America's Pastor Speaks - And Makes Some Sense

Fascinating transcript of Rick Warren forum with the press:

Rick Warren: And that was a turning point in my life two-and-a-half years ago, where God basically said to me – and I've never heard God speak audibly; it's in my mind – "The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence. The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence." And in religious terms I had to say, "God, I repent, because I can't think of the last time I thought of widows and orphans." I live in a very affluent Southern California neighborhood. There aren't any homeless people lying on the streets where I live. And I said, "I can't think of the last time I cared about the homeless."

And so I went back and I began to read scripture, and it was like blinders came off. Now, I've got three advanced degrees. I've had four years in Greek and Hebrew and I've got doctorates. And how did I miss 2,000 versus in the Bible where it talks about the poor? How did I miss that? I mean, I went to two different seminaries and a Bible school; how did I miss the 2,000 versus on the poor?

See, here's the other reason why I believe a Reformation could happen: every time God's word is put into new technology, there's a Reformation. In 1456 or something, that's when Gutenberg came out with the printing press, and the first thing he prints, what is it? A Bible. It's not pornography; it's the Bible, okay? Within about 50 years of that time we have the Reformation. Why? Because what Martin Luther nailed to the wall of the Wittenberg door somebody pulled off the wall and started reprinting. The Reformation would have never happened without the technology to make it possible. We now have a new technology which allows global networking between millions of local churches. It's called the Internet.

David Brooks: Henry Steele Commager had a line: "In the 19th century, religion prospered while theology slowly went bankrupt."

The group of women in America that have the most orgasms are evangelical women, according to the University of Chicago. (Laughter.) Of course, at the University of Chicago an orgasm is a theoretical construct. (Laughter.)

And there are other people, people I know less about or read less about but I'm curious about. One is a guy named Brian McLaren, who is part of the "emerging church," which seems to be a Gen X thing. I've read about them, but I really don't understand them. They talk about motivating younger believers, they talk about being postmodern, but at the same time they emphasize Alistair McIntyre.

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Comments

[betsy]

Gen-X, eh? Greetings from the one of the world's oldest Gen Xers (I suspect Wes Roberts would take that title if offered...at least I think he's older than I am.

[dave paisley]

Internet, eh?

I hear they have that on computers now...

[dave paisley]

Internet, eh?

I hear they have that on computers now...

[rick]

I suspect he wasn't studying scripture. I suspect he was studying his Southern Baptist slant on scripture which jaded most everything he read. He knew what he "believed" before he beagn his studies and therefore he wasn't ready to be transformed by the "Word". I am not trashing him, but I've heard this from several folks. It is nice to see that evangelical christianity is beginning have a spiritual awakening.