Rick Warren’s Catholic conduit; a denial of the gospel.

The Gospel to be saved by is declared by Paul in 1 Cor.15:1-4

And is explained how it works in Eph,2:8-9.

Warren’s pastor-training programs welcome Catholics in a USA article posted on Warrens website:
“…Warren's pastor-training programs welcome Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews and ordained women. “we have Catholic ‘purpose-driven’ churches … “I'm not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won't try to change other denominations. Why be divisive?” (This evangelist has a ‘Purpose’” by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY, July 21, 2003)

In 2005, Warren’s Southeast Asia Purpose Driven node reported on the roll out of PD to Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines… Also in 2005, Catholic Online.com featured this press release: Purpose Driven Church “Goes Catholic”

The Purpose Driven Church will—for the first time ever—be bringing their evangelical message of living out God’s five purposes to a Catholic Church: Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Illinois. …Each day’s session begins at 9 a.m., and will be delivered by Pastor Bret Schrock of the Purpose Driven Ministries. http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=1306

"There are Purpose Driven congregations in more than 200 different denominations and associations. Our desire is to work with denominations to strengthen their churches. Each church can maintain its own heritage and doctrinal convictions while cooperating with others on accomplishing the five purposes" (http://rickwarren.typepad.com/rick_warren/2007/05/seven_myths_abo.html )

“And, you know, growing up as a Protestant boy, I knew nothing about Catholics, but I started watching ETWN, the Catholic channel, and I said, ‘Well, I’m not as far apart from these guys as I thought I was, you know?” (Rick Warren, May 23, 2005, the Pew Forum’s biannual Faith Angle conference on religion, politics and public life, Event Transcript) (Emphasis added)

Warren does not see roman catholicism as preaching a different message for salvation or conducting themselves in practice so he sees no need to separate and not help them grow their church, Even when he finds a disagreement he still considers them saved Christians and is willing to help them in whatever ways he can.

“Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said. “I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God’s family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church,….” (Online source, (Pastor urges Anglicans to unite and care for poor, November 12, 2005 By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) emphasis mine.

“the Christian Church. The Church, in all its expressions—Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Protestant and many others —has 2.3 billion followers.” (The Power of Parishioners Dr. Rick Warren 05.07.07) http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2007/0507/210.html (emphasis mine)

“Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is I see absolutely zero reason in separating my fellowship from anybody.” [http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3871& Itemid=133]

This is why warren has built a conduit to the roman catholic church: “The mission of Tom Peterson and Catholics Come Home to bring souls home to Jesus and the church is critically important during this challenging time in our history. I fully support this new evangelization project.” —Rick Warren, author The Purpose Driven Life

Warren has believed and acted as if Roman Catholicism is a Christian denomination and is well aware of the Roman Catholic view. Roman Catholics see themselves as the original church, the true church who has had the succession of Popes. In fact this project is promoted by their pope.

But all this is not surprising from a man who can say, “I happen to know people who are followers of Christ in other religions.” (Rick Warren (Aspen Ideas Festival, The Aspen Institute, July 6, 2005, “Discussion: Religion and Leadership,” with David Gergen and Rick Warren). http://www.aspeninstitute.org/site/c.huLWJeMRKpH/b.901097/k.C0C7/Agenda.htm

Warren does not look at Roman Catholicism as another religion but the true religion.

From his statements one must question whether Warren understands the basics of Christianity that make Jesus the way the truth and the life - the only way to the Father. For if one can still stay in their religion and follow Jesus. Why does Warren have such a large tent mentality? His answer was said publicly: “There’s truth in every religion I, I, Christians believe there’s truth in every religion. But we just believe there is one savior. We believe we can learn truth from, I believe I have learned a lot of truth from different religions. Because they all have a portion of the truth” (Nov.22, 2004 Larry King live)

So Warren believes there are both Followers and Truth in other religions, religions that have a different God? This is what he believes and it is certainly at the center of all that he is doing. This is a significant statement that underlines his modus operandi. The narrow way is not so narrow anymore. In fact he has personally done his own road work to widen it in every way possible. He is actively trying to reform the Christian church to his outside the box (and bible) VIEW.

Warren has even written the forward to the book Mother Teresa at 100, about her life. What he says about Mother Theresa should stop anyone who is saved by the gospel in the tracks. He praises Mother Teresa as one of the greatest evangelists of the 20th century.

Mother Teresa has said: All is God “I love all religions. . . . If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there.” (And there are many other quotes showing her interfaith concepts.)

Is Mother Theresa an evangelist if she says this? So Warren has Catholics become better Catholics, teaching them how to increase their churches numbers. It’s not any longer if Warren knows the gospel but does he stand in it (1 Cor.15:1) and proclaim it as the only way for others to be saved. You can’t have two faces - one that says Catholics are Christian and then say the gospel is what saves us all. That would be inherently contradictory because they do not have the same concept or application of the gospel that the bible teaches.

Warren’s connection to Catholics is solid as he has had Peter Kreeft speak at his church. Kreeft also endorses Catholics come home. In fact Kreeft is an apologist for Rome. In his book Ecumenical Jihad: Kreeft says it is “very likely” that there is a “hidden Christ” in pagan religions, so that Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, will be saved “through Christ and His grace” even though they do not consciously know or worship Jesus Christ.” (following Christ in other religions)

Kreeft also wrote, If John’s Gospel had been written in Chinese instead of Greek, it would have begun by asserting that “in the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God and the Tao was God?”

Peter Kreeft says: “We can and should investigate and learn from the wisdom in other religions” (p.79) “Allah is not another God... we worship the same God” (p. 30) “in Christ is the God of the The same God! The very same God we worship Jews-and the Muslims-worship.” (p.30, 160).

So we can see that Warren and Kreeft say nearly the same things.

Warren has endorsed this book:

This has nothing to do with evangelism since the Catholic church has no one saved by the gospel because its not by FAITH as Eph.2:8-10 says. Warren endorsement of Catholicism’s efforts is not a surprise since he has worked his ecumenical model among them for a long time. This next step of endorsement is the only place to land after circling with Purpose Driven for so long.

In the book Catholics Come Home on p.11 it reveals to all that the last two Popes have taken up, two distinct “branches” of evangelization.” “Evangelization” refers to the continuous practice of the Church’s missionaries who have always gone out to proclaim the Gospel to those who have never heard of Jesus Christ and his message of Salvation. On the other hand, he has clarified the “the New Evangelism” is directed principally at those who, though baptized, have drifted away from the church and live without reference to the Christian life.”

If you want to call church membership evangelization then we agree, that is what is taking place; this is whom they are seeking to evangelize. Calling “the baptized” to come home … meaning the Catholic converts to Biblical Christianity (of various denominations) dare to come home to Rome.

After this advertising for the church in the forward the book speaks of Peter as the first Pope of whom the church is built on. “If you have been away from the Catholic church, we invite you to take another look. Ours is one family united in Jesus Christ, our lord and savior. We are Catholic. Welcome Home.” (p.16)

The book begins with the chapter God’s extraordinary plan for you. (p.17), which is something Warren can relate to. When we get to the end of the book we read “What we have seen and Heard” (lifted from the apostle John’s intro to his first letter). “Over the years at Catholics Come Home we’ve heard from some of the hundreds of thousands of people who have returned to the Catholic Church, or converted to the faith.”

This is a campaign, though they call it evangelization (or other names). Its target is those who have left their stained glass edifices of Catholicism for a true relationship with the savior.

Let me state this unequivocally “The Faith” is what Jude refers to as having in common all who are saved by the gospel. This cannot be overlooked. No one is saved in the Catholic church by the gospel message (alone).

To make this perfectly clear let them answer this for themselves on the very website that is made for this campaign.

Question: How should I (a Catholic) respond to someone who asks me if I’ve been saved, or born again?

Answer: ANSWER WITH A RESOUNDING, “YES!” TELL THEM THAT IT IS THROUGH BAPTISM THAT YOU WERE SAVED, JUST AS THE BIBLE SAYS IN 1 PTR 3:20-21 AND THAT IT IS THROUGH BAPTISM, WATER AND THE SPIRIT, THAT YOU ARE “BORN AGAIN,” JUST AS THE BIBLE SAYS IN JOHN 3:5.YOU SEE, MANY PROTESTANTS BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE SAVED BY MAKING ONE SINGLE ACT OF FAITH AT ONE SINGLE POINT IN TIME IN THEIR LIVES. NOWHERE DOES SCRIPTURE SAY SUCH A THING. AS CATHOLICS, HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THAT SALVATION IS A PROCESS WHICH BEGINS WITH OUR BAPTISM AND CONTINUES THROUGHOUT OUR LIFETIMES, JUST AS THE BIBLE TEACHES US.

No one was ever saved by baptism, for the bible clearly states they believed in the gospel first before they were baptized. If one is being baptized to be saved, then, evidently that person is an unbeliever before the baptism. Then they are baptizing unbelievers to make them believers counting on the water to be the agent of change, where the new birth supposedly occurs.

Ephesians 1:13-14  In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." notice what happens is what Roman Catholicism says does not from faith (believing), you are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Jn.3), a guarantee of eternal life (read the whole chapter, better, read the whole book).
 
They neglect that Paul says it is by Faith you are save (Eph.2:8). If salvation is a process as they claim then one is never assured they have arrived to end that process. The Bible says, Jesus said to be born again is a spiritual birth (Jn.3). that we are justified (Rom.5:1; Gal.2:16; 3:24), sanctified (Acts 26:18) all by faith which begins by believing the gospel and is present throughout our life. Paul makes it clear in Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith , we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” If one does a study on faith they will joyously surprised at what God has said. Faith is the conduit to His Grace.

Another Question answered on their website. “Many Protestants believe we are saved by Faith Alone and they say Catholics believe they can “work” their way into Heaven. How do you answer that?”