Earlier this year, Evangelical Dark Web reported on the wokeness of Barna Research Group, being the first to report on this trajectory. Barna is a research firm that is supposed to provide insight on culture and the church. It is an industry leader in this niche and is used by churches small and large. Rick Warren appeared on Barna’s podcast to discuss race and response to lockdowns, back in March. But this was brought to the attention of many by Woke Preacher Clips.
The interview starts off with Rick Warren channeling Ed Stetzer, accusing Christians of making politics their identity and that they are more influenced by cable news then the church. Worth noting that a very small percentage of the electorate watches cable news, especially as there are so many better options. I also note that Fox News is to the left of Evangelicals politically.
But the man who participated in presidential inaugurations argued that the church should not be seeking to change society through politics. He states that laws cannot change society, ignoring Obergefell, the Patriot Act, 16th Amendment, welfare, and a host of other evil policies that changed America’s culture. Naturally if laws can do evil, they can also do good. Christians understand this logic.
But after deriding Christians for being too political, Rick Warren went off at length celebrating the woke struggle sessions he had following the death of George Floyd. Rick Warren believes that listening and lamenting cures racism, despite the ease of which this can be abused to manipulate people. Rick Warren has brought a political ideology, Cultural Marxism, into the church all while claiming the church is too political.
Having insisted that he loves his congregation too much not to have struggle sessions, he then defends locking down his church. He talks about how he with ease lockdown his church to outsource the job of a pastor onto small groups. Small groups are not designed to replace the local church as they do carry out discipline, ordinances, among the other purposes of a church. But Rick Warren explained how he insisted that without small groups, his congregants would not do well amidst lockdowns (because he closed his church down). Yet upon Newsom’s orders, he also made his small groups only meet remotely, he explained.
This is a blatant disregard for the duties of a pastor and a hateful abandonment of his congregation, which is among the largest in the country. How many people did Rick Warren abandon to the suffering of lockdowns instead of defending them from the wicked paganism that is the Branch Covidian cult which he gladly preached for.
Rick Warren is one of the most influential pastors alive and he is beyond out of touch with the times.
4 Responses
They have such ego they just can’t believe we think the way we do without being tracked into it by foxnews or trump..I pay attention to neither yet I think the way I do Rick. I’m a smart man too, to boot.
The Fox News audience is in or near retirement outside of Tucker Carlson.
Evangelicals need the church fathers. They took on these heretics back in the day.
I don’t disregard the ECFs, though I think we are seeing a separation. Smaller yet stronger.