Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Campaign

August 23, 2012 By 8 Comments

Don’t let Rick Warren’s diplomatic words give you the wrong idea. He didn’t cancel his planned Saddleback presidential forum — a reprisal of the of the Obama-McCain forum four years ago — because he was fed up with the “irresponsible personal attacks, mean-spirited slander, and flat-out dishonest attack ads” of both parties.

No, Warren the megabestselling megachurch leader threw in his moderator towel because intends to take sides in this election. As he explained to the Orange County Register, his paramount concern is the “crumbling of our constitution’s first guaranteed freedom: the freedom of religion.”

This, the Southern Baptist minister explained, is a much broader freedom than simply the “freedom to worship.” It entails “freedom from government intervention in you daily living out what you believe.” And it is under unprecedented threat as “government bureaucrats are daily trying to limit that freedom, impose restrictions, and stifle expressions of faith on campuses, in hospitals, and in businesses.”

Warren bemoaned these “widespread attempts to redefine the First Amendment to simply mean ‘You are free to believe anything at your place of worship but you are not free to practice your conscience elsewhere.’” He plans to have Catholic, Jewish and Muslim leaders in for a Saddleback forum in September to help “speak out for each other.”

Warren has told President Barack Obama he “adamantly disagree[s]” with his approach to religious liberty. He speculated that Mitt Romney “as a Mormon he’d obviously understand the importance of protecting all religions against persecution, and ensuring people’s rights to practice their conscience without government intervention.”

This means, if nothing else, that Warren won’t be praying at a second Obama inauguration.

Filed Under: Sermons and Soda Water 8 Comments
  • Charles ”Corky” Riley

    I would have met with them and dealt with all the issues and those dealing with them being mean spirited and dividing our country for political gain.

  • http://markbyron.typepad.com/main/ Mark Byron

    That will have the media upset; their favorite theological conservative evangelical went to the Dark Side. They have loved pointing to him as part of a less-political group of evangelical leaders that was willing to make common cause on things like AIDS and climate change… well, not quite as much as they hoped.

  • Deacon Jim Stagg

    You mean the mainstream media didn’t have access to your column before they reported their nonsense?

    Gee whiz, Mr. Lott, you need to make yourself more available to those benighted souls!

  • Frank

    But he might be praying as Romney gets sworn in.

  • http://www.rickmcopy.com Rick

    Remember when Rick Warren raised hell about waterboarding throughout the Bush years and sought to make human rights “his paramount concern”? Me either. Instead, Pastor Warren has his nose out of joint because he believes Obama is going to start bulldozing churches. Thanks for your selective/partisan outrage, Mr. Saddleback.

    • Sagrav

      I have to agree. Rick Warren is a huffy celebrity preacher who can’t stand the fact that President Obama occasionally advocates legislation without vetting said legislation with the mega-church community first.

  • THeim

    If that’s the reason for the cancellation, why would he schedule the forum in the first place? This “religious freedom” issue has been an issue for quite some time. Pastor Warren couldn’t possibly have just made up his mind about this! Your rationale makes no sense!

  • Bobby B.

    If anyone is upset with Rick Warren’s decision, they should urge Rev. Wright to hold a Presidential Forum. No doubt President Obama would be delighted to clear his fund-raising schedule to participate in the event. After that, it shouldn’t be hard to pressure Mr. Romney to show up.