Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church (Southern Baptist), author of The Purpose Driven Life, is scheduled to speak at Pope Francis’ World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this month. Warren announced this to his church on Sunday, August 30, saying, “I’m not a Catholic, and we have many differences with Catholics. But they love the Lord and we have much in common with that--we believe in the Bible, and the Trinity, and in Jesus and the resurrection. There are probably going to be a million people in Philadelphia at this final event with Pope Francis, and he’s asked me to be the final speaker” (“Pontiff Invites Rick Warren,” The Gospel Herald, Sep. 1, 2015). As a demonstration of their biblical ignorance and spiritual blindness, the Baptist congregation cheered and applauded. I would ask Pastor Warren and Saddleback Church two questions: First, if a man prays to Mary, trusts her intercession and help, considers baptism the new birth, and believes that a piece of bread is the very body and blood of Jesus (as the pope does), does he “love the Lord,” or is he following another gospel, another christ, and another spirit? Second, why did Paul say the Galatian heretics were cursed even though they believed in the Bible, the Trinity, Jesus, and the resurrection (Galatians 1:6-8)? Last November, Rick Warren spoke at a Vatican interfaith conference on marriage and the family. You can be sure that he did not reprove Rome’s enforced “celibacy, which 1 Timothy 4 identifies as a doctrine of devils. Rick Warren is one of the most influential preachers in the world, yet he is the blind leading the blind. The fact that the Southern Baptist Convention has not publicly reproved his error and compromise and removed his church from its rolls is irrefutable proof of that Convention’s rebellion to God’s Word. (Friday Church News Notes, July 24, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
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