So, as I’m sure you’re aware, last week Rick Warren spoke at John Piper’s Desiring God Conference. A lot of people have asked questions about why, and the answers have been less than convincing. Like many others, I was rather surprised when it was announced that Warren would be speaking at Desiring God. I just could not understand why piper would subject the good people who attend this conference with Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Platitudes. I still don’t. I think John Piper has exhibited a deplorable lack of discernment in his support of Rick Warren.And now Desiring God 2010 has come and gone. I’ve listened to Rick Warren’s “talk” a few times now, and I think that the number of verses taken out of context and "interpreted" without any regard for proper hermeneutics is exceeded only by the number of clichés uttered with a straight face. Each time I’ve listened I am more and more aware of the errors that he is propagating.
Chris Rosebrough did, I thought, an excellent job of pointing out the vast majority of warren’s theological errors in mishandling of God’s Scriptures when he reviewed warren’s talk on his radio show, Fighting for the Faith. Chris took about 2 ½ hours in analyzing warren’s 1 hour talk, and it is well worth a listen.
James White also discusses Rick Warren’s Desiring God appearance on the No Compromise Radio program. This is a much shorter analysis, at only 25 minutes, and is also worth a listen.
In his talk, Warren said that he listened to and learned from his critics, but, it seems, his skin is a bit thinner than he would like to admit. He recently tweeted what appears to be a fake “retweet” on his twitter account, going after his critics. Specifically Chris Rosebrough, Ken Silva, and Ingrid Schlueter. (I have blurred the twitter accounts that Warren was supposedly retweeting, since there is no evidence that they tweeted anything like this.)
For a broader look at the problems with the whole “Seeker Sensitive/Purpose Driven” church model, I would point you towards Is the Gospel Seeker Friendly? & Straight Talk About the Seeker Church Movement, both from John MacArthur and Grace to You.
And here's a bit of evidence of Rick Warren's dishonesty and penchant for man-pleasing...
