A betrayal that you need to be aware of

April 15, 2009

Personal note:

Last week I was made aware of an interview that Rick Warren (author of the "Purpose Driven Life") did with Larry King on April 7.

I wanted to see for myself. I watched the recorded interview on cnn.com.

The following is excerpted from Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren’s interview with Larry King on CNN April 7.

LARRY KING: … How did you handle all the controversy that resulted [from] the President selecting you [to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama’s inauguration]:

RICK WARREN: You know, Larry, there was a story within a story that never got told. In the first place, I am not an anti-gay- or anti-gay-marriage activist. [I] Never have been, never will be. During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never—never once even gave an endorsement in the two years Prop 8 was going.

The week before the—the vote, somebody in my church said, ‘Pastor Rick, what—what do you think about this?’ And I sent a note to my own members that said, I actually believe that marriage is—really should be defined, that that definition should be saved—between a man and a woman.

And then all of a sudden out of it, they made me, you know, something that I really wasn’t. And I actually—there were a number of things that were put out. I wrote to all my gay friends—the leaders that I knew—and actually apologized to them. That never got out . . . .

Not a single criticism came from any gay leader who knows me and knows that for years we’ve been working together on AIDS issues and all these other things.

LARRY KING: All right. Do you, therefore, criticize or not comment on the Iowa court decision to permit gay marriage?

WARREN: Yes. I’m—I’m totally oblivious to—to what—that’s not even my agenda. My agenda is two things. One, today is the 15th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. It’s the national day of mourning, which I—as you know, I’ve been heavily involved in—in Rwanda and helping rebuild that nation and I’m very concerned about that.

And the second thing is, I’m interested in what the recession is doing to the spiritual climate of our nation. And as we start Easter week and Passover week, which is a really big week for those of us who are Jews or Christians, Passover and Easter, it’s our biggest week of the year. And it actually was the—the week that I started Saddleback Church 30 years ago this Easter Sunday. . . .

KING: One other thing in the gay issue, while you said you were not an activist at all . . . did you not encourage your flock to vote yes on Proposition 8?

WARREN: Oh, yes. You know, I don’t think that the definition of marriage should be changed.

KING: So you did ask your people who worship with you to vote that way?

WARREN: Yes. I just never campaigned. . . .

KING: It’s not high on your road of issues?

WARREN: No, no, it’s very low. In fact, I am working with a number of gay organizations on issues that we care about, in saving lives.

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In closing, I agree with the commentary offered below by Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans for Truth.

Quoting:

Folks, Rick Warren’s recent interview with Larry King was one of the most painful things I’ve ever had to watch as a pro-family advocate. To behold Mr. Warren cravenly playing down his role in helping Proposition 8 pass in California – and tell how he “apologized” to his “gay friends” when if anything he should be apologizing to Americans for not doing more for Prop 8 and more to defend marriage nationwide – was pathetic and disheartening. And what’s up with Warren claiming that he was “oblivious” to the Iowa supreme court’s homosexual “marriage” ruling? “Oblivious” to a liberal judicial elite who unanimously imposed sodomy based “marriage” as a constitutional “right” in America’s heartland? And of course, there’s the lesson from the playground: by rewarding the “gay” activist bullies who savaged him for supporting Prop 8, Warren has now guaranteed that they will step up their bullying against other pastors and churches. (And they won’t be lovin’ you, either, Rick, unless you complete your capitulation by: denouncing “homophobia”; embracing “same-sex marriage” and “queer parenting”; lobbying for a federally-observed “Harvey Milk Day” in honor of LGBT Americans; and declaring homosexuality and transgenderism special “gifts from god” that should be taught as normal to all schoolchildren.)

Nobody expects Pastor Warren – a man of amazing accomplishments -- to lead the charge against the homosexualist juggernaut. But Christians should expect him to stand tall for marriage as God ordained it rather than shrink back in embarrassment for the evidently reluctant role he DID play in “protecting” the sacred union between husband and wife. Sadly, if Warren doesn’t repent and reverse course, he will become only the latest prominent opinion-maker to be intimidated into silence by the militant and very powerful “queer” movement. ..."
Peter LaBarbera,
www.aftah.com

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I would urge you to express your disappointment and disgust to Rick Warren.

Write Rick Warren at Saddleback Church at: info@saddleback.net, or call: 949-609-8000.

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