Does this upset you?

I recently got drawn to look into the controversy over John Piper inviting Rick Warren to speak at his conference....Desiring God National Conference, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God. This was on the Tim Challies site:

One comment that struck me was:

"I want to be careful here, but what I have seen from Warren is not so much that he will claim to be both A and B, but that he will claim to be A and Not A. There is a strange kind of subjectivism in his allegiances and in his beliefs."

I have my own assessment, but I must say I was surprised since although feeling a bit uncomfortable about Rick Warren's statements over the past few years, I didn't know how deep this ran.

My bottom line is that God is in control, and can either use this for his "Purpose" to bring the church together, or to refine the church. Let's remember that there are many attributes of God.

Remember He gave Israel and Judah over to Assyria & Babylon as part of his will.

Read the above review yourself by clicking on Rick Warren. I found the following comment on that site revealing.

a comment from Michael • 04/05 @ 10:54am
"I think that your writing here has OVER-Discernment all over. Lets call a wolf a wolf, whether he says he believes the gospel or not. You stated that RW "professes faith in Christ and professes an evangelical understanding of that faith."

However his fruits, very outwardly are of another gospel. Any other gospel, any, is another gospel. P. 59 alone of his book seems to have the power of the pope, granting salvation to "anyone" who says a little prayer. And I, being one of his ex-students or a PDL disciple (taken the PDL 3 times) before I was truly saved, can testify, when I read the Bible through, found the Bible of Scriptures completely different than the Bible presented by reading the twisted verses of the PDL.

From a church layman’s experience, there is a huge difference. I was saved by the PDL, until I read the Bible, in context, then I realized that I was on a path NOT of Christ, but of myself worth, a path that had neon signs (so-to-speak) encouraging me to keep on this path, and to be focusing on myself, and what works I can and should be doing.

No my Brothers, this is a completely different gospel that RW teaches. One that tickles the ears and soothes the flesh. One that although I believe he is well meaning, so were the founders of Mormon and Jehovah Witnesses when they started out by excluding Hell and what the Bible really teaches on sin and repentance. PDL is the same lie, packaged is a different skin, but still a pack of lies… Not the Gospel."

If your a strong believer in "The Shack" or one of the 30 million reader of The Purpose Drive Life" this whole thing may seem over the top to you.

To read further check out: Deceived on Purpose.

But there is more to this Spiritual Battle than meets the eye.

There is a good hint of what's behind it in a sermon I just listened to on the SLJ site under the topic New Time Religion.


Specifically the 2nd lecture has the following quote:

"How I was very much upset, I admit when I read Robert Brow's article, and some of the things that he said with reference to the doctrine of justification by faith. He'd lead out in his article with a reference to it and his precise statement if you'll remember last week that I cited was this, "So instead of being dragged trembling into a law court, we are to breathe in the atmosphere of a loving family."

Now, I do not want to give anyone the suggestion that I do not believe in the warmth and atmosphere of a loving family in our relationship to God. It is very obvious that when we believe in Jesus Christ, according to Scripture, we become the children of God. And in becoming the children of God we are related to others who are the children of God and we have a family, a spiritual family relationship.

What I was particularly concerned about was the fact that Mr. Brow wrote, "So instead of being dragged trembling into a law court". What I thought he should have said was, "In addition to, we should remember this". In other words, we don't want to abandon the loving family relationship but we want to also insist that if we do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be dragged tremblingly before the final court of judgment which will be administered by the triune God in heaven."