Rick Warren welcomes Homosexual Dads at Saddleback

[jdlongmire]

I was cruising through my RSS feeds when I saw this:

This Father’s Day, one of most popular pastors in America will open his megachurch to homosexual dads, an event that would usually signal an extreme weather alert from old guard Republican evangelical leaders.
But by welcoming gay fathers into his Southern California flock, Rick Warren, author of the “The Purpose Driven Life,” is not just living up to the highest standards of Christian fellowship, he’s turning the page on a particularly embarrassing part of our politics.
​

And I thought - wow - that is hard to believe - and would certainly mean that Warren has gone outside the camp.

Then I read this article.

(You) were correct in assuming Newsweek quoted a Soul Force press release headline that was 100% false. We did not invite this group and I will not be meeting with them. They invited themselves to draw attention to their cross country publicity stunt.
My staff has already told them that neither my wife nor I will meet with them for any discussion or debate. This weekend, both Kay and I are receiving awards from two different universities so we’ll be out of town! Also, it’s Father’s Day and I’m spending the holiday with my children and grandchildren, as are all my staff.
Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
​

All I can say is, praise God!

 

[pinoybaptist]

Thanks for including the statement from Mr. Warren.

He has been rather controversial among some on the board.
I'm not one of his great fans either, but would rather hold my tongue in most cases.
I'm glad he clarified he didn't invite those "dads".

Homosexual dads ?
My.
Times have changed, more than Bruce Springsteen could've sung about.

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

Yeah... God forbid we invite any of "those" people to our churches. They might hear the word of God preached and get saved. What a tragedy!

This makes me sick. Churches are supposed to be hospitals for sick people, not country-clubs for us heaven-bound ex-sinners. Jesus... come quickly, please!!

 

[Karen]

Yeah... God forbid we invite any of "those" people to our churches. They might hear the word of God preached and get saved. What a tragedy!

This makes me sick. Churches are supposed to be hospitals for sick people, not country-clubs for us heaven-bound ex-sinners. Jesus... come quickly, please!!

I think you are talking about something else.
Of course, I want everyone to come hear the Gospel.

But what apparently happened here was that a group misrepresented things to show Rick Warren approving of their lifestyle, when he did not.

 

[rbell]

what apparently happened here was that a group misrepresented things to show Rick Warren approving of their lifestyle, when he did not.

That's been done to RW on the BaptistBoard, more than once.

 

[preachinjesus]

Soulforce has done this on a number of occassions. They are a fairly disengenious group.

 

[ShotGunWillie]

Yeah... God forbid we invite any of "those" people to our churches. They might hear the word of God preached and get saved. What a tragedy!

This makes me sick. Churches are supposed to be hospitals for sick people, not country-clubs for us heaven-bound ex-sinners. Jesus... come quickly, please!!

It's one thing if a person who happens to be a sodomite wants to come to church actually seeking the Lord. Its another for a group of sodomites coming to a church to make a specticle of themselves, ie parades, group gatherings at amusement parks, and so on.

How many sick were healed in a church? How many of those sick healed in a church went there under their own power?

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

How many sick were healed in a church? How many of those sick healed in a church went there under their own power?

And how many would even try, because they know how they'd be treated when they got there? The age of the lost coming to the church is gone... and it's partially because we screwed it up with our judgmental attitudes and country-club atmospheres.

It irks me to no end to have people question when "those people" come... those that are different than us, whether they be a different color, a different persuasion, or even just blatant sinners. One person came forward at a evangelistic event we held at our church... he is a young man of 20 or so that is struggling with a homosexual lifestyle. He has several piercings. He was presented to the church and twenty-three (23) people out of several hundred came by to shake his hand and welcome him. Over the next several weeks, while he was being followed up with by a few of us, he was repeatedly spurned when coming into the church building.

Three weeks ago, he was stopped by a self-righteous deacon ont he way in. He was told he wasn't welcome, and HIS KIND weren't welcome in the kingdom. Damage control is almost impossible. He's told me that if that's what our church is like he doesn't want to be a part. He's going to try another church... and if they give him the same treatment, I'm afraid he'll stop trying.

The fact is, in order to break the hold of this lifestyle he needs Christ. He also needs men that will hold him accountable to the discipleship that he's going through. He needs men that care enought o ask him the tough questions. Instead he got the side glances of a group of people who couldn't care less if he was there at all, let alone than if he went to Hell.

That's what I'm talking about. There is a way to hold them accountable for their sin, and still make them welcome to come to the well. It's so frustrating when someone genuinely seeks, and then is turned away or turned off completely by the church. Red, yellow, black, white, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, Muslim, Mormon, grocery checkers, mechanics, or billionaires... all of us need Christ... and all should be welcome in His Church.

Now if these men in the article were staging an event, that's wrong. But surely they are still welcome to come and see what the Gospel is about?

 

[preachinjesus]

Red, yellow, black, white, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, Muslim, Mormon, grocery checkers, mechanics, or billionaires... all of us need Christ... and all should be welcome in His Church.

One of the best things I've read around here in awhile...thanks for saying "us"

I really appreciated your post.:thumbs:

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

One of the best things I've read around here in awhile...thanks for saying "us"

I really appreciated your post.:thumbs:

You're welcome... I include myself in that list... because I may not be the chief of all sinners, but I'm at least a corporal.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

You're welcome... I include myself in that list... because I may not be the chief of all sinners, but I'm at least a corporal.

I am guessing that Christ would have been found among the outcasts, not in some sanctimoneous morgue called a church.

 

[tinytim]

Three weeks ago, he was stopped by a self-righteous deacon ont he way in. He was told he wasn't welcome, and HIS KIND weren't welcome in the kingdom. Damage control is almost impossible. He's told me that if that's what our church is like he doesn't want to be a part.

I have been in churches like that also, and even as a Pastor, when I see this happen...


I want to just throw up my hands and quit...

I want no part of the self righteous crowd myself.. .


There is a reason thousands of pastors leave their posts each yr...
And this is one reason why...

WE preach and preach and preach, and the self righteous hypocrites go our and destroy what we have built up...

We build and build and build for months at a time, only to have a self righteous idiot come along one Sunday that thinks they OWN the church, and say something that tears down everything.

I wish people would just shut up!

I can't wait until Christ comes back...

This is one tired pastor...

 

[jdlongmire]

Hm - I hope no-one got the impression that we "the church universal" somehow did not love and desire sinners to come into fellowship and be saved.

That being said - we must call sinners to repentance - not acceptance - of their, and our sin.

Christ never gave the impression that a sinful lifestyle was appropriate.

"Go, and sin no more."

So, while I would certainly encourage gay dads to come to worship and fellowship - I would not encourage or allow them to celebrate or display their sin as acceptable.

"Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"

Christ's love did not extend to the unrepentant - His judgement does.

While we certainly should not be judgemental in terms of salvation (and some do not understand and abuse or neglect this command) - nothing keeps us from loving our neighbor and warning them of their grave danger.

 

[tinytim]

Right, we should be welcoming not affirming.

 

[Thinkingstuff]

I was cruising through my RSS feeds when I saw this:

This Father’s Day, one of most popular pastors in America will open his megachurch to homosexual dads, an event that would usually signal an extreme weather alert from old guard Republican evangelical leaders.
But by welcoming gay fathers into his Southern California flock, Rick Warren, author of the “The Purpose Driven Life,” is not just living up to the highest standards of Christian fellowship, he’s turning the page on a particularly embarrassing part of our politics.
​

And I thought - wow - that is hard to believe - and would certainly mean that Warren has gone outside the camp.

Then I read this article.

(You) were correct in assuming Newsweek quoted a Soul Force press release headline that was 100% false. We did not invite this group and I will not be meeting with them. They invited themselves to draw attention to their cross country publicity stunt.
My staff has already told them that neither my wife nor I will meet with them for any discussion or debate. This weekend, both Kay and I are receiving awards from two different universities so we’ll be out of town! Also, it’s Father’s Day and I’m spending the holiday with my children and grandchildren, as are all my staff.
Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
​

All I can say is, praise God!

In otherwords that article is gay.

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

Ummmmm... ok.

 

[Pastor Larry]

The age of the lost coming to the church is gone... and it's partially because we screwed it up with our judgmental attitudes and country-club atmospheres.

There are probably more lost people in church today than ever, and at least partially because we stopped preaching the gospel of hopeless sinfulness and unmeasurable atonement through faith. Churches are filled with satisfied sinners.

 

[Pastor Larry]

I am guessing that Christ would have been found among the outcasts, not in some sanctimoneous morgue called a church.

I don't think Christ would consider that a valid distinction. We must not fall prey to the idea that we should do one or the other. Christ died for his church and he would most certainly be found among them.

 

[JDale]

And how many would even try, because they know how they'd be treated when they got there? The age of the lost coming to the church is gone... and it's partially because we screwed it up with our judgmental attitudes and country-club atmospheres.

It irks me to no end to have people question when "those people" come... those that are different than us, whether they be a different color, a different persuasion, or even just blatant sinners. One person came forward at a evangelistic event we held at our church... he is a young man of 20 or so that is struggling with a homosexual lifestyle. He has several piercings. He was presented to the church and twenty-three (23) people out of several hundred came by to shake his hand and welcome him. Over the next several weeks, while he was being followed up with by a few of us, he was repeatedly spurned when coming into the church building.

Three weeks ago, he was stopped by a self-righteous deacon ont he way in. He was told he wasn't welcome, and HIS KIND weren't welcome in the kingdom. Damage control is almost impossible. He's told me that if that's what our church is like he doesn't want to be a part. He's going to try another church... and if they give him the same treatment, I'm afraid he'll stop trying.

The fact is, in order to break the hold of this lifestyle he needs Christ. He also needs men that will hold him accountable to the discipleship that he's going through. He needs men that care enought o ask him the tough questions. Instead he got the side glances of a group of people who couldn't care less if he was there at all, let alone than if he went to Hell.

That's what I'm talking about. There is a way to hold them accountable for their sin, and still make them welcome to come to the well. It's so frustrating when someone genuinely seeks, and then is turned away or turned off completely by the church. Red, yellow, black, white, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, Muslim, Mormon, grocery checkers, mechanics, or billionaires... all of us need Christ... and all should be welcome in His Church.

Now if these men in the article were staging an event, that's wrong. But surely they are still welcome to come and see what the Gospel is about?

Sounds like to me you got a Deacon problem -- and his problem has spread to most in your church. It's issues like your predicament that makes me glad I no longer Pastor. I'd get fired in a skinny minute by legalists like those who apparently populate your church.

Still, this "SoulForce" seems prone to go into churches and attempt to enforce their agenda at the price of the congregation. If they can damage or destroy the reputation, so much the better I suppose.

JDale

 

[just-want-peace]

There are probably more lost people in church today than ever, and at least partially because we stopped preaching the gospel of hopeless sinfulness and unmeasurable atonement through faith. Churches are filled with satisfied sinners.

Unfortunately, I agree!

Too much of the "CHURCH'S" message has promoted the love of God, while neglecting the judgment of God; hence no fear of consequences.

As to the OP, if they (Gay Dads) are coming for the right reasons and NOT an agenda, why would anyone even know their sexual status??????

Kinda makes the whole initial story smell like something the cat forgot to cover up!!!!