Rick Warren Responds to my Column Critical of Him!

Recently I wrote a column dealing with churches that have lost their ability to blush because of their many concessions, compromises, and corruptions and I mentioned Dr. Rick Warren’s church and others as examples. Following the publication of my column, Rick received my column from Cal Thomas, a top U.S. columnist who is also an outspoken Christian Conservative and a man I have respected and admired since his days with Jerry Farwell and the Moral Majority. Cal then sent me an email with Rick’s response to my column. However, Rick (who has made some good contributions to the world) did not respond, only reacted, to my column, saying–nothing. His major achievements and popularity do not excuse him from being held accountable. In the column in question, I wrote:

“Rick addressed the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) that is in bed with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. He even apologized for all of us! Rick has a deficiency of wisdom since he seems to support anyone. I have a photo of him hugging Cat Stevens (known as Yusuf Islam) who supported the call for death of Rushdie because he had ‘insulted’ Muslims. Cat also wrote, ‘I’m praying to Allah to give us victory over the kuffar’! Kuffar is a Muslim term for non-Muslims usually preceded by dirty. Rick boasted that Cat came to visit him at his home. I think Rick may have a sense of insecurity and needs to be loved by everyone.

“In May of 2015, Rick held hands with homosexual activist Elton John at a congressional hearing even joking that if they kissed it would be ‘the kiss heard ’round the world.’ Rick doesn’t understand that perversion is no joke. Rick is a brilliant, talented man without wisdom or discernment–two characteristics, in my opinion, that are essential for preachers.”

Rick did not deal with my charge that he was in bed with Muslim extremists, having spoken at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (July 4, 2009) an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and financier of the Hamas terror group. At that event, he shared the platform with Imam Siraj Wahhaj who is an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorist attack. Wahhaj has a history of extremist and anti-American incitement. He said, “If only Muslims were clever politically, they could take over the United States and replace its constitutional government with a Caliphate.” Rick did not chasten Siraj when he had the opportunity.

Also had the event was Zulfiqar Ali Shah, director of a Hamas fundraising group that was closed by the FBI in 2006 and Naeem Muhammad a staff member of Islamic Relief, a front for Hamas according to the Israeli government. Rick no doubt would say that he was pleased to get the opportunity to represent Christians at the meeting but the fact is he apologized for us because of our alleged mistreatment of Muslims!

Rick needs to tell us if he believes that Muslims and Christians “serve the same God” as one of his staff reportedly said.

Rick has some strange bedfellows. It is noteworthy that he did not acknowledge in his response to Cal that he failed to confront Cat (a Muslim convert) for supporting the assassination of Rushdie! It is interesting that Rick is often seen with radical Muslims, Roman Catholics, and others but I don’t know of any association with Fundamentalists. Maybe he has more in common with the Muslims and Catholics. One thing is sure: Rick Warren’s philosophy is like the elastic in an old woman’s drawers–stretches to fit any shape. He can get along with anyone (because he refuses to confront anyone) whether Muslim, Mormon, Roman Catholic, or heretical “Protestant.”

Moreover, I wonder if Rick would be willing to accept an invitation to represent Christians at a KKK rally? If not, why not? Are radical Muslims more acceptable than the KKK?

Nor did Rick deal with his ridiculous statement about if he and Elton John kissed, it would be “the kiss heard ‘round the world.” Trying to justify his defense of perversion, he did say that he had protesters at his church every Sunday for eight years protesting “my very public stand against gays redefining marriage.” Note that the protests were not because of his stand against perversion but his stand on “gay” marriage. Rick’s stand on traditional marriage is commendable but not germane. It has nothing to do with my charges. Of course, distracting people from the major issue to dwell on a lesser one is a ruse used for thousands of years to defend oneself from error.

Rick said, “I am not anti-gay marriage” after being accused of supporting Proposition 8 that would have reinstated the traditional definition of marriage in California. Rick may not be anti-gay “marriage” but God is, as a cursory reading of the Bible proves. And that position is reinforced with an extensive, exhaustive, exegetical study of Scripture.

Thinking he was helping his defense, Rick boasted that Pope Francis asked him to be the closing speaker at the Vatican Conference on Marriage, Family, and Sexuality! During that message did Rick deal with the Catholic’s warped position on celibacy that has contributed to one of the worst sex abuse scandals in world history? Of course not. He was building bridges instead of “earnestly contend[ing] for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” and presenting a clear-cut message of salvation with no dependence on works.

Dr. Warren charges, without any way of knowing whether factual or not, that I know nothing of what he has publicly stated about “both Islam and homosexuality.” I do know that Rick did not chide the Muslim groups for their financial support of terror, or of their insistence for female mutilation, for their insistence on sharia law and their support of jihad, or for their persecution of Muslims who leave Islam for Christ. No, he was so busy “building bridges” that he never got around to exposing Muslims to the truth.

Rick is very careless in mentioning people favorably who are enemies to the cause of Christ. Without any disclaimers, he mentions Aldous Huxley, an evolutionist who used LSD and preached Hindu philosophy; Madame Guyon, a French Catholic mystic whose fellow nuns even thought she was weird; Henri Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest and psychologist; and Anais Nin, a feminist and writer of erotic literature!

Rick writes of being attacked for his “commitment to Scriptural convictions,” but his convictions are selective. Rick doesn’t seem to understand that Christians have an obligation to confront doctrinal error in a firm but loving way. II Timothy 4:2 commands us to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” I do not know of Rick ever obeying that Scripture. How does he justify such disobedience?

Furthermore, Titus 1:9 commands us: “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” We are told in Titus 2:15: “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.” Rick does not rebuke (except Fundamentalists) but comforts, commends, cajoles, consoles, and compromises. A faithful minister must do some very unpleasant things.

Rick said, “I see absolutely zero reason in separating my fellowship from anybody” and he has practiced that during his ministry. However, Paul the Apostle commanded, “Come out from among them.” With his unscriptural position, Rick claims that Mormonism is just another Christian denomination rather than a false religion. Moreover, he refused to speak the truth to a Jewish group in Los Angeles where he managed to not mention the name of Christ once! Wonder what Stephen [Acts 7] would think of that?

Rick, like most loosey goosey evangelicals, will never attack any group except from time to time will attack dangerous Fundamentalists.

Warren then lectured me about how to do evangelism when the fact is I was literally doing evangelism before he put on his big boy pants. In fact, before he was born! He then casually informed us that he also had his Muslim neighbor at his home while Cat was there. Rick did not say if he took the two men down the “Romans Road” that always leads to the cross of Christ. Rick did say that his church had baptized 46,000 adults in 36 years.

He mentioned, “Mr. Boys can take false pot-shots all he wants” but Rick did not document any false shots. My shots hit the target they were aimed at. He added that I’ll be embarrassed “for spreading a false picture” when I get to Heaven. He then suggested that I must be very insecure (one of my charges of him) since my Ph.D. is used in my columns. He added that he had a Ph.D. but never “put it in an article.” I feel no need to respond but I will because it shows how uninformed and desperate Rick is. My background is the ministry and education; and in education, academic degrees are almost always used on books, papers, etc. Rick no doubt does not know that doctor is Latin for teacher. Ministers can choose to use an appellation if they desire and if they earned them, why not use them? Most educators almost always use them in public presentations. Anyway, this shows how desperate Rick is.

Rick closed with another reference to “lie” but never disproving any of my charges. He also charged that I would never print a retraction which of course, is only his opinion stated as a fact. Those who have read after me know that I have made retractions.

I will back off some of my statements in this column when Rick confesses his disobedience to clear Bible commands to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” and if he stays out of bed with those who hate Christ and Bible truth.

Until then, Dr. Rick Warren is an erring brother; and in obedience to II Thess. 3:15, I “count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published recently by Barbwire Books; to get your copy, click here. An eBook edition is also available.

EVOLUTION

Fact, Fraud or Faith?

by Don Boys, Ph.D.

Only an uninformed fanatic says that evolution or creation can be proved scientifically. Christians believe in creationism because we believe in the veracity of the Bible but we also have scientific evidence to support our position. In every debate I’ve had with evolutionary scientists, the arrogant, asinine accusation is made, “Well, evolution is scientific while creationism is religion.” Evolution is about as scientific as a voodoo rooster plucking ceremony in Haiti. Almost.

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