| Foreword: Several of the people that Rick Warren associates with, endorses, or shares a speaking platform with, have strong ties to New Age/occult beliefs. While this in no way proves that Rick Warren directly supports either New Age beliefs or any form of Eastern Religion or Philosophy, it does show that all too many of our so called church leaders, in spite of their high profiles, many books, dozens of conferences/speaking assignments and thousands of followers, have never grown from the status of bottle fed babies, cheerfully rushing in where angels fear to tread and blazing their own unbiblical paths. Spiritually blind, they know nothing of (or ignore) the dark side of the people they associate with..
Their relationship with, and endorsement of, men like Ken Blanchard sends the message to hundreds of thousands of Christians that these men are just regular guys. They are not. They are highly dangerous men with links to dark forces that the average Christian does not seem to be even dimly aware of. By introducing these people into the church they inadvertently introduce hundreds of thousands of Christians to the New (or very Old) Age menace, thereby endangering the souls of those they are supposed to protect.
Teachers are the shepherds of the church, charged with the care of their people and are therefore held to a higher standard. They are supposed to be bring right doctrine to the church, but when they lead their flock astray, the Bible tells us that they will be judged more strictly than other Christians.
But since the first order of business should be the roots of Warren’s philosophy and business strategy, we will first look at his long term relationship with Peter Drucker.
INDEX
Rick Warren and Peter Drucker
Warren’s mentor, well known in the business world for Management techniques and business innovation, is now recognized as the grandfather of the ‘mega–church’ movement. But is he even a Christian?
Rick Warren, Willow Creek and Ken Blanchard
has occult/New Age connections, endorses books by clairvoyants and New Age leaders, and some based on teaching by Indian gurus or that claims Buddha has something to teach us. Besides which his knowledge of Jesus seems to be pretty paltry.
Rick Warren and Dan Southerland
Southerland wrote Transitioning, step by step guide to changing an existing church from program-driven to purpose-driven. However his appeal to the Scriptures to prove his principles are completely unsound, indefensible and altogether invalid. [Link Will Open A New Page]
Rick Warren and Robert Schuller
There has apparently been some controversy regarding the connections between Rick Warren and Robert Schuller, with Rick Warren himself denying that he was mentored in any way by Schuller. But …
Rick Warren and Bernie Siegel
Siegel says this of his ‘spirit guide’ “All I know is that he has been my invaluable companion ever since his first appearance. My life is much easier now, because he does the hard work”. Yet…
Rick Warren and The Emerging Church
Although Saddleback is not a direct participant in the movement, Rick Warren obviously approves of leaders Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, Spencer Burke Etc.
Rick Warren and Henry Nouwen
Rick Warren says this about In the Name of Jesus by Henry Nouwen.. My wife, Kay, recommends this book: “It’s a short book, but it hits at the heart of the minister
Rick Warren’s Tribute to John Wimber
Could this be the same John Wimber who was the ecumenical Mary lover, used relics, guided imagery and visualization, believed in astral projection and Buddhist prayer techniques for meditation, who also gave The Latter Rain (The Kansas City Prophets” a very comfortable home in the Vineyard church, and a huge and influential platform from which to spread their canker. Yup! I do believe this this is very same guy!
Rick Warren And The Alpha Course
Leaders of the Counterfeit Revival demand the Kingdom now! — in this life, with all of its attendant material wealth, public accolades, physical health, and earthly power
Rick Warren, The Templeton Foundation and The Power of Purpose
“Templeton’s beliefs are clearly expressed in his numerous writings: He is an evolutionist, pantheist, universalist, and has occultic views”
Rick Warren and Leonard Sweet
In Leonard Sweet’s 24 Transitions For Moving Into The 21st Century, point reads as follows: From “Does it Make Sense” to “Was it a Good Experience?”
Rick Warren and Catalyst
There seems to be no end to the list of dubious people Rick Warren will willingly share a stage with.
Rick Warren and Rupert Murdoch
Rick Warren claims to be pastor to Rupert Murdoch, who’s News Corporation owns The Sun, a UK based tabloid. ‘Page 3’ of the paper is little more than ‘soft porn’. Additionally Murdoch is building a stable of wholly-owned pornographic channels for his BSkyB subsidiary.
Rick Warren (The “Jesus’ Man”) And Dr. Ron Wolfson
jewishjournal.com says “Warren managed to speak for the entire evening [at a Jewish Temple] without once mentioning Jesus — a testament to his savvy message-tailoring”.
Rick Warren and the 2009 Islamic Society Convention
attendees of the 46th annual convention were addressed by Rick Warren who told them that “the two largest faiths on the planet” must work together to combat stereotypes and solve global problems. However the Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) roots in the Muslim Brotherhood have been strengthened by newly declassified FBI memos.
Rick Warren’s Speech At Obama’s Inauguration
was a well-phrased masterpiece of diplomacy and religious balm including, as it did, words that open all but one chapter of the Qur’an. Also See Rick Warren and Sen. Barack Obama
Rick Warren and The Syrians
Warren has traveled to and provided legitimacy to a hostile foreign government, presided over by a brutal fascist dictator who hates Jews, threatens Israel, subverts neighboring Lebanon, imprisons and terrorizes its own citizens and even kills them in massive numbers when they stand up in revolt.
Rick Warren, Mitt Romney and The Mormons
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?”
Rick Warren And (whatever he happens to be calling himself this week) Yonggi Cho..
“Cho’s teachings are an idolatrous mix of a little Biblical teaching with a lot of occult healing, prophesying, visualization, sorcery, and pagan mind techniques
Rick Warren and The Minerva Awards
Pastor Warren seems to have little concern speaking at conferences highlighting awards named after Roman Goddesses, especially since he totally neglects to present the Gospel.
 Three Questions for Rick Warren
Rick Warren and Peter Drucker
In his Weekly Work Place Wisdom, Warren says
“I read everything Peter Drucker writes. His book “The Effective Executive” is a favourite I reread every year. Long before words like “empowerment” became popular, Peter was telling us that the  secret of achieving results is to focus on your strengths, and the strengths of those you work with, rather than focusing on weaknesses. In fact, Peter says, making strengths productive is the unique purpose of organization.
Here’s the point: Find out what God made you to do well and do more of it. Don’t worry about what you don’t do well. In fact, try to do as little as possible of what you don’t do well.
Then find out what others do well and help them to be able to do more of it. This is the key to effective businesses, effective churches, and every other effective organization. Great organizations position people for success rather than trying to eliminate all their weaknesses. It’s far easier to manage weaknesses than to eliminate all of them… Finally, never forget that in order to use the strengths of people we must be willing to put up with their weaknesses. The wise leader will focus on people’s contribution, not their idiosyncrasies. [1]
There is an enormous amount of difference between how Rick Warren (courtesy of Peter Drucker) runs the church and how God uses individuals. God does not “use the strengths of people” nor “manage weaknesses”, but shows His power through weaknesses. If the giants of the Scriptures had been powerful, capable strong men and women in their own right, it would have been difficult to discern whether they were acting on their own abilities, or whether God was working through them. Besides which, they would have had a very natural tendency to rely on their strengths and abilities rather than on God. What God did over and over again, was use people far beyondtheir own strengths and capabilities, a principle so clearly illustrated in the Bible….
but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; [1 Corinthians 1:27]
For example Moses, in spite of his education and upbringing in Pharaoh’s court called himself ineloquent and “slow of speech, and of a slow tongue”, to which the Lord replied that He Himself would be with Moses’ mouth, and teach him what he would speak [Exodus 4:10-12]. Certainly this worked out very well since we are told in Acts 7:22 that Moses was “mighty in his words and works”.
This pattern is repeated over and over again.. King David was the youngest son of a shepherd, Gideon’s army was whittled down to a mere three hundred men that defeated all the host of Midian. The reason given for this was to prevent Israel vaunting themselves against God and believing that their own power and might had saved them. [Judges 7:2]
Paul, who was very obviously a learned man was given what the Bible calls “a thorn in the flesh” so that he would not become haughty and proud, trusting in his own achievements. Repeated requests to remove this thorn only resulted in the Lord telling him “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness”. [2 Corinthians 12:7-10]
Source of Rick Warren’s Philosophy
So, if not from the Bible, where does Warren’s philosophy and business strategy come from? On May 23, 2005 Rick Warren was a guest speaker at the Pew and Religion Forum, where he said
“Peter Drucker … he’s my mentor. I’ve spent 20 years under his tutelage learning about leadership from him.”
In an article based on a 2004 interview granted to Rich Karlgaard of Forbes.com, when Peter Drucker was 95 years old (he died in 2005), Drucker actually uses the words “purpose driven”. Karlgaard writes [All Emphasis Added]
The Drucker-Warren relationship may surprise many readers, but it goes back two decades, to when the young minister came to Drucker for advice. Under Drucker’s tutelage, Warren’s own success as a spiritual entrepreneur has been considerable. Saddleback has grown to 15,000 members and has helped start another 60 churches throughout the world. Warren’s 2001 book, The Purpose-Driven Life, is this decade’s best seller with 19.5 million copies sold so far and compiling at the rate of 500,000 per month.” [2]
Although Drucker is supposed to be a ‘religious man’, what Rich Karlgaard calls “a more muted Episcopalian type as compared to Warren’s exuberant brand of Southern Baptist”, he is well known in the business world for Management techniques and business innovation…
Peter Drucker has written 35 books in all: 15 books deal with management, including the landmark books The Practice of Management and The Effective Executive; 16 cover society, economics, and politics; 2 are novels; and 1 is a collection of autobiographical essays. His most recent book, Managing in the Next Society, was published in fall 2002. [3]
Drucker says
“Successful leaders don’t start out asking, “What do I want to do?” They ask, “What needs to be done?” Then they ask, “Of those things that would make a difference, which are right for me?” [2]
Sound Familiar?
Warren’s inspiration obviously comes from management techniques, not the Bible.
So Who is Peter Drucker?
Peter Drucker, who BusinessWeek called “the most enduring management thinker of our time”, was
a writer, teacher, and consultant specializing in strategy and policy for businesses and social sector organizations. He consulted with many of the world’s largest corporations as well as with nonprofit organizations, small and entrepreneurial companies, and with agencies of the U.S. government. He also worked with free-world governments such as those of Canada, Japan, and Mexico. He is the author of thirty-one books which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Thirteen books deal with society, economics, and politics; fifteen deal with management. Two of his books are novels, one is autobiographical, and he is a co-author of a book on Japanese painting. He has made four series of educational films based on his management books. He has been an editorial columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review and other periodicals. [4]
Did we miss something here? Why does a Baptist Preacher spend 20 years under the tutelage of a business man.. What happened to years of staying at Jesus’ feet? Wouldn’t that be all the knowledge and wisdom a pastor would need? Not in today’s Market Driven Churchwhich focuses is on what the consumer (unchurched Harry) wants and thinks he needs, rather than on what God wants and what He says Harry needs. In other words, market-driven churches are built upon the foundation of polls, surveys, and the latest marketing techniques, instead of upon the Word of God. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren, Ken Blanchard and Willow Creek
Please note that the following is only an overview. For full article click HERE.
Not only did Rick Warren initially bring Ken Blanchard on board in 2003 to help train Christians “in leadership”, but Rick Warren, John Maxwell and Ken Blanchard were among the speakers for the 2005 Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church, which was designed to help leaders recalibrate, recommit, and renew their passion to “lead with all diligence.”
Warren also teamed up with Blanchard in the Lead Like Jesus conferences and audio series. The Thursday, April 29, 2004 Lead Like Jesus Celebration Simulcast designed to “equip you, your church, and your community to experience Jesus in a powerfully different way — to grow to trust Him as the perfect leader for all time.” was hosted by Ken Blanchard and Bill Hybels with a Special Video message from Rick Warren.
So it seems that the Warren/Blanchard/Willow Creek partnership is alive and doing well, with Blanchard speaking to thousands of Christians around the world. So what’s all the fuss about?
Just the mountain of evidence to show that Blanchard has very definite occult/New Age connections.
[For Full Article Click HERE]
For example Blanchard endorses a book Mind Like Water by Jim Ballard who says in the acknowledgment section that he wishes to acknowledge the great line of masters for their guidance and inspiration. And who count among Ballard’s “line of masters”? … “Jesus Christ, Bhagavan Krishna, Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswas and Paramahansa Yogananda.
(The last named was author of a book called The Yoga of Jesus: Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels, which attempts to blend what is known about the path of Christ, in union with the principles found in the Bhagavad Gita) .
Blanchard also praises a 2003 book called The 11th Element by Robert Scheinfeld. The inside flap of the books says [Emphasis Added] “Your success is shaped by a powerful set of unseen forces that are rarely discussed.
Blanchard co-authored Death and Letting Go with clairvoyant Ellen Tadd and endorsed The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success by New Age leader Deepak Chopra who was once called the TM movement’s “poster boy” and “its leading Ayurvedic physician”.
Blanchard participated in a seminar on The Secret, which took place in January 2008.
Additionally, Blanchard has endorsed at least three books by author Laurie Beth Jones, who is also a speaker on Blanchard’s Leadership by the Book DVD. Jones’ books, while claiming to be based on Jesus’ leadership approach, are a study in misconceptions, misinterpretation and sheer baloney. In fact in bending over backwards to find examples from Jesus’ life and teachings that fit the leadership qualities and practices that she wanted to write about, Jones has twisted the Scripture out of all recognition. For example she says that Jesus’ mission was, in essence, to teach people about a better way of life and that Jesus looked at his mission from the cross and then “let it go”… [Jesus, CEO. Pages 13 and 157].
[For Full Article Click HERE]
While we are on the subject, let’s take a look at another of Rick Warren’s dubious connections… Robert Schuller, yet another so called “Christian minister” with strong ties to the occult/ New Age. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and Robert Schuller
There has apparently been some controversy regarding the connections between Rick Warren and Robert  Schuller, with Rick Warren himself denying that he was mentored in any way by Schuller, although Warren uses a recommendation by Schuller at the start of his book, “The Purpose Driven Church.”
The road to success began in 1979, when Rick Warren and his wife Kay drove from Texas to the Los Angeles area to attend a workshop on church growth held at the Crystal Cathedral with Robert Schuller. At that time, Rick was in his last year at Fuller Theological Seminary (well-known for its ultra-liberal theology) and, when he graduated, moved to Orange County, close to Crystal Cathedral. In Schuller’s words during the April 4, 2004 Hour of Power program at the Crystal Cathedral …
“And there’s Rick Warren, a pastor who today is phenomenal. He came to our institute time after time”.
Both Rick and Kay became great admirers of Schuller, made clear from this 2002 article in Christianity Today, a liberal magazine started by Billy Graham… [Emphasis Added]
During his last year in seminary, [Rick Warren] and Kay drove west to visit Robert Schuller’s Institute for Church Growth. “We had a very stony ride out to the conference,” she says, because such nontraditional ministry scared her to death. Schuller, though, won them over. “He had a profound influence on Rick,” Kay says. “We were captivated by his positive appeal to nonbelievers. I never looked back”… Imitating Schuller, Warren walked the (then unincorporated but fast-growing) town of Lake Forest, asking what kept people from going to church. [5]
His “positive appeal to nonbelievers”. You can say that again… In a 10/5/84 letter to Christianity Today, Schuller wrote [Emphasis Added]
“I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and hence counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition” (cf. Romans 1:18-3:20
A May 11, 2010 press release on the Crystal Cathedral web site says [Emphasis Added]
Garden Grove, CA. The Crystal Cathedral announces today the sale of its Rancho Capistrano Retreat & Renewal Center property “The Ranch” to Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., of Oklahoma City—and that Saddleback Church, under the leadership of Pastor Rick Warren, will lease the property to carry on the great tradition of ministry and renewal that has been the hallmark of the Rancho Capistrano operation, established there by the Crystal Cathedral and Dr. Robert H. Schuller. [6]
In Schuller’s words
Since 1970, Dr. Schuller has taught more than 20,000 church leaders this approach to church growth at the Robert Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership. Institute alumni include pastors Bill Hybels and Rick Warren. [7]
The problem being that Robert Schuller is the epitome of the wolves that Paul spoke about in Acts 20:29-30…. One of today’s most apostate leaders. The following excerpt from Bible Discernment Ministries tells but part of the story. Click on his name above to read the full article.
“Schuller’s false teaching is an extremely serious matter in light of his wide influence. His is the most popular religion television broadcast in America. His books sell by the millions. He appears with presidents. His “self-esteem Christianity” has been adopted by multitudes. These believe they are Christians and attend churches; but in reality, they worship a false christ and follow a false gospel. Robert Schuller and his mentor, the late Norman Vincent Peale, are two of the key culprits in promoting this error.
Schuller reinterprets the doctrines of the Word of God to conform with his self-esteem philosophy. His Christ is a Jesus who provides men with self-esteem. Schuller’s gospel is the replacement of negative self concepts with positive ones. To Schuller, sin is merely the lack of self-esteem. To Schuller, the greatest evil is to call men sinners in a Biblical fashion and thereby injure their self-esteem. Schuller is a universalist who believes that all people are the children of God. His goal is to help each person understand and enjoy this “fact.” Bottom line, Schuller’s message is that there is no need for one to recognize his own personal sin, no need for repentance, and no need for the crucifixion of self. In fact, concerning the latter point, Schuller teaches just the opposite philosophy — that self is to be exalted — which is nothing less than an outright denial of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
[See Articles on Self Esteem, Sin and Repentance on this site]
(a) Personal Sin?: “What do I mean by sin? Answer: Any human condition or act that robs God of glory by stripping one of his children of their right to divine dignity. I could offer another complementing answer: Sin is that deep lack of trust that separates me from God and leaves me with a sense of shame and unworthiness. I can offer still another answer: Sin is any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem” (Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, p. 14). In a 10/5/84 letter to Christianity Today, Schuller wrote,
“I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and hence counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition” (cf. Romans 1:18-3:20).
(b) Repentance?: In response to a question from Paul Crouch on Crouch’s TBN 12/8/87 television show, concerning critic’s claims that Schuller doesn’t preach repentance, Schuller responded, “I preach repentance so positively, most people don’t recognize it” (cf. Ezekiel 18:30-32).
(c) Denial of Self?: One of Schuller’s books, Self-Love: The Dynamic Force of Success, took Eric Fromm’s humanistic self-love teachings and brought them into the church. In Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Word Books, 1982), Schuller teaches that: (1) the church’s problem is that it has had a God-centered theology for centuries, when it needs a man-centered one; (2) we’re not bad, merely badly informed about how good we are; (3) it would be an insult to the integrity of any human being to call him a sinner; and (4) “Jesus knew His worth; His success fed His self-esteem. He suffered the cross to sanctify His self-esteem and He bore the cross to sanctify your self-esteem. The cross will sanctify the ego trip” (p. 115) (cf. Matt. 16:24). (See attached reports for more analysis and quotes from Self-Esteem: The New Reformation) [Schuller further amplified this latter thought on the 8/12/80 Phil Donahue Show; Schuller said, “Jesus had an ego. He said, ‘I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.’ Wow, what an ego trip He was on!”]
Schuller is also an ecumenist [Emphasis Added]
“I met once more with the Grand Mufti (a Muslim), truly one of the great Christ-honoring leaders of faith. … I’m dreaming a bold impossible dream: that positive-thinking believers in God will rise above the illusions that our sectarian religions have imposed on the world, and that leaders of the major faiths will rise above doctrinal idiosyncrasies, choosing not to focus on disagreements, but rather to transcend divisive dogmas to work together to bring peace and prosperity and hope to the world….” (Robert Schuller. My Journey p. 502)
“Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we’re all doing God’s work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we’re laboring hand in hand to repair the breach.” (Robert Schuller. My Journey p. 501)
[Also See Should Christians Join In Interfaith Communion?] {RETURN TO INDEX}
Norman Vincent Peale
Stepping back a little further we find that Robert Schuller was one of Norman Vincent Peale’s most successful protégés.. Schuller’s son said that Peale was “responsible for dad’s possibility thinking”.
In fact bronze statues representing “four of the greatest communicators of the Word of God” stand in the glass-walled, nearly 3,000-seat Crystal Cathedral. The four are Bishop Fulton Sheen (a Catholic bishop), Norman Vincent Peale, Billy Graham and Schuller himself.
Norman Vincent Peale was an apostate liberal and a Mason who rejected key Bible doctrines (see 10/1/90, Calvary Contender). (Peale served as Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of New York, Imperial Grand Chaplain of the Shrine, and was inducted into the Scottish Rite Hall of Honor in 1991. His oil portrait hangs in the House of the Washington D.C. Temple.) He got his “power of positive thinking” ideas from the Unity healing cult. His Positive Imaging book teaches visualization and other occultic/New Age ideas.
A review in the 6/21/93 Christianity Today of a new biography of Peale mentions four “conversion” experiences. It said his key formula was “Picturize, prayerize, actualize.” Though calling Peale “a devout Christian who injected vitality into a church that was losing touch with ordinary Americans,” the article also said: “Peale always believed his message was biblical, but it lacked much reference to sin, to atonement, or … to an incarnation. The Christ he preached was very like Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson’s ambiguous Higher Power. The Christianity Today reviewer thought it revealing that Peale devoted nearly all his time after retirement to motivational speaking at business meetings, and concluded that “the church of Pealism ultimately requires only the lively spirits of a banquet room” (7/15/93, Calvary Contender). [More About Norman Vincent Peale]
All of which brings us to
Rick Warren and Bernie Siegel
In chapter three of The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren suddenly makes reference to someone called  Bernie Siegel, saying
“Hope is as essential to your life as air and water. You need hope to cope. Dr. Bernie Siegel found he could predict which of his cancer patients would go into remission by asking, “Do you want to live to be one hundred?” Those with a deep sense of life purpose answered yes and were the ones most likely to survive. Hope comes from having a purpose.” [Page 31]
So who is Bernie Siegel? Warren Smith, quoting from one of Bernie Siegel’s own books, gives us a great deal of insight….
“In June of 1978, a Connecticut physician named Bernie Siegel attended a workshop that would completely change his life, including the way he practiced medicine. As a result of a spiritual experience in this workshop—a guided visualization— he would eventually become a bestselling author and New Age leader. In his book Love, Medicine & Miracles, he describes this guided visualization:
“In June 1978, my practice of medicine changed as a result of an unexpected experience I had at a teaching seminar. Oncologist O. Carl Simonton and psychologist Stephanie Matthews (then his wife) gave a workshop—Psychological Factors, Stress, and Cancer—at the Elmcrest Institute in Portland, Connecticut….” [Bernie Siegel. Love, Medicine & Miracles (New York: Harper Collins Publishers: HarperPerennial, 1998), Pg. 18.]
“The Simontons taught us how to meditate. At one point they led us in a directed meditation to find and meet an inner guide. I approached this exercise with all the skepticism one expects from a mechanistic doctor. Still, I sat down, closed my eyes, and followed directions. I didn’t believe it would work, but if it did I expected to see Jesus or Moses. Who else would dare appear inside a surgeon’s head? Instead I met George, a bearded, long-haired young man wearing an immaculate flowing white gown and a skullcap. It was an incredible awakening for me, because I hadn’t expected anything to happen….
“George was spontaneous, aware of my feelings, and an excellent adviser. He gave me honest answers, some of which I didn’t like at first….
“All I know is that he has been my invaluable companion ever since his first appearance. My life is much easier now, because he does the hard work. [8]
Siegel also teaches that through continuous “spiritual consciousness” death no longer exists and that he has “received many messages from those who have died,” (p. 220). Siegel concludes with instructions on how to meditate and visualize cosmic-at-oneness energy healing you. He also lists a whole spate of New Age writers and books for suggested reading (pp. 227-239).
Since that initial spiritual encounter, Siegel has become a leading New Age author and spokesperson. Providing “hope” by fusing modern day medicine with New Age teachings and practices, Siegel has introduced New Age concepts into the professional medical community and to cancer patients everywhere. In Friendship with God, Neale Donald Walsch writes that Bernie Siegel was the “first celebrity endorsement” he received for his first book Conversations with God: Book 1. Walsch said that “it helped book buyers, who might have been skittish about a previously unpublished author, see the value of what I had produced.” [9]
Today, Siegel continues to influence countless numbers of people in his role as a New Age leader. In his books and workshops he encourages people to do guided meditations and visualizations—just as he once did—to initiate contact with their own personal spirit guides. Siegel openly endorses the teachings of A Course in Miracles, and currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Jerry Jampolsky’s A Course in Miracles-based Attitudinal Healing Center in Northern California. [10.]
Why would Rick Warren want to introduce his readers—even indirectly—to a New Age leader like Bernie Siegel?
Perhaps for the same reasons Robert Schuller’s 1996 book Prayer: My Soul’s adventure with God was endorsed by Bernie Siegel, John Wimber, Jack Hayford, Paul Crouch, New Age Mormon… Stephen Covey, C. Peter Wagner, Zig Ziglar and David Yonggi Cho among others. On the opening page Siegel says …
“This is a beautiful book of value to all people…. Robert Schuller’s newest book reaches beyond religion and information to what we all need—spirituality, inspiration, and understanding. Read it and live a life with meaning.”.
I believe Robert Schuller also referenced Bernie Siegel in his book.. Believe In The God Who Believes In You (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1989, Pgs. 246–247. )
Incidentally, Rick Warren’s reference to Bernie Siegel immediately followed him talking about Isaiah and Job as two men who exemplified life “without purpose” and life “without God.”
“Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. In the Bible, many different people expressed this hopelessness. Isaiah complained, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.” Job said, ‘My life drags by—day after hopeless day” and “I give up; I am tired of living. Leave me alone. My life makes no sense.’ The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose. [Zondervan; 1st edition (October 1, 2002) Page 30]
It is a little hard to believe that a Christian pastor can mention men without purpose, and Isaiah and Job all in the same paragraph.. A closer look at Isaiah’s words show that he was, in fact, lamenting that his ministry was having little success. However he consoles himself with the reflection that his cause was with God, and that his labors would not go unrewarded. Job’s words in Job 7:6 had to do with the fact that everything had been taken from him, including his children and health. He had no hope that his miseries were going to be, in any way, alleviated. Neither quote had anything to do with “a life without purpose” or being “without God.” {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and The Emerging Church
Dan Kimball and Brian McLaren
Although Saddleback is not a direct participant in the movement, Warren obviously approves of the Emerging Church movement. Rick Warren was a contributing writer to Dan Kimball’s book The Emerging Church and his web site also features the Innovative Church Conference, saying [Emphasis in Original]
“The 2003 Innovative Church Conference will feature Brian McLaren, founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in the Washington, D.C. area. Brian is a prominent voice on postmodern thinking and church growth. He is also the author of several books including The Church on the Other Side and the revolutionary book, A New Kind of Christian”. [11]
Therefore one assumes, in light of Rick Warren’s written endorsements of the two men and their books, that he has actually read (over and above the parts he authored) The Emerging Church by Kimball and, The Church on the Other Side and A New Kind of Christian by McLaren that he speaks of on his site. One has to further presume he is familiar with their beliefs. So what do the leaders of the Emergent Church Think, Believe and Recommend? See The Emerging Church
Spencer Burke and The Ooze: At one time Rick Warren had stated that he thought The Ooze website is, “one of the best online communities related to post-modern ministry”, which means that pastors around the world will likely recognize the Ooze as a trusted source for spirituality. [12]
Yet, Spencer Burke  promotes contemplative and emergent philosophies, and is considered to be one of the more popular emerging church ministries. In his words… [Emphasis Added]
“I stopped reading from the approved evangelical reading list and began to distance myself from the evangelical agenda. I discovered new authors and new voices at the bookstore-Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and St. Teresa of Avila. The more I read, the more intrigued I became. Contemplative spirituality seemed to open up a whole new way for me to understand and experience God. I was deeply moved by works like The Cloud of Unknowing, The Dark Night of the Soul and the Early Writings of the Desert Fathers.” —Spencer Burke, The Ooze. [13]
For more on Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and Thomas Keating, Go HERE
As recently as July 2010, Youth Specialties was advertising Spencer Burke’s book Making Sense of Church, in which “seekers, believers, and travelers in between all attempt to make sense of God in an emerging worldview” .. [14]
What a load of claptrap. What exactly there is to make sense of is beyond me. God is God. He created the universe and everything in it. He has decreed that the wages of sin are death and, since what He says goes, you are destined to die unless you accept His gift of salvation. Your choice. End of matter. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and Henry Nouwen
Rick Warren says this about In the Name of Jesus by Henry Nouwen
My wife, Kay, recommends this book: “It’s a short book, but it hits at the heart of the minister. It  mentions the struggles common to those of us in ministry: the temptation to be relevant, spectacular and powerful. I highlighted almost every word!”
I have to wonder if the following passages in the book were among those highlighted by Warren… [All Emphasis Added]
“Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love … For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required” (In the Name of Jesus, p. 6,31-32).
To minister with this kind of inner conviction, one has to be a contemplative mystic whose identity is rooted in the love of God and who practices the discipline of dwelling in God’s presence through prayer (In the Name of Jesus. Pg 29).
Through the regular practice of contemplative prayer, ministers learn to listen and discern God’s voice and there “find the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them” (In the Name of Jesus. Pg. 31).
Sadly even the Christian “intelligentsia” seem not to be able to distinguish the Biblical Gospel from the knock-off version of Christianity preached by Nouwen and others like him.. Versions that completely contradict Scripture and will destroy those foolish enough to not compare Nouwen’s gospel with that of Scripture, and realize that he comes up very very short..
 Not only was Henry Nouwen is a Universalist, but he was a Catholic who derived, at least in part of his ideas from other religions and the mysticism of the east.
“Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.” [15]
Add to that the fact that his own biographers describe him as having had emotional problems and homosexual inclinations. [More About Henri Nouwen]Interestingly the Henry Nouwen web site features different paintings by Vincent Van Gogh at the top of individual pages. In fact Nouwen wrote and taught a course at Yale Divinity School in 1977 entitled “The Ministry of Vincent van Gogh”. A link entitled Why did we use van Gogh as a motif? leads to one short paragraph which says.
“Why Vincent van Gogh? Henri Nouwen was deeply moved and inspired by the life and work of van Gogh. Of van Gogh he said, “That was [van Gogh’s] vocation: to touch people by tenderly expressing his solidarity with the human condition – not motivated by anger but by love.”
While I do think that some of Van Gogh’s art was interesting, I cannot see how a so called spiritual leader can could ever be ‘inspired’ by his life… Van Gogh is almost as famous for his mental instability as for his vivid paintings. At one stage of his life he moved in with, and considered marrying, a pregnant prostitute called Sien Hoornik. He suffered from various types of epilepsy, psychotic attacks, and delusions, once committing himself to an asylum. His mental state deteriorated through much of his life with him once cutting off his own ear and taking it to a brothel, where he asked for a prostitute named Rachel and handed the ear to her, asking her to keep it carefully. At the age of 37, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest and died two days later.
Debate has raged over the years as to the source of Van Gogh’s mental illness and its effect on his work. Some of the theories which have been suggested include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, syphilis, poisoning from swallowed paints, and temporal lobe epilepsy. Any of these could have been the culprit and been aggravated by malnutrition, overwork, a fondness for the alcoholic beverage absinthe, and insomnia.
What exactly in this sordid tale is there to find inspiration in? He had a ministry? What ministry? The man was obviously mentally unstable if not completely psychotic, with a possible addiction to absinthe, and eventually killed himself.. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren’s Tribute to John Wimber
The Vineyard Community Church has a page on the web site devoted to “A collection of thoughts and  memories of the late John Wimber”, among which is one by Rick Warren who says
“I will remember John Wimber as a man who truly loved Jesus more than anything else. I always enjoyed our conversations because that love for Christ produced an uncommon passion in his life that was contagious. I will miss that. A hundred years from today, people will still be singing “Spirit Song” because it verbalizes that deep love for Jesus”. [16]
Among the other tributes is one by Jack Deere who said in part ..
Who would have ever thought that a fatherless boy from Missouri would father hundreds of spiritual sons all over the world? I was privileged to be one of those sons.
Of course the first tribute at the top of the page is by C. Peter Wagner… “John is solidly on the list of the five individuals who have influenced me the most over 67 years!” No surprises here, considering the following…
John Wimber and C. Peter Wagner
In the mid 70’s, John Wimber left the Quaker church he pastored to become a lecturer for the Fuller Church Growth Institute he came into contact with C. Peter Wagner, a fellow professor at Fuller, who he was greatly influenced by and vice versa. Through his contact with Wagner, who for years had been a missionary in Bolivia, Wimber was exposed to the stories of supernatural confrontations, miracles, healings, demonic oppressions, and deliverances etc, and “became convinced that the demonstration of the power of the Gospel through miracles always served to validate the preaching of the Word” .
In 1977, Wimber left Fuller to start a local church, which eventually grew to approximately 600 Vineyard Churches worldwide. On Mother’s Day of 1981 Wimber invited Lonnie Frisbee (a former drug taking hippie who had been attending his church) to preach, and the rest is history. The day erupted into a Toronto Blessing like circus, and after a mystical ‘confirmation’ that this was “of God”, Wimber was hooked. (It is alleged that because Lonnie Frisbee practiced homosexuality and died of AIDS, his part in the formation and growth of Calvary Chapels and Vineyards has been all but written out of history books. . [See Section The Vineyard Churches]
In 1982, John Wimber and C. Peter Wagner co-instructed a course at the Fuller Theological Seminary, called “Signs, Wonders and Church Growth”. C. Peter Wagner founded Global Harvest Ministries of which Dr. Chuck D. Pierce is Vice-President.
John Wimber, The Latter Rain and the Kansas City Prophets
Toward the mid to late 1980’s, Wimber became enamored by the “The Kansas City Prophets”, or now known as the Kansas City Fellowship, founded by pastor Mike Bickle after he heard an audible voice in Cairo, Egypt described by Bickle as “the internal audible voice”. Mike Bickle mentions that he “introduced Paul Cain, Bob Jones and the other “prophetic ministers to the Vineyard” and was in turn introduced toRichard Foster by John Wimber.
At an August 1989 conference in Denver, Colorado, Wimber called on Vineyard pastors to receive the KCP, thus very effectively putting a band aid over the whole affair brought up by pastor Ermine Gruen, who had published a report exposing some of the teachings and practices at Mike Bickle’s church… The Latter Rain had found not only a very comfortable home in the Vineyard church, but a huge and influential platform from which to spread their canker.
John Wimber And The Toronto Blessing
Not long after this “ … the Toronto Vineyard church introduced the world to the “Toronto Blessing” with all it’s strange phenomena. Bob Jones, a controversial Kansas City prophet, Jim Goll and John Paul Jackson, now Vineyard prophets, endorsed the Toronto phenomenon. Later there was a cross-fertilization (their term) with similar movements linking others with this orbit, including C. Peter Wagner and his apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation, which includes Cindy Jacobs, Dutch Sheets, Chuck Pierce, Ted Haggard, and others. See Dominion Theology… The Stench And Foul Smell Of Joel’s Army.
If the above wasn’t bad enough, John Wimber had other very unbiblical beliefs
Signs And Wonders “claimed that signs and wonders were the essential ingredient for success in first century church evangelism (a claim which is not supported anywhere in the Book of Acts), and that for today, the only way to get people to believe the Gospel is to startle them into believing through healing, prophecy, and the casting out of demons; Wimber called this “power evangelism.” It was Wimber’s opinion that only by startling the world by demonstrations of clairvoyance and powerful healings would the gospel message receive respectful attention, because (apparently) by itself, the Gospel is too weak and powerless to break the stubbornness and rebellion of the human heart. (Cited in Masters, pp.74-75.)..
Catholicism..” Wimber consistently maintained an ecumenical spirit toward Roman Catholicism. He frequently appeared on the same platforms with Roman Catholic clergy in ecumenical gatherings, and hosted Catholic “leaders” at his various church growth/healing seminars. Wimber even once wrote an article for the Catholic charismatic publication, New Covenant, entitled “Why I Love Mary,” lending credibility to the doctrines of Mariology”..
Demonology… “Wimber’s doctrine of Demonology was thoroughly unscriptural; he saw demons behind many physical illnesses, and most emotional problems, entering into people, both lost and saved, in varying degrees, either for “possession” or “oppression,” so as to control all or some aspects of their lives…”
Relics… “As an example of a practice rejected by the church for centuries, but engaged in by Wimber and the Vineyard movement, is the use of relics (human remains and objects thought to have supernatural miracle powers by virtue of their being connected with a Saint; the relic may be the whole or a part of a Saint’s body, or something a Saint has touched). The use of relics of the dead is an utterly pagan concept with no Scriptural justification whatsoever; rather it is associated with necromancy. (Masters). Wimber states “In the Catholic church for over a 1,200 year period people were healed as a result of touching the relics of the saints. We Protestants have difficulty with that, why … but we healers shouldn’t, because there’s nothing theologically out of line with that.” [John Wimber, Church Planting Seminar, Tapes I, II, III, IV, V, March 28, 1981.]
Renovaré “ Wimber was on Renovaré’s “Board of Reference” — Renovaré is an international, New Age, ecumenical organization that emanates from the religious traditions of Quakerism, whose message is that today’s Church is missing out on some wonderful spiritual experiences that can only be found by studying and practicing the “meditative” and “contemplative” lifestyle “of early Christianity.” In actuality, Renovaré espouses the use of the early pagan traditions of guided imagery and visualization, astral projection, “Zen” prayer techniques for meditation (i.e., Buddhism), and Jungian psychology (i.e., a blend of Eastern mysticism and Roman Catholic mystical spiritual tradition, which nicely fits the New Age model), all as means of obtaining “personal spiritual renewal” in the lives of believers. [See Richard Foster and Renovare Also Section John Wimber and The Vineyard]
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Rick Warren, The Templeton Foundation and The Power of Purpose
 Few have done as much to promote a sense of unity among the world’s religions than John Marks Templeton, who has become world renowned for offering a million dollars as his annual prize from his religious research center that is dedicated to develop ‘progress in religion’. In the word of Francis Ayala, an Evolutionary biologist from Irvine, California who was the 2010 Templeton Prize Laureate: [Emphasis Added]
The Templeton Prize honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works. Established in 1972 by the late Sir John Templeton, the Prize aims, in his words, to identify “entrepreneurs of the spirit”—outstanding individuals who have devoted their talents to expanding our vision of human purpose and ultimate reality. The Prize celebrates no particular faith tradition or notion of God, but rather the quest for progress in humanity’s efforts to comprehend the many and diverse manifestations of the Divine. [17]
Discovering The Laws of Life:
Templeton’s book, Discovering The Laws of Life was introduced to a Christian audience by Christianity Today in 1994. Calling it a book that “Will inspire Millions of Readers”, they devoted the entire back cover of the April 24, 1994 issue to an ad promoting it. The ad included an endorsement by Norman Vincent Peale (who also wrote the foreword), Robert Schuller, Billy Graham, and two prominent Catholic New Age leaders, Theodore M. Hesburgh (former president of Notre Dame University) arid J. Peter Grace (head of the Knights of Malta). This in spite of the fact that contributors to “Laws” include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Gerald G. Jampolsky , and Eric Butterworth
I strongly suggest you look up the information on these largely New age leaders on this site, by clicking on their names.
The Unity Church: Additionally The Templeton Foundation has also made several substantial donations to the Association of Unity Churches. The following are Articles 2 and 3 of the basic tenets of the Unity teachings.. [All Emphasis Added]
2. Does Unity believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ? Yes, Unity teaches that the spirit of God lived in Jesus, just as it lives in every person. Every person has the potential to express the perfection of Christ, as Jesus did, by being more Christ-like in everyday life. We are spiritual beings, ideas in the Mind of God, created in God’s image and likeness. The ideal expression for every human being is the pattern every person is seeking to bring forth. Each individual manifests the Christ in his or her own unique fashion. The perfect expression of the Christ is, therefore, different for each person.
3. How does Unity view Jesus? Jesus was a special person in history who expressed perfection and thereby became the Christ, or Jesus Christ. He was a Teacher who demonstrated the importance of thoughts, words, and deeds in shaping the life and world of the individual. [18]
Twenty Questions and Answers About Unity published by the Association of Unity Churches has the following gems…
Does Unity believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ?
Yes, Unity teaches that the spirit of God dwelt in Jesus, just as it indwells every person; and that every person has the potential to express the perfection of Christ, as Jesus did, by being more Christ-like in everyday life.
What are Unity’s distinctive characteristics?
Unity students are encouraged to align with the spirit of the Christ within for personal guidance and direction that will best enhance their spiritual growth. [19]
[See More on The Unity School of Christianity]
Excerpts from Templeton’s writings…
In the words of Let Us Reason ministries… “Templeton’s beliefs are clearly expressed in his numerous writings: He is an evolutionist, pantheist, universalist, and has occultic views. His writings display a rejection of the God of the Bible, Christ as the only way to God. He claims that heaven and hell are states of mind we create here on earth that truth is relative, and that Christianity is no longer relevant today as it was in Christ’s day”.
“God is billions of stars in the Milky Way and He is much more …Time and space and energy are all part of God …God is five billion people on Earth… God is untold billions of beings on planets of millions of other stars …God is the only reality… God is all of you and you are a little part of Him” (Templeton, Humility, p. 37-38.)
According to Templeton, “progress” is needed because the; world’s scriptures (including the Bible) “were written … [by] men whose minds were limited by cosmologies long since discredited.” Nor does the Bible accurately record the words of Christ, because those who reported them “could write down only what they understood … [as] ignorant and primitive…”
[See Section on The Remarkable Book Called The Bible.. what makes the Bible the only book we can accept as divinely inspired, above other sacred writings like the Qur’an, the Bhagavad-Gita, the writings of Confucius or the Book of Mormon? ]
“Templeton has been noted for saying “I am hoping to develop a body of knowledge about God that doesn’t rely on ancient revelations or scripture (the bible)… The main purpose of the Templeton foundations is to encourage enthusiasm for accelerating discovery and progress in spiritual matters” (the Humble Approach p135-139).
“No one should say that God can be reached by only one path” (The Humble Approach pp. 46,55).
To say that God cannot reveal Himself again in a decisive way [through other Messiahs] …seems sacrilegious…” (Templeton, Humility, pp. 48,53.) [Read Article on Templeton]
[The Problem here is that Jesus Himself said He was the only way to God. I guess it all comes down to whether we are going to believe John Marks Templeton or Jesus Christ. [For questions such as Was Jesus God? See Section Jesus]
The Power of Purpose, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, is a world-wide essay competition with the theme “The Power of Purpose” with total grand prizes of $500,000 and the grand prize of $100,000. There is no entry fee. Essays should be no more than 3,500 words in English, entrants are to be 18 years of age or older. “The award-winning essays in this competition will be selected by this distinguished panel of judges, all of whom have exemplified throughout their lives and careers a strong and unmistakable understanding of The Power of Purpose.
The Templeton web site says
“In day-to-day life, we encounter men and women who seem driven by something outside of themselves, whose commitment to their profession or volunteer activities, their community, or their cause seems to rise above the necessary, above the possible, above even the human. Indeed, we say that in such people we see “the divine spark.”
Many religious traditions, both Eastern and Western, subscribe to the idea that there is something of God’s presence in each of us. Even for the growing number of people who describe themselves as spiritual, but not necessarily religious, there is a certain attachment to this concept of the divine spark. It is the sense that our lives can be guided from within by something more important than our simple survival, something not merely intellectual either, something in our souls.” [20]
So What Has All This To Do With Rick Warren?
Just this… Rick Warren was one of five judges to determine the 2004 winner in the Power of Purpose Essays. The other judges included
Hugh Delehanty Editor in Chief, AARP Publications (A practicing Buddhist),
Marian Wright Edelman Founder and President- Children’s Defense Fund (Co-authored a book with Alison Wright who wrote The Spirit of Tibet: Portrait of a Culture in Exile and the photographer for A Simple Monk: Writings on His Holiness the Dalai Lama) [See Footnote on the Dalai Lama] and
Paul Davies (Professor of Natural Philosophy also lectures to religious organizations around the world. He has had meetings with the Pope and the Dalai Lama and frequently debates science and religion with theologians). [21]
Which brings us to question one…. While people have the right to believe whatever they want, What is a ‘Christian’ leader doing on this panel. He does not seem at all uncomfortable with the New Age beliefs that has not only been promoted by Templeton in the past, but are promoted on the same website.
Furthermore
The 2004 Grand Prize winner was August “Augie” Turak who wrote ‘Brother John’. (See photographs of Rick Warren with Turak).
“While Brother John is his first attempt at serious writing, he is no stranger to religious, philosophical and/or spiritual themes. Turak founded the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation, an interfaith non-profit, 15 years ago to help students at Duke, NC State, and UNC find a deeper and more spiritual purpose to their lives” .
“Brother John is the true story of how the author’s contemplative retreat at a Trappist monastery turns both magical and terrible when a simple monk offers to share an umbrella on a cold and rainy Christmas Eve. This simple act of loving-kindness proves almost more than he can bear, and becomes the catalyst for a gut wrenching re-evaluation of life, love, and the terrible yet fascinating nature of God”. [22]
About the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation…
The Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation (www.selfknowledge.org) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization that encourages people to consciously develop their own personal, moral and spiritual values and to live according to them. The SKSF creates experiential learning programs and social contexts within which people can explore the deeper questions in life, developing intellectual understanding and personal character in a quest for the life worth living
The same website also says [Emphasis Added]
“In 1973, Turak met a man who would change his life forever. His name was Richard Rose, and to the untrained eye, he was just a simple, West Virginia farmer. But Rose was much more. A voracious spiritual seeker since childhood, Rose had dedicated his life to finding God. He traveled the nation, looking for individuals, spiritual groups, and books that might have answers. At twenty-eight, in the late 1940s, he had an Enlightenment experience while meditating. He first impulse was to share his new knowledge with others, but in the conservative atmosphere of the era, he knew he would be taken for a madman, so he stayed quiet. When the spiritual movements of the 1960s and 1970s began, Rose saw that he finally had an opportunity to teach.
August Turak was one of his first—and best—students. For five years, Turak studied under Richard Rose. Did he realize at the time that his life would never be the same?”
And
But Turak’s true love is the time he spends teaching university students involved in the Self Knowledge Symposium (SKS). Since founding the SKS in 1989, Turak has worked with thousands of university students on a strictly volunteer basis. Teaching students how to integrate spiritual values into their everyday lives based on his own experiences, Turak’s students have gone on to successful careers in such varied professions as law, business, medicine, engineering, teaching, the armed forces, non-profit work, research science, and countless others. [23]
Good Going Rick Warren
By the way
“It was Norman Vincent Peale who called Templeton “The greatest layman of the Christian church in our time” (found on Jacket of Discovering the laws of Life, 1994). This he attributed to a man who is an evolutionist, universalist, pantheist, a non-Christian and even against Christian doctrine.
Templeton and his New Age views were first introduced to the church by none other than Robert Schuller in 1986. Schuller put Templeton’s picture on his Possibilities Magazine front cover. In it he wrote, “The Christ spirit dwells in every human being whether the person knows it or not nothing exists except God” (Possibilities, pp. 8-12, Summer 1986).
See more on Schuller, Peale and The common roots of some popular beliefs in the church and the New Thought beliefs without. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and Leonard Sweet
Excerpts from Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan & UN Goals [24] and Lighthouse Trails Research [25]
In 1994 Rick Warren and Leonard Sweet teamed up to produce the Tides of Change audio set published by Zondervan. In the audio, they spoke of “new frontiers,” “a new  spirituality,” and “waves of change.” A photograph of both men graces the cover.
The October 2007 Catalyst Conference featured Rick Warren and New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet along with Erwin McManus. [See Article on McManus and Mosaic]
Warren and Sweet have both been instrumental in helping set the stage for the emerging church movement. And even though Leonard Sweet has been an avid promoter of New Age ideas for a long time, Warren has shown continued support for him. In 1995, the two did an audio series called The Tides of Change. [26]
Rick Warren invited Sweet to speak at the 2008 Saddleback Small Groups Conference called Wired. The theme of the conference is “Prepare your church for spiritual growth and connectivity.” And surprise, surprise, Sweet was also one of the featured speakers at a 2007 leadership conference at the Crystal Cathedral. [27]
Soul Tsunami
Rick Warren wrote this glowing endorsement for the front cover of Leonard Sweet’s book Soul Tsunami
…”Soul Tsunami shows us why these are the greatest days for evangelism since the first century!”
In the book, Leonard Sweet endorses using a labyrinth and visiting a meditation center. He recommends Lauren Artress’ book Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth [p. 432] [See Article on Labyrinths]. Sweet also says that times are changing and you’d better “Reinvent yourself for the 21st century or die.” [p. 75].Also
“It’s time for a Post Modern Reformation,” [p. 17]
“The wind of spiritual awakening is blowing across the waters.” [p. 408]
Quantum Spirituality
 Leonard Sweet’s online book, Quantum Spirituality, sheds some revealing light of the envisioned global “church” for the 21st century. In his view, the offense of the cross has been replaced with a passion for interfaith peace and possibility thinking. To illustrate this point, Dr. Sweet quotes Thomas Merton, the popular Catholic author who popularized mysticism and died in Asia searching the depths of Tibetan Buddhism: [See More on Thomas Merton]
‘We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity.'” [Leonard Sweet, Quantum Spirituality]
‘He also says humanity needs to learn the truth of the words of Thomas Merton, “We are already one” [Leonard Sweet, Quantum Spirituality, p. 13].
Sweet defines the New Light as “a structure of human becoming, a channeling of Christ energies through mindbody experience” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 70).
His views on the role of mysticism in the church are evident. He states:
Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center…. In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing.” [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. Mysticism begins in experience; it ends in theology. [Leonard Sweet. Quantum Spirituality. Pgs. 11, 76] [See Section on Mysticism in The Church]
The acknowledgments section of Quantum Spirituality shows very clearly Sweet’s spiritual sympathies. In it, Sweet thanks interspiritualists/universalists such as Matthew Fox (author of The Coming of the Cosmic Christ), Episcopalian priest/mystic Morton Kelsey, Willis Harman (author of Global Mind Change) and Ken Wilber (one of the major intellectuals in the New Age movement) for helping him to find what he calls “New Light.” [Quantum Spirituality. Acknowledgments, viii-ix] Sweet adds that he trusts “the Spirit that led the author of The Cloud of Unknowing.” [Quantum Spirituality. Acknowledgments, xi]
Note: Ken Wilber, credited with developing “a unified field theory of consciousness”, is “a longtime practicing Buddhist” who’s key ideas “are Buddhist or Buddhist inspired ” and who declared his “love and devotion” for the meglomaniacal cult leader Adi Da (formerly known as Da Free John. Wilber is also not above twisting the plain meaning of Scripture to conform to his philosophical outlook. In his book Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell advises his readers to read Ken Wilber’s A Brief History of Everything, “For a mind-blowing introduction to emergence theory and divine creativity”. [See more about Ken Wilber and Rob Bell]
In the preface of Quantum Spirituality, Sweet disseminates line after line of suggestions that the “old teachings” of Christianity must be replaced with new teachings of “the New Light.” And yet these new teachings, he believes, will draw from “ancient teachings” [The Desert Fathers]. This “New Light movement,” Sweet says, is a “radical faith commitment that is willing to dance to a new rhythm. [Quantum Spirituality. Preface, p. 7].Throughout the book, Sweet favorably uses terms like Christ consciousness and higher self and in no uncertain terms promotes New Age ideology: [All Emphasis Added]
“[Quantum spirituality is] a structure of human becoming, a channeling of Christ energies through mindbody experience.” [Pg. 70] …
New Lights offer up themselves as the cosmions of a mind-of-Christ consciousness. As a cosmion incarnating the cells of a new body, New Lights will function as transitional vessels through which transforming energy can renew the divine image in the world, moving postmoderns from one state of embodiment to another. (Pg. 48)
“The first of these five untheorized observations is that New Light embodiment means to be “in connection” and ‘in-formation’ with other Christians. Deeper feeling and higher relating go together. The church is fundamentally one being, one person, a comm-union whose cells are connected to one another within the information network called the Christ consciousness.” (Pg. 122)
“A surprisingly central feature of all the world’s religions is the language of light in communicating the divine and symbolizing the union of the human with the divine: Muhammed’s light-filled cave, Moses’ burning bush, Paul’s blinding light, Fox’s ‘inner light,’ Krishna’s Lord of Light, Bohme’s light-filled cobbler shop, Plotinus’ fire experiences, Bodhisattvas with the flow of Kundalini’s fireerupting from their fontanelles, and so on.” (Pg. 235)
Sweet also tells his readers that humanity and creation are united as one and we must realize it. Once humanity comes to this realization, Sweet says:
Then, and only then, will a New Light movement of “world-making” faith have helped to create the world that is to, and may yet, be. Then, and only then, will earthlings have uncovered the meaning … of the last words [Thomas Merton] uttered: “We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity.” [Quantum Spirituality. p. 13 in Preface]
[See More on Thomas Merton]
Sweet and Spangler: Leonard Sweet states he has corresponded with David Spangler and quotes him several times favorably in Quantum Spirituality. Sweet says in his footnotes #86.
I am grateful to David Spangler for his help in formulating this “new cell” understanding of New Light leadership.”
David Spangler, executive director of the Lorian Association and past co-director of the Findhorn Community is an American spiritual philosopher and self-described “practical mystic”, and is considered one of the founding figures of the modern New Age movement, although he is said to be highly critical of what much of the movement has since become, especially its commercialistic and sensationalist elements. Spangler’s web site says that he has, since 1965, “worked clairvoyantly with a group of non-physical beings from the inner worlds of spirit”. In Reflections on the Christ he says [Emphasis Added]
“The true light of this great being can only be recognized when one’s own eyes can see with the light of the Christ, the light of the inner sun. Lucifer works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, and as we move into the New Age, which is the age of man’s wholeness, each of us is brought to that point which I term the Luciferic Initiation, the particular doorway through which the individual must pass if he is to come fully into the presence of his light and his wholeness.
Lucifer comes to give us the final gift of wholeness. If we accept it, then he is free and we are free, that is the Luciferic Initiation. It is one that many people now, and in the days ahead, will be facing, for it is an initiation into the New Age. [28]
[More about David Spangler]
Sevening
In his book Quantum Spirituality Under the topic of Sevening (On the seventh day [God] rested and drew breath.) Sweet gives some 10 deep breathing exercises.
“1. Get in touch with your lungs by closing your eyes. Visualize in your mind a tennis court”
8. “Hold your Bible and breathe meditatively. The breathtaking, nay, breath giving truth of aliveness is more than Methuselean in its span: Part of your body right now was once actually, literally part of the body of Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Esther, David, Abigail, Moses, Ruth, Matthew, Mary, Like, Martha, John, Priscilla, Paul… and Jesus.
9. Keep breathing quietly while holding your Bible. You have within you not just the powers of goodness resident in the great spiritual leaders like Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, Lao Tzu. You also have within you the forces of evil and destruction.” Resident in each breath you take is the body of angels like Joan of Arc and devils like Gilles de Rais, Genghis Khan, Judas Iscariot, Herod, Hitler, Stalin and all the other destructive spirits throughout history” (Quantum Spirituality p.300-301)
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Rick Warren and Catalyst
Both Rick Warren and Erwin McManus are scheduled speakers at the Oct 2007 Catalyst Conference. See Article on McManus and Mosaic] Interestingly Warren has been billed as a “Global Humanitarian and Influencer” on the Catalyst web site. which says…[All Emphasis Added].
The core vision of Catalyst has always been to impact the next generation. By creating “change agents” throughout the church that possess wisdom and understanding, the opportunity is created to usher in the necessary adjustments to an ever-evolving church.
We want to connect the next generation of leaders and not only catalyze their leadership desires but help them grow and maximize their leadership potential. This process starts with a God-induced vision for life producing an alignment one’s life with God’s vision, and effectively and intentionally matures into the original vision. Catalyst is committed to use its resources and the niche that God has given it to help young leaders reach their full leadership potential.
They add
The Catalyst brand was initiated for the 20 something and 30 something audience. Over time, it has always allowed for others with a similar mindset to participate. This will continue, however, the core target audience for all new products developed and environments created must stay true to this target audience. The mediums for learning and content distribution will be defined by the relevance to this group. [29]
Note: Sadly all the much speaking and 20th century hype ignores the fact that Scripture (I Timothy 3) already gives us the criteria for a church leader.. and ‘the next generation of church leaders’ are as bound by the Bible’s definition as the church leaders of two thousand years ago. Perhaps they should consider following the Bible’s guidelines instead of redefining them. Incidentally 1 Timothy makes sixreferences to sound doctrine.
Also speaking at the event was….
John Maxwell Injoy’s founder John Maxwell who was once pastor of a small church in Hillham, Indiana. Studying the “correlation between leadership effectiveness and effective ministry” John founded one business which ultimately led to ‘INJOY Stewardship Services’. He resigned his pastorate in 1995 to devote full attention to ISS, seeing “greater potential in the thousands of lives that could be reached through INJOY…”, He speaks frequently for several high-profile organizations such as Promise Keepers, Focus on the Family, Sam’s Club, Chick-fil-A, Mary Kay, and various Fortune 500 companies. Joel Osteen hired Injoy as consultants to transform the Compaq Center (home to the Houston Rockets) to a $70 million, 21st century worship center. [Details]
Again… besides the fact that this has to be the billionth book on ‘leadership’ why is a so called Christian book, written by a senior pastor of a large church endorsed by a businessman? The answer is very simple. Today’s church knows nothing of separation from the world, but seeks the approval of the world by integrating and ingratiating itself wherever possible. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and Rupert Murdoch
 The picture on the left is a screen shot taken from The Sun, a UK based tabloid owned by Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. The Sun, which relies heavily on stories and occasionally scandals involving celebrities and the entertainment industry, has a total daily readership of approximately 7,700,000. The Sun’s headlines and presentation of news have made it a consistent subject of controversy and criticism throughout Rupert Murdoch’s ownership. It is known for running stories based on few or very distorted facts.
Page 3, prominently displays young female models posing topless, is still a daily feature in the paper, as it has been since 1970. ‘Page 3’ of the paper is little more than ‘soft porn’ and has through the years ignited the ire of feminists and conservatives. The paper has been banned in public libraries because of its “excessive sexual content” and Members of Parliament have suggested the paper could be prosecuted for indecency. As recently as 2005 a college in Lewisham, South-East London, banned The Sun from the campus because it felt its Page 3 pictures were degrading to women.
However Rupert Murdoch is supposed to be a born-again Christian and Rick Warren claims to be his pastor: In the Sept 12, 2005 edition of the New Yorker Rick Warren said:
“I had dinner with Jack Welch last Sunday night,” he said. “He came to church, and we had dinner. I’ve been kind of mentoring him on his spiritual journey. And he said to me, ‘Rick, you are the biggest thinker I have ever met in my life. The only other person I know who thinks globally like you is Rupert Murdoch.’ And I said, ‘That’s interesting. I’m Rupert’s pastor! Rupert published my book!'” Then he tilted back his head and gave one of those big Rick Warren laughs. [30]
(Murdoch also owns Zondervan, the company that published Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life.)
In a November 12, 2006, in an Orange County Register story entitled God’s business, Warren was asked about pastoring a man who publishes tabloids featuring topless women. He responded:
“I don’t have to agree with 100 percent of what another person does in order to work with them on the 20 percent that we do agree on,” Warren says.
That pragmatic attitude has paid off. Murdoch was among the first to support the PEACE plan, donating $2 million. Other business leaders, such as John Kang, a Saddleback member and tech-industry CEO, and Joe Ritchie, a Chicago businessman and former options trader, donated time and expertise. [31]
Rupert Murdoch’s News International (a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation) currently has a 38% stake in BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting), although BSkyB rebuffed an initial attempt by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation to take full control. Mr Murdoch’s son, James, is BSkyB’s chairman and a senior executive at NewsCorp.
Additionally an article called “Revealed: Murdoch’s growing adult television empire” by Rupert Steiner in the online magazine The Business states…
RUPERT Murdoch, the born-again Christian who chairs media giant News Corporation, has been secretly building a stable of wholly-owned pornographic channels for his BSkyB subsidiary. The Business has learnt that BSkyB now owns and operates its own pornographic channels – the 18+ Movies selection – after years of hosting third-party content only.
Historically BSkyB, under its license agreement, had no choice but to host every channel that won permission from the industry regulator Ofcom. The regulator agrees a fixed fee for the use of the platform by third parties. But BSkyB has been secretly expanding its activities in the growing business of pornographic television with its wholly owned 18+ Movies offering. The company has also been entering into partnerships with companies that broadcast pornographic television channels on BSkyB, such as Sport XXX Babes, XXX Housewives and Playboy.
BSkYB has agreed retail distribution agreements with these companies. With Playboy, for instance, BSkyB now not only hosts the channel but sells its service, and collects and shares in the revenues from Playboy customers. [32]
Murdoch and other Christian Leaders:
Pat Robertson: By the way Rick Warren is not the only Christian leader to have dealings with Rupert Murdoch. Pat Robertson sold International Family Entertainment (IFE), parent company of the Family Channel to Rupert Murdoch for $1.9 billion. In addition, CBN agreed to sell its more than 3.8 million shares of stock in IFE to Murdoch for $136.1 million. (Robertson remains active in both organizations.) The deal enabled Murdoch to take over the Family Channel’s cable television audience for his subsidiary, Fox Kids Worldwide”. [See More on Pat Robertson]
Zondervan, one of the world’s largest Christian publishing houses located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) publishes the NIV version of the Bible. However in 1988 Zondervan, became a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s New Corporation. According to Zondervan’s website, the company was bought out by HarperRowCollins Publishing, a division of NewsCorp.
In other words Rupert Murdoch published Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life in 2002.
But Harper Collins also published Bernie Siegel’s New Age book Love, Medicine & Miracles, and Anton S Lavey’s Satanic Bible.
The Catholic Church: In 1998 the pope warded papal knighthood to comedian Bob Hope, news magnate Rupert Murdoch and entertainment executive Roy Disney, who’s wives w ere named Dames of St. Gregory, the female equivalent of a knighthood. Father Gregory Coiro, spokesman for the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese said that “The pope bestows the titles on people of “unblemished character,” including non-Catholics, who have “promoted the interests of society, the [Catholic] Church and the Holy See [Vatican]”. Catholics were understandably outraged…In a February 1998 article, author Steve Boggan wrote…
Senior Catholics are said to have been “mystified and astonished” when they heard that the purveyor of newspaper sex, scandal and nudity was made a Knight Commander of St Gregory at a ceremony in Los Angeles last month…. Mr Murdoch, who is not a Catholic, appears to have been honoured purely for donating large sums of money to the church. He and his wife, Anna, who is a Catholic, are known in Los Angeles as large contributors to the Archdiocesan Education Foundation, although specific amounts are not known.
Joanna Bogle, of the Association of Catholic Women, described the decision to honour Mr Murdoch as “absurd”. Speaking in a personal capacity, she said: “It sends out the message that you can make a living out of something – soft pornography – that is regarded by the Church as sinful, and yet you can be awarded for it. The Knighthood of St Gregory is supposed to be about honour and chivalry and splendour. To give it to Murdoch is ridiculous and wrong.” [33]
It is believed that Murdoch made a $10 million contribution toward the construction of a new catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. But, whatever the sum, it is truly amazing that the distribution of perhaps the most popular of the modern Bible versions (the NIV), is controlled by a wholesale purveyor of sleaze who contributes heavily to Catholic causes and holds a papal knighthood. [See Section onCatholicism]
One interesting tidbit came from the LA Times article on the subject in which the Msgr. Francis J. Weber, the archdiocese’s historian based at San Fernando Mission said… [Emphasis Added]
“Does it mean they get a higher place in heaven?” said “I don’t know, probably not.” [34]
Probably not? So much for having even the slightest clue as to God’s system of rewards. [ See The Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ and Rewards in Heaven]. But back to Rick Warren. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren (The “Jesus’ Man”) And Dr. Ron Wolfson
 In June of 2006, Rob Eshman, Editor-in-Chief of the jewishjournal.com wrote an article entitled Jesus’ Man Has a Plan, in which he talks about Rick Warren speaking at Sinai temple “as part of the Synagogue 3000 program, which aims to revitalize Jewish worship” [All Emphasis Added]. Some excerpts from the article
“The program’s leader, Rabbi Ron Wolfson, met Warren a decade ago and was influenced by the pastor’s first book, “The Purpose-Driven Church” (Zondervan, 1995). And to demonstrate what such a church looked like in action, Wolfson brought two busloads of synagogue leaders to Warren’s Saddleback Church in South Orange County to experience firsthand the pastor’s success….”
And
“…The other secret to his success is his passion for God and Jesus. Warren managed to speak for the entire evening without once mentioning Jesus — a testament to his savvy message-tailoring. But make no mistake, the driving purpose of an evangelical church is to evangelize, and it is Warren’s devotion to spreading the words of the Christian Bible that drive his ministry.
Good for him and his flock — and not so bad for us either. His teachings apply to 95 percent of all people, regardless of religious belief. As he put it to a group of rabbis at a conference last year — using a metaphor that might be described as a Paulian slip: “Eat the fish and throw away the bones.”
Warren told Wolfson his interest is in helping all houses of worship, not in converting Jews. He said there are more than enough Christian souls to deal with for starters.
The success of Warren’s second book, “The Purpose-Driven Life” (Zondervan, 2002), demonstrates his ability to turn a particular gospel into a universal one”. [35]
So Who is Dr Ron Wolfson?
According to Jewishlights.com Ron Wolfson is
“… Fingerhut Professor of Education at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and a cofounder of Synagogue 3000. He is author of Hanukkah, Passover, and Shabbat, all family guides to spiritual celebrations; The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community; A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement and Comfort; and, with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, What You Will See Inside a Synagogue. [36]
Not only did Rick Warren speak at the Sinai temple, but he has endorsed Dr. Ron Wolfson’s latest book, God’s To-Do List: 103 Ways to be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth with the following statement..[Note that the other three endorsers are all Rabbis]
“This book is built on a great premise: Figure out what God does and then do that with other people! Simple but profound. I loved this book!” —Rick Warren, author, The Purpose-Driven Life
Rick Warren’s endorsement of a book is hardly grounds on which to plunk down your $12.99 and this one is no different. All emphasis has been added in the following excerpts from Wolfson’s book, .
God has a To-Do List for you….. You are God’s partner. God needs you to continue the ongoing creation of the world….” [from the Introduction: God’s To-Do List]
Wolfson then quotes Genesis 1:27 [So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them].
“Wait a minute. What does it mean to be ‘made’ in the ‘image’ of God?
It means that the spark of divinity is within you.”
In “God Needs You” he says
“Yet, even God realized that the world would need a very special presence, human beings who are literally infused with the breath-the spirit- of God to be the frontline caretakers of creation. God can’t do it alone. That’s why God created you”.
Words can not express how tired I am of this man who claims to be a Christian pastor, yet can speak for the entire evening in a Jewish temple and not once mention Jesus. He wants to help all houses of worship but does not want to convert Jews. How precisely is he helping them then? Is his marketing expertise going to enable them to add to their congregations or perhaps raise more money? Wow! I guess Matthew had it all wrong when he said
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [Matthew 16:26]
The article says that one secret to Warren’s success “is his passion for God and Jesus”. Sadly He seems not at all passionate enough about the warnings God and Jesus have issued to this world. Nor does he seem to be even dimly aware of how close to Armageddon we truly are. So he can manage to speak “for the entire evening without once mentioning Jesus — a testament to his savvy message-tailoring”.
Finally the article on jewishjournal.com added the following tidbit
“Similarly, Warren has leveraged his fame to bring attention to AIDS in Africa and other global problems. He said he’d just come from a photo shoot at Sony Studios with Brad Pitt and was about to meet overseas with the leaders of 11 countries in 37 days. While he was at Sinai Temple, his wife, Kay, was at the White House” [35] {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and the 2009 Islamic Society Convention
Based in Plainfield, Indiana, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is an umbrella organization for Muslim groups across the country. The annual convention, now in its 46th year, regularly draws more than 30,000 people for lectures, prayer and socializing.
On Saturday, July 4th 2009 attendees of the 46th annual convention, with the Theme of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, were addressed by Rick Warren of Saddleback church who told them that “the two largest faiths on the planet” must work together to combat stereotypes and solve global problems, and
“Some problems are so big you have to team tackle them,” [37]
[See Page http://www.isna.net/Conferences/pages/ACtest1.aspx%5D
(Another speaker at the convention was Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress).
The Christian Post reported Rick Warren as saying..[All Emphasis Added]
You know as an evangelical pastor, my deepest faith is in Jesus Christ,” Warren stated. “But you also need to know that I am committed not just to what I call the good news, but I am committed to the common good.”
He called on the members of the two largest faith communities in the world to not only figure out how to live in peace and harmony with each other, but also to find a way to work together for the greater good without compromising each group’s convictions.
In his speech, Warren suggested that Muslims and Christians work together to challenge the mischaracterizations and stereotypes in the media about each other’s faith; to restore civility in America by showing that people can “disagree without being disagreeable;” and to promote peace and freedom, particularly freedom of speech and religion, together.
He also gave a practical example of how Muslims and Christians can work together by pointing to his PEACE plan, a massive effort to mobilize one billion Christians to combat the five biggest problems in the world – spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases, and illiteracy and lack of education.
The acronym PEACE stands for promote reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. [38]
However what makes this doubly interesting is that Muzammil Siddiqi, one of the most prominent Muslim leaders in America, who was the President of ISNA from 1996 – 2000, was also a speaker at the same  convention. His bio on the ISNA site says, in part.
Because of his devotion to the preservation of Islam in America, he has organized numerous training programs for Muslim adults and youth. He also lectures on Islam and interfaith dialogue in North America and abroad. [39]
In an article entitled Apologists or Extremists, the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) (See Footnote), a non-profit research group quoted an Oct. 18, 1996 issue of the newspaper, Pakistan Link, in which Siddiqi wrote an article in which he responded to reader questions…On the subject of the political participation of Muslims in a non-Islamic state, he said:
It is true that Islam stands for the sovereignty of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and Allah’s rules are not limited to the acts of worship, they also include social, economic and political matters. By participating in a non-Islamic system, one cannot rule by that which Allah has commanded. But things do not change overnight. Changes come through patience, wisdom and hard work.
I believe that as Muslims we should participate in the system to safeguard our interest and try to bring gradual change for the right cause, the cause of truth and justice. We must not forget that Allah’s rules have to be established in all lands, and all our efforts should lead to that direction. [40]
Besides which although The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has been “embraced warmly by the Obama administration as a contact point for the American Muslim community”, literature available at ISNA’s annual convention in July 2009 in Washington tells a different story…
Books and pamphlets obtained by the Investigative Project on Terrorism from ISNA’s July national convention feature numerous attempts to portray U.S. prosecution of terrorists and terror supporters as anti-Muslim bigotry; dramatic revisionist history that denied attacks by Arab nations and Palestinian terrorists against Israel; anti-Semitic tracts and hyperbolic rants about a genocide and holocaust of Palestinians.. [41] [Read the full article HERE]
And as the Investigative Project on Terrorism reports
The Islamic Society of North America’s (ISNA) roots in the Muslim Brotherhood have been strengthened by newly declassified FBI memos and from a second, highly unlikely source. [42] {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren’s Inaugural Speech
Made at the inauguration of a pro-abortion socialist was a well-phrased masterpiece of diplomacy, particularly evident in his words [Emphasis Added]
History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
As the LA times said [All Emphasis Added]
Warren offered soothing words in his invocation that many of his most ardent foes interpreted as a religious balm. [49]
Newsweek.com had this to say [All Emphasis Added]
Warren has learned some important lessons about rhetorical caution, however, and inevitably, his prayer aimed to be inclusive. He started with God, “our father,” which was innocuous enough, and went on to proclaim that “everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone.” Language this neutral could hardly be offensive to any but the strictest unbelievers. Then, in a deft and fluid nod to the three great monotheisms, he quoted the Shema, the most important prayer in Judaism: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.” In the next phrase he praised God as “compassionate and merciful,” the words religious Muslims incant regularly as they pray. And finally, he spoke of God’s as “loving to everyone”—a reference, of course, to Jesus Christ.
[The words “the compassionate and merciful one” opens all but one chapter of the Qur’an. It is more than likely that this went well over the heads of the vast majority of Christians who were listening]
… Finally Warren made the move that was both inevitable and surprising. He prayed in Jesus’ name. Pastors at previous inaugurations have triggered controversy and lawsuits for explicitly Christian prayers, and pundits wondered aloud whether—given the tsunami of press that preceded this prayer—Warren would dare to stake out this turf. But Warren knows who he is. He is a conservative evangelical. There’s nothing else for him to do. Once again, his phrasing was deft: he invoked Jesus for himself, not for the millions on the mall or the billions watching on television. “I humbly ask this,” he said, “in the name of the one who changed my life…Jesus.” [50]
 Actually what he said was “I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus….” Isa would have been understood by Muslims, to be the person mentioned in the Qur’an as a prophet, but not the Son of God who died on the cross for the sins of the world.. The end result is that his safe prayer was designed to keep offense to the minimum, implying as he did that “Jesus works for him”. As one comment read
By failing to mention Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, he attempted to appease the Muslim and Jewish communities who believe in Jesus on as a prophet, but not as “God’s Son” or as the Messiah, respectively. Essentially, Warren failed his test, “He who denies Me….” That so many Christians believe “it was a terrific prayer,” “inspiring,” shows the paucity of biblical knowledge that abounds in today’s evangelical community. [51]
And by the way, if you believe Warren’s words
“And you are loving to everyone you have made”.
I would like to talk to you about a bridge I have for sale.. or maybe point you in the direction of Scripture that totally contradicts Warren..Gandhi’s saying “Hate the sin and not the sinner” has become almost universally accepted as representing divine precept. However, that saying is not to be found in the Bible. Indeed, although our “God is love” (1 John 4:7,16), yet Scripture makes it clear there are some things He hates and, what many may not realize, there are even certain types of people that the Bible tells us God hates! Thus, God not only hates the sin, but in some cases He actually hates the sinner as well.
[See Hated by God]
Warren’s great cloud of witnesses’
Warren also said..
We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.
Say What? The only Biblical reference to a “great cloud of witnesses’ is to be found in Hebrews 12:1-2,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
and refers to those who endured by faith, “not having received the promise”… Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, Samuel and the prophets etc.
The phrase, “a cloud of witnesses,” was a common comparison among the classic writers, and simply means a vast throng of witnesses. While the author of Hebrews is saying Christians are surrounded by a multitude of worthies (referred in the previous chapter), this is a figurative representation and does not mean that these people of faith are actually spectators looking down from heaven and observing the lives of those on earth (We quite simply do not know to what extent, or even if at all, the spirits of the just who are departed from this world can watch the happenings here on earth).
Nor does the phrase imply that the saints are physically present, either for assistance or for encouragement, but simply says their lives are a witness of the blessings of complete trust in God.
Even if they could, it is quite impossible that the hall of faith of Hebrews 11 would shout in praise or encouragement of Barack Obama, a pro-abortion socialist. And, since we have no idea if Martin Luther King is among this ‘cloud of witnesses’ the reference to him was nothing more than baseless hype, designed to link the two men. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Warren, Mitt Romney and The Mormons.
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?” he asks, citing as his model Billy Graham, “a statesman for Christ ministering across barriers.” [43]
Say WHAT? Mormonism has now been defined as a “denomination”. And the “non-essentials” that Rick Warren doesn’t want to get into a debate of include the identity of Jesus Christ, the route to eternal salvation, and whether or not man can becomes “a god’ [See Section onMormonism].
While I do not know whether Rick Warren is either completely ignorant of, or totally ignores, what Mormonism teaches. However the fact remains that neither reason is good enough for a man who is a Christian leader on a national scale. Instead he 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.
In the words of Eric Barger
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. [44] {RETURN TO INDEX}
Warren Meets With (whatever he happens to be calling himself this week) Yonggi Cho.. Recently, in Southern California for a brief breakfast…”
Note the following excerpt from a conversation between Rick Warren and ‘What’s His name Cho’ is called A Conversation Between Two Innovative Pastors on the Cephas Library site. Apparently neither of these ‘Christian Leaders’ have ANY clue as to how the New Testament Church was conducted, nor how a house church is supposed to function…
Warren: What about the process of helping people grow in Christ? What is the process your church uses for moving a non-believer to maturity in Christ?
Cho: We have this kind of organization: When people first get converted, we ask them to the School of Conversion. They are taught for six weeks and given all of the materials. Then they’re introduced to the Cell System in their area, and they are trained through the Cell Leaders.
Warren: How have you used technology to care for the needs of everyone in such a large church – to give personal attention when you have so many thousands of people?
Cho: We couldn’t handle the situation without computers. We computerized everything in the church – every facet! We also make use of the Internet. Right now we are offering an Internet church where people participate in services through the Internet. I want to take people to the Internet. Korea is very small – not like in America with a lot of space, so we can’t enlarge our church buildings. Besides, every year we have 20,000 new converts in our churches, and we can’t put them all in our church building or even our branch churches. So now we have an Internet church and many of the young generation participate in the services at home. They send in their offerings on the Internet. They can do on-line giving.
Warren: How many of your house churches or cell groups use the Internet and watch your Internet services?
Cho: Most of all the house churches are using the Internet service now.
Warren: Is it done at a certain time and they just click to see it? Is it a live service?
Cho: (Right now) It’s a live service, including Sunday and Wednesday. But also, when I want to give special instructions or teaching for the cell groups, then I will teach it through the Internet to the cells and apartments. This way I can give a special word or special instruction to the ministers and the cell leaders in that area.
Warren: It seems that the Internet cell group has far more potential for growth even more than Branch (satellite) churches?
Cho: THAT IS IT EXACTLY! – I always say to our people – this is the next generation ministry! Without the Internet we will fall far behind the wall. Many (in the) young generation won’t come to church because of traffic and a lack of spaces in church. But now we have an Internet broadcasting system with a fantastic program to attract them, and they can stay home. I say to the young people – don’t come to church – just stay home and get your teaching through the Internet. And they also give us feedback about sermons and services. [45]
Below is an excerpt from BDM’s Assessment of Yonggi Cho’s Teaching and Beliefs [All Emphasis Added]
“Cho’s teachings are an idolatrous mix of a little Biblical teaching with a lot of occult healing, prophesying, visualization, sorcery, and pagan mind techniques. Cho teaches that Christians can get anything they want by calling upon the spirit world in the “fourth dimension” and envisioning (visualizing) their felt needs, no matter how crass and gross. Cho teaches that positive thinking, positive speaking, and positive visualization are the keys to success, and that anyone can literally “incubate” and give birth to physical reality by creating a vivid image in his or her mind and focusing upon it
“Cho’s teaching is a system of mind over matter (or rather, imagination over matter). He frankly admits that it is a Christianized version of precisely the same methods practiced by Buddhists, exponents of yoga, and the followers of other pagan, mystical, and occult systems. The only difference is that their fourth-dimensional power receives co-operation from the devil, while that of Christians supposedly receives help from the Holy Spirit. He says that so long as we keep our minds from foolish and wrong ideas, we shall keep the canvas of our imagination clean for the Holy Spirit to paint on it the things we are to have. (Cho says that his massive church grew to its present size, and continues to grow, because he follows this principle of visualization. He first imagines his church growing to a certain figure, and he then visualizes all the faces and incubates the vision into reality.) Cho teaches that all Christians should aim to prosper in body, soul, and spirit, and their success and failure in this is due entirely to their success or failure in visualizing.
Cho’s theology begins with the subconscious mind. It ends with God and Cho switching roles. Cho describes the obedience of the Holy Spirit to his will: “… I can go into the fourth dimension of the Holy Spirit, and I tell Him what is needed in my church in Korea, and He carries out the work” (The Fourth Dimension, p. 49). [Jesus’ attitude was quite the opposite, “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).]
Of positive speaking (confession), Cho declares: “You can create the presence of Jesus with your mouth … He is bound by your lips and by your words …”
Cho writes, “Through visualization and dreaming, you can incubate your future and hatch the results.” In the foreword to Cho’s best-known book, The Fourth Dimension, Robert Schuller writes of visualization,
“Don’t try to understand it. Just start to enjoy it! It’s true. It works. It tried it. Thank you — Paul Yonggi Cho — for allowing the Holy Spirit to give this message to us and to the world.”
(Cho himself admits that his message of hope always exalts people and focuses solely on prosperity, health, and problem-free life. This teaching prompts the deceitful message of selfism, advocating the dangerous message of uplifting man through self-love/self-esteem/self-worth.)
Cho’s involvements in the movements of positive thinking, prophesying and miracle healing, charismatic practice, prosperity theology, and world-wide evangelism have caused him to be held up as an example of “success” or “prosperity” today. Because he has achieved remarkable success in church growth, a large number of “Christian” leaders are recommending and using many of his books. But what Cho actually does is substitute Biblical, God-centered teachings with a worldly, man-centered system of prosperity gospel, positive confession, visualization, fourth dimension concept, and other dangerous ideas. His theology and methodology have deviated from the truths of the historic Christian faith.
Cho claims that if there is no visualization, there will be no church growth. He insists that every minister needs to have visualization, the process in a person’s mind through which pictures in visions or dreams bring about miracles and powers”. [46]
So apparently all Rick Warren cares about is that Yonggi Cho is pastor of the largest church (In the world?) which fits in very well with his idea of what constitutes a ‘successful’ church. {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren And The Alpha Course
The Home Page of the Alpha course in the UK carries a glowing endorsement of the course by quite a few well known names. Neatly sandwiched between Joyce Meyer, Bill Hybels… Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church, David Yonggi Cho… Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel S.Korea, Loren Cunningham… Co-Founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Church, Jack W. Hayford… Pastor, The Church On The Way, Richard J. Foster, Rowan Williams… Archbishop Of Canterbury, Patriarchal Exarch of all Belarus… the leader of the Belarusian Orthodox Church that is an autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church, and several other archbishops from both the Catholic and orthodox churches is Rick Warren who says..
“It’s great to see how Alpha has been used to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ, who wouldn’t normally come to church. This resource is very complementary to helping seekers connect with The Purpose Driven Life.” [47]
[See More on the Alpha Course On this site. ] {RETURN TO INDEX}
Rick Warren and The Minerva Awards
Warren was a speaker at the 2005 California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women and Families.
“The intriguing and empowering seminars included extraordinary hosts, speakers and panelists like, Finance expert Suze Orman, world-renowned breast cancer expert Dr. Susan Love, Pastor Rick Warren, National Geographic Explorer host Lisa Ling, journalist Leeza Gibbons, The Oprah Magazine Editor-at-Large Gayle King and Radio Talk Show Host Dr. Laura Schlessinger teaching and inspiring all of us to become better Architects of Change”. [48]
Other Participants were Jane Fonda, Barbara Walters and United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Deepak Chopra and New Age Mormon… Steven Covey. However one of the highlights of the Conference were The Minerva Awards Created and Presented by California’s First Lady Maria Shriver
“Created by Shriver in 2004, the Minerva Awards are named after the Roman Goddess of Wisdom and Justice portrayed on the California State Seal who symbolizes the dual nature of women as warrior and peacemaker. The distinguished Minerva Awards, a program of the California State Alliance, is bestowed annually upon California women whose indisputable humanitarian qualifications demonstrate the enduring power of great acts of service”.
Being asked to speak at Conferences that numbers some very influential people among its attendees could be an amazing opportunity to preach the Gospel. Sadly Rick Warren (Like Charles Colson at the Templeton Awards) sees no reason to do so, preaching instead a watered down message that offends nobody.. And saves nobody. He missed exactly the same opportunity with his column in The Ladies Home Journal (readership estimated at 14.5 million) {RETURN TO INDEX}
Three Questions For Rick Warren
(With apologies to the author of these questions as I do not remember where I got them from having neglected to copy the URL).
Question 1
Is it possible that Rick Warren is totally unaware of the doctrines and activities of these men?
Answer 1 If This is the case then he is naive and completely lacks any form of spiritual discernment. A man who cannot distinguish doctrine from blatant heresy and new age ideas cannot possibly be trusted in any matters relating to spirituality, far much less being a pastor to pastors. There is no excuse for not knowing what are the people you endorse and associate with believe in and stand for.
Question 2
Is Warren being loving, and wants to welcome everyone who names the Name of Christ Jesus?
Answer 2 If so, he is disobedient to God’s commands, and lacks love and compassion for those who have been caught in the traps of these false teachers already, and for those who may be yet caught in the future.
Question 3
Is it possible that Rick Warren simply wants to emulate the ‘success’ of men like Robert Schuller and teach others to do the same.. That he genuinely associates large numbers with success?
Answer 3
If this is the case then Warren has no clear understanding of Biblical concepts of separation or Scriptural Godliness if he is willing to adapt the methods of dangerous deceivers, and call that compromise “success”. There is really no excuse for being a collaborator with the severe apostasy of these latter days. See The Christian and Worldliness {RETURN TO INDEX}
Footnote I The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) is a non-profit research group founded by Steven Emerson in 1995. It is recognized as the world’s most comprehensive data center on radical Islamic terrorist groups. For more than a decade, the IPT has investigated the operations, funding, activities and front groups of Islamic terrorist and extremist groups in the United States and around the world. It has become a principal source of critical evidence to a wide variety of government offices and law enforcement agencies, as well as the U.S. Congress and numerous public policy forums. Research carried out by the IPT team has formed the basis for thousands of articles and television specials on the subject of radical Islamic involvement in terrorism, and has even led to successful government action against terrorists and financiers based in the United States. [52] [PLACE IN TEXT]
End Notes
Unless otherwise mentioned, all URL’s were valid as of July 2010.
[1] saddlebackfamily.com/workplace/images/building_on_your_strengths.pdf
[2] http://www.forbes.com/home/management/2004/11/19/cz_rk_1119drucker.html
[3] http://www.peter-drucker.com/about.html
[4] Thought Leaders Gateway. http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/leaders.aspx?AuthorID=17
[5] A Regular Purpose-Driven Guy.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/november18/1.42.html?start=3
[6] http://www.crystalcathedral.org/events_news/media/press_releases/press_051110sale.php
[7] http://www.crystalcathedral.org/about/purpose.php
[8] Bernie Siegel. Love, Medicine & Miracles (New York: Harper Collins Publishers: Harper Perennial, 1998), Pgs 19–20
[9] Walsch, Friendship with God, p. 335–336.
[10] Warren Smith. ‘Deceived on Purpose .. The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church’ Chapter 5 – Enter Robert Schuller
[11] http://www.pastors.com/blogs/ministrytoolbox/pages/Issue-_2300_117.aspx
[12] http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=3492 and http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/?ID=247. Links Are Now Obsolete
[13] http://www.theooze.com/etrek/spencerburke.cfm
[14] http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/index.php?cPath=1_14_40
[15] Sabbatical Journey, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition. Emphasis Added
[16] http://www.vccgn.org/about/tribute.htm
[17] http://www.templeton.org/signature-programs/templeton-prize
[18] http://divinescience.com/beliefs/unity_basic_tenets.htm
[19] Twenty Questions About Unity from the pamphlet Twenty Questions and Answers About Unity published by the Association of Unity Churches. http://www.unitychristchurchstl.org/files/TwentyQuestionsAboutUnity.pdf
[20] http://www.templeton.org/powerofpurpose/about.html. Link is now obsolete
[21] http://www.templeton.org/powerofpurpose/judges.html
[22] John Templeton Foundation Awards $100,000 “Power Of Purpose” Grand Prize To August Turak.
http://www.selfknowledge.org/PowerOfPurpose/PowerOfPurposeWinner.htm
[23] http://www.selfknowledge.org/turak/turak.htm
[24] http://www.crossroad.to/index.html
[25] http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/index.php?p=988&c=1
[26] http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletter050507.htm
[27] http://cathedral-gifts.stores.yahoo.net/20fafoco.html
[28] David Spangler, Reflections on the Christ, Findhorn Lecture Series, 3rd ed., 1981; p. 45
[29] http://www.catalystspace.com/about/purpose
[30] http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/article.asp?ArtID=9636. Link is now obsolete
[31] God’s business By Gwendolyn Driscoll. http://www.ocregister.com/news/-46304–.html
[32] Murdoch’s Growing Adult Television Empire. February 14 2006
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20060214105640578 by Arch Stanton
[33] Steve Boggan. Catholic anger at Murdoch’s papal knighthood.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/catholic-anger-at-murdochs-papal-knighthood-1145252.html
[34] John Dart, Times Staff Writer. Pope Honors Rupert Murdoch, Roy Disney, Bob Hope.
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jan/03/local/me-4508.
[35] Rob Eshman. Jesus’ Man Has a Plan. June 22, 2006.
http://www.jewishjournal.com/rob_eshman/article/jesus_man_has_a_plan_20060623/
[36] http://www.jewishlights.com/page/category/ron_wolfson
[37] Pastor Rick Warren tells Islamic convention Muslims and Christians must work together.
http://blog.taragana.com/n/pastor-rick-warren-tells-islamic-convention-muslims-and-christians-must-work-together-99637/
[38] Michelle A. Vu. The Christian Post. Rick Warren to Muslims: Talk is Cheap, Let’s Work Together.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090705/rick-warren-to-muslims-
talk-is-cheap-let-s-work-together/index.html
[39] http://www.isna.net/Programs/pages/Speakers-Services.aspx#66
[40] Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, “Issues and Questions,” Pakistan Link, October 18, 1996. as quoted in Apologists or Extremists…
http://www.investigativeproject.org/profile/171
[41] Conspiracy Theories, Terror Support Found in ISNA Convention Literature. IPT News August 27, 2009.
http://www.investigativeproject.org/1397/conspiracy-theories-terror-support-found-in-isna
[42] http://www.investigativeproject.org/730/new-disclosures-tighten-isna-muslim-brotherhood-bonds
[43] Cathy Lynn Grossman. This evangelist has a ‘Purpose’
http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-07-21-rick-warren_x.htm
[44] Eric Barger. The Common Ground of Rick Warren & Mitt Romney.
http://www.ericbarger.com/romney_warren.htm
[45] A Conversation Between Two Innovative Pastors.
http://www.cephas-library.com/purposedriven/purposedriven_rick_warren_chats_with_yonggi_cho.html
[46] http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/cho/general.htm
[47] http://uk.alpha.org/church-leaders
[48] http://www.californiagovernorsconference.org/index.html. Link is no longer valid
[49] Duke Helfand. Rick Warren’s inaugural invocation gets mixed reviews. January 21, 2009.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/21/nation/na-inaug-warren21
[50] What Rick Warren Said. http://www.newsweek.com/2009/01/19/what-rick-warren-said.html
[51] http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2009/01/rick_warrens_in.html
[52] http://www.investigativeproject.org/about.php |
Even Steven 