Here I am talking about Rick Warren again.  Well, who isn’t these days?  He is becoming one of the most recognizable and quotable evangelicals in the world today.  He is being criticized on the left for holding to traditional biblical standards.  He is being criticized on the right for watering down the truth and not taking a stronger stand on domestic issues.  I addressed this in a blog I did in December.  Please go back and read that if you haven’t already.

Rick Warren’s Influence

Now, the criticism has intensified surrounding his statements and apologies regarding Proposition 8 in California.  This was a measure to ban gay marriage.  It passed.  Recently, Larry King interviewed Warren and here is a snippet from that interview.

Now let me make a few comments.

1. The title for this clip is “Pastor Rick Warren: ‘I am not Anti-Gay Marriage.’”  Is that what he said?  No, not in context.  I hate when people are quoted out of context.  He said, “I am not an anti-gay marriage activist.”  There is a big difference here.  He has already stated in the clip that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman.  He has not deterred from that statement or belief.   He states that this gay marriage issue is not on his agenda.  At the taping, the genocide in Rwanda and the spiritual effect of the recession on Americans were at the top of his agenda.  He is simply not an activist on the issue.  Guess what?  Neither am I.   Honestly, right now, engaging my circle of influence with the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the top of my agenda.  I do not hesitate or stutter when I say that God’s plan for marriage is heterosexual and not homosexual.   If we could, however, dissolve every state-recognized homosexual marriage and even turn every gay individual into a heterosexual, would we have really accomplished anything of eternal significance?  No, because whether one is gay or straight, if he or she doesn’t know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then hell is still the destination.  It amazes me sometimes how we, as Christians, expect a lost world to shape up and fly right by its own choice.  Change comes from the inside…an encounter with the Creator.  It is God who does the changing and the transforming in the life of the believer.  There is a place for activism in certain situations, but let’s remember that often the people we are trying to reach with the Gospel will never listen to us if activism is our top priority.

2. Did you have  problem with Warren saying he had gay friends?  If so, why?  I would say he puts himself in some pretty good company.  The tag the Pharisees put on Jesus (meant as an insult) was that He was a “friend of sinners.”  I have come to believe that you can actually develop friendships with people who are ungodly, without accepting their sin.  You CAN actually love the sinner and hate the sin.  In a Newsweek article, the director of the Human Rights Campaign’s religion and faith program chastised Warren and said, “You can’t say to someone that I care about you but I disrespect your marriage.”   That is simply not true.  We do that as parents all the time.  “I love you unconditionally, but I do not accept your disobedient behavior.”  Jesus was the Master of loving sinners while never once condoning sin.  I want to be like Jesus.

3. I came under serious conviction a few months ago that I just didn’t know many unbelievers (outside of any secretly “lurking” in my congregation).  I love to serve the church, and I take seriously my role of equipping and shepherding the body of Christ.  How can I, though, continue to preach to my people the necessity of sharing their faith when I am not seeking out opportunities myself?  I have made a concerted effort over the past few months to get outside of the walls and build relationships with those outside the faith.  I am not beating anyone over the head with the Bible, I am just trying to shine the light.  I am asking people how I can pray for them and I am getting some amazing results.  I am energized by seeing how God is opening up new doors for the Gospel.  This is exciting stuff.  I am a servant to the Lord.  I am a shepherd to this congregation.  I am, I hope, a friend to sinners.

Let us please make sure that if unbelievers reject the Gospel, and many will, that they are doing so because they have chosen to walk away from Christ, not because they have chosen to walk away from arrogant and hateful Christians.