This past Monday night on Larry King Live, Pastor Rick Warren disavowed support of the marriage protection amendment and said that he had apologized to his homosexual friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHPIhI5WDM8
Rick is the celebrated pastor of the Saddleback Church and the author of The Purpose Driven Life. I want to explain to you the road that would lead a self-proclaimed Bible-believing Evangelical to become friendly with the Gay and Lesbian Community:
Pastor Rick and present "New Evangelicals" (now Old-Evangelicals) believe in removing walls of doctrine or division that may keep believers or potential believers apart. New-Evangelicals arrive at their place of compromise by trying to have a "loving" welcome of sinners that calls them to Jesus. That sounds terrific but neglects both Prophets, Jesus, John the Baptist, Disciples, and Apostles continual preaching of Repentance from the abomination of personal sin.
Warren appears in Aids Concerts to raise money for the Aids Agenda. Warren publicly apologizes for believers who say that Aids is God's Plague on sin (Larry King Live). The disconnect here that has brought Warren to a place where he forgets Sodom and Gomorrah, forgets Romans 1:26-27, etc. is the Armenian view that man's salvation is of the greatest value in the universe. This view is willing to go to the "nth" degree to see a soul saved, even if it means removing all offensiveness toward sinners from our Bible. They want to "love" people into salvation instead of exposing the truth that they are hopeless sinners that must repent and THEN turn to the love of God through Jesus Christ.
We must understand that even in Salvation, CHRIST, not man is the central figure. God's character of holiness cannot be compromised to make sinners feel more comfortable so that they "may feel like" receiving Christ. This view places an unbiblical sales presentation on the gospel that aims to persuade the lost to come to Christ by kind arguments, fads, and acts that turns the gospel into a trendy product that appeals to everyone. A man does not need a Savior until he knows that he is drowning in the wages of his own sin. This is what the law taught as a schoolmaster. A sinner must realize he falls short of the glory of God before he is converted. He must by the Word, God's grace, and God's calling be brought to repentance of his sins before God. A homosexual cannot be saved unless he is told from Scripture that his sin must be admitted and forsaken before God at the moment of salvation. He cannot repent without the power of God, and his repenting is not an act of reforming before the Lord can save him. Repentance is an acknowledgment and willingness of the mind to abandon sin at the moment of salvation.
This slippy road does not even include Rick Warren's quest for popularity and world prominence. I cannot judge his heart motives on that, but I certainly can view his fruit.
It is obvious to you now that I totally reject and condemn Rick Warren's compromising stand. His compromise and form of evangelism perverts the gospel and keeps people from true salvation. This is not "loving the lost" - this is blinding the lost to their sin and their offensiveness to a perfect Creator. This form of evangelism removes the need for Christ's atonement at God's hand. It removes the meaning of our sin's being laid upon Christ. It creates a mighty congregation of those "sold" into Christianity with marketing techniques without being Born-Again.
I compel true believers that read this to reject any Pastor that is clearly standing against the Scriptures. Our examples are Preachers of old that went against the grain of political correctness and were even martyred for that. The Prophets and Apostles preached strongly against sin. Roger Williams, John Huss, Martin Luther, Lester Roloff, Billy Sunday, Charles Spurgeon, Gypsy Smith, Bob Jones, Monk Parker, George Whitefield, Conrad Grebel, etc. all stood and preached stongly against sin. Warren stated on one of his several Larry King appearances that he certainly did not equate marriage with pedophilia or incest. REALLY RICK? You cannot call homosexuality perversion?!??
We have sunk to an all time low spirituality in our Country . Rick Warren would say that he was a Fundamentalist in the sense of believing the Fundamentals of the faith. He would certainly say he believed the same major doctrine as Lighthouse Baptist Church. A Fundamental Pastor apologizing for opposing Homosexual Marriage. This is only equaled this month by our President informing the world that we are no longer only a Christian nation.
Amazing. Listen for the Trumpet or the Police coming to drag believers away!
PW
