘m filled with the Spirit; come gather round soall ya‘ll can hear it. Ohhhhh, I feel so amazing; can‘t stopthe music; got my hands raising. Ohhhh, I feel this divinity;stronger than Samson; it is the Trinity. Calm me down Ineed the tranquility; Satan try to stop me; you got to bekiddin‘ me. ... Uuhhhhh, now break it down ya‘ll; uuhhhhh,now break it down ya‘ll; uuhhhh, uuhhhhh, now break itdown, now break it down, Old Testament style. Do theburning bush, do the burning bush, now everybody in thecrowd do the burning bush. ... The walls of Jericho, the48
walls of Jericho, make the booty drop like the walls ofJericho [the rapper turns around and shakes his backsideto the camera]...‖Not only do the lyrics turn the things of Christ and life‟smost serious issues into pure silliness and even descendinto m<strong>or</strong>al filthiness (e.g., rap dancing to the burningbush and shaking your booty to the falling of the wallsof Jericho), but the way the w<strong>or</strong>ds are sung aredownright blasphemous. You have to see the video andhear the voices to understand just how sick andblasphemous this thing is, but I am not going to giveout the link because I don‟t want young people,especially, to be influenced by this vile thing.Ingrid Schlueter of “Crosstalk Radio Talk Show” on VCYAmerica Radio Netw<strong>or</strong>k made the followingobservation:―The sneering, mocking expressions and tones of voice inthis video have to be witnessed to be understood f<strong>or</strong> whatthey are. By his speech and manner, the rapper takes thename of the <strong>Holy</strong> Son of God in vain, but the videocontains something m<strong>or</strong>e. There is hatred here, hatred f<strong>or</strong>who God is acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the <strong>Scripture</strong>s. The spirit of thisvideo, ironically shown at a so-called w<strong>or</strong>ship conference,is anti-Christ. You cannot know the L<strong>or</strong>d of gl<strong>or</strong>y, the livingW<strong>or</strong>d of God and speak of Him in this manner. ... Themonstrous treatment of the name of God under the guiseof w<strong>or</strong>ship is evidence of the hearts behind the video. Thegrimace when the rapper says, ewwww, I feel thisdivinity... is manifestly evil. The name of the L<strong>or</strong>d, bywhose mercy we live and breathe and have our being, isto be revered above all earthly names. Anyone who canlisten to the spirit of mockery and ridicule in this video andnot feel a holy anger needs to return to the <strong>Bible</strong> and learnwho God really is‖ (―<strong>Purpose</strong>-<strong>Driven</strong> Rapper Crosses theLine to Blasphemy‖).We agree with that assessment totally.49
The next time someone tries to convince you that theSouthern Baptist Convention is “conservative,”remember that you will find every w<strong>or</strong>ldly thing in theSBC. W<strong>or</strong>ldly Christianity is not “conservative”Christianity.There is no separation from the w<strong>or</strong>ld at SaddlebackChurch. Any s<strong>or</strong>ry piece of rock <strong>or</strong> rap music is fine aslong as it is accompanied by a thin veneer of religiosity.There has never been anything innocent <strong>or</strong> pure aboutrock and roll. From its inception, it has had two grandthemes: licentiousness (sex, drugs, etc.) and rebellion(“I can do what I want to do any old time”), and this isnowhere m<strong>or</strong>e evident than in the music of JimiHendrix and the Beatles.There is no excuse f<strong>or</strong> this action on the part of aninfluential past<strong>or</strong> who should set a standard ofgodliness instead of carnal foolishness. I want to sayagain publicly, Shame on Rick Warren, and shame onhis fellow Southern Baptist Convention leaders f<strong>or</strong> notpublicly and unequivocally rebuking him f<strong>or</strong> suchw<strong>or</strong>ldly shenanigans.―And be not conf<strong>or</strong>med to this w<strong>or</strong>ld: but be yetransf<strong>or</strong>med by the renewing of your mind, that ye mayprove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, willof God‖ (Romans 12:2).―And have no fellowship with the unfruitful w<strong>or</strong>ks ofdarkness, but rather reprove them‖ (Ephesians 5:11).―Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that thefriendship of the w<strong>or</strong>ld is enmity with God? whosoevertheref<strong>or</strong>e will be a friend of the w<strong>or</strong>ld is the enemy ofGod‖ (James 4:4).―Love not the w<strong>or</strong>ld, neither the things that are in thew<strong>or</strong>ld. If any man love the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the love of the Father isnot in him. F<strong>or</strong> all that is in the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the lust of the flesh,50
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of theFather, but is of the w<strong>or</strong>ld. And the w<strong>or</strong>ld passeth away,and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of Godabideth f<strong>or</strong> ever‖ (1 John 2:15-17).51
RICK WARREN’S GLOBAL VISIONSpeaking bef<strong>or</strong>e 30,000 members and attendees ofSaddleback Church at the congregation‟s 25thanniversary celebration on April 17, 2005, Rick Warrenannounced his plan f<strong>or</strong> a global vision called P.E.A.C.E.The plan is described as nothing less than “a newref<strong>or</strong>mation in Christianity and vision f<strong>or</strong> a w<strong>or</strong>ldwidespiritual awakening in the 21st century.”Warren wants to enlist “one billion foot soldiers” toovercome the five “global giants” of “SpiritualEmptiness, Self-serving Leadership, Poverty, Diseaseand ign<strong>or</strong>ance (<strong>or</strong> illiteracy).”The acronym PEACE gives the means of overcomingthese giants:Planting churchesEquipping leadersAssisting the po<strong>or</strong>Caring f<strong>or</strong> the sickEducating the next generationWarren‟s program both expands and narrows the GreatCommission given by the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ:―Go ye theref<strong>or</strong>e, and teach all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the <strong>Holy</strong>Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Ihave commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, evenunto the end of the w<strong>or</strong>ld. Amen‖ (Matthew 28:19-20).―And he said unto them, Go ye into all the w<strong>or</strong>ld, andpreach the gospel to every creature‖ (Mark 16:15).―And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus itbehoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead thethird day: And that repentance and remission of sins52
should be preached in his name among all nations,beginning at Jerusalem‖ (Luke 24:46-47).―But ye shall receive power, after that the <strong>Holy</strong> Ghost iscome upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me bothin Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and untothe uttermost part of the earth‖ (Acts 1:8).Warren‟s P.E.A.C.E. plan expands on Christ‟sCommission with a global social agenda that we seenowhere in the New Testament. Christ‟s Commissionfocuses on preaching the Gospel to every soul anddiscipling those that believe, and that is the programthat we see carried out in the book of Acts. There is nota hint there <strong>or</strong> anywhere else in the New Testamentthat the apostles and early churches pursued any s<strong>or</strong>t ofgrandiose social-justice program. They did not set out tosave the environment. They did not <strong>or</strong>ganize protestsagainst the social-political ills of the Roman Empire.They did not try to rid the Empire of poverty andsickness. They preached the gospel and lived holy livesand planted churches and discipled believers and lovedtheir neighb<strong>or</strong>s (but not after the way this is defined byRick Warren).It is true that believers should have a godly influence inthis w<strong>or</strong>ld. We are light and salt, but that does not addup to the social-justice gospel as spelled out by Warren.We agree with the following statement by JonathanLeeland from the Past<strong>or</strong>s‟ and Theologians‟ F<strong>or</strong>um onChurch and Culture on the 9Marks web site:―The church is not called to transf<strong>or</strong>m culture, at least notin the sense that most people use that phrase today. If bytransf<strong>or</strong>m one means ‗convert,‘ then fine. But that‘s nothow the phrase is being used. You cannot transf<strong>or</strong>m whatis blind except by giving it sight. You cannot transf<strong>or</strong>mwhat is deaf except by giving it hearing. You cannottransf<strong>or</strong>m what is stone except by making it flesh. Youcannot transf<strong>or</strong>m what is dead except by making it alive.53
How do you ‗transf<strong>or</strong>m‘ something that‘s dead? If youhappen to be supernatural, you can make it alive (John1:13). But you cannot transf<strong>or</strong>m it. ... In the same way thatChristians are called to live and love like GoodSamaritans, we should always be looking f<strong>or</strong> ways toserve our non-Christian neighb<strong>or</strong>s--that they might begiven sight, hearing, hearts of flesh, and life!‖ (Leeland,Past<strong>or</strong>s‘ and Theologians‘ F<strong>or</strong>um on Church and Culture,h t t p : / / w w w . 9 m a r k s . o r g / p a r t n e r /Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID314526|CHID598016|CIID2371850,00.html).God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d bears this out:―Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles:that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, theymay by your good w<strong>or</strong>ks, which they shall behold, gl<strong>or</strong>ifyGod in the day of visitation‖ (1 Peter 2:12).―As we have theref<strong>or</strong>e opp<strong>or</strong>tunity, let us do good unto allmen, especially unto them who are of the household offaith‖ (Galatians 6:10).Warren‟s plan also narrows Christ‟s Commission byabridging and simplifying New Testament doctrine andpractice. Whereas Christ commanded that believers betaught “to observe all things whatsoever I have taughtyou” (Mat. 28:20), Warren suggests they observe a fewthings that have been summarized and reinterpreted bya contemp<strong>or</strong>ary church growth guru.54
RICK WARREN TELLS PASTORS TOGET RID OF TROUBLEMAKERSIn the November 14, 2007, issue of Ministry Toolbox,Rick Warren told past<strong>or</strong>s to get rid of troublemakers.Warren begins with the erroneous statement that the<strong>Bible</strong> “talks m<strong>or</strong>e about unity of the church than it doesabout either Heaven <strong>or</strong> Hell.” In fact, the <strong>Bible</strong> speaksm<strong>or</strong>e about Heaven and Hell than about unity and itspeaks far m<strong>or</strong>e about the imp<strong>or</strong>tance of sound doctrineand practice and separation from err<strong>or</strong> than it doesabout unity.Warren makes no distinction between trouble thatcomes because of heresy and self-will and trouble thatcomes because of the truth. God‟s people are nowhereinstructed to blindly follow past<strong>or</strong>s. They have anobligation bef<strong>or</strong>e God to “prove all things” (1 Thess.5:21).In a fashion that is one of his fearful trademarks,Warren lifts <strong>Scripture</strong> out of context to prove his point.First, he uses 2 Timothy 2:23-26, which only deals withhow to handle “foolish and unlearned questions” askedby those who are in the snare of the devil. It hasnothing to do with legitimate biblical questions askedby sincere Christians who care about God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d.Next, he uses 2 Timothy 2:14, which is a warning aboutstriving about “w<strong>or</strong>ds to no profit, but to the subvertingof the hearers.” Again, this is a warning about how todeal with false teaching, and it has nothing whatsoeverto do with sincere biblical challenges.55
Warren also uses Titus 2:15, which is an exh<strong>or</strong>tation topreachers to be bold in proclaiming the truth but whichsays absolutely nothing about kicking people out of thechurch because they love the truth.He also uses Titus 3:1, which is an exh<strong>or</strong>tation to besubject to the auth<strong>or</strong>ities that God has put in this w<strong>or</strong>ld,but by comparing <strong>Scripture</strong> with <strong>Scripture</strong> we knowthat it does not entail blind submission (i.e., Acts 5:29;17:11; 1 C<strong>or</strong>. 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:21).Finally, Warren uses Titus 3:10-11, which containsinstruction about how to deal with heretics <strong>or</strong> falseteachers who are causing division based on theirheresies. This passage has nothing whatsoever to dowith those in the church who love the truth and whoare sincerely trying to be faithful to Christ and HisW<strong>or</strong>d.Rick Warren is the heretic who is causing divisionsamong God‟s people through heresies. He is the onethat should be rejected.56
BOOK CALLS PURPOSE DRIVENOPPONENTS “LEADERS FROMHELL”Transitioning: Leading Your Church through Change, abook by Dan Southerland that is highly recommendedby Rick Warren, implies that those who oppose the<strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> philosophy that so many past<strong>or</strong>s aretrying to push upon their people are “leaders from hell.”Southerland is speaking of opposition in general, but itobvious from the overall context that he is referring tothose who resist the new philosophies. Southerland is“the leading expert on implementing the <strong>Purpose</strong><strong>Driven</strong> paradigm in existing churches” (ChurchTransitions web site).Southerland says they have experienced two maj<strong>or</strong>sources of criticism as they have transitioned churchesto the <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> model: Christians fromtraditional backgrounds and traditional past<strong>or</strong>s. Hehastens to add that not all of the traditionals opposethem, “just the meaner ones” (p. 116).On page 115, he likens opponents to Sanballat wh<strong>or</strong>esisted the building of the walls of Jerusalem in thetime of Nehemiah. Southerland says, “Sanballat is aleader from hell. We all have some Sanballats in ourchurches. This is the guy who opposes whatever youpropose. ... You cannot call this guy a leader from hellto his face--but you could call him Sanballat” (p. 115).Sanballat was an unsaved opponent of God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d,God‟s w<strong>or</strong>k, and God‟s people. To liken <strong>Bible</strong>-believingChristians who love the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ and who57
stand f<strong>or</strong> His W<strong>or</strong>d in this apostate age to Sanballat is aslander.Isn‟t it interesting that about the only time that theWarren crowd talks about Hell is when they mis-apply itto fundamentalists and evangelicals of a stricter stripe!It is a sad fact that Southerland has trained 100,000people in the transitioning principles in the last sevenyears, but it is a sign of the times.―F<strong>or</strong> the time will come when they will not endure sounddoctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap tothemselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shallturn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turnedunto fables‖ (2 Timothy 4:3-4).58
RICK WARREN JOINS HANDS WITHTHE LIBERAL BAPTIST WORLDALLIANCE, REPROVES THESOUTHERN BAPTISTS FORLEAVINGRick Warren was a featured speaker at the BaptistW<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance‟s (BWA) Centenary Congress inBirmingham, England, in late July 2005.In this venture Warren joined hands with Jimmy Carter,who has stated that M<strong>or</strong>mons are Christians and theyshould not be targeted f<strong>or</strong> evangelism, and TonyCampolo, who says that homosexuality is an inb<strong>or</strong>ntrait and who refers to “evangelicalhomosexuals” (Christian News, March 4, 1991).During a press conference at the BWA Congress, Warrencalled the Southern Baptist Convention‟s withdrawalfrom that <strong>or</strong>ganization “silly” and “a mistake” (“Warren:Global Baptists Are in This Together,” Kentucky WesternRec<strong>or</strong>der, July 27, 2005).A mistake to pull out of an <strong>or</strong>ganization that is shotthrough with theological liberalism? Rick Warrenobviously has a greater love f<strong>or</strong> wolves in sheep‟sclothing than Jesus Christ does. See Matthew 7:15-17.Warren said Baptists should have “unity withoutunif<strong>or</strong>mity.”This is not the kind of “unity” we find in the <strong>Bible</strong>. Paulinstructed the churches, “... that ye all speak the samething, and that there be no divisions among you; but59
that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mindand in the same judgment” (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 1:10).Warren said, “I see absolutely zero reason in separatingmy fellowship from anybody.”He needs to read the <strong>Bible</strong>, because it contains manyreasons f<strong>or</strong> separation from err<strong>or</strong>.―Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which causedivisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which yehave learned; and avoid them‖ (Romans 16:17).―Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: f<strong>or</strong>what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?and what communion hath light with darkness? And whatconc<strong>or</strong>d hath Christ with Belial? <strong>or</strong> what part hath he thatbelieveth with an infidel? And what agreement hath thetemple of God with idols? f<strong>or</strong> ye are the temple of theliving God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walkin them; and I will be their God, and they shall be mypeople‖ (2 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 6:14-16).―Having a f<strong>or</strong>m of godliness, but denying the powerthereof: from such turn away‖ (2 Timothy 3:5).Warren also warned that Baptists often are “known f<strong>or</strong>what we‟re against rather than what we‟re f<strong>or</strong>.”In his opinion, that is wrong, but it isn‟t wrong whenmeasured biblically. The L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ frequentlypreached red-hot messages on Hell, and He was knownf<strong>or</strong> His opposition to the Sadducees and Pharisees, thetheological liberals and Catholic priests of His day. Theapostle Paul, following in His Master‟s footsteps, alsospent much of his time preaching against sin and err<strong>or</strong>,both in the book of Acts and in his epistles.The Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance is an ecumenical alliance of211 Baptist denominations in m<strong>or</strong>e than 140 countries.It is permeated with theological liberalism and supp<strong>or</strong>ts60
new age one-w<strong>or</strong>ld <strong>or</strong>ganizations such as the UnitedNations (UN).As far back as the 1930s, the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance wasa hotbed of modernism. When J. Frank N<strong>or</strong>ris led theTemple Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan, towithdraw from the BWA in 1935, he cited its“modernistic dominated leadership” as a reason (The F.Frank N<strong>or</strong>ris I Have Known f<strong>or</strong> 34 Years, p. 311). Pri<strong>or</strong>to that, fundamentalist leader A.C. Dixon had tried tohave a resolution passed in the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Allianceaffirming “five fundamental verities of the faith,”including the verbal inspiration of <strong>Scripture</strong> and thevirgin birth of Jesus Christ, but an apostate maj<strong>or</strong>ity ofthe BWA representatives voted down this simpleresolution.Things have only gotten w<strong>or</strong>se since then.Desmond Tutu spoke at a Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliancemeeting in 1988. Anglican archbishop Tutu is a rankliberal who in February 1996 called f<strong>or</strong> the <strong>or</strong>dinationof homosexual priests. Consider the following quotesthat expose Tutu‟s unbelieving heart:―Some people thought there was something odd aboutJesus‘ birth. ... It may be that Jesus was an illegitimateson‖ (Desmond Tutu, Cape Times, October 24, 1980).―The <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit is not limited to the Christian Church. F<strong>or</strong>example, Mahatma Gandhi, who is a Hindu ... The <strong>Holy</strong>Spirit shines through him‖ (Desmond Tutu, St. Alban‘sCathedral, Pret<strong>or</strong>ia, South Africa, November 23, 1978).Brutal Marxist dictat<strong>or</strong> Fidel Castro, who has persecutedand restricted the churches of Jesus Christ in Cuba f<strong>or</strong>decades, was a speaker at the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliancemeeting in July 2000.61
On January 24, 2002, Denton Lotz, general secretary ofthe Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance, joined hands with PopeJohn Paul II and the leaders of other denominationsand pagan religions at the third Day of Prayer f<strong>or</strong> W<strong>or</strong>ldPeace at Assisi, Italy. This ecumenical pagan prayergathering featured some 200 religious leaders,including representatives of such denominations asRoman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Ref<strong>or</strong>med,Baptist, Lutheran, M<strong>or</strong>mon, Methodist, Quaker,Pentecostal, Mennonite, as well as representatives ofIslam, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Bahai,Confucianism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Jainism,Z<strong>or</strong>oastrianism, Tenrikyo (Japan), and members ofAfrican and N<strong>or</strong>th American “traditional religions.”The religious leaders traveled to Assisi with the Pope bytrain from Rome, arriving at the blasphemously namedRailway Station of St. Mary of the Angels. The Popesaid, “Violence never again! War never again! Terr<strong>or</strong>ismnever again! In the name of God, may every religionbring upon the earth justice and peace, f<strong>or</strong>giveness andlife, love!” The Pope‟s prayers weren‟t answered andneither are those of the other false religious leadersgathered with him, f<strong>or</strong> the simple reason that theyw<strong>or</strong>ship false gods and preach false gospels andblatantly disobey God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d.That the general secretary of the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliancewould participate in such a thing is irrefutable evidenceof his and his <strong>or</strong>ganization‟s apostasy.Among the denominations and <strong>or</strong>ganizations that areunited under the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance (BWA)umbrella are the American Baptist Churches USA, theBaptist Union of Great Britain, and the Cooperative62
Baptist Fellowship, all of which are permeated withmodernism.Baptist Union of Great BritainThe Baptist Union was already going apostate at theend of the 19th century when famous London preacherCharles Haddon Spurgeon separated from it in protestin 1888. Spurgeon called this theological battle the“Downgrade Controversy” and he dedicated manyissues of his paper to warning about the heresy andcompromise that had entered the Baptist Union. Notethe following statements from 1887:―A chasm is opening between men who believe their<strong>Bible</strong>s and the men who are prepared f<strong>or</strong> an advanceupon <strong>Scripture</strong>. The house is being robbed, its very wallsare being digged down, but the good people who are inbed are too fond of the warmth, and too much afraid ofgetting broken heads, to go downstairs and meet theburglars ... Inspiration and speculation cannot abide inpeace. Compromise there can be none. We cannot holdthe inspiration of the W<strong>or</strong>d, and yet reject it; we cannothold the doctrine of the fall and yet talk of the evolution ofspiritual life from human nature; we cannot recognize thepunishment of the impenitent and yet indulge the ‗largerhope.‘ One way <strong>or</strong> the other we must go. Decision is thevirtue of the hour‖ (Charles Spurgeon, The Sw<strong>or</strong>d and theTrowel, September 1887, pp. 464-5).―What action is to be taken we leave to those who can seem<strong>or</strong>e plainly than we do what Israel ought to do. One thingis clear to us: we cannot be expected to meet in any Unionwhich comprehends those whose teaching is onfundamental points exactly the reverse of that which wehold dear. ... To us it appears that there are many thingsupon which to compromise is possible, but there areothers in which it would be an act of treason to pretend tofellowship. ... To pursue union at the expense of truth istreason to the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus‖ (Spurgeon, The Sw<strong>or</strong>d andTrowel, October 1887, pp. 515, 55863
―Constantly we hear of proposals f<strong>or</strong> union, and truly theseare welcome where mere technical matters divide trueChristians; but what is the use of pretending to createunion where there can be none? There is another matterwhich needs to be thought of as well as union, and that isTRUTH. To part with truth to show charity is to betray ourL<strong>or</strong>d with a kiss. Between those who believe in the eternalverities and those who constantly cast doubt on themthere can be no union. One cried of old, ‗Is it peace?‘ Andthe answer was a sharp and true one. We render it thus--‗What hast thou to do with peace while departures fromthe truth of God are so many?‘ The first question is--Arewe one in Christ? and are we obedient to the truthrevealed in the <strong>Scripture</strong>s? If so, union will necessarilyfollow: but if not, it is vain to clamour f<strong>or</strong> a confederacywhich would only be an agreement to aid and abet eachother‘s err<strong>or</strong>s‖ (Spurgeon, The Sw<strong>or</strong>d and Trowel,February 1887, p. 91).―The spirit of <strong>Scripture</strong> is one, and theref<strong>or</strong>e we may besure that decision f<strong>or</strong> truth and separation from the erringare in full consistency with the charity of 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 13,to which we are so continually pointed. It is true charity tothose who err to refuse to aid and abet them in theirerr<strong>or</strong>s. ‗Charity‘ sounds very prettily in the mouths of thosewho wish to screen themselves, but, if they had exercisedit in the past, they might not have driven us out fromamong the people to whom we naturallybelong‖ (Spurgeon, The Sw<strong>or</strong>d and Trowel, December1887, p. 642).Spurgeon believed that the <strong>Bible</strong> requires separationfrom err<strong>or</strong>, that truth is m<strong>or</strong>e imp<strong>or</strong>tant than unity, andthat separation is not contrary to, but is consistent withChristian love. None of these principles are welcomewithin the Baptist Union today.The apostasy that Spurgeon witnessed within theBaptist Union in the 19th century has long sincebecome complete. In 1986, the Australian Beacon madethe following observation about the Baptist Union:―It is a Union which harbours apostates and succ<strong>or</strong>s64
infidels while ostracizing faithful servants of Christ. It is afriend of Rome, a bed-fellow of idolaters and spiritists in itsmembership of the W<strong>or</strong>ld Council of Churches. No trueman of God could remain within it in goodconscience‖ (Australian Beacon, No. 240, July 1986).In the early 1970s, f<strong>or</strong> example, Michael Tayl<strong>or</strong>,principal of the Baptist Union‟s N<strong>or</strong>thern BaptistCollege, addressed the London Baptist Assembly on thetheme, “How much of a man was Jesus?” He deniedthat Jesus Christ is God. Though many protested theman‟s heresy, the Baptist Union refused to disciplinehim <strong>or</strong> remove him from office.In 1989, the Baptist Union yoked together with theRoman Catholic Church in the newly f<strong>or</strong>medecumenical union in Britain.In May 1998, Catholic Cardinal Basil Hume was invitedto participate in the Baptist Union‟s assembly. He “ledtheir spiritual reflections and was present when newlyaccreditedministers met the Baptist Unionpresident” (Australian Beacon, August 1998). TheUnion‟s General Secretary, David Coffey, praised thecardinal and said the Baptist Union recognizes “thedeep spirituality which undergirds his ministry.”In 2004, John Rackley, President of the Baptist Union,end<strong>or</strong>sed the “As Good As News” <strong>Bible</strong> translationsaying, “I recommend his [Henson‟s] w<strong>or</strong>k to anyonewho enjoys an unpredictable reading of<strong>Scripture</strong>” (http://www.o-books.net/goodasnew.htm).Rackley is referring to John Henson, the translationco<strong>or</strong>dinat<strong>or</strong> of “As Good as New” and a retired Baptistpast<strong>or</strong>. The “As Good as New” version of 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians7:1-2, 8-9 says:―Some of you think the best way to cope with sex is f<strong>or</strong>men and women to keep right away from each other. That65
is m<strong>or</strong>e likely to lead to sexual offences. My advice is f<strong>or</strong>everyone to have a regular partner. ... There‘s nothingwrong with remaining single, like me. But if you know youhave strong needs, get yourself a partner. Better thanbeing frustrated.‖Thus, this <strong>Bible</strong> says that what the w<strong>or</strong>ld really needsare m<strong>or</strong>e regular sexual partners. This version replacesdemon possession with mental illness, calls the apostlePeter “Rocky,” changes “Son of Man” to “the CompletePerson,” and otherwise boldly perverts the W<strong>or</strong>d ofGod. “As Good As New” is advertised as “women, gay,and sinner friendly,” yet it was recommended by thepresident of the Baptist Union.American Baptist Churches USAThe Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance-affiliated American BaptistChurches USA (f<strong>or</strong>merly the N<strong>or</strong>thern BaptistConvention) is also th<strong>or</strong>oughly liberal.As early as 1910 Baptist leader William B. Rileyadmitted that the denomination had been “surrenderedinto the hands of the Higher Critics” (Ge<strong>or</strong>ge Dollar, AHist<strong>or</strong>y of Fundamentalism). The term “Higher Critics”refers to liberals who teach that the <strong>Bible</strong> is not theinfallibly inspired W<strong>or</strong>d of God.Between 1920 and 1932, a group of fundamentalistBaptist past<strong>or</strong>s unsuccessfully attempted to root themodernism out of the convention. They f<strong>or</strong>med theNational Federation of Fundamentalists of N<strong>or</strong>thernBaptists. In 1932, many of these past<strong>or</strong>s left theN<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist Convention because of its liberalismand f<strong>or</strong>med the General Association of Regular Baptists.In 1947, the Conservative Baptist Association ofAmerica was f<strong>or</strong>med by another group of past<strong>or</strong>s who66
departed from the modernistic N<strong>or</strong>thern BaptistConvention.The leaven of theological heresy has since permeatedthe Convention. The schools and pulpits of theAmerican Baptist Churches are filled with men whodeny the infallible inspiration of <strong>Holy</strong> <strong>Scripture</strong> andwho question <strong>or</strong> deny Christ‟s virgin birth, Godhead,vicarious atonement, and resurrection from the dead.The apostate American Baptist Church has producedsome of the most not<strong>or</strong>ious, blasphemous heretics ofthe 20th century.In 1926, the N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist annual conventiondebated f<strong>or</strong> almost five hours whether to retain in itsfellowship the Riverside Baptist Church of New Y<strong>or</strong>kCity, past<strong>or</strong>ed by modernist Harry Emerson Fosdick,who denied practically every doctrine of the W<strong>or</strong>d ofGod. This should have been a simple decision, since the<strong>Bible</strong> commands that God‟s people mark, avoid, andreject doctrinal heresy (Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10-11), butby a vote of three to one the N<strong>or</strong>thern BaptistConvention refused to exercise discipline. In 1945,Fosdick wrote the following to an individual whoinquired about his beliefs: “Of course I do not believe inthe virgin birth <strong>or</strong> in that old-fashioned substitutionarydoctrine of the atonement, and I know of no intelligentperson who does.”In the first half of the 20th century, Dr. Robert H.Beaven, president of the Chicago Baptist MissionaryTraining School (N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist), denied that JesusChrist is God, saying:―Christ‘s uniqueness lay not in his divine substance but inthe relationship which existed between him and God. Godchose Jesus, the human Galilean carpenter, nurtured inthe cradle of Jewish religion, to whom he came with his67
living fellowship, and through whom he introduced such tomen. Jesus was divine because God ‗raised‘ him to a newlevel of life. But this was not a oneness of substance.Christ‘s life is an example, revealing the kind of life Godwills f<strong>or</strong>, and from, man; it is not a supernatural act setbef<strong>or</strong>e us as a miraculous means of salvation‖ (Beaven, InHim Is Life).This was the man chiefly responsible f<strong>or</strong> the educationof N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist missionaries in those days.In 1924, missionary M.R. Hartley of India representedthe views of many N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist preachers when hestated:―We have no assurance that we have a trustw<strong>or</strong>thy rec<strong>or</strong>dof anything that Jesus Christ either said <strong>or</strong> did. ... I believethat Jesus Christ is the son of God but I must interpret thatin my own way. I can conceive of myself coming to aposition where I could sincerely say that I believe in thedeity of Jesus. I could almost say it now, but it wouldmean something different from <strong>or</strong>thodoxy, but <strong>or</strong>thodoxyseems like an impossible view. I do not see the necessityof the death of Christ. I do not believe in the secondcoming.‖Dr. Frederick Anderson, secretary of the F<strong>or</strong>eign Boardof the N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist Convention in the late 1920s,questioned the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.―My mind is still open on this subject, which I do notconsider of the first imp<strong>or</strong>tance. I am rather inclined tobelieve in the virgin birth, but it is not essential to Christianfaith, and should not be made a condition of churchmembership <strong>or</strong> <strong>or</strong>dination‖ (Anderson, The Life of Jesus).This is a false and wicked statement because if JesusChrist was not virgin b<strong>or</strong>n, the <strong>Bible</strong> is a pack of liesand our faith is in a fable. Further, if Christ was notvirgin b<strong>or</strong>n He could not have been the sinless Son ofGod and could not, theref<strong>or</strong>e, have died f<strong>or</strong> our sins.68
In the 1940s, Andover-Newton Baptist TheologicalSeminary (American Baptist) graduate Myron J. Hertelgave the following reply when asked about the blood ofChrist:―The blood of Jesus Christ is of no m<strong>or</strong>e value in thesalvation of a soul than the water in which Pilate washedhis hands.‖ Yet the American Baptist Home MissionSociety called this young blasphemer to the position of thesuperintendent of the Boston Baptist City Mission (RobertT. Ketcham, The Answer, Sw<strong>or</strong>d of the L<strong>or</strong>d, pp. 10-16).The 1948 congress of the N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist Conventionfeatured the influential modernist heretic Ge<strong>or</strong>geButtrick. On page 284 of his book Christian Fact andModern Doubt he stated:―The future is hidden. We must be faithful to ourign<strong>or</strong>ance ... Jesus apparently conquered death ... But wedo not know, why pretend we do ... We covet the chanceto say to God hereafter, if God there be; L<strong>or</strong>d, they told usto grab the present gain, but there was m<strong>or</strong>e gain instaking life on a grand Perhaps.‖The apostle Paul said, “I KNOW whom I have believed,and am PERSUADED that he is able to keep that which Ihave committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy1:12).The American Baptist-supp<strong>or</strong>ted Buttrick reduced thegl<strong>or</strong>ious Christian faith to an ingl<strong>or</strong>ious PERHAPS.The 1950 N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist Convention congressfeatured blasphemous modernist G. Bromley Oxnam,who referred to the God of the Old Testament as a“dirty bully,” because his unregenerate, rebellious mindwould not accept the righteous judgment of God uponsin (Oxnam, Preaching in a Revolutionary Age, p. 72).69
Dr. A.S. Hobart, profess<strong>or</strong> at the American BaptistCrozer Seminary, denied the substitutionary bloodatonement of Jesus Christ:―I cannot see anything understandable <strong>or</strong> acceptable inthe<strong>or</strong>y that my guilt and my penalty were placed uponChrist, <strong>or</strong> that Christ‘s holiness is imparted to me, in anyway that involves a substitution of his holiness f<strong>or</strong> mine, <strong>or</strong>his suffering f<strong>or</strong> what was due me, that view of the the<strong>or</strong>yof the atonement finds no foothold in my consciousness <strong>or</strong>my reason‖ (A.S. Hobart, Transplanted Truths fromRomans, p. 29).Another Crozer profess<strong>or</strong>, Henry Vedder, concurredwith Hobart in denying Christ‟s salvation:―Of all the slanders men have perpetrated against theMost High, this doctrine of his substitutionary atonement ispositively the most impudent and the most insulting. Jesusnever taught and never auth<strong>or</strong>ized anybody to teach in hisname that he suffered in our stead and b<strong>or</strong>e the penalty ofour sins‖ (Vedder, cited by R.T. Ketcham, The Answer, pp.10-16).N<strong>or</strong>ris L. Tibbets, f<strong>or</strong>mer past<strong>or</strong> of the American BaptistRiverside Church in New Y<strong>or</strong>k City, denied Christ‟sbodily resurrection:―Then the third day came. A stone was rolled away and animprisoned spirit was set free‖ (Tibbets, Secret Place,April-June 1950, published by the N<strong>or</strong>thern BaptistConvention).Duncan Littlefair was past<strong>or</strong> of the Fountain StreetBaptist Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was alsoa leader in the N<strong>or</strong>thern Baptist Convention. As hostpast<strong>or</strong> of the 1946 annual convention he said:―The Resurrection was not a physical event in hist<strong>or</strong>y. Ifthe body of Jesus had been raised physically it would onlyhave been required to die again. We have made thephysical aspect of the Resurrection the imp<strong>or</strong>tant thing. ...It is a shame and disgrace, really, that after all these70
centuries we should be living and thinking about the gl<strong>or</strong>yof the Resurrection on such levels as these‖ (Littlefair, TheNature of God).Littlefair also denied that Jesus Christ is God:―Was Jesus God? There are two maj<strong>or</strong> approaches to thisquestion. One of them seeks to make Jesus God. Thatseems to be the traditional notion of Christianity <strong>or</strong> at leastthe popular understanding of it, but I want to say here thism<strong>or</strong>ning, once and f<strong>or</strong> all, if I haven‘t said it bef<strong>or</strong>e, and if Idon‘t say it again--That is idolatry. Jesus is not and cannotbe God. He was God in the same way that you and I maybe God, by being an expression of him, and allowing himto express himself in us‖ (Littlefair, cited by R.T. Ketcham,The Answer, pp. 25-31).American Baptist minister Jitsuo M<strong>or</strong>ikawa, f<strong>or</strong>merpast<strong>or</strong> of the Riverside Church in New Y<strong>or</strong>k City, said in1964:―God has already won a mighty redemption ... f<strong>or</strong> theentire w<strong>or</strong>ld ... The task of the church is to tell all men ...that they already belong to Christ ... Men are no longerlost ... There cannot be individual salvation‖ (JitsuoM<strong>or</strong>ikawa, Riverside Church, New Y<strong>or</strong>k City, ChristianityToday, March 13, 1964, p. 26).American Baptist missionary D.T. Niles of India madethe following statement espousing universalism bef<strong>or</strong>ethe American Baptist Convention:―...everybody is within the ministry of Jesus Christ whether<strong>or</strong> not he accepts it ... The only question [is] ‗Do you knowthat Jesus Christ is your Saviour?‘ Jesus is L<strong>or</strong>d whetherman knows it <strong>or</strong> not--believes it <strong>or</strong> not‖ (J.O. Sanders,What of the Unevangelized, p. 21).Nels F.S. Ferre, profess<strong>or</strong> at the N<strong>or</strong>thern BaptistAndover-Newton Theological School, was a modernistand a blasphemer of the highest caliber. He denied thevirgin birth, deity, miracles, and resurrection of JesusChrist. He claimed that the Old Testament taught an71
“outw<strong>or</strong>n m<strong>or</strong>ality” (Ferre, Pillars of Faith, p. 95). Hestated that “God differs from all men, including Jesus,in that His personality alone is eternal and the Creat<strong>or</strong>of all other personalities” (Ferre, The Christian Faith,1942, p. 102). He conjectured that Jesus might havebeen the son of a Roman soldier (Ferre, ChristianUnderstanding of God, p. 186). He claimed thataccepting the <strong>Bible</strong> as the infallible W<strong>or</strong>d of God isidolatry (Ferre, The Sun and the Umbrella, p. 39).In the 1960s, Profess<strong>or</strong> William Hamilton of ColgateRochester Divinity School (American Baptist) taughtthat God is dead. Hamilton was defended in 1966 byColgate president Gene Bartlett who refused to removeHamilton from the faculty because he “was within theallowable measure of dissent.”The American Baptist Convention in 1968 stated thatab<strong>or</strong>tion “should be a matter of responsible personaldecision.”In the early 1970s, Dr. L. McBain, f<strong>or</strong>mer president ofthe American Baptist Convention and president of theAmerican Baptist Seminary of the West, argued thatJesus Christ is not referred to as God in the <strong>Scripture</strong>s(F.E.A. News & Views, Fundamental EvangelisticAssociation, Nov-Dec. 1976).In an article in the December 1979 issue of theAmerican Baptist Magazine, Dr. L. Howard McBain,president of the American Baptist Seminary of the West.McBain, stated that the <strong>Bible</strong> does not teach that Jesuswas God.In 1980, American Baptist Dr. Ralph Wendell Burhoereceived the Templeton Prize f<strong>or</strong> Progress in Religionf<strong>or</strong> his “revolutionary hypothesis that finds religion72
central to the evolutionary emergence of civilizedhumanity” (EP News Service, May 31, 1980).The American Baptist Biennial Convention in 1981featured Rosemary Radf<strong>or</strong>d Reuther, a Roman Catholicfeminist whose “language often sounds m<strong>or</strong>e like itbelongs in the gutter than in the church” (Foundationmagazine, Fundamental Evangelistic Association,January-February 1981, p. 18).American Baptist profess<strong>or</strong> Harvey Cox of HarvardUniversity is a not<strong>or</strong>ious modernist. In his book TheSecular City, he claimed that “the w<strong>or</strong>ld, not the church,is the proper focus of Christian life” and “the w<strong>or</strong>ld ofpolitics is a primary sphere of God‟s liberating w<strong>or</strong>ktoday” (quoted from Richard Quebedeaux, The W<strong>or</strong>ldlyEvangelicals, 1978, p. 19). In his book The Feast of Fools,Cox referred to Jesus Christ as a harlequin and a clown.Cox does not believe that followers of pagan religionsare on their way to Hell. He was a speaker at the W<strong>or</strong>ldCongress f<strong>or</strong> the Synthesis of Science and Religion inIndia in 1986. The conference was arranged by a Hindu<strong>or</strong>ganization.The June 1991 issue of WATCHw<strong>or</strong>d, a women‟sministry paper of the ABC, stated: “What I have come tolove about <strong>Scripture</strong> is the fact that it is not inerrant.That it is not perfect. That it is not complete. That itdoes contradict itself...”F<strong>or</strong>mer American Baptist Churches president JamesScott stated in the March 1992 issue of American Baptistmagazine that the issue of homosexuality should be reexaminedand that there might be various legitimatepoints of view about it other than the traditional biblicalone that it is an abomination bef<strong>or</strong>e God.73
In August 1993, American Baptist deputy generalsecretary f<strong>or</strong> cooperative Christianity, Joan S. Parrott,sat with 386 cardinals and bishops surrounding PopeJohn Paul II at the Roman Catholic Church‟s W<strong>or</strong>ldYouth Day in Denver. She was part of a nine-memberecumenical team including Protestant and Jewishleaders who were given a special banquet bef<strong>or</strong>e theprayer vigil and met with the pope after his sermon.She had lavish praise f<strong>or</strong> the ecumenical event (CalvaryContender, Jan. 1, 1994).The American Baptist Churches sent representatives tothe Re-imagining conference in Minneapolis,Minnesota, in November 1993. Speakers includedChung Hyung Kyung, a K<strong>or</strong>ean “theologian” whoequates the <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit with ancient Asian deities andwho prays to trees and deceased spirits. At theconference, Del<strong>or</strong>es Williams said: “I don‟t think weneed a the<strong>or</strong>y of atonement at all. I think Jesus camef<strong>or</strong> life and to show us something about life. I don‟tthink we need folks hanging on crosses and blooddripping and weird stuff.” Virginia Mollenkott said thatJesus was “first b<strong>or</strong>n only in the sense that he was thefirst to show us that it is possible to live in oneness withthe divine source while we are here on this planet.”Chung Hyung Kyung said: “My bowel is Buddhistbowel, my heart is Buddhist heart, my right brain isConfucian brain, and my left brain is Christian brain.”During the conference, a group of roughly 100 “lesbian,bi-sexual, and transsexual women” gathered on theplatf<strong>or</strong>m and were given a standing ovation by many inthe crowd. They were “celebrating the miracle of beinglesbian, out, and Christian.” In a w<strong>or</strong>kshop called„Prophetic Voices of Lesbians in the Church,‟ NadeanBishop, the first „out‟ lesbian minister called to an74
American Baptist church, claimed that Mary and Marthain the <strong>Bible</strong> were lesbian „f<strong>or</strong>e-sisters.‟ She said theywere lesbian lovers.Cooperative Baptist FellowshipThe latest group to join the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance is theCooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), which wasaccepted as a member in 2003.The CBF is a very liberal <strong>or</strong>ganization that was f<strong>or</strong>medin 1991 by Southern Baptists discontented with thenational convention‟s conservative direction in recentyears. Its liberalism could be demonstrated with manyexamples, but I will give just one.F<strong>or</strong> example, at the annual CBF‟s conference in June2002, the book “The Wisdom of Daughters” was sold. Itadvocates lesbianism, ab<strong>or</strong>tion, w<strong>or</strong>ship of a femaleSophia goddess, and the practice of Wicca. One essay inthis book described the doctrine of Christ‟ssubstitutionary death f<strong>or</strong> man‟s sin as an example of“divine child abuse.” This perverted book wascommended in materials distributed at the conferenceby Baptist Women in Ministry, a partner ministry to theCooperative Baptist Fellowship.Any man associating with the Baptist W<strong>or</strong>ld Alliance isin open disobedience to God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d:―If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine,receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed: F<strong>or</strong> he that biddeth him God speed is partaker ofhis evil deeds‖ (2 John 10, 11).75
RICK WARREN SPEAKS AT YOIDOFULL GOSPEL CHURCHRick Warren conducted a <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> conference atthe charismatic Yoido Full Gospel church in Seoul,South K<strong>or</strong>ea, in 2006.Yoido‟s past<strong>or</strong>, David Yonggi Cho, teaches that Godpromises healing and prosperity f<strong>or</strong> every believer andconsiders this part of the gospel.The church‟s web site says, “Full Gospel faith not onlyaccepts the Gospel of salvation which Christ madecomplete as He was resurrected from the dead, but alsobelieves in the release from physical illness andsalvation f<strong>or</strong> the cursed life.”In 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 15:1-4, Paul clearly stated the gospeland he mentioned nothing about healing.―M<strong>or</strong>eover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which Ipreached unto you, which also ye have received, andwherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keepin mem<strong>or</strong>y what I preached unto you, unless ye havebelieved in vain. F<strong>or</strong> I delivered unto you first of all thatwhich I also received, how that Christ died f<strong>or</strong> our sinsacc<strong>or</strong>ding to the scriptures; and that he was buried, andthat he rose again the third day acc<strong>or</strong>ding to thescriptures.‖Cho claims that he received the call to preach directlyand personally from Jesus Christ, who supposedlyappeared to him dressed like a fireman (“Paul YonggiCho,” Dictionary of Pentecostal and CharismaticMovements).Cho‟s book The Fourth Dimension sets out his strangedoctrine, which he claims to have received directly fromGod. Cho teaches that effective prayer requires76
visualizing the thing desired exactly in your mind and“incubating” that image in your heart by faith until youreceive it.―Through visualization and dreaming you can incubateyour future and hatch the results‖ (The Fourth Dimension,p. 44).Ign<strong>or</strong>ing the <strong>Bible</strong>‟s emphasis on living by faith ratherthan sight and the fact that most who witnessed Christ‟smighty miracles did not believe, Cho claims that“without seeing miracles, people cannot be satisfiedthat God is powerful. It is you [Christians] who areresponsible to supply miracles f<strong>or</strong> these people.”Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the Yoido Full Gospel Church‟s web site,279 of its 527 past<strong>or</strong>s are women.Does Rick Warren care about any of these err<strong>or</strong>s?77
RICK WARREN AND BILL HYBELSJOIN THE WORLD’S AIDSBANDWAGONRick Warren spoke to a “gathering of faith-based<strong>or</strong>ganizations” in T<strong>or</strong>onto in August 2006 on the subjectof addressing the HIV/AIDS problem. The f<strong>or</strong>um wasthe Ecumenical and Interfaith Pre-Conferences thatwere held in advance of the 16th International AIDSConference.Warren said there are 2.3 billion Christians w<strong>or</strong>ldwide,which represents the largest potential volunteer f<strong>or</strong>ce inthe w<strong>or</strong>ld. Apparently, he considers Roman Catholicism,Greek Orthodoxy, liberal Protestantism, and othernominal and sacramental groups that make up the 2.3billion statistic as legitimately “Christian.”Warren called f<strong>or</strong> a strategy he calls “CHURCH”--C stands f<strong>or</strong> caring and comf<strong>or</strong>t.H stands f<strong>or</strong> counseling and testing.U stands f<strong>or</strong> unleashing a f<strong>or</strong>ce of volunteers.R stands f<strong>or</strong> reducing stigma.C stands f<strong>or</strong> championing healthy life style andbehavi<strong>or</strong>s.H stands f<strong>or</strong> help through medications and nutrition.Warren is calling on churches to become AIDS testingcenters and wants to reduce the stigma of thehomosexuality and other types of m<strong>or</strong>al debaucherythat are at the heart of the AIDS epidemic.Bill Hybels, seni<strong>or</strong> past<strong>or</strong> of the Willow CreekCommunity Church (and head of the 12,000-memberWillow Creek Association of Churches) is also on the78
AIDS bandwagon. At the urging of rock star Bono,Hybels has made AIDS one of his pri<strong>or</strong>ities. Aninterview with Bono was broadcast to the 70,000people who participated in the annual Willow CreekLeadership Conference that was held in August 2006.Bono complains that the churches have not gotteninvolved in such issues because of “a judgmentalattitude.”In fact, <strong>Bible</strong>-believing churches do not jump on thew<strong>or</strong>ld‟s bandwagons f<strong>or</strong> the simple reason that theyhave a different and a higher calling. <strong>Bible</strong>-believingchurches are in the business of obeying the GreatCommission of Jesus Christ, which was repeated fivetimes in the New Testament to emphasize itsimp<strong>or</strong>tance (Matthew 28:18-19; Mark 16:15; Luke24:44-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).In the book of Acts, we see how the apostles interpretedthe Great Commission. They did not launch impressivesocial-justice projects. Rather, they preached the gospeland baptized those who believed and establishedchurches and discipled believers to live holy lives in themidst of a wicked generation.It is impossible to obey God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d and at the sametime have a non-judgmental AIDS outreach. Ephesians5:11 commands, “And have no fellowship with theunfruitful w<strong>or</strong>ks of darkness, but rather reprove them.”When churches obey this and similar commands andreprove sin, many AIDS-infected persons will cursethem rather than seek their help.Rick Warren and Bill Hybels are probably sincere men,but they are deeply deluded; they are the blind leadingthe blind. When a church jumps on the w<strong>or</strong>ld‟s79
andwagon, it is certain that it has jumped out of God‟swill.80
RICK WARREN TEAMS UP WITHALPHA INTERNATIONALRick Warren has teamed up with Alpha Internationaland the Billy Graham Association in the My Hope Indiaproject.The Alpha International Newsletter, published December4, 2006, contains Warren‟s high recommendation ofAlpha. He calls it “one of the most effective evangelismtools f<strong>or</strong> the 21st century” and says that you can use itto win the lost and “revitalize your church.”He says his 40 Days of <strong>Purpose</strong> and Alpha “fit togetherlike hand in glove.” He claims that both programs are“inspired by the <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit to deepen and develop theChurch.”He concludes, “I, Rick Warren, want to tell you thatAlpha has my 100% end<strong>or</strong>sement.”This exposes the radical nature of Warren‟s ecumenicalphilosophy. The Alpha program was birthed out of thecharismatic Laughing Revival that broke out in the <strong>Holy</strong>Trinity Brompton Anglican parish in London in the early1990s, and it is promoting a charismatic-ecumenicalagenda throughout the w<strong>or</strong>ld.I visited a service at <strong>Holy</strong> Trinity Brompton in March1997 and witnessed their charismatic err<strong>or</strong> firsthand.There was “spirit slaying” and “holy shaking.”The Alpha program consists of 15 sessions and runs f<strong>or</strong>ten weeks, covering some of the basic teachings of theGospel and Christian living. Its broad denominationalappeal is the product of its doctrinal shallowness andexperiential charismatic <strong>or</strong>ientation.81
It refers to salvation, the cross, the death of Christ, etc.,in such a general way that false doctrine is not refuted.It says salvation is by grace, f<strong>or</strong> instance, but it does notsay that salvation is by grace ALONE by faith ALONEthrough the blood of Christ ALONE without w<strong>or</strong>ks <strong>or</strong>sacraments. It refers to the <strong>Bible</strong> as God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d in ageneral sense, but it does not explain that the <strong>Bible</strong> isGod‟s inerrant, infallible, supernatural W<strong>or</strong>d that mustbe reverenced and obeyed in every detail and that the<strong>Bible</strong> is the SOLE auth<strong>or</strong>ity f<strong>or</strong> faith and practice. Itrefers to Christ‟s death on the cross, but does not plainlyexplain the vicarious atonement that was required f<strong>or</strong>man‟s salvation. It refers to man‟s need, but it does notdescribe man as a depraved sinner by nature.If Alpha were that specific, it is certain it would not beecumenically popular in this apostate hour.The reason Rick Warren recommends this shallowapproach 100% is because it is the same approach thathe uses, which a quick reading of The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong>Life will prove.About halfway through the 10-week Alpha program, theleaders conduct “<strong>Holy</strong> Spirit Day” <strong>or</strong> even have a “<strong>Holy</strong>Spirit Weekend Away.” The purpose is to bring theparticipants into a charismatic experience. The leader“takes them through the experience of receiving the<strong>Holy</strong> Spirit.” Those who take the course are urged toopen themselves to the “slaying in the spirit” and otherunscriptural experiences. The participants are taughtthat “tongues speaking” can be learned. They are taughtto expect extra-biblical revelations from God throughdreams and “w<strong>or</strong>ds of knowledge.”82
THE ALPHA PROGRAM HAS BEEN USED WIDELY INTHE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH SINCE THE 1990s.There is even a Roman Catholic division of Alpha.In the December 2006 edition of the Alpha InternationalNewsletter, the one containing Warren‟s 100%end<strong>or</strong>sement, Catholic priests praise Alpha after thesame fashion as the “evangelical” past<strong>or</strong>. There is arep<strong>or</strong>t on the activities of “Alpha f<strong>or</strong> Catholics” invarious parts of Asia and South America. Alpha founderNicky Gumbel, who Warren calls his “friend,” spoke inRome in May 2006 at the Catholic CharismaticRenewal‟s 40th anniversary.83
RICK WARREN’S MESSAGE IN THELADIES HOME JOURNALThe following is republished by permission of theauth<strong>or</strong>, Paul Proct<strong>or</strong> March 11, 2005"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shallcome. F<strong>or</strong> men shall be lovers of their own selves,…Having a f<strong>or</strong>m of godliness, but denying the power thereof:from such turn away. F<strong>or</strong> of this s<strong>or</strong>t are they which creepinto houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins,led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never ableto come to the knowledge of the truth." – 2nd Timothy 2: 1-2, 5-7James Sundquist, auth<strong>or</strong> of a great new book entitled,"Who‟s Driving the <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Church?" (which Ihighly recommend, by the way) recently sent me a copyof Rick Warren‟s column from the March 2005 editionof the Ladies Home Journal. What makes this particularpiece a must-read f<strong>or</strong> any Christian, is how perfectly itillustrates what Past<strong>or</strong> Warren REALLY believes and/<strong>or</strong>wants YOU to believe.In it, this wolf momentarily steps out of his sheepskin toaddress what is most imp<strong>or</strong>tant to him; his REALreligion: making people feel good about themselves,which of course, makes them feel good about RickWarren, and his “ministry.” It is the essence of goodmarketing: telling people what they want to hear, evenif it is a bold-faced lie; and because he claims to bedoing it f<strong>or</strong> Jesus, the “spiritual” end justifies thediabolical means.You see, a “successful” salesman always makes hisprospects feel good. If he accomplishes this, he knows84
that many, if not most, will reward him by purchasingwhatever it is he has f<strong>or</strong> sale, because you see, the REALproduct f<strong>or</strong> sale IS the salesman. Everything else is justan access<strong>or</strong>y. The better the customer feels, the m<strong>or</strong>ethey like the salesman. The m<strong>or</strong>e access<strong>or</strong>ies thatlikeable salesman sells, the m<strong>or</strong>e he is acclaimed w<strong>or</strong>thyby the w<strong>or</strong>ld. Not only that; but the m<strong>or</strong>e he isacclaimed w<strong>or</strong>thy by the w<strong>or</strong>ld, the EASIER hisaccess<strong>or</strong>ies are to sell. In time, the salesman‟s growingpopularity and the trustw<strong>or</strong>thy image that isperpetuated bef<strong>or</strong>e the public eye provides all of thenecessary momentum to sustain his "success" at leastuntil, f<strong>or</strong> whatever reason, the good feelings wane <strong>or</strong>the next big thing comes along.How does a “successful” salesman make you feel good?In a w<strong>or</strong>d: Flattery–what we all want to hear from thosearound us. Flattery and The Big Lie.In Past<strong>or</strong> Warren‟s March column, he wrote:―To truly love yourself, you need to know the five truthsthat f<strong>or</strong>m the basis of a healthy self-image.‖Here he begins by end<strong>or</strong>sing the very thingconservatives loathed Bill Clinton f<strong>or</strong>--narcissism. Now,keep in mind, this is a “man of God,” a “preacher of theGospel,” laying out five “truths” f<strong>or</strong> your consideration.But these “truths” came not from the <strong>Bible</strong>, the W<strong>or</strong>d ofGod, every legitimate shepherd is called to proclaim.No, they came from the w<strong>or</strong>ld of secular psychology.But, if any preacher <strong>or</strong> past<strong>or</strong> proclaims somethingother than God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d as truth at the expense of theGospel, he is betraying Christ, not obeying Him.1. Warren: “Accept yourself … God accepts usunconditionally…”85
Does God accept us without Christ? Does He accept useven when we reject Him and/<strong>or</strong> willfully disobey HisW<strong>or</strong>d? Is that not what “unconditionally” means? So, isPast<strong>or</strong> Warren implying here that Jesus really didn‟tneed to suffer and die on a cross two thousand yearsago to atone f<strong>or</strong> our sins with His own shed blood tomake those of us who belong to Him acceptable to Godthe Father because God ALREADY accepts anyone andeveryone unconditionally? If so, is he also suggestingthat Hell is reserved only f<strong>or</strong> the devil and his fallenangels <strong>or</strong> are they accepted unconditionally, as well?The truth is, Hell is never mentioned in the article;neither is sin, repentance, redemption <strong>or</strong> the cross ofChrist; only God‟s “unconditional acceptance” ofeveryone reading the Ladies Home Journal, Christian <strong>or</strong>not.2. Warren: “Love yourself”Tell me, who‟s m<strong>or</strong>e in love with “self” than self? At thevery heart of our sinful nature is an unrestrained selflove.Does <strong>Scripture</strong> say: “Thou shalt love thyself withall thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thymind, and with all thy strength?” Of course not! Thereis a reason f<strong>or</strong> that. We already love ourselvesinstinctively. We were b<strong>or</strong>n with an undying love f<strong>or</strong>self. If it weren‟t so, Jesus would not have told us to “…love thy neighb<strong>or</strong> AS THYSELF."” (Mark 12:31).Even those that commit suicide are doing it f<strong>or</strong>themselves, in spite of the life-altering pain andsuffering they inflict on their family and friends. Theydon‟t hate themselves. They‟re filled with fear, anxiety,guilt, anger, loneliness, resentment and a desperateneed to BE LOVED. If they are simply instructed to “loveself,” then their sin and separation from God remains86
ign<strong>or</strong>ed; and not only are they still lost and bound f<strong>or</strong>an eternity in Hell, they are encouraged by falseprophets like Warren to love themselves all the m<strong>or</strong>e f<strong>or</strong>it! This is the perfect recipe f<strong>or</strong> disaster. It is the antigospeland the doctrine of demons.So, here‟s a “minister of the gospel” instructing hisreaders from every walk of life, Christian <strong>or</strong> otherwise,not to love others <strong>or</strong> even to love God as the <strong>Bible</strong>teaches; but instead, to “love yourself.”OK--All you--Mary Kay Letourneau, Lynette “Squeaky”Fromme, Hillary Clinton, Janet Jackson, Madonna,Brittney Spears types, listen up! I hope you renewedyour subscription because the good reverend is about tosay something here that I‟m quite certain you‟re goingto like:3. Warren: “Be true to yourself…consider your heart–what you love to do–as well as the strengths andweaknesses of your personality…Don‟t deny yourweaknesses…be content with them.”You might hear that in a Walt Disney movie <strong>or</strong> on theDr. Phil Show but you won‟t find THAT in your KingJames, folks. What you WILL find is this:―The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperatelywicked: who can know it?‖ (Jeremiah 17:9).And this:―Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will comeafter me, let him deny himself…‖ (Matthew 16:24).4. Warren: “F<strong>or</strong>give yourself…God doesn‟t expectperfection…”If we f<strong>or</strong>give ourselves without Christ, withoutconfession and without repentance, not only are we87
fooling ourselves, we are unwittingly condemningourselves through delusion and have essentially learnedhow to bypass the conscience God has given us and“seared” it from ever feeling the burden of our sin andguilt again.Furtherm<strong>or</strong>e, if God doesn‟t expect perfection from us,Jesus would not have said:―Be ye theref<strong>or</strong>e perfect, even as your Father which is inheaven is perfect‖ (Matthew 5:48).Apparently, somebody‟s lying to us. Do you believeJesus Christ <strong>or</strong> Rick Warren?5. Warren: “Believe in yourself…The truth is God hascreated you with talents, abilities, personality andbackground in a combination that is uniquely you.”The L<strong>or</strong>d has NEVER ONCE instructed us to “believe inourselves!” This is the w<strong>or</strong>ld‟s religion–the heart ofhumanism and “the pride of life” that the <strong>Bible</strong>repeatedly warns us against! There is nothing to gainfrom believing in oneself, but the praise and admirationof the w<strong>or</strong>ld, which is not only what Rick Warren wantsbut also what he knows YOU want, even though it couldcost you your very soul.Here‟s what the W<strong>or</strong>d of God says about self:―But we are all as an unclean thing, and all ourrighteousnesses are as filthy rags and we all do fade as aleaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken usaway‖ (Isaiah 64:6).―Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth inman, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heartdeparteth from the LORD‖ (Jeremiah 17:5).―Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will comeafter me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and88
follow me. F<strong>or</strong> whosoever will save his life shall lose it:and whosoever will lose his life f<strong>or</strong> my sake shall find it.F<strong>or</strong> what is a man profited, if he shall gain the wholew<strong>or</strong>ld, and lose his own soul? <strong>or</strong> what shall a man give inexchange f<strong>or</strong> his soul?‖ (Matthew 16:24-26).And, here‟s what <strong>Scripture</strong> says about WHOM weshould believe in:―Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believethnot on me, but on him that sent me‖ (John 12:44).―And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall neverdie‖ (John 11:26a).Past<strong>or</strong> Warren closes his heretical commentary with thefollowing:―It‘s your choice. You can believe what others say aboutyou, <strong>or</strong> you can believe in yourself as does God, who saysyou are truly acceptable, lovable, valuable and capable.‖Amid all these lies, Rick is right about one thing: IT'SYOUR CHOICE. And what a choice it is! You can believewhat God says about you in His W<strong>or</strong>d <strong>or</strong> you can“believe in yourself” as Warren and every other self-helpmotivational speaker advises us to do. But ask yourselfthis: When did God EVER say He believed in you andme? When did He EVER say we were “acceptable,lovable, valuable and capable?”Here‟s what He REALLY said about you and me:―F<strong>or</strong> all have sinned, and come sh<strong>or</strong>t of the gl<strong>or</strong>y ofGod‖ (Romans 3:23).FIVE TIMES He said this:―…there is none that doeth good…‖ (Psalm 14:1, Psalm14:3, Psalm 53:1, Psalm 53:3, Romans 3:12).But about Jesus Christ, God the Father had THIS to say:―And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art89
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased‖ (Mark 1:11).This is the beloved Son whose precious name wasNEVER ONCE mentioned in Rick Warren‟s article. THATALONE should speak volumes about what he believesand in whom he believes. Sure, he used the name “God”throughout the article; but to a Muslim, that‟s not Jesus;to a M<strong>or</strong>mon, that‟s not Jesus; to Moonies and countlessother followers of the w<strong>or</strong>ld‟s various religions, that‟snot Jesus. That‟s how he and others like him slip inunder the radar. The way he presented “God” in themagazine, “God” could be anybody you want Him to be,including yourself (telling you what you want to hearwhile offending no one). Well friends, he sure offendedme, and I HOPE he offended you!About the name of Jesus Christ, the <strong>Bible</strong> says this:―Neither is there salvation in any other: f<strong>or</strong> there is noneother name under heaven given among men, whereby wemust be saved‖ (Acts 4:12).Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Time Magazine, Rick Warren is “America'sNew People‟s Past<strong>or</strong>.” Judging by the millions of<strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Life books sold and the thousands ofchurches that have embraced him, his programs and hisaccess<strong>or</strong>ies, I am inclined to agree.YOU, my fellow Christian; whether you‟re a preacher, apast<strong>or</strong>, an evangelist, a church leader, teacher <strong>or</strong> simplya layman, after reading here what Past<strong>or</strong> Warren wrotein The Ladies Home Journal, have an obligation to take astand f<strong>or</strong> Jesus Christ and His W<strong>or</strong>d and warn othersabout Warren‟s unbiblical teaching. If you do not, andjust sit silent to save your ministry, church, career,family, friends <strong>or</strong> your own reputation, then I wouldencourage you to re-read Matthew 16:24-26 one m<strong>or</strong>etime because he is leading people astray around the90
w<strong>or</strong>ld in vast numbers and we are commanded t<strong>or</strong>ebuke him f<strong>or</strong> it with the W<strong>or</strong>d of God and separateourselves from him and his heresy if he does not repent.That is our duty as disciples of Jesus Christ. If weaccommodate anyone‟s lies and deceit f<strong>or</strong> selfishreasons, especially those who call themselves a“brother,” then we show our L<strong>or</strong>d, the w<strong>or</strong>ld around us,and that “great cloud of witnesses” that we are not FORChrist, but are in reality, AGAINST Him.―Woe be unto the past<strong>or</strong>s that destroy and scatter thesheep of my pasture! saith the LORD‖ (Jeremiah 23:1).91
RICK WARREN DOESN’T MENTIONJESUS ONCE WHILE PREACHINGTO JEWSIn June 2006, Rick Warren spoke at the Jewish SinaiTemple in Los Angeles and did not mention the name ofJesus one time.Rob Eshman, the edit<strong>or</strong> of The Jewish Journal of GreaterLos Angeles, observed:―Warren managed to speak f<strong>or</strong> the entire evening withoutonce mentioning Jesus--a testament to his savvymessage-tail<strong>or</strong>ing‖ (―Jesus‘ Man Has a Plan,‖ The JewishJournal of Greater Los Angeles, June 23, 2006).No, it is a testament to his wretched compromise. F<strong>or</strong>Warren not to mention the name of Jesus whenpreaching to Jews is inexcusable, f<strong>or</strong> “there is noneother name under heaven given among men, wherebywe must be saved” (Acts 4:12).The congregants at Sinai Temple do not need to hearabout Rick Warren‟s seeker-sensitive philosophy and<strong>or</strong>ganizational methods; they do not need to hear himtalk about how many copies of books he has sold <strong>or</strong>how much money he gives away; they need to hear thatthey are lost in their sins and will go to eternal Hell ifthey reject Jesus as the Messiah.Warren and other Church Growth gurus claim that havenot changed the Christian message, only the methods.In fact, if Rick Warren preached the same message thatthe apostle Paul preached he would have the sameresponse from unbelieving Jews today that Paul had inhis day. They would ridicule and oppose him.92
―F<strong>or</strong> ye, brethren, became followers of the churches ofGod which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: f<strong>or</strong> ye also havesuffered like things of your own countrymen, even as theyhave of the Jews: Who both killed the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus, andtheir own prophets, and have persecuted us; and theyplease not God, and are contrary to all men: F<strong>or</strong>bidding usto speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill uptheir sins alway: f<strong>or</strong> the wrath is come upon them to theuttermost‖ (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).Rabbi Ron Wolfson of the Sinai Temple has beeninfluenced by Warren‟s “<strong>Purpose</strong>-<strong>Driven</strong> Church” bookand has had personal discussions with Warren, andWarren told him “his interest is in helping all houses ofw<strong>or</strong>ship, NOT IN CONVERTING JEWS.”93
RICK WARREN PREDICTS A “NEWREFORMATION”In his appearance bef<strong>or</strong>e the Pew F<strong>or</strong>um in May 2005,Rick Warren predicted a “New Ref<strong>or</strong>mation” <strong>or</strong> a “ThirdGreat Awakening” f<strong>or</strong> America. He said:―You know, 500 years ago, the first Ref<strong>or</strong>mation withLuther and then Calvin, was about beliefs. I think a newref<strong>or</strong>mation is going to be about behavi<strong>or</strong>. THE FIRSTREFORMATION WAS ABOUT CREEDS; I THINK THISONE WILL BE ABOUT DEEDS. ... The first Ref<strong>or</strong>mationactually split Christianity into dozens and then hundreds ofdifferent segments. I think this one is actually going tobring them together. Now, you‘re never going to getChristians, of all their stripes and varieties, to agree on allof the different doctrinal disputes and things like that, butwhat I am seeing them agree on are the purposes of thechurch. ... Last week I spoke to 4,000 past<strong>or</strong>s at mychurch who came FROM OVER 100 DENOMINATIONS inover 50 countries. Now, that‘s wide spread. WE HADCATHOLIC PRIESTS, we had Pentecostal ministers, wehad Lutheran bishops, we had Anglican bishops, we hadBaptist preachers. They‘re all there together and you knowwhat? I‘d never get them to agree on communion <strong>or</strong>baptism <strong>or</strong> a bunch of stuff like that, but I could get themto agree on what the church should be doing in thew<strong>or</strong>ld‖ (―Myths of the Modern Mega-Church,‖ May 23,2005, transcript of the Pew F<strong>or</strong>um‘s biannual Faith Angleconference on religion, politics and public life).Warren‟s New Ref<strong>or</strong>mation is not about beliefs <strong>or</strong>creeds <strong>or</strong> doctrinal purity; it is rather about “thepurpose of the church.”Let me see if I understand this. It is not imp<strong>or</strong>tant that achurch hold biblical doctrine and practice (e.g., it is fineif they hold to erroneous Episcopalian <strong>or</strong> Lutherandoctrine) <strong>or</strong> even that it preach a biblical gospel (e.g., itis fine if they preach Rome‟s sacramental gospel). It is94
only imp<strong>or</strong>tant that “churches” agree on their purpose?How can a “church” have a biblical purpose when itdoes not have biblical doctrine? How can it have abiblical purpose when it preaches a false gospel?If sound doctrine is not a foundational issue, I wonderwhy Paul instructed Timothy to “charge some that theyteach NO OTHER DOCTRINE” (1 Tim. 1:3)? I wonderwhy he didn‟t rather instruct Timothy, rather, to go easyon the doctrine issue?Could it be that the apostle Paul‟s teaching is contraryto Rick Warren‟s?I, f<strong>or</strong> one, am certain of it!95
THE CHURCH GROWTHMOVEMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF RICKWARREN’S “PURPOSE DRIVEN”CHURCH GROWTH STRATEGYBy Dennis CostellaThe following article by Dennis Costella is fromFoundation Magazine, March-April 1998 (FundamentalEvangelistic Association, 1476 W. Herndon, Suite 104Fresno, CA, 559-438-0080, http://www.feasite.<strong>or</strong>g/Info/fbcprice.htm)After personally covering the Saddleback CommunityChurch “Building a <strong>Purpose</strong>-<strong>Driven</strong> Church” seminarheld in Southern Calif<strong>or</strong>nia this past January, it becameclear to me that some of today‟s most influentialreligious leaders misunderstand and misrepresent thetrue purpose of the church today. Dr. Rick Warren,past<strong>or</strong> of Saddleback Community Church and direct<strong>or</strong>of the “Building a <strong>Purpose</strong>-<strong>Driven</strong> Church” w<strong>or</strong>kshops,has influenced thousands of churches during the lastdecade that are interested in the “Church GrowthMovement.” Without doubt, every church in the UnitedStates must give, <strong>or</strong> has already had to give, an answerto the strategies of building a superchurch. Sadly, manyhave already jumped on board. The possibility ofdynamic growth f<strong>or</strong> struggling churches, especially oldfashioned,<strong>Bible</strong>-believing, <strong>Bible</strong>-preaching fundamentalchurches, is tremendously appealing. However, it isimperative to ask this question: “What actually must bedone in <strong>or</strong>der to accomplish dynamic church growth?”96
We must warn about Rick Warren‟s unbiblical answer tothat question.The purpose of this rep<strong>or</strong>t is not to warn <strong>or</strong> challengemainline denominational churches <strong>or</strong> middle-of-theroadevangelical churches to accept Biblical principlesregarding church growth and to gain a properunderstanding of the very nature of the church. No,these groups are already committed to a course ofcompromise. It is not surprising that the vast maj<strong>or</strong>ity ofliberal and New Evangelical churches today readily fallf<strong>or</strong> the superchurch growth strategy, f<strong>or</strong> theyvehemently reject <strong>Bible</strong> separation and have long sinceadopted theologies and ministries that do not insistupon contending f<strong>or</strong> the Faith <strong>or</strong> f<strong>or</strong> the inerrancy of<strong>Scripture</strong>. The Biblical counsel we would give to onewho might find himself in such a church is to come outof it and follow the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s leading to a solid, <strong>Bible</strong>believing,<strong>Bible</strong>-preaching, separated and militantlyfundamental church.The purpose of this rep<strong>or</strong>t is, however, to exh<strong>or</strong>t andencourage those churches that are attempting tomaintain a strong, fundamentalist testimony. Ourburden is f<strong>or</strong> churches that are trying to stay true to theL<strong>or</strong>d and have experienced little <strong>or</strong> no growth throughthe years as a result of their stand f<strong>or</strong> the truth. Thetemptation to inc<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ate some of the techniques of thedynamic church growth model is great. Who does notwant to reach m<strong>or</strong>e people, draw a larger crowd <strong>or</strong> bem<strong>or</strong>e effective in ministry? Nevertheless, the questionthat every <strong>Bible</strong>-believing Christian and fundamentalistpast<strong>or</strong> should ask is “What must be sacrificed in <strong>or</strong>derto gain m<strong>or</strong>e members and become a „superchurch‟?”After observing and evaluating the Saddleback Seminar,we firmly believe that if the “<strong>Purpose</strong>-<strong>Driven</strong> Church”97
model is to be followed, then fidelity to the L<strong>or</strong>d andHis W<strong>or</strong>d must be sacrificed in <strong>or</strong>der to gain thenumbers. It is imp<strong>or</strong>tant to note, however, that Warrendoes not say a church must be huge in <strong>or</strong>der f<strong>or</strong> it to bevital <strong>or</strong> healthy; rather, he believes that a church‟shealth can be equated to its dynamic growth.So what are some of the changes that must take placef<strong>or</strong> a local assembly to adopt the growth strategy of theSaddleback model? From our understanding of the planwhich was clearly spelled out at the seminar, thefollowing must occur in <strong>or</strong>der to transf<strong>or</strong>m atraditionally-styled church of any size into one that canboast dramatic growth:* A contemp<strong>or</strong>ary-styled “Seeker Service” aimed atdrawing in the unsaved and the unchurched from thecommunity must replace the traditional Sunday w<strong>or</strong>shipservice. To do this successfully, the church service mustbe non-threatening, familiar and comf<strong>or</strong>table to the“seeker” (the unsaved visit<strong>or</strong>).* The dress must be casual. The typical “SaddlebackSam” (a researched composite of the unchurchedyuppie commonly found in Saddleback Church‟ssurrounding community) dresses up f<strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>k all week,and he wants to “dress down” on the weekends. (As weshall see throughout this article, Saddleback Sam‟s likesand dislikes are what determine the style of the churchservice.) Attendees and church staff alike shun any ties,suits and dresses. Warren, dressed in a casual shirt,khakis and loafers told his seminar audience, “Getcomf<strong>or</strong>table. This is as dressed up as I get in thischurch. My idea of winter is I put on socks, andobviously I don‟t think it‟s winter yet.”98
* The music must be contemp<strong>or</strong>ary. Not only must thelyrics of the music be m<strong>or</strong>e recent, but the style ofmusic should be that which the unsaved hears on adaily basis. The entertainment composite of theSaddleback sound system, band, singers andpresentation would rival that of any secular rockconcert. Warren stated that one of the first things achurch should do is “replace the <strong>or</strong>gan with a band.”But he went on to say that if a band was not feasible,then at least a church could purchase a keyboard thatwill inc<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ate midi disks in <strong>or</strong>der to give the sound ofa band. Furtherm<strong>or</strong>e, the purpose of the church choirshould be “backing up the soloist. That‟s the 90‟s way touse a choir rather than just having them sing.”* The message must be only positive. We consider thisto be the most flagrant flaw. Yes, the saved andunsaved alike can feel better about themselves after amessage that often mixes psychology and an uplifting<strong>Scripture</strong> text. Such topics as dealing with guilt, selfesteem,interpersonal relationships, mood enhancement<strong>or</strong> motivation f<strong>or</strong> success will encourage the w<strong>or</strong>ldly,weary individual. But what is God‟s command to thefaithful undershepherd of the flock? Far, far different.* The ministries of the church must be geared tomeeting the needs and special interests of thethousands who attend. Supp<strong>or</strong>t groups f<strong>or</strong> depression,eating dis<strong>or</strong>ders, infertility, family and friends ofhomosexuals, post ab<strong>or</strong>tion, and separated men andwomen were abundant. Many ministries were intendedto bring together ones with similar business <strong>or</strong>professional interests, common recreational interestsand so on. We could not find one single ministry listedin Saddleback Community Church‟s bulletin thatinvolved the taking the Gospel message out to the lost99
in the community. In fact, Warren scoffed at the idea ofpassing out tracts <strong>or</strong> going do<strong>or</strong>-to-do<strong>or</strong> since“Saddleback Sam” is offended by such old-fashioned,out-moded f<strong>or</strong>ms of evangelism.* Doctrinal instruction is not given to the church as awhole on the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s Day. Despite the fact that the earlychurch clearly sets f<strong>or</strong>th the example that doctrine is tobe taught on Sunday to all the church body, atSaddleback, doctrine is only taught to sub-groups of thecongregation apart from the regular church services.Warren emphasized Saddleback‟s strategy of movingnew members “around the bases” by having interestedChristians take special classes to prepare them f<strong>or</strong>service. Although <strong>Bible</strong> study groups also meet together,our question is this: Why is not the pulpit used toproclaim the “whole counsel of God” to the wholecongregation assembled bef<strong>or</strong>e it on the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s Day(Acts 20:20-31)? Why make serious, systematic <strong>Bible</strong>instruction an option, heard only by the relatively fewin the crowd who desire to “round the next base”? Thewhole counsel of God is to be proclaimed, to all seatedbef<strong>or</strong>e the pulpit, all the time!* A spirit of compromise must prevail in the church thatis to experience dynamic growth. The embrace ofcontemp<strong>or</strong>ary culture and style will most assuredly setthe desired mood that totally opposes the Biblicalmandate to earnestly contend f<strong>or</strong> the faith and separatefrom err<strong>or</strong>. What w<strong>or</strong>ks, what is least offensive andwhat is positive and uplifting is what should define theministry, acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Warren. The church leaders whoare interested in dynamic growth must embrace theattitude that says, “Don‟t try to tell me the <strong>Bible</strong>requires holiness and a style f<strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>ship and ministrythat is different from that of the w<strong>or</strong>ld.” This “grace-in-100
your-face” attitude is so prevalent today because ofchurch elders who are not willing, <strong>or</strong> not aware of how,to instruct ones to behave in the house of God (1 Tim.3:15).Rick Warren began the seminar by revealing the vastinfluence his message has had throughout the w<strong>or</strong>ld. Hetold the past<strong>or</strong>s and church leaders who were attendingthe seminar, “You‟re joining a group today of over45,000 past<strong>or</strong>s and church leaders that have gonethrough this conference in the last few years from about42 different countries, from about 63 differentdenominations. We have a number of differentcountries that flew in today just f<strong>or</strong> this one dayconference, from Europe, from Asia, from SouthAmerica.” To accent the ecumenical mood of theseminar, Warren later suggested, “It really doesn‟tmatter your denomination, folks. We‟re all on the sameteam if you love Jesus.”Warren‟s book The <strong>Purpose</strong> <strong>Driven</strong> Church and therelated publications of Saddleback‟s literature ministryhave influenced tens of thousands m<strong>or</strong>e who have neverattended any of his seminars. As Warren indicated in aclosing prayer, the impact of the Saddleback experienceis extensive, to say the least: “Thank you that there is amovement, a stealth movement, that‟s flying beneaththe radar, that‟s changing literally hundreds, eventhousands of churches around the w<strong>or</strong>ld.” It isnecessary f<strong>or</strong> the faithful believer today to be wary ofany “stealth” (camouflaged, secretive) programintended to fly “beneath the radar” in <strong>or</strong>der to avoiddetection. F<strong>or</strong> many years now the church growthmovement has certainly flown into congregationsundetected by thousands of churches w<strong>or</strong>ldwide. The101
onslaught must be detected, the warning must besounded now!This rep<strong>or</strong>t will identify and analyze the programssuggested by the Saddleback Community Church modeland will ascertain whether <strong>or</strong> not this model isconsistent with what the <strong>Bible</strong> says concerning thenature, purpose and strategy of the church. AlthoughSaddleback Community Church is one of the largestchurches in America (comparable to Bill Hybels‟ WillowCreek Community Church), the believer must not take apragmatic approach to church growth. While thecontemp<strong>or</strong>ary strategies of w<strong>or</strong>ship and ministryemployed by both Warren and Hybels seem to besuccessful (acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the w<strong>or</strong>ld‟s standards) and doindeed attract thousands of saved and unsaved alike,results do not determine what is acceptable to the L<strong>or</strong>d--only God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d reveals if their methods please Him.One of the primary problems with the Saddlebackapproach is that all traditional, conservative f<strong>or</strong>ms ofmusic, w<strong>or</strong>ship and dec<strong>or</strong>um in the church areabolished and subsequently replaced with new methodsand styles designed after the w<strong>or</strong>ld. The programs ofthis new “superchurch” are aimed at making theunsaved, <strong>or</strong> the “seeker,” feel comf<strong>or</strong>table andentertained and at meeting his temp<strong>or</strong>al needs. SomeChristians feel that any method of w<strong>or</strong>ship andevangelism is appropriate as long as the lost are beingreached f<strong>or</strong> Christ. Thus, they have accepted apragmatic view of w<strong>or</strong>ship and evangelism--the endjustifies the means; if it w<strong>or</strong>ks, it must be right. Butbelievers and past<strong>or</strong>s alike must ask, “Is the proper wayin which God‟s people approach unto their L<strong>or</strong>d inc<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ate w<strong>or</strong>ship relative?”102
The goal of the superchurch is to draw a crowd so thatthe crowds will, eventually, be saved and w<strong>or</strong>ked intothe church membership. Furtherm<strong>or</strong>e, the c<strong>or</strong>e ministryof the church allows f<strong>or</strong> the abandonment of everything“traditional” that would in any way appear to beoffensive to the neighb<strong>or</strong>hood “seeker.” Are godlypast<strong>or</strong>s and believers to fashion their style of serviceafter the comf<strong>or</strong>ts of the unsaved “seeker,” <strong>or</strong> could itbe that Romans 12:2 is at least somewhat applicable tothe church today? God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d clearly says, “And be notconf<strong>or</strong>med to this w<strong>or</strong>ld: but be ye transf<strong>or</strong>med by therenewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is thatgood, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” RickWarren‟s Saddleback church growth model seems tototally contradict this p<strong>or</strong>tion of <strong>Scripture</strong>.This rep<strong>or</strong>t will also make reference to the Saddlebackmodel, as presented in the w<strong>or</strong>kshop, and discernwhether <strong>or</strong> not God does indeed have something to sayconcerning the way in which believers should w<strong>or</strong>shipand minister. From our admittedly fundamentalistperspective, we believe that the <strong>Bible</strong> does havesomething to say about the style, as well as the content,of the church service. The <strong>Scripture</strong>s speak very clearlyabout the way in which God‟s people are to approachunto their God, both by way of principle and type fromthe Old Testament and also apostolic directive in theNew Testament.Bef<strong>or</strong>e making our observations regarding the sessionswe attended, it is needful to point out that Rick Warrenhas been trained as a Southern Baptist and obviouslyknows the <strong>Bible</strong> extremely well. He is a personableindividual who is a skilled communicat<strong>or</strong> of his ideas.Warren mentioned that when he developed theseconcepts as a young man in seminary, no one paid103
attention to him. However, now that the strategyobviously w<strong>or</strong>ks, he has an extensive and eageraudience. One cannot help but enjoy his presentation,even though the aftertaste is far less pleasant whenm<strong>or</strong>e careful consideration is given to what was actuallysaid <strong>or</strong> implied. Many of his suggestions were indeedhelpful, but the main thrust of his church growth modelis certainly questionable in light of God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d.Warren encouraged his seminar attendees to viewSaddleback Church as a model f<strong>or</strong> their respectiveministries and to use as much <strong>or</strong> as little of his strategyas they deemed w<strong>or</strong>thwhile. He also said, however, thatunless the main aspects of the program wereinc<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ated (the contemp<strong>or</strong>ary style and positive-onlycontent of the message, music and program) then theresultant growth would be something far less thandynamic.Warren‟s plans f<strong>or</strong> motivating the people, charting an<strong>or</strong>ganizational structure f<strong>or</strong> ministry and developing amarketing strategy f<strong>or</strong> building a superchurch are muchlike what one would hear in a secular managementtraining seminar. In fact, during an intermission thiswas even mentioned in a conversation with c<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>atebusinessmen who were also in attendance. The sametechniques that are used to build the base of supp<strong>or</strong>t f<strong>or</strong>a business can also be used to build a ministry‟sclientele. What is the key? One must provide a productthat will meet the real <strong>or</strong> perceived needs of theconsuming public. F<strong>or</strong> Saddleback Community Church,that meant they had to determine via a survey theneeds of the Saddleback community at large and thenprovide programs at the church to meet those needs. Asa result of the survey, a composite “Saddleback Sam,”<strong>or</strong> unsaved church seeker, was defined, and the style104
and programs of the church were then redefined tomeet his needs. Hence, the ministries (supp<strong>or</strong>t andspecial interest groups, recreational fellowships, etc.)and the style and content of the “Seeker Service” wereaimed at making the typical “Saddleback Sam” feelcomf<strong>or</strong>table, helped and encouraged.Obviously, some are skeptical of Rick Warren‟s novelapproach to church growth, and Warren is certainlyaware of such individuals. He employed effectivetechniques to disarm his critics by first shooting down a“straw man” representing an exaggerated example ofthe critic‟s position <strong>or</strong> by using hum<strong>or</strong>ous one-liners toside-step the criticism bef<strong>or</strong>e his own proposition wasadvanced. F<strong>or</strong> example, he advanced the replacementof traditional hymns and musical accompaniment withcontemp<strong>or</strong>ary Christian rock songs and backup bandsthat accentuated the driving beat enjoyed by theunsaved with the following reasons:First, Warren made it clear that loud, raucous music witha driving beat is the kind of music to which Saddlebackresidents listened, inside and outside of the church:Now, at Saddleback Church, we are unapologeticallycontemp<strong>or</strong>ary... I passed out a three-by-five card toeverybody in the church, and I said, ―You write down thecall letters of the radio station you listen to.‖ I wasn‘t evenasking unbelievers. I was asking the people in the church,―What kind of music do you listen to?‖ When I got it back, Ididn‘t have one person who said, ―I listen to <strong>or</strong>gan music.‖Not one. I didn‘t have a single person who said, ―I listen tohuge choirs on the radio.‖ Not one. In fact, it was 96-97%adult contemp<strong>or</strong>ary, middle-of-the-road pop. It wasn‘theavy metal rock, but it was something with a beat likeyou hear most commercials have today on television. So,we made a strategic decision that we are unapologeticallya contemp<strong>or</strong>ary music church. And right after we madethat decision and stopped trying to please everybody,Saddleback exploded with growth. Now, I‘ll be honest with105
you, we are loud. We are really, really loud on a weekendservice.... I say, ―We‘re not gonna turn it down.‖ Now thereason why is baby boomers want to feel the music, notjust hear it. Now, I can give you two dozen really goodchurches within driving distance that are my friends, we‘rein small groups together, that don‘t have it as loud as us.Go there. Why should every church have the samemusic? ... People can find that God loves variety!The bottom line of his philosophy is this: What ispopular in the community, whatever style of musiccurrently has the ear of “Saddleback Sam,” must be themusic of the church. Church leaders can try to mix thecontemp<strong>or</strong>ary with the traditional in the same service,<strong>or</strong> even in separate services, but Warren said doing sowould be “like kissing your sister. You could do it, butwho‟d want to?” His hum<strong>or</strong>ous concluding statementcleverly serves to divert the attention away from thelarger issue at hand--allowing the w<strong>or</strong>ld to determinethe type of music that belongs in the house of God.Second, Warren equated insisting upon the use oftraditional music in the church to the sin of idolatry. Hesaid:You see folks, to insist that all good music came fromEurope 200 years ago is thinly veiled racism, if you wantto be truthful about it. It‘s cultural elitism saying that all thegood music was written 200 years ago in Europe.... Nowf<strong>or</strong> 2,000 years, the <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit has used all kinds ofmusic. And to insist that one particular style of music ism<strong>or</strong>e sacred than the other, there‘s a w<strong>or</strong>d f<strong>or</strong> that. It‘scalled idolatry. Idolatry.This statement is an example of one of Warren‟s strawmen, f<strong>or</strong> the use of eighteenth-century hymns is not theissue. The question at hand is whether music intendedto appeal to the flesh should be used in the church.Much fine and w<strong>or</strong>shipful music penned in this presentcentury is being used in <strong>Bible</strong>-believing churches today.106
Style is the issue here, not the century in which thesongs were written. The w<strong>or</strong>ds <strong>or</strong> message are not whatget the place “rocking” on Saturday evening <strong>or</strong> Sundaym<strong>or</strong>ning; it is the arrangement and the <strong>or</strong>chestration.Warren claims the <strong>Bible</strong> says nothing regarding thestyle of music, only its content. But if the unsaved andsaved alike are attracted to a church by its style ofmusic, then how can such a response (which isobviously based upon a fleshly appeal) possiblycommunicate a message that will edify the spiritualinner man? Can a response of the flesh produce a trulyspiritual effect within? Study Galatians 5:16-26 and seeif there is not a contradiction of f<strong>or</strong>ces at w<strong>or</strong>k here.Reverence in praising God will never appeal to theunregenerate, but it certainly will prepare the believerf<strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>shipping God “in the beauty of holiness” (1Chron. 16:29) and receiving “with meekness theengrafted w<strong>or</strong>d” (Jam. 1:21).Third, Warren’s supposed Biblical justification f<strong>or</strong> usingcontemp<strong>or</strong>ary music is s<strong>or</strong>ely deficient. Warren told hisaudience:The <strong>Bible</strong> says in Psalm 40:3, ―He put a new song in mymouth; many people will see this and w<strong>or</strong>ship Him. Thenthey will trust the L<strong>or</strong>d.‖ Notice the parallel <strong>or</strong> thec<strong>or</strong>relation between music, w<strong>or</strong>ship, and evangelism. Itsays, ―Then they will trust the L<strong>or</strong>d.‖ Now there‘s a w<strong>or</strong>dthat I want you to circle in that sentence; it‘s the w<strong>or</strong>d N-E-W. The same old tired songs are not gonna reachanybody...but a new song says, ―God is doing somethingnew in our midst.‖Dear reader, to what is the psalmist referring when heuses the term new? First of all, remember that Warrensaid the <strong>Bible</strong> has absolutely nothing to say about thestyle of music <strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>ship, so acc<strong>or</strong>ding to his own logic,this verse cannot possibly refer to a contemp<strong>or</strong>ary,107
“new” melody <strong>or</strong> current lyrics. No, David is talkingabout the new song that comes f<strong>or</strong>th from one of God‟sredeemed saints. The <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit touches the heart ofthe believer to respond by song in a way the unsavedcan never experience, much less desire; this spiritualsong is not something the unbeliever can “get into.” Ifthe L<strong>or</strong>d is to be w<strong>or</strong>shipped “in spirit and in truth” (Jn.4:24), then only those who have been washed in theBlood can truly sing this “new” song. Warren intimatesthat the unsaved are turned off by the “golden oldies,”the “blasts from the past,” as he refers to the old hymns.When a believer stops to think about it, the unbeliever‟sdislike f<strong>or</strong> hymns is understandable. The songs ofw<strong>or</strong>ship and praise f<strong>or</strong> the L<strong>or</strong>d obviously only appealto the spirit of the regenerated man (Rom. 8:16)because the focus is upon the L<strong>or</strong>d, not man‟s flesh. Ifbelievers cannot see an unreconcilable dichotomybetween fleshly and spiritual music, then further studyon the holiness of God is advised.What does Warren say regarding those in the churchwho oppose the switch from conservative tocontemp<strong>or</strong>ary in <strong>or</strong>der to bring in the crowds? Hestated in no uncertain terms that the old stalwartswould have to go:Be willing to let people leave the church. And I told youearlier the fact that people are gonna leave the church nomatter what you do. But when you define the vision, you‘rechoosing who leaves. You say, ―But Rick, yes, they‘re thepillars of the church.‖ Now, you know what pillars are.Pillars are people who hold things up ... And in yourchurch, you may have to have some blessed subtractionsbef<strong>or</strong>e you have any real additions.How terribly sad! We have heard from many dear,godly, older saints (and some discerning youngerbelievers as well!) who are heartsick about what108
happened to their churches after the leaders attendedSaddleback seminars. Invariably, these now-dispensablesaints have a spiritual maturity and an awareness of<strong>Bible</strong> truth that is obvious. Yet, instead of their churchrecognizing the place and blessedness of such believersin the local body of Christ (see Titus 2:1-15), they arebrushed off to the side, told to come only to the “m<strong>or</strong>etraditional” mid-week service <strong>or</strong> frankly told to move onand find another church. Because Warren is located inthe Southern Calif<strong>or</strong>nia area, he mentioned that heoften refers others (either visit<strong>or</strong>s <strong>or</strong> dissenters) to suchchurches as Robert Schuller‟s Crystal Cathedral <strong>or</strong> JackHayf<strong>or</strong>d‟s Church on the Way.No doubt Warren has been criticized by denominationalleaders who recoil at his strong suggestion thatdenominational “labels” should be abolished (thus,Saddleback Community Church, the People‟s Church,Willow Creek Community Church, etc.). This iscommon to ecumenical endeav<strong>or</strong>s which minimizedoctrinal differences. Warren feels that terms likeBaptist, <strong>Bible</strong>, Presbyterian, etc. might unduly offendsome <strong>or</strong> unnecessarily narrow the group of those whowould visit:The unchurched hang-ups determine our strategy....Wefound a hang-up about denominational labels. I went out. Iwent do<strong>or</strong> to do<strong>or</strong> and said, ―What do you think of when Isay ‗Southern Baptist‘?‖ They said, ―You don‘t want toknow.‖ ...So, we chose a neutral name. Why? Well, itwasn‘t a theological decision, a compromise. It was anevangelistic strategy decision because we wanted t<strong>or</strong>each out.Interestingly, Warren w<strong>or</strong>ked into his presentation thefact that the Southern Baptist traditionalists evidentlysmile on his approach. Notice what he said concerninghis meeting with several Southern Baptist notables:109
Once a year the past<strong>or</strong>s of the twenty-five largestSouthern Baptist churches get together, and we hole up ina hotel f<strong>or</strong> two <strong>or</strong> three days and just talk about ourchurches. All these churches are running at least 2,000 inattendance. And it‘s people like Adrian Rodgers andCharles Stanley and Ed Young and just all kinds of guysyou may have heard <strong>or</strong> may have never heard of....wewere sitting in a room together with all these people, andthey said, ―Rick, take a couple hours and just tell us aboutSaddleback. What‘s going on?‖ Sitting catty-c<strong>or</strong>ner to me--I was a little nervous about this--sitting catty-c<strong>or</strong>ner to mewas Dr. W. A. Criswell....f<strong>or</strong> two hours I‘m just tellingwhat‘s going on at Saddleback. And here‘s W. A. Criswellin his seventies taking notes as fast as he could, writingthings down, writing things down. And I walked out ofthere, and I started crying. I was so humbled by thatexperience, and I realized why he was a great man. He‘dnever stopped learning.This account was not given to merely express Warren‟shumility; it was to authenticate his church growthstrategy by revealing that the respected experts, the“denominational giants,” accepted his methods.Furtherm<strong>or</strong>e, this was a subtle hint to his audience thatif even W. A. Criswell felt he needed to learn fromWarren on how to minister and grow a superchurch,then certainly each of the 3,500 church leadersattending the seminar also needed to take careful notes.Rick Warren made it expressly known that if one wantsgrowth, dynamic growth, then he must do it this“Saddleback” way, but if that person decides to stay inthe conservative, traditional mode, his ministry andchurch will wither on the vine.The church growth/church marketing strategy has hada great impact upon the churches of this land andaround the w<strong>or</strong>ld, and it will be even much m<strong>or</strong>epervasive in the days ahead. What church does notwant to grow -- dramatically and dynamically!? In thisarticle, we are not trying to question the motives of110
those who design and those who adopt dynamic churchgrowth methods. It is the methods themselves that wecondemn. Warren candidly said,The unchurched culture determines our style. We‟re laidback Southern Calif<strong>or</strong>nia. We‟re just a few miles fromthe beach, so we have a laid back Southern Calif<strong>or</strong>niastyle. ... Regardless of the style you choose, you‟re goingto be criticized. Okay? So, the key question is, “Who areyou trying to impress?” The unchurched populationsdetermine our goals.Are we to seek to impress the w<strong>or</strong>ld? Is the w<strong>or</strong>ld todetermine the strategy of the church? Christ warnedthat the w<strong>or</strong>ld would hate the church, not admire it (Jn.15:18). The W<strong>or</strong>d, not the w<strong>or</strong>ld, is to determine thestrategy of the church.Even though Warren would probably protest thisobservation, the fact remains the same--the message,not just the methods, dramatically changes when oneemploys the purpose-driven church strategy. The <strong>Bible</strong>commands that the “whole counsel of God” be preachedin the church; that necessarily includes preaching thenegative as well as the positive and having a pulpitministry that obeys God‟s call to equip the saints to goout into the w<strong>or</strong>ld and to be “ambassad<strong>or</strong>s f<strong>or</strong> Christ” inreaching the lost in the community. A “feel-goodmessage” appealing to saint and seeker alike does notfulfill God‟s command to “contend f<strong>or</strong> the faith,”“reprove, rebuke and exh<strong>or</strong>t with all long-suffering anddoctrine” and “warn of the wolves in sheep‟s clothing.”Where in the <strong>Bible</strong> does it say the church‟s ministry is tomeeting the psychological, emotional and interpersonalrelationship needs of the unsaved? Such a philosophycannot be found in God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d.111
The traditional church service has tried to equip thesaint f<strong>or</strong> service and witness and to foster a spirit ofreverence in the w<strong>or</strong>ship and ad<strong>or</strong>ation of the L<strong>or</strong>d. Webelieve there is Biblical justification f<strong>or</strong> this design, <strong>or</strong>“style,” of w<strong>or</strong>ship. Warren says that if one wantsdynamic growth, he must choose between thetraditional <strong>or</strong> the inventive, contemp<strong>or</strong>ary, user-friendlychurch like that of Saddleback Community. Our concernis that thousands are indeed opting f<strong>or</strong> the latter, andwe believe the <strong>Bible</strong> gives us some reasons why thatchoice is wrong.A quote from John Moffat‟s book All Truth God’s Truth?seems to be particularly fitting f<strong>or</strong> the Saddlebackstrategy of designing the church‟s service after thecontemp<strong>or</strong>ary w<strong>or</strong>ldly context:I can imagine Nadab and Abihu talking bef<strong>or</strong>e the earlyw<strong>or</strong>ship service in the wilderness. One says to the other,―All fire is God‘s fire. God made all fire; theref<strong>or</strong>e it is all ofHim.‖ Or while Moses was up on Mount Sinai, the childrenof Israel could have said to Aaron, ―All w<strong>or</strong>ship of god isGod‘s w<strong>or</strong>ship.‖ These analogies have the samedeceptive sound of being logical at first glance, but theyare full of the same ambiguity and deceit as theexpression ―all truth is God‘s truth.‖Rick Warren made the statement, “I don‟t think Godcares two bits about your style of w<strong>or</strong>ship as long as it‟sin spirit and in truth.”Is he c<strong>or</strong>rect? The terms spirit and truth must first bedefined in a Biblical context. When w<strong>or</strong>shipping theL<strong>or</strong>d, man‟s spirit is to be moved only by the <strong>Holy</strong> Spiritof God; furtherm<strong>or</strong>e, w<strong>or</strong>ship is to be in truth whichmeans it can only be defined acc<strong>or</strong>ding to what God‟s<strong>Holy</strong> W<strong>or</strong>d says (not what man says). The <strong>Bible</strong> saysthat w<strong>or</strong>ship is to be practiced in holiness and reverence--these qualities of “style” are not subjective! If the112
methods of w<strong>or</strong>ship were totally relative to theindividual, then the demonstration of “spirit” and“truth” in w<strong>or</strong>ship would mean absolutely nothing--there would be no way to distinguish the church fromthe social institutions of the unregenerate w<strong>or</strong>ld. No,the <strong>Bible</strong> says the people of God are to be holy, as He isholy. They are to be a “peculiar people,” “a light setupon the hill”; they are noticeably different from thew<strong>or</strong>ld. Thus, Warren‟s statement is not c<strong>or</strong>rect; Goddoes indeed care about one‟s “style” in w<strong>or</strong>ship andmethodology. Our w<strong>or</strong>ship is to be patterned after thelikeness of Christ Himself and in acc<strong>or</strong>dance with theprinciples set f<strong>or</strong>th in the eternal, unalterable W<strong>or</strong>d ofTruth.First Chronicles 16:29 says, “Give unto the LORD thegl<strong>or</strong>y due unto his name: bring an offering, and comebef<strong>or</strong>e him: w<strong>or</strong>ship the LORD in the beauty ofholiness.” Is “holiness” subjective to the individual?Absolutely not--only God is holy; theref<strong>or</strong>e, thecharacteristics of holiness are found in the L<strong>or</strong>d, notman. Many examples and direct statements in God‟sW<strong>or</strong>d guide the believer in his w<strong>or</strong>ship and in hiswitness away from the course of this present evil age.The qualifications of holiness are invariably differentfrom the w<strong>or</strong>ld; thus, holy w<strong>or</strong>ship includes bothreverence and separation from a w<strong>or</strong>ldly style.Notice the New Testament counterpart f<strong>or</strong> the L<strong>or</strong>d‟speople in the church: 1 Timothy 6:11-14 says,But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow afterrighteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a goodprofession bef<strong>or</strong>e many witnesses. I give thee charge inthe sight of God... That thou keep this commandmentwithout spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our L<strong>or</strong>d113
Jesus Christ.First Peter 1:13-19 and Peter 2:5, 9 furtherm<strong>or</strong>e providebelievers in the Church Age with commands that mustbe considered when defining purpose:Wheref<strong>or</strong>e gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, andhope to the end f<strong>or</strong> the grace that is to be brought untoyou at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children,not fashioning yourselves acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the f<strong>or</strong>mer lusts inyour ign<strong>or</strong>ance: [NOT stylizing our current walk after thef<strong>or</strong>mer unsaved, w<strong>or</strong>ldly walk] But as he which hath calledyou is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;Because it is written, Be ye holy; f<strong>or</strong> I am holy. And if yecall on the Father, who without respect of persons judgethacc<strong>or</strong>ding to every man‘s w<strong>or</strong>k, pass the time of yoursojourning here in fear.... Ye also, as lively stones, arebuilt up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer upspiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Butye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holynation, a peculiar people; that ye should show f<strong>or</strong>th thepraises of him who hath called you out of darkness into hismarvelous light.Who comprises the local church? The church is to meettogether on the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s Day, the first day of the week; wefind that the local New Testament church consisted ofbelievers who met together f<strong>or</strong> w<strong>or</strong>ship, fellowship,instruction and edification. First C<strong>or</strong>inthians 3:16-17tells us that the church is the temple of God. Whenbelievers gather together as a local church, they mustview themselves as the dwelling place of God and mustrealize that it is a place where man and God meettogether f<strong>or</strong> fellowship. The local body of believers, thechurch, is the temple of the all-holy God.Ephesians 4:11-12 clearly shows that God gaveindividual leaders of the local church (past<strong>or</strong>s andteachers) special gifts f<strong>or</strong> a particular purpose--“F<strong>or</strong> theperfecting of the saints, f<strong>or</strong> the w<strong>or</strong>k of the ministry, f<strong>or</strong>114
the edifying of the body of Christ.” The local church isnot an <strong>or</strong>ganization that is <strong>or</strong>dained by God to conf<strong>or</strong>mto the w<strong>or</strong>ld in <strong>or</strong>der to reach the lost. No, the purposeof the local church is to w<strong>or</strong>ship God, to grow in Hisgrace and knowledge and to train the individualbelievers in the W<strong>or</strong>d so that they might better reachthe lost f<strong>or</strong> Christ and be a testimony to the w<strong>or</strong>ld. Theyare to be different from the w<strong>or</strong>ld--patterned afterChrist--not imitating <strong>or</strong> conf<strong>or</strong>ming to the w<strong>or</strong>ld.One of the most revealing slogans used by Warren toshow what must occur in any church in <strong>or</strong>der f<strong>or</strong>growth to result is this: “Never confuse the method withthe message. The message must never change, but themethods must change!” Is it true that SaddlebackCommunity Church has not changed its proclamation tothe thousands assembled beneath its pulpit? Whatabout Willowcreek Community Church and othercontemp<strong>or</strong>ary, dynamic-growth ministries? No, thesemega-churches have indeed changed the message--theyhave departed significantly from the Biblical mandateregarding the declaration of the whole counsel of Godto be proclaimed by the elders/past<strong>or</strong>s of the faithfulNew Testament church. The message has clearlychanged, and Warren‟s own w<strong>or</strong>ds prove it:Read <strong>Scripture</strong> from a newer translation. And as you readthat <strong>Scripture</strong>, realize that you‘re trying to pick out<strong>Scripture</strong>s that appeal especially to baby boomers. And tryto find <strong>Scripture</strong>s that specifically relate to the benefits thatChrist can bring into a person‘s life. They‘ve never heardthe <strong>Scripture</strong> bef<strong>or</strong>e, so try to pick positive <strong>Scripture</strong>s thattalk about the benefits of Christ... you want to pick out<strong>Scripture</strong>s that are very positive.Choosing only “positive texts” to preach on the L<strong>or</strong>d‟sDay (<strong>or</strong> on Saturday evenings f<strong>or</strong> those churches thatdesire to make the services m<strong>or</strong>e “convenient”) and115
using only “positive texts” to define the purposes of thechurch (of the 41 “verses that relate to the purposes ofthe church” listed in the seminar w<strong>or</strong>kbook, none wereincluded which dealt with insistence upon warning,doctrine, etc.; none were from Acts 20, Romans 16, 1 &2 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, Jude <strong>or</strong> Revelation) resultingin a glaring deficiency in one‟s message. Vitallyimp<strong>or</strong>tant texts dealing specifically with the church‟sdoctrine, message and ministry must be ign<strong>or</strong>ed in<strong>or</strong>der to maintain positive-only preaching. Indeed, themessage does change!Notice the following quote from a revealing essayentitled “Does Theology Still Matter?” by Gary L. W.Johnson in the book The Coming Evangelical Crisis:Although most of today‘s professing evangelicals wouldacknowledge that theology, in some sense of the w<strong>or</strong>d,does matter, a recent survey in Christianity Todayrevealed that this is m<strong>or</strong>e lip service than anything else.Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to this survey...theology, in any sense of thew<strong>or</strong>d, is really not all that imp<strong>or</strong>tant to the very people towhom it should matter most: those in the pew and in thepulpit. Both groups listed theological knowledge as last interms of past<strong>or</strong>al pri<strong>or</strong>ities. ... We are sadly experiencing,on a rather large scale, a subjectivism that betrays itsweakened hold on the objective truth and reality ofChristianity by its neglect <strong>or</strong> even renunciation of itsdistinctive objective character. ... Men ... really wish tohave a creedless Christianity. ―Creeds,‖ they shout, ―aredivisive things; away with them!‖ ... Where does this leaveus? An undogmatic Christianity is no Christianity at all.(Moody Press, 1996, pp. 58, 66, 67)What does the <strong>Bible</strong> say about the purpose of thechurch w<strong>or</strong>ship service and what the faithful past<strong>or</strong>must preach to the “crowd” (as Warren describes it)that assembles each Sunday? No doubt, SaddlebackChurch leaders would be quick to point out that thefour Christian education classes available to the116
congregation do deal with doctrine. However, the <strong>Bible</strong>is clear that doctrine is to be faithfully proclaimed onthe L<strong>or</strong>d‟s Day through the pulpit ministry of thepast<strong>or</strong>s/elders. Providing optional training, apart fromthe instruction given from the pulpit, cannot side-stepwhat God intends the public church service to be.The Saddleback seminar said that only positive <strong>Bible</strong>texts should be used from the pulpit, but God‟s W<strong>or</strong>dsays something quite different. The apostle Paul hadvery straightf<strong>or</strong>ward directives f<strong>or</strong> the elders of theEphesian church regarding their ministry, and the sameis essential today. Acts 20:20-31 says:... I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, buthave shewed you, and have taught you publickly, andfrom house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and alsoto the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith towardour L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ.... F<strong>or</strong> I have not shunned to declareunto you all the counsel of God. Take heed theref<strong>or</strong>e untoyourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the <strong>Holy</strong>Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church ofGod, which he hath purchased with his own blood. F<strong>or</strong> Iknow this, that after my departing shall grievous wolvesenter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of yourown selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, todraw away disciples after them. Theref<strong>or</strong>e watch, andremember, that by the space of three years I ceased notto warn every one night and day with tears.Was the apostle‟s instruction negative? Yes, butcertainly also necessary! Many of the duties that theL<strong>or</strong>d requires of faithful past<strong>or</strong>s and teachers are foundin texts that were “overlooked” by the Saddlebackw<strong>or</strong>kbook. Whatever text came across as negative wasobviously passed over. Another such text is Titus 1:3-11:[God] hath in due times manifested his w<strong>or</strong>d throughpreaching, which is committed unto me acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the117
commandment of God our Saviour.... F<strong>or</strong> this cause left Ithee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in <strong>or</strong>der the thingsthat are wanting, and <strong>or</strong>dain elders in every city, as I hadappointed thee: ... [Hold] fast the faithful w<strong>or</strong>d as he hathbeen taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine bothto exh<strong>or</strong>t and to convince the gainsayers [those whocontradict <strong>or</strong> speak against the truth of God]. F<strong>or</strong> there aremany unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially theyof the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped....Second Timothy 3:16-4:5 gives further instructionregarding the purpose f<strong>or</strong> the church; this text was alsoign<strong>or</strong>ed by Saddleback‟s dynamic growth strategy:All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and isprofitable f<strong>or</strong> doctrine, f<strong>or</strong> reproof, f<strong>or</strong> c<strong>or</strong>rection, f<strong>or</strong>instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may beperfect, throughly furnished unto all good w<strong>or</strong>ks. I chargethee theref<strong>or</strong>e bef<strong>or</strong>e God, and the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus Christ, whoshall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing andhis kingdom; Preach the w<strong>or</strong>d; be instant in season, out ofseason; reprove, rebuke, exh<strong>or</strong>t with all longsuffering anddoctrine. F<strong>or</strong> the time will come when they will not enduresound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap tothemselves teachers [those who will not practice theabove], having itching ears; And they shall turn away theirears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. Butwatch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the w<strong>or</strong>k ofan evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.Are you identified with a church that is led by faithfulundershepherds who are committed to obeying thesecommands? Are they willing to contend f<strong>or</strong> the faithand warn their people--from the pulpit? Or is it a“positive-only” message? We must stand only with thosewilling to obey these essentials f<strong>or</strong> faithful ministry.The Saddleback strategy is, again, to design theweekend “Seeker Service,” the programs and thesupp<strong>or</strong>t ministries of the church in <strong>or</strong>der to attract theunsaved in the community. Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the strategy,the “seeker” must want to come to church; theref<strong>or</strong>e,118
the services must be designed in such a way that he willbe comf<strong>or</strong>table, entertained and find the answers to hisproblems as he perceives them. Warren teaches that theministry of the church must be stylized after thosethings to which the unsaved are accustomed--whetherthat style includes the language used, the musicperf<strong>or</strong>med, the casual attire w<strong>or</strong>n <strong>or</strong> even the messageproclaimed from the pulpit. The character, the style andthe contemp<strong>or</strong>ary interests of the unregeneratecommunity are what determine the makeup, theappearance and the content of the weekend services.The following comments by Rick Warren revealSaddleback‟s “Biblical” justification f<strong>or</strong> making thechurch “user friendly” to the unsaved:Now Paul‘s evangelism strategy was this: 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 9--―To the Jew I became like a Jew to win the Jews. In thesame way with the Gentiles, I became like a Gentile in<strong>or</strong>der to win the Gentiles. I have become all things to allmen that I may save some of them by any meanspossible.‖ He‘s saying, ―Adapt to the situation God putsyou in.‖ Today, he‘d say, ―When in Southern Calif<strong>or</strong>nia,become like a Southern Calif<strong>or</strong>nian to reach SouthernCalif<strong>or</strong>nians.‖Let us take a closer look at this p<strong>or</strong>tion of <strong>Scripture</strong>found in 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 9. First, the apostle is notdefining in this text the purpose and character of thew<strong>or</strong>ship service of the local church. Instead, thisdiscourse is the personal testimony of Paul, theevangelistically-minded missionary, as he took themessage of Christ to the lost in their respectivecommunities, cultures and circumstances. Second, the“assembling together of the saints” on the first day ofthe week, Sunday, was f<strong>or</strong> the purpose of being built upin the faith, of giving attendance to the “reading [of the<strong>Scripture</strong>s], to exh<strong>or</strong>tation [the charge to continue in119
God‟s truth], to doctrine [the teaching of „all the counselof God‟]”--1 Timothy 4:13.The overwhelming volume of instruction in the epistleswas given to the elders of the churches and to ones suchas Timothy and Titus who were to “set in <strong>or</strong>der thethings which are wanting” (Titus 1:5). This apostolicinstruction had to do with what the Christian was tobelieve and how he was to “behave [himself] in thehouse of God, which is the church of the living God, thepillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). F<strong>or</strong>Warren to suggest that the church‟s purpose is toprovide common ground f<strong>or</strong> the “seeker” and presenthim only positive Biblical texts that speak to hisemotional, psychological and inter-personal “needs” isabsolutely ludicrous! The past<strong>or</strong> is to preach the W<strong>or</strong>d--all of it--<strong>or</strong> it ceases to be “the pillar and ground of thetruth”!The purpose of 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 9 is not to define thechurch‟s w<strong>or</strong>ship service, but rather it details theresolute purpose and godly motivation of the apostlePaul to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all, Jew andGentile, bond <strong>or</strong> free, regardless of the ethnic, cultural<strong>or</strong> social standing the lost might have. Paul had notarget group! All needed to be saved, and he dedicatedhimself to going out to meet the lost in their situation,but never at the expense of being anything less thanwhat God called him to be, and that was to be “holy,even as I [God] am holy.” Second C<strong>or</strong>inthians 5:14-21confirms Paul‟s selfless, evangelistic purpose:F<strong>or</strong> the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thusjudge, that if one died f<strong>or</strong> all, then were all dead: And thathe died f<strong>or</strong> all, that they which live should not hencef<strong>or</strong>thlive unto themselves, but unto him which died f<strong>or</strong> them,and rose again. Wheref<strong>or</strong>e hencef<strong>or</strong>th know we no manafter the flesh: [Christ died f<strong>or</strong> all; all need to be saved; we120
seek to win all] ... Now then we are ambassad<strong>or</strong>s f<strong>or</strong>Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray youin Christ‘s stead, be ye reconciled to God. F<strong>or</strong> he hathmade him to be sin f<strong>or</strong> us, who knew no sin; that we mightbe made the righteousness of God in him.Paul was willing to be a servant to all so that he mightpresent Christ to all, regardless of their station in life(vv. 19, 20). He went out; he did not stylize a “seekerservice” to lure unbelievers in. The walk of the believeris to be distinctly different from that of the w<strong>or</strong>ld; it isnot to mirr<strong>or</strong> the walk of the w<strong>or</strong>ld (Eph. 2:1-3).No, Paul did not become like the unsaved with respectto their lifestyle n<strong>or</strong> address their desires to meet theirperceived “needs” of the flesh! He was still ministering“under the law to Christ” (v. 21) and kept his bodyunder the control of the <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit of God (vv. 24-27).The difference was that he was willing to be “a servant,”to do what he could to gain a hearing. No one wasbeneath any social <strong>or</strong> educational constraints. No onewas off-limits due to their ethnic <strong>or</strong> cultural differences.To the philosophers on Mars hill, Paul used theiridolatry and superstitions as a springboard to tell themof the “unknown God” that they ign<strong>or</strong>antly w<strong>or</strong>shipped;he preached to them Christ crucified and risen again(Acts 17:22-34). The Gospel testimony in the pagan cityof Ephesus did not result in the church being patternedafter the predominate culture of the community--thetemple of Diana. No, the proclamation of Christ ruinedthe business of the ungodly, and changed lives resultedin a changed culture, not a changed church (Acts 19:21ff). Another example of this willingness to subjugatepersonal liberty to win the lost is found in the advicegiven by the apostles at Jerusalem in Acts 15. Even theGentile converts living among unsaved Jews were to be“under the law” in the sense that they would not eat121
that which would be offensive to the Jews they weretrying to reach with the Gospel (Acts 15:25-29). “Style”of ministry is not the issue here.The church is to evangelize, but in such a way that theBiblical purpose f<strong>or</strong> the church is not compromised.Saddleback‟s strategy is deficient and dangerous.122
WHO ART THOU THAT JUDGESTANOTHER MAN'S SERVANT?The following is from our book JUDGE NOT! IS ITLEGALISM TO JUDGE SIN AND ERROR? This bookis a reply to 21 of the most common charges that arebrought against a fundamentalist <strong>Bible</strong> approach toChristianity. These are the challenges that everyfundamentalist <strong>Bible</strong>-believing Christian must learn todeal with, because there is no part of the w<strong>or</strong>ld s<strong>or</strong>emote that the believers there will not be confrontedwith this thinking. This very practical material wouldmake a good series of study f<strong>or</strong> Sunday Schools at theJuni<strong>or</strong> High level <strong>or</strong> above <strong>or</strong> f<strong>or</strong> Youth meetings <strong>or</strong><strong>Bible</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>s. The sections of the book are as follows:The <strong>Bible</strong> Says We Should Not Judge; Love isNonjudgmental and Tolerant; Being Strict about BiblicalIssues is Legalism; Fundamentalists Are Pharisees; JesusTold Us Not to F<strong>or</strong>bid Others; Why Don‟t You FollowMatthew 18? We Should Heed Gamaliel‟s Advice; WeShould Leave the Tares until the Harvest; We ShouldNot Touch the L<strong>or</strong>d‟s Anointed; If We Don‟t StandTogether We Will Hang Separately; The Christian ArmyShoots Its Own Wounded; God Does Not Look on theExternal Appearance; We Will Be in Heaven Together;The Christian Life Should Be Liberty and Fun; WeShould Be All Things to All Men; DenominationalDivisions Should Be Erased; It is Not Possible to KnowThat Your Doctrine Is Right; Loving Jesus Is All that IsImp<strong>or</strong>tant; Fundamentalism Is a Belief in the FiveFundamentals; We Should Limit Our Message toBroaden Our Fellowship; We Should Be Balanced. 108pages. $4.50, available from Way of Life Literature via123
phone <strong>or</strong> the newly redesigned online catalog: 866-295-4143, http://wayoflife.<strong>or</strong>g________________The following are some of the key passages on judgingthat are widely abused today:MATTHEW 7:1-5 -- Judge not, that ye be notjudged. F<strong>or</strong> with what judgment ye judge, yeshall be judged: and with what measure yemete, it shall be measured to you again. Andwhy beholdest thou the mote that is in thybrother's eye, but considerest not the beamthat is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou sayto thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out ofthine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine owneye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beamout of thine own eye; and then shalt thou seeclearly to cast out the mote out of thybrother's eye.”First, if we examine the context of this passage we seethat the L<strong>or</strong>d Jesus is not condemning all judging; He iscondemning hypocritical judging (Mat. 7:5). To f<strong>or</strong>bidsomething in another person that I allow in my own lifeis hypocrisy, and it is a great and deep-seated sinamong men. F<strong>or</strong> a parent to tell his children not tolisten to rock music when he listens to Country-Westernmusic is hypocrisy. To tell my children not to smokewhen I smoke, <strong>or</strong> to attend church when I don‟t attendchurch, <strong>or</strong> to be serious about God‟s will when I am notthat serious about His will, <strong>or</strong> to be kind to others whenI am not kind to them <strong>or</strong> to their mother, <strong>or</strong> to obey mewhen I don‟t obey my husband, is hypocrisy. This is thetype of thing that Christ was warning about.This is not to say, though, that Christ f<strong>or</strong>bade judging in124
general. That He is not condemning all judging isevident from the context. In the same sermon Hewarned about false prophets.―Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep'sclothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shallknow them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of th<strong>or</strong>ns,<strong>or</strong> figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth f<strong>or</strong>thgood fruit; but a c<strong>or</strong>rupt tree bringeth f<strong>or</strong>th evil fruit‖ (Mat.7:15-17).It is impossible to beware of false prophets withoutjudging doctrine and practice by God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d. How can Iknow who a false prophet is if I do not measurepreachers by God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d?That Christ is not condemning all judging is alsoevident by comparing <strong>Scripture</strong> with <strong>Scripture</strong>. In otherpassages we are commanded to judge. The L<strong>or</strong>d JesusHimself said we are to judge righteous judgment (Jn.7:24).We are to judge sin in the church (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 5:3, 12). “F<strong>or</strong> Iverily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judgedalready, as though I were present, concerning him thathath so done this deed, ... F<strong>or</strong> what have I to do to judgethem also that are without? do not ye judge them that arewithin?”We are to judge matters between the brethren (1 C<strong>or</strong>.6:5). “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not awise man among you? no, not one that shall be able tojudge between his brethren?”We are to judge preaching (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 14:29). “Let theprophets speak two <strong>or</strong> three, and let the other judge.”We are to judge those who preach false gospels, falsechrists, and false spirits (2 C<strong>or</strong>. 11:1-4). “But I fear, lest125
y any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through hissubtilty, so your minds should be c<strong>or</strong>rupted from thesimplicity that is in Christ. F<strong>or</strong> if he that comethpreacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, <strong>or</strong>if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, <strong>or</strong>another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might wellbear with him.”We are to judge the w<strong>or</strong>ks of darkness (Eph. 5:11).“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful w<strong>or</strong>ks ofdarkness, but rather reprove them.”We are to judge spirits (1 John 4:1). “Beloved, believenot every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are ofGod: because many false prophets are gone out into thew<strong>or</strong>ld.”We are even to judge all things (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 2:15-16). “Buthe that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself isjudged of no man. F<strong>or</strong> who hath known the mind of theL<strong>or</strong>d, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind ofChrist.”The spiritual man does not judge things by his ownthinking but by the mind of Christ in the W<strong>or</strong>d of God.He knows that he lives in a fallen w<strong>or</strong>ld filled with liesand err<strong>or</strong> and spiritual deception and he knows that hehas the light of God in the <strong>Scripture</strong> and he thus judgesall things by that.ROMANS 14:4 -- “Who art thou that judgestanother man’s servant? to his own master hestandeth <strong>or</strong> falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up:f<strong>or</strong> God is able to make him stand.”This passage is frequently abused by those who havethe ecumenical philosophy. It is said that this verse126
f<strong>or</strong>bids us to expose sin and err<strong>or</strong> and compromise. Theverse is also used to supp<strong>or</strong>t the doctrine that <strong>Scripture</strong>can be divided into fundamental <strong>or</strong> essential and nonfundamental<strong>or</strong> secondary doctrine. One past<strong>or</strong> wrote tome and said:―Romans 14 is probably the most violated passage bythose of us who call ourselves ‗fundamentalists‘ (note thatI include myself). We have either skipped over thatchapter <strong>or</strong> given it a sinfully surface interpretation anddanced around its powerful mandates f<strong>or</strong> dealing withdifferences over ‗secondary‘ doctrine within the church. By‗secondary‘ I do not mean ‗unimp<strong>or</strong>tant.‘ I must be 'fullypersuaded' about all Scriptural issues, though I mustwelcome and neither judge n<strong>or</strong> look down on those whodiffer on some of them.‖To this I gave the following reply:Romans 14 is an imp<strong>or</strong>tant passage, but it has nothingto do with the idea that there are things in <strong>Scripture</strong> ofsecondary value, in the sense of how we are to dealwith them. The two examples plainly given by theapostle are eating meats and keeping holy days. Theseare matters about which the <strong>Bible</strong> is silent. There are nodivine requirements upon the New Testament Christianin these matters.Thus, Romans 14 is discussing how we are to deal withmatters NOT CLEARLY TAUGHT IN SCRIPTURE. Inmatters in which God has not plainly spoken, I am togive liberty.On the other hand, in matters in which God has plainlyspoken, the only liberty is to obey. People use Romans14:4 to defend many areas of plain disobedience, suchas w<strong>or</strong>ldly music, long hair on men, immodest dress onwomen, etc. Since the <strong>Bible</strong> has spoken plainly aboutthese matters, it is a misuse to apply Romans 14:4.127
You are missing the mark by a great distance in yourunderstanding of this passage.1 CORINTHIANS 4:3-5 -- “But with me it is avery small thing that I should be judged ofyou, <strong>or</strong> of man's judgment: yea, I judge notmine own self. F<strong>or</strong> I know nothing by myself;yet am I not hereby justified: but he thatjudgeth me is the L<strong>or</strong>d. Theref<strong>or</strong>e judgenothing bef<strong>or</strong>e the time, until the L<strong>or</strong>d come,who both will bring to light the hidden thingsof darkness, and will make manifest thecounsels of the hearts: and then shall everyman have praise of God.”Paul is not saying that believers should judge nothing atall and should leave all judgment to God. This would becontrary to many other passages in the same epistle(i.e., 1 C<strong>or</strong>. 2:15; 5:3, 12; 6:2-3; 14:29).He is saying, rather, that believers are not to judgeministers by their own human thinking as to what aminister should be and how he should teach and act,but they are to judge righteous judgment acc<strong>or</strong>ding toGod‟s W<strong>or</strong>d. He is talking about being judged by “man‟sjudgment” (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 4:3). It is not required that a ministersuit men and bend to their thinking; it is required thathe be faithful to God, and this is the only properstandard by which he can be judged.Paul, under inspiration of the <strong>Holy</strong> Spirit, is also sayingthat ultimate and final judgment belongs only to theL<strong>or</strong>d; theref<strong>or</strong>e, we must be humble and cautious in ourjudgments in this present time (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 4:4-5). Eventhough we have the W<strong>or</strong>d of God and we are obliged tojudge everything on the basis of God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d, we mustnot think that we are infallible. We have to walk in the128
light that we have and live our lives and exercise ourministries on that basis, but our knowledge is veryimperfect in this present w<strong>or</strong>ld.We can know if a man‟s teaching is false and we canknow enough, theref<strong>or</strong>e, to mark his err<strong>or</strong> and to avoidit, but we do not know the secrets of men‟s hearts andwe do not know all of the things that will be brought tobear and come into play when God judges men in thatperfect light of a coming day.JAMES 4:11-12 -- “Speak not evil one ofanother, brethren. He that speaketh evil of hisbrother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evilof the law, and judgeth the law: but if thoujudge the law, thou art not a doer of the law,but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is ableto save and to destroy: who art thou thatjudgest another?”Like Matthew 7:1, Romans 14:4, and 1 C<strong>or</strong>inthians 4:5,James 4:11 is frequently misused by the ecumenicalcrowd to supp<strong>or</strong>t the false doctrine that Christians aref<strong>or</strong>bidden to judge doctrine and practice. To make theseverses teach that Christians can never judge, though,throws the <strong>Bible</strong> into confusion. There is a rightjudgment and a wrong judgment. Many versescommand us to judge righteous judgment (Luke 12:57;John 7:24; 1 C<strong>or</strong>. 2:15). We are to judge preaching (1C<strong>or</strong>. 14:29), sin in the churches (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 5:3), issues inthe churches (1 C<strong>or</strong>. 6:5), sin in our own lives (1 C<strong>or</strong>.11:31), false teachers (Mat. 7:15; Rom. 16:17), spirits(1 John 4:1), etc.When, then, is James f<strong>or</strong>bidding? The context clarifiesthe matter.129
First, James is referring to speaking evil (Jam. 4:11).Proper judging is to speak the truth in love. The truth isnot evil and speaking the truth in love is not evil. Thetype of judging condemned by James is judging in thesense of tearing down, tale bearing, and slander. It isjudging with an evil intent. When one judges sin anderr<strong>or</strong> scripturally, it is never with a desire to hurtpeople. The Pharisees judged Jesus in an evil manner(Jn. 7:52). The false teachers at Galatia and C<strong>or</strong>inthjudged Paul in the same manner, trying to tear himdown in the eyes of the churches (2 C<strong>or</strong>. 10:10). This iswhat James f<strong>or</strong>bids.Second, James is referring to judging in a way that iscontrary to the law of God (“there is one lawgiver,” Jam.4:12). This refers to judging others by human standardsrather than divine, thus setting oneself up as thelawgiver. The Pharisees did this when they judged Jesusby their traditions (Mat. 15:1-3). On the other hand,when a believer judges things by God‟s W<strong>or</strong>d in a godlyand compassionate manner, he is not exercising his ownjudgment; he is exercising God‟s judgment. When, f<strong>or</strong>example, I say that it is wrong f<strong>or</strong> a woman to be apast<strong>or</strong>, <strong>or</strong> it is a shame f<strong>or</strong> a man to have long hair, <strong>or</strong>those who love the w<strong>or</strong>ld are adulterers, this is not myjudgment <strong>or</strong> law; it is God‟s (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 C<strong>or</strong>. 11:14;Jam. 4:4).F<strong>or</strong> m<strong>or</strong>e on verses misused by the ecumenicalmovement, see the commentaries in THINGS HARD TOBE UNDERSTOOD on 1 Sam. 24:4-10; Matt. 7:1-1;18:15-17; Mk. 9:38-40; John 13:35; 17:21; Acts 5:38-39; James 4:11-12. This book if available from Way ofLife Literature.130