RICK WARREN CALLING FOR UNITY WITH ROME (Friday Church News Notes, April 25, 2014, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - This month, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church gave an exclusive interview with Catholic television channel EWTN, complete with effusive praise for the Catholic Church and the popes and a call for unity with Rome. He praised the works of Catholic contemplative “saints” such as St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, calling their books “great classic devotional works,” ignoring the fact that they held to a false sacramental gospel and venerated Mary as the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven. Warren said that Saddleback uses Roman Catholic contemplative prayer methods such as the very dangerous “centering prayer,” and Saddleback’s “spiritual director” was trained by a Roman Catholic named Jean Vanier. (See “Silence vs. The Silence” at www.wayoflife.org.) In fact, he said that when he was writing The Purpose Drive Church he would get up in the morning, light candles, and start writing. He called Pope Francis “our pope” and said, “For authenticity, humility, Pope Francis is the perfect example. He is doing everything right.” Warren said that Saddleback recently received a delegation from the Vatican consisting of about 30 Catholic bishops to study the church’s “style of evangelization.” Warren said, “I fully support the Catholic Church’s New Evangelization,” which is a program to regain lapsed Catholics to the false Catholic faith and which is centered around veneration of Mary. When asked by EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo, “What is keeping Christians apart from the unity that John Paul II and all the recent popes have called for?” Warren replied: “I think we need to go back to the words of St. Augustine. ‘In the essentials we have unity; in the non-essentials we have liberty; in all things we show charity.’ I think this is really true. I think as the world, particularly the western culture, becomes more secular, more anti-Christian ... it is really incumbent on all Christians of every brand and stripe that we join together on the things that we share in common” (Rick Warren, EWTN, “World Today,” Apr. 10-11, 2014). Rick Warren is one of the most influential Christians on earth and also one of the most dangerous. He is enthusiastically building the end-time, one-world church.
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Warren Endorses Catholics Come Home Book
Catholics Come Home: God's Extraordinary Plan for Your Lifeis the name of a new book that is taking Rome and the world by storm, with the following incredible endorsement by Rick Warren. "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." In an interview on the Catholic EWTN Network he said his favorite TV show is Chaplets of Divine Mercy. He also talked about how he loved a headline in a local newspaper that said, "If you love Pope Francis you will love Jesus."
Mike's Comment: Rick Warren's endorsement of a book calling Catholics home to an apostate religion that shuts the gates of heaven to those wanting to enter is a grievous offense. He either does not know the exclusivity of the Gospel of grace or he does not know how Roman Catholicism has corrupted and perverted it.
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RICK WARREN, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND CATHOLICS AND EVANGELICALS TOGETHER
or
CHRISTIANITY ACCORDING TO RICK WARREN
RICK WARREN, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND CATHOLICS AND EVANGELICALS TOGETHER
It is a well-known fact based on Bible prophecy that the Last Days One World Religion called the “harlot” will be a counterfeit to the true church which is called the Bride of Christ. Bible scholars who take this position believe the ecumenical gathering of religions together for the cause of peace will be the prerequisite. One of the key events bringing this about is when a declaration is made that the Reformation is over, and the “separated brethren” will be welcomed back into the fold.
This commentary deals with aspects of the Rick Warren-Raymond Arroyo EWTN interview that provided some clues indicating this scenario is presently underway. I am making reference to a portion of the interview that dealt with the topic of religious liberty. In fact, it was revealed that Rick Warren may have a plan laid away for the future of promoting a “religious liberty movement” that will be the equivalent of the “civil liberties movement” of the past. When asked by Arroyo what Warren thought about the separation of church and state and how the Supreme Court would rule on this topic in the future, Warren responded:
Now it’s interesting that phrase today means the exact opposite of what it meant in Jefferson’s days. Today people think it means keeping religion out of government, or out of politics. But actually, the separation of church and state was we are going to protect the church from the government. I believe that religious liberty may be the civil rights issue of the next decade. And if it takes some high profile pastors going to jail, like Martin Luther King did with civil rights, I’m in. So be it. I mean, as Peter said and the apostles that we must obey God rather than men.[1]
It may seem surprising to some that “America’s Pastor” would be so outspoken and willing to take such a strong stand for religious liberty - especially when he shows his passion for this topic by stating he is personally willing to go to jail for such a cause. These are strong words. Does this mean that the Purpose Driven Church model may have a broader agenda than previously advertised?
Arroyo’s next question is also very revealing. This is what he asks Warren:
Do you think events like this, moments like this, are actually sources of unity and moments of unity, particularly for Catholics and Evangelicals?
When I first listened to Warren’s response I was a somewhat surprised by what he said. However, after thinking about it further and comparing his answer with other statements
Warren has made in the past about his willingness to work together with “various faiths” for the “common cause of good,” his response made perfect sense. Warren stated:
Well, obviously we have so much in common in protecting our religious rights—and really the religious rights of other people who we disagree with on beliefs and behaviors. Muslims, for instance, don’t drink alcohol. If all of a sudden they made a law that said every Muslim restaurant has to serve alcohol. I would be there protesting with that. If they made a law that said every Jewish deli in New York City has to sell pork. I’m going to be there protesting. I don’t have a problem with pork. But I am going to protest that. If they make a law that says every Catholic school has to provide contraceptives, if you’re morally convinced you shouldn’t have contraceptives, I stand with you, firm with you on your belief on that because you have a right to train your children the way you want to.
It is difficult to challenge Warren’s argument as he states his case. Religious freedom is a major pillar that America was founded upon. To attack religious freedom or rights could well spark a religious liberty movement if this is the direction political leaders are headed.
However, it is also possible that a so-called “religious liberty” movement championed by America’s Pastor, who is willing to go to jail for standing up for the religious rights of all religions, could be a stepping-stone to something else. Especially when it is so obvious this would be another important way to join evangelicals and Catholics together, a common trend of our day.
While it may be a stretch to suggest Warren will become the pied piper that unites all the world religions for a common cause, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that Warren could be a major spokesperson for persuading evangelicals to join together with Roman Catholics. This whole movement has been in place for some time and has received endorsements from such well-known leaders as Bill Bright, J. I. Packer, and Charles Colson.
Warren has previously made numerous statements about his willingness to join forces with Rome in order to establish the kingdom of God here on earth. At a message Warren gave at the PEW Forum in Key West Florida, May 23, 2005, he stated:
Now when you get 25 percent of America, which is basically Catholic, and you get 28 to 29 percent of America which is evangelical together, that's called a majority. And it is a very powerful bloc, if they happen to stay together on particular issues… I would encourage you to look at this evolving alliance between evangelical Protestants and Catholics. [2]
Without question, Warren’s “evolving alliance” with Rome has come a long way since he made this statement in June, 2005. The interview with Raymond Arroyo of EWTN is proof that this is the case. When a pastor of Warren’s stature and influence refrains from warning his followers about the dangers found in the extra biblical teachings of Roman Catholicism, I cannot remain silent. This series of commentaries based on the Warren- Arroyo EWTN interview will hopefully make some aware of the coming alliance that is laying the groundwork for the strong delusion that sets up the Last Days apostasy the Bible foretells will happen before the return of Jesus.
TranscriptRick Warren, PEW Forum, Key West, Florida, May 23, 2005, http://pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=80
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"Rick Warren, Jean Vanier
And The New Evangelization":
From:
http://www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c146rickwarren.shtml
Rick Warren's Ecumenical Path to Rome Continues
RICK WARREN, JEAN VANIER, AND THE NEW EVANGELIZATION
The Warren- Arroyo EWTN interview that aired on YouTube April 11, 2014 provided many insights regarding the “New Evangelicalism” that is presently unfolding. Rather than lines being drawn in the sand, walls are coming down and ecumenical unity is being established. If Rick Warren and his followers represent the direction many former “Protestants” are headed, it is only a matter of time for the coming One World Ecumenical Religion to be established. The Jesuit plan to bring the “separated brethren Home to Rome” will have been accomplished. Those who refuse to follow will be singled out and considered “heretics.” Is it possible that persecution for these “resistors” is in store?
One revelation that came out of the interview was the fact that Warren and his Saddleback Church had hosted a delegation from Rome to discuss the New Evangelization Program. Apparently a number of Roman Catholic delegates were observing the Warren-Saddleback Purpose Driven Program in order to gain ideas and insight for the Roman Catholic New Evangelization Plan initiated by Pope John Paul II and continued by Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.
The following question was asked by Raymond Arroyo:
The Vatican recently sent a delegation here to Saddleback—the pontifical council—the academy for life. Tell me what they discovered and why did they come? This is a sizeable group. [1]
Warren’s response was immediate and enthusiastic. He said:
It was. They were about 30 bishops from Europe. One of the men had been actually trained and mentored by Jean Vanier, which is an interesting thing because we have a retreat center here and my spiritual director, who grew up at Saddleback, actually went and trained under Jean Vanier too. So I am very excited about that. [2]
While the term “spiritual director” or the name Jean Vanier may not mean much to you unless you are versed on contemplative mystical spirituality, this admission by Warren provides conclusive evidence of his endorsement of Roman Catholic monastic mysticism and all that goes along with it. The fact he mentions he has his “own” spiritual director located at Saddleback who was trained under the leadership of Jean Vanier is even more significant.
A brief look at Jean Vanier will provide important insights. Vanier (b. 1928) is the Canadian Catholic founder of L’Arche, which is a humanitarian community for disabled people. It is L’Arche where Catholic priest Henri Nouwen spent the last ten years of his life. Vanier is a contemplative mystic who promotes interspiritual and interfaith beliefs, calling the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi “one of the greatest prophets of our times”[3] and “a man sent by God.”[4] In the book Essential Writings, Vanier talks about “opening doors to other religions” and helping people develop their own faiths be it Hinduism, Christianity, or Islam.[5] The book also describes how Vanier read Thomas Merton and practiced and was influenced by the spiritual exercises of the Jesuit founder and mystic St. Ignatius.
To learn through Rick Warren’s interview with Raymond Arroyo that Warren’s own “spiritual director” was trained under Jean Vanier is, at the very least, a key to understanding many of Warren’s actions and words in the past where he has expressed support for contemplative mystics and ecumenical/interspiritual efforts.
The New Roman Catholic Evangelization
If the delegation sent to Saddleback from Rome consisted of 30 Bishops, obviously this was a very significant event. What were the delegates discussing with Warren and his team? Warren provides the answer to that question in his interview:
[T]hey were talking about the New Evangelization and Saddleback has been very effective in reaching secular mindset. Our church is 33 years old. Easter 2014 at Saddleback is our 34th anniversary. And in 34 years, we’ve baptized 38,000 adults. Now, these are adult converts. People with no religious background. People who say, “I was nothing before I came to Saddleback.” So we figured out a way to reach that mindset. And I fully support your Catholic Church’s New Evangelization which basically says we’ve got to re-evangelize people who are Christian in name but not in heart. And they need a new fresh relationship to our Savior.
[6]
While Warren provides his stamp of approval on the Roman Catholic New Evangelization Program and makes it sound like the purpose is to win converts to Christ, there is much more to the picture than Warren describes. The Roman Catholic New Evangelization program is dedicated to win converts to the Roman Catholic Eucharistic Christ and obedience to the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. While Warren may call this “a new fresh relationship to our Savior,” he is overlooking what Catholics must believe in order to be a member of the Catholic Church. Either he is oblivious to this fact or he is willingly ignorant.
In a previous commentary we wrote called
Mysticism, Monasticism and the New Evangelization, we were able to document that contemplative mysticism provides the catalyst for the New Evangelization. Thus, Rome and Babylon join together to form a new form of ecumenical Christianity that fits the description of the harlot, the counterfeit bride, described in the book of Revelation, chapter 18.
The facts stare us in the face. Warren’s path to Rome is not only dangerous, it is biblically prophetic. Why do so few recognize what is happening? Do you know someone who is caught up in the deception but does not see what is going on? Maybe this would be a good time to pray God’s grace would open their eyes and they would see the truth of God’s word.
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The answer is simple. Bible-believing Christians are called to “contend for the faith” [1] . When a Christian leader publically makes statements or endorsements by saying or doing things that contradict the Bible, the leader needs to be addressed in a public manner so those who have been influenced can be put back on track.
While many professing Christians who embrace full blown ecumenical unity with Rome remain silent and see no harm with the direction Warren is headed, we are compelled to sound the alarm. In the previous four commentaries we have addressed several critical topics indicating Warren is headed down the road to Rome without hesitation. Some of these include:
Unity with Catholics and other religions for the cause of “religious liberty”
The PEACE Plan and the “faith sector” working together with all faiths
Warren and his “spiritual director” and the connection with Jean Vanier
The New Evangelization delegation from Rome to Saddleback
Now, in this commentary we will address what I consider the most blatant endorsement of Roman Catholicism revealed in his entire interview with EWTN. It was so revealing that even Raymond Arroyo expressed surprise when he asked Warren to comment on the following topic:
Tell me about your—the little breather you take in the day when you watch television. When we first met, you came up to me afterwards—I can’t believe you watch Chaplet of Divine Mercy. [2]
In response to Arroyo’s comment, Rick Warren expounded:
I’m an avid fan of EWTN. I make no bones about it. I probably watch it more than any Christian channel. Well, you know what? Because you have more, more, uh, shows that relate to history. And if you don’t understand the roots of our faith, that God had been working for 2,000 years, regardless of what brand of believer you are, God has been working for 2,000 years in His church. And if you don’t have those roots you’re like the cut flower syndrome. Or you’re a tumbleweed. [3]
Warren’s main reason for watching the Roman Catholic Eternal Word Television Network is to gain a knowledge and understanding of Christian history, then there is no question he is getting a biased one-sided view. While I admit I do not watch EWTN as much as Warren apparently does (and certainly not for the same reasons), I do know that a major part of Christian history dealing with the Reformation and the Counter-reformation is not one of the favorite topics presented. Perhaps a quick review of Fox’s Book of Martyrs would be a good balance for Warren and a reminder what happened to Christians who stood up against the pope of Rome and his Jesuit enforcers in the past for believing the Word of God rather than the word of man.
Notice carefully that Warren not only stated that EWTN was his favorite Christian Television Network he further offered that he had a favorite program he and his wife watch regularly on that network. When I first watched the entire EWTN interview, it was the statement Warren made at this point that became the motivating factor that triggered me to do this series. If Arroyo was shocked by this revelation, the best way to describe my reaction to his response would be astonished and outraged. In Warren’s own words:
One of my favorite shows, which you repeat often is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which I love. And when I’ve had a very stressful day, I’ll come home, I’ve got it taped and Kay and I will both, we’ll listen. We’ll put it on and just sit back, relax and worship. And in the time of reflection, meditation and quietness I find myself renewed and restored. So thank you for continuing to play the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. [4]
Arroyo responds to Warren’s statement, “Thank Mother Angelica.” [5] Warren than echoes, “Thank you, Mother Angelica”.
Mother Angelica, as we have previously documented was the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network. Among the programs making up the daily broadcasting schedule is “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy.” A description of this program provides background information:
The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is a Christian devotion based on the visions of Jesus reported by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), known as "the Apostle of Mercy." She was a Polish sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and canonized as a Catholic saint in 2000. Faustina stated that she received the prayer through visions and conversations with Jesus, who made specific promises regarding the recitation of the prayers. Her Vatican biography quotes some of these conversations. As a Roman Catholic devotion, the chaplet is often said as a rosary-based prayer with the same set of rosary beads used for reciting the Holy Rosary or the Chaplet of Holy Wounds, in the Roman Catholic Church. As an Anglican devotion, The Divine Mercy Society of the Anglican Church states that the chaplet can also be recited on Anglican prayer beads. The chaplet may also be said without beads, usually by counting prayers on the fingertips, and may be accompanied by the veneration of the Divine Mercy image. [6]
Note the reference to “the veneration of the Divine Mercy image” that is an essential component of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Further documentation provides additional information that will clarify that idolatry is the only
way to describe what is taking place:
The earliest element of the Devotion to the Divine Mercy revealed to St. Faustina was the Image. On February 22nd, 1931 Jesus appeared to her with rays radiating from His heart and said, Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and throughout the world. (Diary 47) I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I myself will defend it as My own glory. (Diary 48) I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature “Jesus, I trust in You." (Diary 327) [7]
