Mary Jo and I responded to the original post by David Knowles. Mr. Knowles completely changed the context of Rick Warren's actual words. Simply listening to what Warren said in the posted video was enough. "Activists" is the keyword Knowles 'overlooks' for purposes of his post.

Roger Sharp
Confident Christianity

Thanks for this. I've heard a lot of spin on this back and forth but I never heard the original interview on Larry King.

I'm not sure how well I would handle the amount of publicity and airtime Warren gets. All of us have said things that get misinterpreted or that we flat out regret. I just have fewer people to explain it to.

I think we are all aware of how the enemy wants to distort our words and hinder our opportunities to let everyone experience the freedom of Jesus Christ.

We need to be mindful of the character of the individual speaking those words, and not rush to judge based upon a media report or two.

Why an apology? And what is the real difference between gay marriage and incestuous marriage? And why ANNOUNCE that you apologized? I don't advocate gay-bashing. I also don't can't stomach apologizing for opposing perversion.

At this time I cannot trust Rick Warren because this kind of "double speak" happens too often in his ministry. As a Pastor I know how easy it is to be tempted in this area, and desire to see him repent in this area as I have done (and constantly doing) by God's gracious aid.

A man's character does matter and becomes an issue in the leadership of the church. When some teaches incorrectly publicly they need to be corrected publically. As a "man pleaser" (and not a "God pleaser"), Pastor Warren tends to neuance his language with different people groups he speaks to (whether it is Baptists, Reformed Christians, Seeker Sensitive Ministers, Church
Growth Proponents, Emergents, Post Moderns, etc.) in order to please the readers/listeners. These actions have greatly confused people over the last couple of years.

He constantly has the opprotunity to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ but backs off. What is wrong with saying that consensual adult same sex relationships were equivalent to incest or pedophilia? I could say that same thing about hetrosexual adultry or fornication. We are all sinners in need of God grace to grant repentance. How can people repent if they don't know the Law and their utter lawlessness? I do pray that he would stop pleasing people and through proper accountability please Christ alone.

Kevin, for the same reason we shouldn't equate Islam with witchcraft with satanism. (if you're not clear on why that is, feel free to ask me)

Warren is not guilty of double-speak. His critics are quick to spin ANY statement, especially a perceived mis-step.

Article I wrote the other day: http://huntingheresyhunters.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/spin-is-in-or-so-it-seems/

I always get just a bit nervous when any Christian leader speaks publicly on my behalf, especially since I don't get to choose them. Of all the people who represent Christianity at the demands of the public media, I'm proud to have Rick stand in. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

Many others have been misunderstood before him, but at his core is a missionary heart.

Please, here me when I say I don't want to "shoot" anyone, as I know what it is like to be critizied by other professing Christians in my teaching, but IMHO the concern is that he has not make the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ clear but confusing because of his equivocations. I want to support RW when he proclaims the Biblical gospel and/or represents the true God in the public square. I applauded and supported Rick Warren when he agreed to pray at the Presidential Inauguration. I think he did a good job and was faithful. I am not commenting on his philosohy of ministry (or church style), but on the clarity of his proclmation of the gospel which all pastors need to improve on for the benefit of their people.

I don't want to be know for what I'm against, but what I am for. But in defining what truth is, one also will be forced to define what it is not (making these distinctions are what teachers/pastors/theologians do). I think that the emphasis should be on the positive presentation of the truth of the Biblical gospel which applies to all of life and living.

My question are: How and when is it appropriate in our day of political correctness to hold Christian leaders accountable to the truth of Scripture? Is it ever appropriate to critique and to do so postively? And how can we have winsome and beneficial dialogue about the truth of Scirpture without it becoming achromonious, especially between genuine believers? It seems that we ignore genuine debate on Biblical truth because other things seem more important to us.

I listened to the interview and unless I'm totally missing something,Pastor Warren danced like a puppet on a string trying to appear conservative but at the same time open to "dialogue" about gay marriage. Can you imagine MacArthur or Mohler dancing like this , I think not. Warren is trying to be too many things , walking a middle ground that lacks integrity .

Come on guys, are we really going to buy this? The whole thought that "when Dr. Warren told Larry King that he never campaigned for California 's Proposition 8, he was referring to not participating in the official two-year organized advocacy effort . . . ," is too preposterous to actually hold water. It is fairly obvious that Warren had pre-scripted what he was going to say here with the whole "story within a story" bit, so are we supposed to believe that his words about not making a statement or endorsement weren't carefully crafted beforehand?

I don't like this at all. Rick Warren winds up looking like some sleazy politician ("I was for gay marriage before I was against it") instead of looking like a man of integrity resting upon the word of God. If people didn't have a reason to doubt Warren I don't think so many would, but the fact of the matter is we just can't trust him and when something like this gets said I think a lot of us were more shocked that it was so blatantly false than we were that he had actually said it.

I hope Warren comes out and faces this more directly and stops having his people try to backload his words with a bunch of meaning that they don't actually seem capable of bearing.

Who needs non-Christians to tear us apart? We seem to be doing a pretty good job of it ourselves.

Nancy,
I think I understand the heart that your comment comes out of, but I disagree with the sentiment. Christians should "tear apart" a pastor who has been propped up in front of everybody like this and then seemingly bends on his integrity and starts acting like the world in order to save face. It has become sexy to criticize the church and Christians when they attack each other, but this is a place where I feel Christians should be appalled.

I have defended Pastor Rick as others have piled on him in recent days. However, I saw the Larry King interview online and I saw the transcript of the sermon he preached at Saddleback. This grieves me as it indeed sounds like political double-talk.

Let's let our "yeas be yeas and our nays be nays."

Just use the Bible Rick, bro. john Bakersfield,CA

God must be weeping, and Christ
must be sorrowful, and the Holy
Spirit must be grieved. It is
things like this that takes away
from the kindness of God. Let us
weep in sorrow for insulting God.