Topic: WorldNetDaily
Last December, WorldNetDaily tried to have it both ways by running a three-part series that was (mostly) complementary of "Purpose-Driven Life" guy Rick Warren while editor Joseph Farah attacked Warren for various reasons (largely centering around not hewing to Farah's version of Christianity).
Now, Farah has decided to ignite another skirmish with Warren. In a May 30 column, Farah declared he has "another issue with Rick Warren's ministry": Warren's PEACE Coalition, an acronym that refers to the group's purposes: "Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation." Farah writes:
"At a wedding the bride is the main character, the center, the start of the show – everyone else is supporting cast, but the glory goes to the bride," Warren was quoted as saying in the press release. "The PEACE Plan is built on the same principle. The Bride of Christ – of which the church is its local expression around the world – deserves the focus, the credit and the glory for faithfully serving their communities year after year."
I wrote to Rick Warren about my concerns. He has yet to respond. So here is my beef.
While it may be true that at other weddings, the bride is the star and gets the glory, it will not be true in the wedding feast of Jesus. HE is the star. HE gets the glory.
[...]
Believers need to be very careful about the language we use about God for fear of misleading people – believers and non-believers alike. It is even more important for pastoral leaders to stick to the Bible as the standard because of their position and the audiences they reach.
Warren responded with a June 2 WND column containing a Bible lesson on giving glory to God prefaced by stating, "I believe Jesus Christ deserves all the glory. It is the purpose of life. The stated theme of the PEACE plan is, 'For the global glory of God.'"
The top of Warren's column adds in an editor's note: "Farah's reply will appear tomorrow." So the theological debate will continue -- even though Farah's a newsman, not a theologian.
One question, though: Will Warren ask about, and will Farah defend, the sale in WND's store of a book bashing Warren's "spiritual agenda" and the purported "New Age implications of the Purpose-Driven church"? (The term "New Age" appears seven times in the promo copy for the book.)
