Outrage over Rick Warren and John Piper on the Same Stage

Posted on March 31, 2010
Viewed 1890 times
(22) comments

As Dan Rather would say, some people are 'madder than a rattlesnake trying to bite a fencepost' that John Piper has been invited Rick Warren to speak at the annual Desiring God Conference.

In fact, Ken Silva even gives Leadership Network (whom I work with) a shout out in the process:

It seems that Leadership Network’s propped-up Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren, who teaches the apostate Roman Catholic Church is part of the Body of Christ and openly promotes anti-sola Scriptura Contemplative Spirtuality/Mysticism, will be a featured speaker at Piper’s Desiring God conference this year.

It's not enough that Ken doesn't like Rick Warren... he pulls Leadership Network into the fray as well. Oh well.

Let's just say that many of the discernment sites aren't real happy on this one; and they're about to turn on Piper (again), just like they did when he invited Mark Driscoll a couple years back. (Driscoll, as you may have guessed, is Leadership Network's self described "Pope of Vulgarity".) OK... not really... I just made that one up.

This is going to be a big stink in the next weeks. And it will get ugly. (It already has).

In the end... John Piper will host Rick Warren; and all will be well. The sun will come up tomorrow. The church will survive. And the discernment bloggers will have yet one more thing to, in the words of Driscoll, 'groan and moan' about. (OK, so those may not have been Driscoll's words exactly).

What do you think?

Todd

Comments

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Ken Silva on Wed, March 31, 2010

“Ken doesn’t like Rick Warren”

Oops, should read: Ken doesn’t like what Rick Warren teaches. I don’t know Rick, so I have no way to know if I’d like him personally.
michael on Wed, March 31, 2010

Maybe some of these [celebrity-type] folks would benefit from re-viewing Len Sweet’s contribution to the “The Nines?” ...just sayin’
Dee Lauderdale on Wed, March 31, 2010

discernment bloggers are not happy unless they are unhappy. They should just be ignored.
Marcus Lynn on Wed, March 31, 2010

They’ll know we are Christians by our love.
Carla Strombeck Hornung on Wed, March 31, 2010

I know Rick Warren has an open mind towards a lot of things (He interviewed a pornstar at his church and prayed for Obama at the inaugeration) and the reason he does these things is to be light and a witness in places most Christians are unwilling to go. Even if I were against it I wouldn’t talk bad about him because David asks in Psalm 15, Who may enter your sanctuary? and one of the answers in verse three is “those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends”.
David on Wed, March 31, 2010

Yeah, shame on Rick for preaching Jesus to those that need to hear it, becoming personally invested in the poverty and health epidemics around the globe, and equipping churches all over the world and theological spectrum for doing the same. The absolute audacity of this man is unfathomable.

Don’t you think there are more important things to “groan and moan” about? Maybe there are better things to consider. Here’s one: What will people say about your life’s work in 50 years. Rick Warren will be known for his passion for the Gospel, evangelizing some of the most spiritually hungry areas of the world, often at his own cost, and dedicating his life to helping the Gospel go forward in the churches of other leaders as God has called them. He won’t be known as perfect, but he will be known as an innovator and pioneer. What about you? Name-calling seems to be a pretty good suit, but that’s hardly memorable, and hardly contributes to the propogation of the Gospel.
MRWBBIII on Wed, March 31, 2010

PIPED PIPER JOHN INVITES RICK WARREN HERETIC TO DG 2010 !
FIRST THE CLOSE WORK WITH EMERGENT CHURCH MARK DRISCOLL FOLLOWED BY A 8 MONTH LEAVE FROM MINISTRY DUE TO � UNNAMED PRIDE ..? � NOW HIS DESIRING GOD CONFERENCE HAS NOTED HERETIC PROSPERITY GOSPEL MONEY HUNGRY MEGACHURCH AUTHOR RICK WARREN AS A SPEAKER. WHAT�S SAD IS SO MANY YOUTH OF TODAY PASTORS OF TOMORROW FOLLOW PIPER�S HEDONIST DOCTRINE OF PREACHING TEACHING & WRITINGS ! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH JOHN, COME BACK TO YOUR FIRST LOVE !!

MRWBBIII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJmkk1XjrGw
Peter Hamm on Wed, March 31, 2010

I think Ken (and others) are so busy straining at gnats… well… you get the rest…
CS on Wed, March 31, 2010

There’s legitimacy in people being upset about this choice of Warren as keynote speaker. The Desiring God conference has always been a place of good theology and doctrinally-sound pastors and preachers. And now the main person for 2010 is a man who has numerous, blatant problems when it comes to his theology and doctrine, who qualifies as a false teacher.

—
CS
Peter Hamm on Wed, March 31, 2010

Yeah, CS… whatever…

Every critique of his theology and practice I’ve seen involves quoting out of context, mis-quoting, and other “problematic” issues.

He’s a big target, and everybody loves to take pot-shots.
David Insell on Wed, March 31, 2010

I’m so glad that I don’t have a T.V. program or pastor a well known Mega Church. It is open season on anyone who does. I wonder how sound or pure any of our theology is sometimes. I know we have have major Agape problems. That may mean we have theology problems. I don’t think I know anyone that I agree with 100%, not even myself.
Paul Wilkinson on Wed, March 31, 2010

Tell your friends at Leadership Network not to sweat it. There are many of us who would consider condemnation by Ken Silva to be somewhat equivalent to having the Good Housekeeping seal of approval.
Todd Rhoades on Thu, April 01, 2010

Thanks, Paul… we’re not sweating it.

Todd
Brandon on Thu, April 01, 2010

Yeah, we have to becareful for those pesky Christians that would pursue conciliation and unity. As REAL Christians, we have to maintain a clear mark of division at all costs; especially when creating that division increases one’s blog stats.
Brandon on Thu, April 01, 2010

that would be *be careful & *reconciliation

Sorry for the typos.