Raves, Rants & Roses

RE-READ: I hope your readers read Patrick Butler’s Aug. 16 column. It is very enlightening and provides a warning we all should heed.

The column is about Rick Warren, pop-star pastor of a megachurch in Orange County, Calif. (This church is not exactly located in the Bible Belt.) Frankly, I am suspicious of the motive of this powerful pastor, author of the “Purpose Driven Life.” I am not sure I agree with the millions of “late-adapters of his conservative church.” I am not sure “old-fashioned conservatives” should trust one pastor with so much power and influence. I would be much more comfortable with this forum if there were other pastors present to ask about their concerns. Why wasn’t James Dobson, Franklin Graham and other well-known pastors from different denominations invited?

Barack Obama agreed to this forum just a little too quickly. Republicans should be aware this could be a set-up. Many Christian leaders take the verse “Love thy neighbor as thyself” out of context. Taken literally this verse could be used to justify socialism. One problem with liberals is they are not generous with their own money, but they want to force everyone else to fulfill their own dreams for the world. Their misguided understanding of “world missions” leads them to believe the United States government has an obligation to be the caretaker for the world. This is socialism and I don’t thing God approves of this.

Pastor Rick Warren may not have an agenda of his own. He could be genuine. But Christians should pay close attention. They should watch for inconsistencies and be ready to point them out if there are any.

Mary Lou Bruner
Tyler