Friday, July 10, 2009

Video: Pastor Rick Warren Speaks to Muslims at ISNA

Nabeel and I were in the audience with two Muslim friends as Pastor Rick Warren (A Purpose Driven Life) addressed thousands of Muslims at ISNA. We were kind of far away from the stage, so we just pointed the camera towards the big screen. We're a little divided on Pastor Warren's approach. On the one hand, we definitely agree with him that Muslims and Christians should get along peacefully, and that we should work together making the world a better, safer place for all mankind. On the other hand, at times he seems dangerously close to suggesting that it's not important to try to convince Muslims of the truth or to refute false claims. For instance, he says that he's not interested in interfaith dialogue, but in interfaith projects. I'm sure practically all of the Christians and Muslims who dialogue or debate on this blog see things differently. Either way, we present this video of Pastor Warren's presentation, so that there are no misrepresentations of his position.

15 comments:

Confident Christianity said...

I graduated from the same Seminary as Rick Warren and must vehemently disagree with his comment on '...not being interested in interfaith dialogue...' That doesn't make any sense. Even the Apostle Paul would disagree.

Roger Sharp
Confident Christianity Apologetics
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Grad '06

george said...

iam little sad about the way our christians acts some times.there will come a day when Christian leaders will sa about no need of sharing Gospel with Muslim.its all the effect of new theoogy,which i named it as "Whats wrong theology".
do what like and then ask whats wrong about it

Anonymous said...

Rick Warren nised a golden opportunity to proclaim Christ to as it were a captive audience.

Of couse in memory serves me correctlly did not warren sign the "Common Word" document? A lot of what Warren said was in the "Common Word".

I think that the ISNA coferrence is nothing more than Taqia (sp).

Unfortunately people like Warren don't understand the trune nature of Islam and after listening to his address I wonder how much he really understands what the Gospel is.

And yes Rick as James White has so often said "THEOLOGY MATTERS".

Yahya Snow said...

Hi guys,

I am a Muslim living in the UK, are there any fellow Brits here?

If so, and you are a Christian or a Muslim, who has books on Islam/Christianity please contact me if you are willing to pass those books onto me.

I am buying books at the moment but it does get quite costly so I have resorted to scrounging. I actually received both the KJV and the NIV Bible free so I hope to get more Christian literature free.

Let me know if you have something that you do not read anymore

Thanks

Peace

BTW, I think Rick did some good bridge-building. Those who are criticising him are in need of a reality check. Muslims and Christians need to co-exist. Bridge-building is required by BOTH sides and the Christian Pastor Rick did a job of bridge-building. I would have thought Christians would be imbued with pride due to Rick's positivity...I guess not, or maybe some Christians are toooo evangelical:)

Relax and give the guy a break, this coming from a Muslim! :)

minoria said...

Hello Yahya:

In my case I only have 3 Christian books but alot of notes.Since I know much info is unknown that's why I give it.What I can do for you and others is simply continue to give info here.

For example,Sami Zaatari criticized the NT for Matthew 27:25(the Jewish crowd says to Pilate:"His blood be on us and our children.")An eternal curse in the NT against the Jews?

It has been used like that by Christians.No.Jesus in Luke 23:33-34 ORDERS God to forgive all who have responsibility in his death.Paul in Rom 11:1-4 says they are still the Chosen People.

It's an expression saying "I take responsibility".The basic form is "his blood be on my head".It appears in Joshua 2:9-10/2:17-19( Jewish spies and Rahab incident,check it out.)It appears in many parallel passages in the Talmud(source:Michael Brown,Phd scholar).

The crowd sincerely believed Jesus had commited blasphemy and condemned him.Ignorance and Jesus exonerated them.

OT says to kill babies?

Sami mentioned Psalm 137:9("happy is he who smashes your babies against the rocks").Again,clear verses/less clear.Lev 19 says 2X to love your neighbor/foreigner like yourself.No Jewish religious leader would agree to smashing babies.

In the OT we have metaphors.Koran has it also:3 parts where it has "face of Allah"sura 2:115/28:88/92:20.

Pslam 137 is about the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians,and ends wishing them alot of punishmnet,very severe.The phrase is a metaphor for severe punishment:"happy is he who punishes you severely"

nma said...

appeasement of Islam

IslamSINS said...

After reading the pathetic pandering of Warren's "outreach (linked below) to Muslims" years ago - Muslims who are commanded to kill the non-Muslims and subdue the entire planet for Allah - signed by enough heretics to make a Christian shudder in horror, I nearly lost my dinner. Among the signatories:

Rick Warren, Founder and Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church, and The Purpose Driven Life, Lake Forest, CA.

I can just picture Christ, seated around a conference table with the Pharisees and Scribes, saying, "C'mon guys, can't we all just get along? We can work together to build a bridge between your heresies and my Holiness, can't we?"

The full article: http://www.yale.edu/faith/acw/acw.htm

I'm gagging just thinking about it.

Rick Warren is a mealy-mouthed heretic, too cowardly to proclaim the Christ.

Sepher Shalom said...

Rick Warren is a self-improvement author that writes from a Christian perspective, and a pastor. I think he would be wise to stick to writing his self-improvement books and shepherding his flock at his church. I don't think evangelism, apologetics, or even "interfaith dialogue" are the place he was meant to be. This is not meant as an insult. It is just my firm opinion. After all, there is one Body, but many parts; all created to serve a function. 'Pastor and author' is a wonderful calling. Go with your gifts Rick.

[Let me note, that I have not read his books, only thumbed through, and I do not know anything about his theology.]

Sepher Shalom said...

Yahya said: "BTW, I think Rick did some good bridge-building. Those who are criticising him are in need of a reality check. Muslims and Christians need to co-exist. Bridge-building is required by BOTH sides and the Christian Pastor Rick did a job of bridge-building."

Yahya, can you kindly provide us with some references from the Quran where Muslims are commanded to; a) work cooperatively and "build bridges" with other religions, b) accept the existence of any religion other than Islam?

I just can't think of any right now. Instead, I seem to be coming up with material such as:

(Qur’an 9:30) - And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah... Allah (Himself) fights against them. How perverse are they!

(Qur’an 48:29) - Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard (ruthless) against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves

(Quran 47:37)- "Be ye not fainthearted then;
and invite not the infidels to peace when ye have the upper hand."

(Quran 9:3)- “Allah is not bound by any contract to idolaters [non-muslims], nor his Apostle.”

(Quran 66:9)- "O Prophet! make war on the infidels and hypocrites, and deal rigorously with them. hell shall be their abode! and wretched the passage to it!"

(Quran 9:124)- "Believers! wage war against such of the infidels as are your neighbors, and let them find you rigorous: and know that Allah is with those who fear him."

(Quran 5:57)- "O believers! take not Jews or Christians as friends. They are but one another's friends. If any of you taketh them for his friends, he surely is one of them! Allah will not guide the evil doers."


Where is your version of something like "live and let live" or "work together in harmony" taught in the Quran, Yahya? Furthermore, how can you expect anyone who is a Christian or Jew to work with you for a common goal when your religion mandates that we are dhimmi anytime you have power?

nu said...

Hi people,

Just joined in with the dialogue on this site-I am so excited to find a place where people are speaking freely about what (i think) is the most important exercise of life-finding the truth and saying yes to it (or Him, as I have discovered).

I am persuaded that Jesus is the truth, and I am firmly on His side of the fence.

I've watched the Rick Warren video; I wonder if he personally knows and loves individual muslims. I also wonder whether the Jesus in the bible is the same one he says he believes in.

I think it is impossible to know Jesus as he is in the bible and to personally care about people who are muslims and then go and give a speech like that. If you have found the truth (or the truth has found you)...i think it would be very very difficult to stand in front of so many people, many of them hanging on your every word, and instead of pointing them to that truth with every minute you have, you start talking about 'promoting freedom of speech and religion', and co-existence, and 'facilitating people to do what they do best'. He sounded like a politician!

Yahya Snow, you said..

BTW, I think Rick did some good bridge-building. Those who are criticising him are in need of a reality check.

Its really good that you can commend a Christian's efforts even if you are a muslim. But i think Rick is the one who needs a reality check.

He diagnoses the 'problem' between Muslims and Christians as essentially being a social-cultural misundertanding. The cure he recommends is that the two find a way to 'get along'. All this is not true. The problem is not that we are 'unwilling to reconcile our different views'- these views are irreconcilable!

He also gives the idea that both views/faiths are 'right'; they are the choice of the people following them and everyone should let everyone else the freedom to to choose their religion. What??!

Did Jesus say 'I'm doing my thing, you do your thing. If you want to come along with me, that's also your choice. It doesn't matter whatever you choose, the important thing is that you freely exercise your right to choose and that you also make sure you let others choose freely.'

Muhammed, or Allah through Muhammed may have said 'you to your religion, and I to mine, but there is no shred of laissez faire in Islamic theology or practice.

Each faith clearly says; THIS IS THE WAY, if you chose it, blessed are you, if you don't, woe unto you. The MOST IMPORTANT THING is therefore choosing the right thing, the right way. How can a pastor (i.e someone who has aligned himself with a belief and has even obtained a place of leadership in that line) stand in front of people and basically tell them to live and let live?

This is not bridge building, this is taking people off on a detour when you should be a clear signpost.I don't know any signpost that says 'left or right or back, whatever is good for you, as long as you don't get into someone else's way!'.

I think Rick did Christians and Muslims and especially Christ, a great injustice:-(

I know i would not set a toe on any bridge he is building.

Fernando said...

Brother nu: wellcome to this blogg!! Whoppe to see you around many more times! God bless!

nu said...

Thank you Fernando- i'm a girl though, so i would be your sister:-)

Enjoying the blog a lot!

Unknown said...

I envisioned as I watched this a different scenario: Pastor Warren preaching a fire and brimstone sermon TO CHRISTIANS. They are the ONLY ones a Pastor has ANY business preaching to. He could have told them to get with CHRISTS program of loving their neighbor, refusing to hate those that hurt offended or disagreed with them, that they have a duty to PREACH the GOSPEL to save dying souls from Hell.Wherever the Gospel has gone because of Christ's LOVE the worldwide problems of conflict, corruption,illiteracy, disease and poor water are typically addressed, as those servants of Christ live out His mandates and teach others to do so.
It is folly to believe that those with a scripture that commands them to be offended in and despise those who do not follow their religion, will ever be able to join hands in projects with Christians on a massive scale.Why should we expect them to disobey their scriptures?
(It is a very important point though that should be raised and addressed in these days , in terms of citizenship, that those that take the oath of citizenship, adhere to the principles of freedom proclaimed in the constitution, even though they may be juxtaposed to their religious scriptures)When I watch Pastors like Rick Warren I feel uncomfortable in my own skin. My ears strain to hear the voice of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, THe TRUE Love of God, which is foremost concerned with the eternal SOULS of men,and that poured out the Blood of Christ to buy them back from an eternity apart from Him.I heard NOTHING. I wonder, Is this man saved? (Remember Jesus SAID "BY THEIR FRUITS you shall Know them."(what fruit are we looking for here? LOVE!- ADORATION! OF CHRIST, and HIS BLOOD SHED for THE SALVATION OF MAN! ONLY the HOLY SPIRIT produces this fruit.)
The next little boat on this river of of do-goodism, that a dissenter is forced into is the "BAD GUY canoe". Paddle on alone feller, you unloving - uncompromising- stone- in- the gears -of interfaith -progress, you. Increasingly these days as true Christianity (that is BORN again By the Indwelling Spirit Of Christ) becomes mixed with a social gospel, Christians NEED Pastors ,preachers ,evangelists, who are filled with the Holy Ghost to actually PREACH the HOLY FIRE of GOD to us.
We are so afraid to suffer, to deny ourselves;to Go without the gates with Christ and be counted an offense, by declaring one Truth: Jesus Christ and Him Crucified- The ONLY route to God, the only way to reconcile man to man.This route costs everything. Not many will applaud.Our names will be cast out as Evil. probably only some projects of mercy will be accomplished as we will be opposed on every corner by the enemy of our souls, as we FIRST proclaim what Jesus told us to Proclaim that "The Kingdom of God has drawn Near,Believe on the Christ peirced for the sins of the World, Be saved". What does it matter if we gain control of all the problems of the whole world, and lose our own and others souls with a polluted OTHER Gospel? Thats Not Love.Thats hate.

characterbuilder said...

HI

Unknown said...

I am confused! I have always believed in God and Jesus, but have only recently started to question these things, attend church and join in with a christian playgroup. I have always considered myself a christian just by believing in God and Jesus, praying, raising my children to understand what christmas and easter is, taking them to sunday school to learn more about jesus, but when I attend these christian playgroups, it is like they are a whole different breed of christian. They only listen to christian music, watch christian tv, use christian mechanics. I have always been taught not to be judgemental of others, but are these christians not be judgemental of people they think are non christians? I like my heavy metal music, I like to drink alcohol on occasions, i socialise with people who are not christians, does that make me a bad christian. I love god and jesus and have felt his presence in my life, but do i have to stop the things i love and conform to the ways of these "die-hard" christians to feel I am a worthy christian. Does this make sense?..Christian tv