Latest news with #ThePurposeDrivenLife
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Social media pounces on Rick Warren tweet about Jesus: 'You'll find him in the middle'
Rick Warren faced a raft of backlash on X in response to a post in which he referred to the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus, and declared, "If you're looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you'll find him in the middle, not on either side." Warren, the author of the popular book "The Purpose Driven Life," founded Saddleback Church with his wife Kay in 1980, according to His Feb. 11 post has earned thousands of replies and more than 3 million views. Trump Announces Executive Order Creating Task Force To 'Eradicate Anti-christian Bias' Seth Dillon, the CEO of the satire site the Babylon Bee, sarcastically quipped, "Yeah, because if there's one thing Jesus was known for, it was his desire to meet in the middle and compromise on the issues that matter most." "This is possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I've ever seen, and that's really saying something," conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey declared. "Jesus is not 'in the middle' on the murder of children, gender deception, the definition of marriage, or anything else, for that matter. In fact, I seem to remember Him having a particular disdain for the lukewarm." Read On The Fox News App Candace Cameron Bure Feels People Are 'Less Afraid Of Being Canceled' In Hollywood For Their Faith "What happens when the authorial intent of a biblical text is discarded? The text becomes a wax nose, bent according to our own intent. Case in point," Brad Klassen, a professor at The Master's Seminary, wrote regarding Warren's post. David Limbaugh, the brother of the late conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh, tweeted, "Meaningless mush," adding, "with all due respect." Southern Baptists Reject Rick Warren-founded Church's Appeal Of Ouster Over Female Pastors In his most recent tweet prior to the one that came under so much scrutiny, Warren had written, "Jesus: "Whoever #serves me must #FOLLOW me." Jn 12:26," adding, "Seems obvious, right? But while serving Jesus in ministry, we can stop #following Him! Instead, we start following politicians, podcasters, or peers-and our vision, values & priorities come from social media, not Jesus. #bad"Original article source: Social media pounces on Rick Warren tweet about Jesus: 'You'll find him in the middle'
Fox News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Social media pounces on Rick Warren tweet about Jesus: 'You'll find him in the middle'
Rick Warren faced a raft of backlash on X in response to a post in which he referred to the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus, and declared, "If you're looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you'll find him in the middle, not on either side." Warren, the author of the popular book "The Purpose Driven Life," founded Saddleback Church with his wife Kay in 1980, according to His Feb. 11 post has earned thousands of replies and more than 3 million views. Seth Dillon, the CEO of the satire site the Babylon Bee, sarcastically quipped, "Yeah, because if there's one thing Jesus was known for, it was his desire to meet in the middle and compromise on the issues that matter most." "This is possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I've ever seen, and that's really saying something," conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey declared. "Jesus is not 'in the middle' on the murder of children, gender deception, the definition of marriage, or anything else, for that matter. In fact, I seem to remember Him having a particular disdain for the lukewarm." "What happens when the authorial intent of a biblical text is discarded? The text becomes a wax nose, bent according to our own intent. Case in point," Brad Klassen, a professor at The Master's Seminary, wrote regarding Warren's post. David Limbaugh, the brother of the late conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh, tweeted, "Meaningless mush," adding, "with all due respect." In his most recent tweet prior to the one that came under so much scrutiny, Warren had written, "Jesus: "Whoever #serves me must #FOLLOW me." Jn 12:26," adding, "Seems obvious, right? But while serving Jesus in ministry, we can stop #following Him! Instead, we start following politicians, podcasters, or peers-and our vision, values & priorities come from social media, not Jesus. #bad"
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Faith Works: Have mercy: Worship doesn't always have to be 'exciting,' nor should it be
COLUMNISTS Jeff Gill Guest columnist An online etymology dictionary says of 'Mercy (n.): (the origin of the word dates to the) late 12th century, 'God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses,' from Old French 'mercit, merci' (9th century) 'reward, gift; kindness, grace, pity,' … in Vulgar Latin 'favor, pity;' … in Church Latin (6th century) it was given a specific application to the heavenly reward earned by those who show kindness to the helpless and those from whom no requital can be expected.' There's been an ongoing reaction to a preacher asking a president to have mercy. Yet she did ask, and there was little if any specific insistence on what that mercy would be. To ask for mercy of a sovereign is a request that still acknowledges their power but asks of them a use that might not be the full exercise of what they could do. What they should do is still up to them. Nothing rude or overbearing about that. Just a simple plea from the pulpit: Have mercy. Faith Works:Despite the marks bad news can leave, goodness endures Where I specifically don't agree with President Donald Trump's reaction is in his initial retort to a reporter asking him about the service. His reply on the West Wing colonnade was, "Not very exciting. Did you think it was exciting?" Of course there was more pointed criticism later on social media, calling the bishop "nasty" (his go-to insult for women in any role, it seems), but he went on to reassert, '...the service was a very boring and uninspiring one.' So, I'd like to focus on his initial response: "Not very exciting." This is a challenge many clergy face, and when leaders press the 'make it exciting" button in such a public setting, it's going to trigger a surge of similar criticisms for local ministers, well beyond any policy-oriented preaching or political overtones. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Worship is not always exciting. Or as Rick Warren said in his best-selling 'The Purpose Driven Life': "It's not about you." There's a question of spiritual formation here around what people have been taught to expect of an occasion for spiritual assembly. If "Is it exciting?" becomes the primary measure of a quality service, then exciting worship becomes the expected norm. And I can hear the objections already: Why shouldn't it be exciting? Why can't each service be exciting, moving, uplifting and transforming? Isn't that what you preachers and worship leaders are supposed to be crafting and delivering — a compelling service of sermon and song and excitement? Routine and ritual and regular rhythms of the Christian year, quiet devotion and corporate thanksgiving — all that might be set aside in the pursuit of excitement. Psalmody, unison prayer, even silence might all get tossed onto the ash-heap of history in favor of jarring percussion, driving chords, startling graphics and, yes, fog machines. When I'm preaching, my walk-up song isn't "Crazy Train," it's more likely to be "Surely the Presence," or even the "Gloria Patri." I think good worship even includes sometimes choosing the live musician that isn't so good versus the recorded track that slaps. Faith Works:Limits of understanding and extensions of faith I know, many of my clerical friends are concerned about other aspects of the aftermath of that "Service of Prayer for the Nation." But I'm haunted in parallel with that reflexive, "Not very exciting." It's a tendency that doesn't need encouragement. Quite the opposite. Let William Shakespeare have the last word, from Portia's speech in 'The Merchant of Venice': "The quality of mercy is not strained/ It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven/ Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:/ It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. "'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes/ The throned monarch better than his crown..." Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller and preacher in central Ohio; he's preached a few unexciting sermons in his time. Tell him where you think mercy could be a gentle rain at knapsack77@ or follow @Knapsack77 on Threads or Bluesky.
