jubilationtcornpone
July 23rd, 2008, 11:00 PM
I've often said that I have deep concerns about some of the stuff that Rick Warren teaches. Mind you, I never want to be unfair or unkind in expressing these concerns. I have resolved to always strive for a balanced perspective, but without compromising on the truth. I also want to make sure that I always express these views in a spirit of lovingkindness. That's not alway easy, especially when dealing with matters of spiritual truth.
I do believe that Pastor Warren means well, and that he has a genuine desire to see people come to the Lord. He has other laudable qualities as well, such as his tremendous generosity. However, I also think that he tends to be careless in a lot of his teachings, and that he tends to take considerable liberties with the Scriptures. I am also concerned that, in his desire to see people won to Christ, he appears to soften the gospel message to make it sound more appealing -- and that's something which we should never do.
Here is an example of what I mean. In this video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OvyyEIEDqrQ), Pastor Warren talks about how God is pleased when we do "what we are wired to do." My immediate question is "Where does the Bible say that?" Pastor Warren did not cite any Scripture to support that claim, and I'm quite certain that the Bible teaches no such thing.
More importantly, I have to ask, "How are non-believers likely to receive such a message?" I can just imagine a homosexual saying, "Well, God wired me with these strong desires for people of my own sex. That must make it okay!" Or someone who's prone to drunkenness might say, "Heck, I just can't stop drinking. I guess God knows that's just the way I am!"
Rick Warren also urged his listeners to "just be yourself." I think we can all see how that can be a dangerous message to convey, especially if you have non-believers in the audience!
Now, it's possible that Rick Warren meant that if God "wired" you to pursue a particular career, then you should. Warren did, after all, speak about being an anthropologist or an explorer. Once again though, where is the Biblical basis for this claim? And even if it were true, should we not be careful about how we phrase such statements, especially from the pulpit? This is one reason why I say that Pastor Warren tends to be well-intentioned but careless in a lot of what he teaches.
If anything, I'd say that human beings are wired with a strong predisposition toward sin! That's why even the Apostle Paul described himself as "a slave to sin." That's why he declared "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:14-20). God doesn't want us to do what we are wired to do. He wants us to obey him, fighting against our innermost desires if need be!
Now, three last thoughts:
1. Is it really accurate to say that we are "wired" for a particular career? I'm not sure that it is, and the Bible is certainly silent on this matter. Speaking for myself, I know that I could have chosen any number of career paths -- science, medicine, engineering, writing, or law, to name a few. I chose a path that fulfilled many of my interests, but I wouldn't say that I was "wired" for this career path alone.
2. Who's to say that God wouldn't call someone to serve in a particular manner despite his or her lack of natural ability? After all, we are all called to evangelize, even though most of us are not gifted at it. And remember when God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites? Moses did not fancy himself as a leader, describing himself as "slow of tongue and speech" (Exodus 4:10) -- yet God told him to do it anyway.
3. The author of this video claimed that Rick Warren was speaking to a group of non-believers. I don't know if that's true or not, so I'm not going to make that claim. Nevertheless, when speaking to a large congregation of laypeople, you are probably going to have some non-believers in attendance, or at the very least, some immature Christians. The need to pick one's words carefully therefore remains.
Those are my thoughts on this issue. As I said, my goal is not to tear viciously into this man. Rather, my goal is to express deep concerns about some of the things he teaches, as well as the careless way in which he presents these ideas.
I do believe that Pastor Warren means well, and that he has a genuine desire to see people come to the Lord. He has other laudable qualities as well, such as his tremendous generosity. However, I also think that he tends to be careless in a lot of his teachings, and that he tends to take considerable liberties with the Scriptures. I am also concerned that, in his desire to see people won to Christ, he appears to soften the gospel message to make it sound more appealing -- and that's something which we should never do.
Here is an example of what I mean. In this video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OvyyEIEDqrQ), Pastor Warren talks about how God is pleased when we do "what we are wired to do." My immediate question is "Where does the Bible say that?" Pastor Warren did not cite any Scripture to support that claim, and I'm quite certain that the Bible teaches no such thing.
More importantly, I have to ask, "How are non-believers likely to receive such a message?" I can just imagine a homosexual saying, "Well, God wired me with these strong desires for people of my own sex. That must make it okay!" Or someone who's prone to drunkenness might say, "Heck, I just can't stop drinking. I guess God knows that's just the way I am!"
Rick Warren also urged his listeners to "just be yourself." I think we can all see how that can be a dangerous message to convey, especially if you have non-believers in the audience!
Now, it's possible that Rick Warren meant that if God "wired" you to pursue a particular career, then you should. Warren did, after all, speak about being an anthropologist or an explorer. Once again though, where is the Biblical basis for this claim? And even if it were true, should we not be careful about how we phrase such statements, especially from the pulpit? This is one reason why I say that Pastor Warren tends to be well-intentioned but careless in a lot of what he teaches.
If anything, I'd say that human beings are wired with a strong predisposition toward sin! That's why even the Apostle Paul described himself as "a slave to sin." That's why he declared "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:14-20). God doesn't want us to do what we are wired to do. He wants us to obey him, fighting against our innermost desires if need be!
Now, three last thoughts:
1. Is it really accurate to say that we are "wired" for a particular career? I'm not sure that it is, and the Bible is certainly silent on this matter. Speaking for myself, I know that I could have chosen any number of career paths -- science, medicine, engineering, writing, or law, to name a few. I chose a path that fulfilled many of my interests, but I wouldn't say that I was "wired" for this career path alone.
2. Who's to say that God wouldn't call someone to serve in a particular manner despite his or her lack of natural ability? After all, we are all called to evangelize, even though most of us are not gifted at it. And remember when God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites? Moses did not fancy himself as a leader, describing himself as "slow of tongue and speech" (Exodus 4:10) -- yet God told him to do it anyway.
3. The author of this video claimed that Rick Warren was speaking to a group of non-believers. I don't know if that's true or not, so I'm not going to make that claim. Nevertheless, when speaking to a large congregation of laypeople, you are probably going to have some non-believers in attendance, or at the very least, some immature Christians. The need to pick one's words carefully therefore remains.
Those are my thoughts on this issue. As I said, my goal is not to tear viciously into this man. Rather, my goal is to express deep concerns about some of the things he teaches, as well as the careless way in which he presents these ideas.