Rick Warren ... Syria

Did Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Live, do the wrong thing by going to Syria and saying the things he did?

Sorry, I'm not up on the news, could you give a brief overview of what he said?

Rick Warren said he could find no persecution of Christians or Jews in Syria and that he could find no evidence of extremism, no evidence of sthe sponsorship of terrorism. He seems to be playing into the political aspects of this area and would detract from the positive aspects of his ministry in general.

I'm not sure about the facts of all this, but I would trust Voice of the Martyrs, and some of the other ministries who work there on a day to day basis, evaluations more than I would trust Mr. Warren. Many popular folks have been fooled by "tourist" trips before this. I have heard him interviewed on other topics and came away with very mixed feelings about him. He seems vague. I have not, nor do I intend to read The Purpose Driven Life, even though our church really pushed it. Some books seem to ride a wave of popularity, then fade quickly. I do hope it helps people, I would just rather read my Bible for inspiration. I trust its Author more.

Tell me more about Voice of the Martyrs. Is this a group you or your church helps on a regular basis?

Voice of the Martyrs is one of many groups who minister to persecuted Christians around the world. My family has helped them in various ways as we are able. This is the online link I found for them.

www.persecution.com

Mrs. Lee,
Don't have much insight on Warren's political statements. I agree that others speak with greater clarity than a visitor.

You ought to give PD Life a try. I checked your library & you read a wide selection of good books -- more than just the Bible. There is definitely a publicity machine pushing PDL, but that doesn't diminish the value of the book. There's enough meat for it to outlast "fad" status. Make a little room for Warren on your shelf!

I often avoid "puffed" books, so I resisted reading PDL for some time. Our church did the 40 Days of Purpose churchwide and started small groups. I wound up leading one and was impressed with the curriculum. (One problem was that we were encouraged to invite seekers and after the first session, the curriculum just assumes all are believers.)

I faithfully read PDL daily and was pleased with the amount of Scripture in this bestselling book. I kept wondering how many secular buyers actually read it all and its effect on them.

I have recently been saddened by Rick Warren's pronouncements on global warming, his association with abortion-supporting politicians, and this naive reaction to Syria. A bit offtrack from his "purpose," I'm afraid.

You make a good argument. His book is a good read; however, I did not learn that he had visited Syria; perhaps for research? at any length, Syria for the most part has been very active in the news, where I am looking at the friendship of both Turkey and Iran while Syria and Iraq may cause some Damascus trouble, biblically. What are your thoughts?