The Beleaguered Faithful (Updated)
Friday, March 2, 2012 at 02:05PM 
Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren speaks at the Islamic Society of North America 46th annual convention on July 4, 2009, in Washington, D.C. LUIS ALVAREZ, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
*We have received this from a friend of MichaelYoussef.com, and for the sake of fairness we are posting the article.* Click Here
Many of the faithful are wondering if we are at the beginning of the end in the US—as a civilization, as a bastion of freedom, as a force for God and good.
Sadly, the church is often leading the way toward that end. It seems like news about some compromise of our convictions bombards us daily. The media and even some elements within the church afford respect and reverence to every religion and group, except it seems, to those with deep Christian convictions.
Even some evangelical Christians have abandoned the courage to speak the truth in love, exchanging it for popularity. Take the recent article from the Orange County Register that highlights evangelical pastor Rick Warren’s belief that “Christians and Muslims worship the same God.”
No one can enter the pastor’s heart and know his motive except God, but that belief totally contradicts an earlier statement that he made (also quoted in the article): “. . . Jesus is the only way, and our inerrant Bible is our only true authority.”
I love Muslims. I have hosted them in my home. Once, my wife and I gave our Muslim guests our master bedroom for a night as an expression of hospitality. But loving Muslims does not include misleading them into thinking that the "Isa" in the Qur’an is the same as Jesus of the New Testament. A desire to love, understand, and help Muslims in every way does not require us to forsake our own stated convictions.
Perhaps the pastor does not understand the Islamic principle of Taqiah, where infidels can be accommodated while Muslims are in the minority and in need of help, but then jihad follows when they get the upper hand.
Perhaps the pastor does not understand that the Jesus of the New Testament came as a divider, not a uniter. (People who combine contradictory beliefs such as Christianity and Islam are known as syncretists.) Out of a desire to be liked and accepted, perhaps the pastor and others have decided to ignore Jesus’ word, that he “came to bring a sword,” meaning that we can either accept Him or reject Him, but not both.
The article states that Warren’s evangelical church and its Muslim neighbors have agreed not to evangelize each other. Instead, they have held an interfaith soccer game. But by not evangelizing, the church denies Muslims the joy of being saved from the everlasting destruction that comes to those who reject the Christ of the Bible—the God of the very God, who became a man to save everyone who repents and believes in Him.
If this was an isolated incident, one could take solace that this thinking was rare and muddled at best. But sadly, more and more churches, mainline and evangelical, have sold their birthright for the pot of soup of likability and acceptability.
Had the apostles sold out, they would have saved themselves from martyrdom, but they would have caused the catastrophic loss of the inerrant Bible—the catastrophic loss of the truth.
But they didn’t sell out. They loved everyone while never compromising the truth.
That is my appeal to all fellow believers who are led astray by the lure of acceptance. Return to the example of the apostles. Return to the truth of loving people without compromising biblical truth.
Reader Comments (23)
I look forward to co-keynoting the Anglican Church in North America Provincial Assembly with you. I have greatly appreciated you ministry. Having recently spent some time with the Sydney Anglicans (just last week), I know how much they love you as well.
As a brother in Christ, I also look forward to you clarifying this blog post with what Rick said in his response to the article you cited. You can find that at my blog, which is linked to my name in the comment, or just visit edstetzer.com.
God bless,
Ed
http://saddleback.com/blogs/newsandviews/news--views-030212/
Ephesians 4:4-6:
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Jesus also said that we "must" be "Born Again"
John 3:5:
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
We as beleivers must understand that there is only one Gospel that can save us, and that is the Gospel that Jesus and His disciple taught. Islam, Hinduism, New Age philosophy, etc., cannot & will not save anybody. Only by obeying Acts 2:38, which is the fuffillment of the "Born Again" requirements, will an individual enter Jesus' spiritual kingdom, the church.
Acts 2:38:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Water=Baptism Spirit=Holy Spirit infilling, speaking in tongues.
God Bless!
If one comes preaching to us any other doctrine, except Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.....
Rick Warren does indeed blur the lines of scripture and uses the verses that make his point rather than the point the Bible is making. The Bible is the Pattern. We are the clothe. We are to be cut and molded to fit it, not mold it to fit us and our beliefs.
Many are trying to remove, THE CROSS, Jesus and His deity from the word of God (as if God's is unable to save lives unless His word is less offensive)...without Jesus we are nothing and this is the uttermost goal of satan and he will blur scripture and use anyone who is willing to be used, to do so.
Rick Warren signed the Yale document, which states that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
If any Berean should check the contents of this document with scripture, they will be utterly dismayed and realize that Rick Warren stands apart.
Here's the truth: http://pastors.com/rick-warren-on-muslims-evangelism-and-missions/
Read the Yale document: http://www.yale.edu/faith/acw/acw.htm
Warren's signature on that document confuses many unbelievers and attempts to water-down the message of the gospel. Dr. Youssef was actually quite generous to post Warren's response.
Rick owes Michael a thank you.
Let's give Warren, a brother in Christ, the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his word versus that of a reporter we do not know. He has earned it. However, he needs to be held accountable on his signature of the Yale Document. If he truly did not say that Christianity and Islam worship the same God, then why would he have signed a document that says virtually the same thing??
Thank you for the blowing the trumpet for the body of Christ. Unfortunately this issue is not the only one that Warren has against his name. There is a consistency in his tendency to play down biblical truth depending on the crowd he is addressing. Ed Stetzers interview is a failure i'm afraid. "Did you say this or that" with no follow up. And then the "Mr Warren you have the greatest church in the country how do you do it?"(paraphrased) is hardly a probing interview. The constant harping about being gracious to a brother in Christ (Warren) overlooks at least two things. The biblical injuction to rebuke an erring brother and some proof required to ascertain whether he is indeed a truly born again believer. I hope he is. I have yet to see any proof to that effect.
These two powers basically share common morall persona that is HATE. Such hate is rapidly infesting the American persona as well, thanks to talk radio.
Second, it is true that they do hate eachother, but wouldn't you hate a border country of ours, say Canada, if they kept paying Mexican drug cartels to launch missiles all over the country? That is the equivalent of what Saudi Arabia is doing to Israel.
Third, what talk radio are you referencing? Talk radio is basically a bunch of people getting paid to blow their stacks at different things that are ridiculous. True, some things should not be said, but they have a right to say what they want thanks to the First Amendment. If hate is being rasied anywhere in the country, it is in the white house and the elites of the nation against freedom and those who love it.
This article should be taken down, and an apology issued.
Thank you Michael for speaking the truth. I pray your message will spread to all the world before it is too late.