The Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, California held a political forum Saturday evening. This is nothing new for the mega-church founded by nationally-known Pastor Rick Warren.
Warren often delves into politics while claiming neutrality on the matter. Yet when it comes to his much-publicized forums at the Church, he has consistently invited speakers that are clearly Leftwing in their politics while virtually ignoring conservative political leaders.
For example, Warren invited Hillary Clinton to speak at an annual forum at the Church in 2006 and followed up with Barack Obama at the same forum in 2007.
Where are the speakers with a clear conservative Christian point of view?
On Saturday evening, Warren held a so-called 'civil forum' in which he acted as a moderator by posing questions to guests John McCain and Barack Obama, the two Presidential candidates.
But Warren received help and guidance in formulating those questions from the Leftwing group known as 'Faith in Public Life.' This group is loaded to the gills with extremist liberals.
And that's not all.
Warren's position on international affairs is clearly anti-Israel yet flies under the veneer of being an 'opportunity for dialogue between religions.'
While he claims he is simply following Jesus' command of showing compassion to the poor, Warren consistently supports government programs funded through tax dollars rather than emphasizing the simple Gospel message that each individual Christian is charged with the responsibility of caring for the poor individually and by personal choice.
This is a far cry from forced participation in government programs through taxation.
Nowhere in the Christian Gospel does Jesus anoint governments to be the instruments of service to the poor. But individual Christians both personally and collectively through their Churches are certainly admonished to do so. Service to the needy is a matter of individual initiative rather than government mandate.
As Dr. Walter E. Williams of George Mason University often says, 'For me to reach inside my pocket voluntarily to help the poor is a noble and worthy gesture. But for government to reach inside my pocket and take my money to do so is stealing and should be punished by law.'
Make no mistake, Rick Warren has an agenda, and it certainly isn't the standard evangelical model based upon the New Testament.
Although he is often referred to as 'the most powerful evangelical leader in America today,' Warren's vision has inflicted a dangerous, festering wound upon the Christian evangelical movement that has split the Church as never before.
At one time evangelicals were clear about certain things--abortion is wrong and politicians who support it are wrong; liberty does not mean we must place a muzzle on Christians in the marketplace, in the government, and in the schools in order to avoid 'offending' someone; as Christ has made us free so should we work for the freedom of all people, particularly from the shackles of oppressive governments--even our own; if lying is wrong then there is no adequate, moral defense of a politician who lies; if stealing is wrong then there is no justification for government doing it through the confiscation of personal property and funds from the citizens; and on and on I could go listing the basic convictions of the evangelical movement when it comes to politics.
Due to the fuzzy and vague views of leaders such as Warren, evangelicals have begun to exhibit
some shocking waffling on issues that were previously viewed as settled matters.
Rick Warren has not given the views of traditional Christianity and its concomitant conservative political agenda an adequate hearing at the Saddleback Community Church. And this is precisely why many Christians view him and his Church will great skepticism and suspicion.
For more information on this issue, click on the links below:
Gateway Pundit
Fox News
CNN
The Liberty Sphere--previous post 1
The Liberty Sphere--previous post 2
The Liberty Sphere--previous post 3
Sunday, August 17, 2008
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2 comments:
It was only a matter of time before the communist came out from the Christians. Look at the 60's when all the burnouts realized their communist aspirations for the nation failed they flocked to religions, especially Christianity.
Most of the Christians I know are socialist leaning.
Author,
As much as I hate to say so, what you've said is true, especially in the old mainline denominations.
But as for me, here's one that AIN'T--not in any way, shape, form, or fashion.
As a matter of fact, as a Christian I feel it is my duty to call attention to the subversive and dangerous communist/socialist views that are rampant in churches.
Much of what passes for Christianity these days is nothing more than Leftwing cultural B.S.
Martyn
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