The first time i heard of Rick Warren was when that kidnapped women supposedly saved her captor. Remember this:
New York Times
September 28, 2005
Celebrated Hostage Gave Crystal Meth to Captor
By EDWARD WYATT Ashley Smith, who was held hostage in her apartment in March by the man now charged with murder in the Atlanta courthouse shootings, was hailed as a hero after she disclosed how she had persuaded her captor to surrender, partly by reading to him from the spiritual best seller “The Purpose-Driven Life.”But in a memoir released yesterday, Ms. Smith also recounts that she gave the kidnapper some of her supply of crystal methamphetamine during her captivity and that she did not tell the police for some time afterward.
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Almost 2 years have passed since that incident. I do not know what has happened since to that women or her kidnapper but i sure know a lot more about Rick Warren.
When i first heard of “The Purpose-Driven Life” i assumed that it was probably a good book and full of inspiration for the Christian life. But here is what i discovered instead….
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/saddleback_church.html
by David Cloud
Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, pastored by Rick Warren, is one of the most influential churches in the world. Warren says, “This is a world class church making a world class impact.” He is right about the impact, but sadly that impact is not encouraging strict faithfulness to God’s Word. Everything about Saddleback is shallow. Truth has been boiled down to such a low common denominator that not much is left. For example, the Saddleback Statement of Faith has six simple points.
Note the following statement on salvation, which we are quoting in full: “Salvation is a gift from God to mankind. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can we be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment we receive Jesus Christ into our life by faith.”
Note that the gospel is not actually given in this statement. There is nothing about Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, nothing about His shed blood and atonement. Sinners are exhorted to trust Christ but that is not explained in any sense whatsoever.God has commanded us not only to believe sound doctrine but also to earnestly contend for it (Jude 3).
That means we are to fight aggressively against that which is false. This is exactly what we see in the uncompromising ministry of the Lord’s apostles. Their epistles contain strong and clear warnings about false teaching. Paul often named the names of the false teachers. Such a ministry naturally causes divisions between those who are committed to the truth and those who are following error. Paul made no effort whatsoever to avoid doctrinal controversy.
Our day is described plainly in Bible prophecy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Rick Warren claims that he has not compromised the Word of God with his principles and methods, that he has only modernized them; but when I look into the book of Acts and the Epistles I see a different kind of Christianity, a different kind of church there, than the one that Rick Warren has devised. Thus I must reject Warren’s Purpose Driven methods and I must warn those who have an ear to hear, regardless of how small that crowd may be, that they not heed the siren call of the contemporary church growth gurus. It is fearful that this church is influencing thousands around the world.
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Have you heard of Warrens Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan? What possibly could be wrong with wanting peace on this earth. Well, plenty….the way Warren is planning to achieve this peace. Wait a minute..doesn’t the Bible predicts wars and rumors of war? Does Christ ever predict peace before his return? Nope. Here is what P.E.A.C.E. actually stands for:
P – promoting reconciliation
E – equip leaders
A – assist the poor
C – care for the sick
E – educate the next generation
Sounds great doesn’t it? But let’s take a look at Matthew 24:6-11 Here is what Jesus says about the signs of His return.
Mat 24:6 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these things are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”
I attended a kick-off celebration at a neighboring church who is signing on to the “40 days of Community”. The workbook i purchased from their table is subtitled, “Better Together…What on earth are we here for? A CHURCHWIDE SPIRITUAL GROWTH CAMPAIGN.” First we watched a video of Rick Warren. The ad in the New Age section* of my local paper said he was speaking at the church, but this didn’t happen. The pastor called the video a “Rick-Fix”. Here are some of the pastors quotes:
You cannot fulfill God’s purposes by yourself.
The 40 Days of Community takes us from, me and God, to we and God.
Do this as a cell group.
We are to impress others with our love of others.
We are to focus on our relationships together.
We have the longing for belonging.
The key in interdependence.
Okay, so here we have a program that is stressing the relationships that we have with one another instead of the relationship that we have with God. On our little worksheet that was handed out to us, we learned that the “Community” is God’s answer to lonliness, getting more work done, defeat, waiting, and witnessing.
Here is where i lost it….What is witnessing the pastor asked? “SPREADING THE LIFE MESSAGE” was the answer.
Life message? Hello….Excuse me? What about the Gospel? Is this what Rick Warrens main thrust is. THE LIFE MESSAGE. I am still not over this. Let’s thumb through the book.
pg. 30 ” This is your chance to choose your spiritual legacy, which will also transform your physical legacy.”
(I thought we were to do God’s will for us, that He had plan for our lives…does this mean i get to choose God’s will for me? My spiritual legacy? I have no desire for legacy. All the Glory is for God, not man…..)
pg. 44 “We is more powerful than me.”
pg. 57 “The bottom line is this: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Non-believers, like most of us, are looking for deep, true, supportive friendships.”
(Not me…i search only for Christ, He takes care of the rest)
pg 59 You’ve got to spend time with nonbelievers in order to becomes friends with them.”
( I thought we were not be friends with the world but to be separate)
There is some really good stuff in the book too. Inspirational but that’s about it…This is a book about good works. Good works…is…er…good!… but even a non-believer can do good works, so what is the difference here? This body of good-workers support and love and pray for each other….This is absolutely wonderful…but? Okay, time to move on.. let us take a look at the Missions Projects Booklet and see what this particular church has selected. Food drive, county park clean-up, Crisis Clinic, HIV/Aids Foundation, Hospice of *****County, God’s Kitchen and Closet…OK.. again all good stuff. BUT NO EVANGELIZING……There is NO training for evangelizing, no mention of evangelizing.
What is the Great Commission?
Great Commission
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Christian tradition, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world.
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Scanning this book “Better Together”, it is very easy to pick up on questionable statements. But the rule is this. I Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (KJV)
This is from the King James Version. “Better Together” uses the NIV, GW, CEV, NCV, NLT, LB, Msg, TEV,GNB, NASB, NKJV, NJB, and the ESV. It must be nice to have so many versions to select from. In fact, there are thirteen versions. Then you can select the version that best matches the point you want to make.
I applaud those who want to serve Christ and do His will, and encourage those who in His will are seeking the lost and spreading the Gospel. But many professing Christians do not even know what the gospel message is. The Gospel is this…Jesus died and rose again, and He took our sins upon Himself. We need to repent of our sin and turn AWAY from it. It is our faith that leads and sustains us as our santification grows in Christ.
What is Christ asking you to do for Him today? By having a relationship with the Lord, He will reveal what His specific plan is for you. He will lead you. He will guide you. Yes, we need our brothers and sisters in Christ, but His will be done…not our will that is created by another man’s agenda.
kim
DiscernIt 
145 comments
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March 24, 2008 at 7:14 am
Kim
Tim has done some great research here. You need to take a look at this.
March 24, 2008 at 3:21 pm
nogoofyzone
Hey Kim: Just a FYI. Bud Press has addressed Richard Abanes and Richards defence of Ken Blanchard here.
http://nogoofyzone.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/zletters-to-richard-abanes-concerning-ken-blanchard-and-the-new-age-movement/
Peace and thanks for all you do on this blog-
Tim
April 1, 2008 at 9:56 am
nogoofyzone
Hey all: Just a update-There has been a interesting exchange between me, and Richard and Bud Press when we called Richard out on Ken Blanchard. Richard then posted this update on Blanchard
From Richards article the Blanchard Bashers
2008 Update
NOTE & WARNING: Concerns over Ken Blanchard’s doctrinal views, spiritual discernment, and personal/professional associations with false teachers (most notably, New Agers) have continued to be voiced by many individuals. And, much to my disappointment and surprise, I have received information (c. March 24, 2008) that seems to suggest, at least at first glance, that there might indeed be an ongoing serious problem with Blanchard’s ability to discern biblically sound individuals from persons who are known enemies of the cross of Christ. Therefore, in the coming months, I plan on carefully reviewing the material I have obtained. My findings will be made public after a careful examination of these documents. Until then, I would urge Christians to be extremely cautious when it comes to Blanchard’s teachings, being especially mindful of any books, teaching tapes, videos, individuals, or organizations being supported by his name (either through an endorsement, foreword, or review). My hope is to complete ASAP a thorough investigation of the situation, including a look into what has transpired over the last few years between Blanchard and Watchman Fellowship (i.e., the ministry that was supposed to be overseeing his spiritual growth in the area of discernment and doctrine). end of update
The funny thing is that Richard still lets all his other statements stand.
There is also a interesting exchange on the Letters to Abanes link
Peace
Tim
April 1, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Mary
Very interesting. Guess you all really got to him! I am interested to see what transpires. But I won’t hold my breath!
April 7, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Lindsay
Kim,
A couple of the articles have mentioned T.D. Jakes but I am unsure where he falls into play with this stuff. I know he is into the Word-Faith movement and prosperity gospel type thinking. What is your take on his teachings and where could I find more info. I have searched the internet and have had a tough time finding what exactly he teaches. Thanks so much.
April 7, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Kim
Hi Lindsay,
You know i do not know much about TD Jakes. Here is a site i frequent:
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/j11.html
and here:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith.html#tdjakes
I need to take a closer look myself…Maybe some of the other posters know something about him. ????
April 10, 2008 at 8:46 pm
nogoofyzone
Hey Linsay: The biggest error on TD Jakes is that he does not believe in the Trinity. He is a Jesus only guy a Oness Pentecostal. Even though I believe he denies this. Spins his beliefs. Its also called modalism. I believe Kims links may spell this out. You know I never saw the original topic on the post here. I just jumped in when I saw Abanes was posting here.
Mike Opp is a great guy, good friend, and a dear brother in the Lord to me. Both Mikes site and Sandy Simpsons site was were the 2 sites I first went to as a new Christian. They are both a very reliable source of solid biblical information.
Peace
Tim Wirth
April 10, 2008 at 8:47 pm
nogoofyzone
OOps I thought I was on the Mike Oppenheimer Testimony article. Thats why I posted the way I did. Sorry its late.
Peace
Tim
April 15, 2008 at 11:48 am
Truth&Reason
Reading through this it was very revealing why Abanes proudly points everyone to the one sided Wikipedia article all the time. In Abanes words “I’ve contributed to it, making corrections where needed and adding information.” This again is Abanes attempt to twist information and obscure facts to try to win arguments. Richard Abanes acts like he takes clear stances on things like Mormonism and Roman Catholicism but while he draws the line with one hand he erases it with the other. We can see he is clearly not interested in accuracy after reading his articles on Dave Hunt and Warren Smith. He personally attacks these men and makes claims that he invents himself. While we know that Abanes love to cut and paste research as well as peoples comments out of context, we can always look forward to when He will stop attacking people and twisting what was people say to fit his arguments and articles.
http://encountering-truth.blogspot.com/
http://encounteringtruth.wordpress.com/
April 17, 2008 at 11:27 am
Kim
Bud Press just sent out this email
Now Online at Christian Research Service…
Richard Abanes Issues Warning About Ken Blanchard’s Doctrine, Discernment, Associations with New Agers (Part 2) by Bud Press
( http://www.christianresearchservice.com/LetterstoRichardAbanes3.htm )
Letters to Richard Abanes Concerning Ken Blanchard and the New Age Movement (Part 1) by Bud Press
( http://www.christianresearchservice.com/LetterstoRichardAbanes.htm )
April 21, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Richard Abanes Issues Warning About Ken Blanchard’s Doctrine, Discernment, Associations with New Agers By Bud Press « Nogoofyzone’s Weblog
[…] as busy-as-a-beaver posting multiple, lengthy replies on blogs such as Tim Wirth’s Weblog, DiscernIt, CRN.Info, Phoenix Preacher, SimpleMindedPreacher, as well as his own POP CULTURE […]
April 22, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Tim H
http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=641
Another interesting post
April 25, 2008 at 9:01 am
Tim Wirth
Hi Kim and everyone: Kim I want to thank you for providing a forum where Richard Abanes could speak. Ive always said its best to just let Richard keep talking he does more damage to himself than any of us discerners could ever do. Notice Richards comments on Rupert Murdoch. Also his comments on the Christian book industry and there is NOTHING that anyone can do about it. I guess God is just helpless (NOT). You still can go independent. I did to write a book. Do you sell as many copies or get the publicity? You put it into to Gods hands and trust that God is more powerful than the book industry, which He is.
Richards statements shows his ability to get information (or ignore it).
And with Richard releasing a new book about whats going on outside the camp he has to compromise in order to keep working. Or he needs to get a job.
Myself I got a job so I didnt have to compromise.
And there is also still publishing companies like Lighthouse Trails who are getting out the truth.
Cant say Deb would give Richard a book deal though so I guess he has to do what he has to do.
Go back and reread Richards comments again and the people who responded.
Because Richard went away from this site commenting at Phoenix Preacher playing the hate speech card just as he has with me.
This is a common dodge since Richard was frustrated and the folks here were frustrated because Richard would not answer the questions put to him.
Kim was very polite to Richard as well. And still this site gets marked as a hate site.
Same card the homosexuals and cults play.
Thanks Kim for all you do here
Peace
Tim Wirth
April 26, 2008 at 10:36 am
Lee
I don’t think this has been covered on this site; but, if it has I apologize in advance. Here’s the clip of Warren regarding his Syria trip from a while back. The one of which he denied there was an audio copy to confirm or refute just what he did say. Click on the podcast from Way of the Master Radio blog archive:
http://www.wayofthemasterradio.com/podcast/2006/12/05/december-05-2006-hour-2/
There’s no way around this one. Warren lied.
April 26, 2008 at 10:37 am
Lee
Oh, and to save time this particular clip begins around 3:45 and ends at 19:00.
April 26, 2008 at 11:17 am
Kim
Lee,
I listened to the clip and thank you for providing it.
I posted about Rick Warren’s involvement the CFR in this article.
https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2007/10/01/rick-warrens-peace-plan-and-the-cfr/
Warren’s involvement in the Council on Foreign Relations is a stunning admission since it’s purpose is a world government and a new world order.
April 26, 2008 at 11:47 am
Lee
I just read your complete article regarding his involvement with the CFR and the links provided. I had not read this in its entirety before. Wow. What can I say?…
April 26, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Kim
Rick Warren is more dangerous than most people know?
April 26, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Lee
While I knew he was dangerous, I did not know he had this kind of power. Yes, he’s more dangerous than I thought and probably more dangerous than most people know!
April 27, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Lee
While searching for something else (info on Todd Bentley) I came across this:
http://watch.pair.com/bennyhinn.html
Notice that the CFR emblem is a rider on a white horse. Could this have anything to do with Revelation 6:2? “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
April 27, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Kim
I can see you have been digging into some interesting information. I have read the above site before.
I have never noticed before that the emblem was one of seals, a white horse. I just got through listening to David Lowe explain the seals in this interview. I would like people to listen to to whole thing but start at minute 50 for the best explanation of seals i have ever heard.
[audio src="http://nowheretorun.podomatic.com/enclosure/2008-04-26T15_39_45-07_00.mp3" /]
Take note the seals 1-5 have already been opened starting in the 1st century.
“The rider and white horse represent a religious spirit of domination and conquest, using Christianity and the name of Jesus Christ to dominate the people. The best example of domination of the people through the name of Jesus Chris from the 1st century to the present is the Roman Catholic Church.”
pg 198 of Earthquake Resurrection.
When you listen to the explanation of the other seals 2,3 (economic oppression)and 4 (famine), from the interview the information about the CFR starts to make much sense.
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http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/Council_Foreign_Relations.htm
Baron M.A. Rothschild wrote, “Give me control over a nation’s currency and I care not who makes its laws.”
All that is needed to effectively control a government is to have control over the nation’s money: a central bank with a monopoly over the supply of money and credit.
The founding president of the CFR was John W. Davis, J.P. Morgan’s personal attorney, while the vice-president was Paul Cravath, also representing the Morgan interests. Professor Carroll Quigley characterized the CFR as “…a front group for J.P. Morgan and Company in association with the very small American Round Table Group.” Over time Morgan influence was lost to the Rockefellers, who found that one world government fit their philosophy of business well. As John D. Rockefeller, Sr. had said: “Competition is a sin,” and global monopoly fit their needs as they grew internationally.
April 27, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Mary
speaking of the Rockefellers have you seen this-I am guessing it’s old news but just recently read it from living journey’s blog
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7529
April 28, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Mary
and speaking of the Knights of the Templar-
I just saw a history program on the history chanel about Nastradamus and the lost books.
Nastradamus attended the catholic church built by the Knights of the Templar who were steeped in occultism and catholic mysticism.
2012 being a significant year in the events of the the apocalyps
If Natradamus’s lost books (hidden in the Vatican basement) is the occult version of the Book of Revelation, could it be that this push by Benny Hinn and the Knights Templar to build Solomon’s Temple is to fulfill a prophesy
of the anti christ coming to sit on the throne in the temple?
April 28, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Mary
Interesting that when the sun rises in the center of the galaxy according to Nastradamus and is an occult symbol, then apocalyps will occur and the
knowledge of the tree in the garden of evil will be revealed.
It all goes back to the tree in the garden.
May 4, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Kim
The year 2012 is very interesting indeed and i am unsure what emphasis we need to put on it even though i believe it will be a significant year. The Mayan calendar, Notradamus, egyptian symbols all indicate some event. I wonder how the knowledge of the tree will be revealed. Also some say that say that Atlantis will be solved, Nimrod will return, documents will be uncovered in the great pyramids, UFO’s will come. The new-agers say that enough people will become enlightened at this time and that there will be a world consciousness. Of course all of these scenerios are satanic and will usher in the AC.