It is a fact that the "40 Days of Purpose" and other church growth and
leadership materials produced by Rick Warren are aggressively marketed to
Mormons and others outside Christian orthodoxy. When asked why Mormon leaders
are involved in his pastoral training programs Rick Warren told USA Today:
"I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won't try to
change other denominations. Why be divisive?" (http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-07-21-rick-warren_x.htm)
Say WHAT?
Mormonism...a "denomination" and “non-essentials” such as the identity
of Jesus Christ, godhood for mankind or the route to eternal
salvation???
Clearly, Warren doesn't KNOW or doesn't WANT to identify Mormonism as
non-Christian. Either way, what USA Today didn't report is
that Rick Warren is helping train Mormon leaders to more effectively present a
false religion to the world - a false religion that has led millions of lost
souls to an eternal Hell.
Now, we find listed alongside a Mitt Romney promo video on
the popular YouTube website
that one of his favorite books is listed as...you guessed it, The
Purpose Driven Life. (http://www.youtube.com/mittromney) It
is the only religious book he mentioned (Hummmm, in May 2007 Romney
listed the Bible and Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard's tasteless
novel "Battlefield Earth"
as first and second on his list of "must reads." (See http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/romney-favors-hubbard-novel)
As you ponder the correlation of Warren and Romney, also note this quote: "...we are a religious people... We are a purpose-driven
people..."
- Governor Mitt Romney, Union Leader, March 19, 2006
The point is that Warren can't or doesn't care to identify that Mormonism is
cultic and NOT in any way orthodox Christianity and Romney doesn't
seem to discern anything from Warren or his book to
make him think that the Purpose Driven Philosophy is incompatible with
Mormonism! Both Christians and Mormons should scratch their heads in
wonder. The line between truth and error continues to blur...or simply
just disappear altogether - exactly what the Scriptures foretell of
for the end-days.
One further very disconcerting illustration. On Oct 19, 2007,
Fox News reported that the pro-life, Christian conservative movement,
that held such sway in the Republican Party in the last 2-3 elections,
is in the process of splintering. Fortune magazine's Washington Bureau
chief Nina Easton told Brit Hume on "Special Report" that the reason
for the fragmenting of the right wing ranks is that Evangelicals are
now more willing to accept candidates who may not share a pro-life
position (they were speaking about Rudy Giuliani). She stated that
mainstream Evangelicals have moved to a more moderate position because
of the influence of Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life.
She stated that in 2007 many who once held strongly to conservative values were
softening their stands. Easton also remarked that the most important value now
held by those calling themselves "Evangelicals" was world hunger and not
evangelism or abortion. What does this tell us about the overall and lasting
effects of Rick Warren's influence on Evangelicals?
Caring for the hungry is certainly a Christian value and one that we
who are blessed need to be actively involved in. However, besides
sounding eerily like the kind of thing Antichrist will propose, Warren's misguided
preteristic "P.E.A.C.E." plan
(announcing that he's going to lead the Church to solve the problems
of the world) seems to have sidetracked many Christians from the
eternal mission we are here to accomplish. Sounds like Satan
now doesn't it? Raise up a leader, make him popular, gain the trust of
the people and then use him to divert millions to a plan that has some
measure of
merit and even some Christian values attached to it - yet is NOT primary to
seeing the lost surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. This is the exact replacement that the laymen
of the once strong mainline denominations bought into when they
lost their biblical way
100+ years ago. As I asked in a recent newsletter,
"Will they say of us, 'They WERE the
Evangelicals'?"
As I watched the Fox News report, I was again sickened to think of the widespread dumbing down
that has come upon once-sound bible believers. If some Evangelicals
have lost their way concerning the abortion issue - let alone the very
core reason the Church exists - then is it any wonder that
many don't see a conflict in endorsing a cultist for President? It is
as if there has been a mass demonic spiritual anesthetization
concerning truth. Antichrist indeed must be waiting in the wings.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers
of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness,
(literally “a form of the religion of Christ”) but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away."
- II Timothy 3:1-5
