That is what the apostle Paul would have done. It was what he always did in every forum, whether in the market place at Corinth or on Mars Hill in Athens, because Paul was convinced that the gospel alone is the power of God (Romans 1:16). Thus he testified, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). He knew that Christ had commanded that the gospel be preached to every soul (Mark 16:15).

But Rick Warren does not walk in the steps of the apostle Paul. He has a different gospel and a different objective in ministry, his gospel being a human-centered gospel of doing good, and his objective being to change the world through his PEACE program.

As for Paul, he summarized his gospel as follows:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Paul said elsewhere that this gospel was delivered to him by divine revelation and that if anyone preaches another gospel, he is under God’s curse (Galatians 1:6-12).

Paul’s gospel is clear. It says that all men are fallen sinners who are under God’s holy wrath for their rebellion, that without salvation they will perish forever, and that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world to suffer in the sinner’s place by dying on the cross, that He actually died, and that He rose from the dead the third day. All of this was done in accordance with the prophecies that were recorded in Old Testament Scripture before Jesus’ birth.

Rick Warren didn’t preach anything like this in his Ted Talk. In fact, he didn’t talk about Christ at all. He said nothing about man’s sin or God’s holiness or the Cross or the atonement or Jesus’ death or the resurrection. He didn’t mention the Holy Scripture or Bible prophecy.

The book “The Purpose Drive Life” by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in southern California has sold more than 18 million copies.

Saddleback is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, but Warren’s “Purpose Driven” philosophy has spread to most denominations.

Called by Christianity Today “America’s most influential pastor,” Warren’s influence is vast. It reaches into every sphere of Christianity in our day, from Catholicism to Mormonism to liberal Protestantism to evangelicalism to fundamentalist Bible and Baptist churches.

Many independent Baptist churches are being influenced by Warren’s teaching. For example, Warren conducted a Purpose Driven Super-Conference in October 2003 at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia (Falwell affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Bible Fellowship). Simultaneously, Warren’s 40 Days of Purpose campaign was shown by telecast in more than 4,000 churches, including independence Baptist.

SADDLEBACK CHURCH ROCKING & ROLLING

Updated February 12, 2008 (first published January 23, 2007) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

We have often warned that one of the dangers and errors of contemporary Christian music is its refusal to separate from secular party music such as rock and rap. This is evident at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in southern California.

On April 17, 2005, when Rick Warren announced his P.E.A.C.E. program to Saddleback Church, he first sang Jimi Hendrix’s drug-drenched song “Purple Haze” to the congregation, accompanied by his “praise and worship” band! He said he had wanted to do that for a long time.

The following is from the Saddleback website for 2005:

“Our dances have become some of the most anticipated of our social events with hundreds of people attending. This Summer’s Night dance in our Worship Center promises to be the same. It will begin with a light buffet style dinner followed by dancing to the sounds of our DJ on a huge 3,000 square foot ballroom competition floor. Professional lighting, effects and sound all blend together for a high-quality experience, all at an extremely reasonable price! Whether you bring a special friend, come alone or with a group, make sure you come ready to have fun! Music will consist of a wide variety providing for specific dances and freestyle. And what’s a summer night without some beach music and reggae?”