Did the Original Maverick get his Saddleback? The Purpose Driven Election

Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life -- and other marvelous works).

Saddleback to Hold 25th Anniversary Celebration Event Tomorrow Saddleback members and attendants, along with Christian leaders and other guests around the world will celebrate the church’s 25th anniversary tomorrow in Anaheim Stadium. Saturday, Apr. 16, 2005 Posted: 10:51:29AM EST LOS ANGELES Around 45,000 members and regular attendants of Lake Forest, Calif.’s Saddleback Church, along with Christian leaders and other guests around the world will convene tomorrow at Edison International Field in Anaheim to celebrate the church’s 25th anniversary and the founding of the Purpose Driven Movement.

Rick Warren's DEFINITION of P.E.A.C.E.

• Planting churches,
• Equipping servant leaders,
• Assisting the poor,
• Caring for the sick,and
• Educating the next generation.

And this from the Orange County Register via MSNBC:

A Purpose in Africa Rwanda, a tiny east African nation still recovering from a 1994 genocide that killed up to 1 million of its citizens, is the test site for Saddleback Church's new "P.E.A.C.E." plan.

The initiative will commit at least $5 million and send thousands of Saddleback worshippers to some of the world's most politically complex and poorest countries to found churches, train clergy, and aid in poverty-fighting and other social programs.

Warren said he would encourage small groups of laypeople to "adopt" a needy village and use church planning kits, among other tools, to establish missions.

The goal is to place millions of Christian "foot soldiers" in the developing world to tackle the "global Goliaths" of poverty, illiteracy, disease, lack of spirituality and corrupt political leaders - described by Warren as the world's "little Saddams."

"These problems are so big no government can solve them," he said. "The only thing big enough is the network of millions and millions ... of churches around the world. We are God's plan to bring relief."

Kagame, in the United States both to meet with President George W. Bush and drum up private investment, spoke briefly about his country's involvement with Saddleback, which will start next month with the arrival of 16 Rwandan religious leaders in Orange County.

Rwanda - The Christian Coalitions Petrie Dish?

News with Views According to the Baptist Press, the anniversary event in Anaheim included greetings from President Bush and Billy Graham. This, like many other church celebrity endorsements and appearances, adds a perceived legitimacy to the movement while distracting participants from the unbiblical nature of the man and the plan. Chuck Colson was also there to give Warren his support; but these men, like all Warren supporters, should know that the Bible has stern warnings about strengthening the hand of evildoers.

So, what is Warren teaching his followers by invoking selective parts of the David and Goliath story to sell his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan? Here are a few revealing quotes Berit Kjos found in some of Warren’s 40 Days materials that she included in a recent article of hers entitled: Creating Community (Part 2). They will illustrate quite clearly how he uses socialist slogans to teach Laodocian lies.

Warren: "We is more powerful than me.

Warren: "There is power in partnership.... Evangelism is always a team effort.

Warren: "There's no such thing as a lone ranger Christian.... We're better together and we belong together.

Warren: "The Bible says we're better together. We were created for community."

He's Teaching that bigger is better, more is mightier and you can’t win by going it alone using, of all things, the story of a small shepherd boy who single-handedly whipped the Philistines while the Israelites watched in amazement from a nearby hill.

Anybody out there thinking this bears further scrutiny?