Comment by ron thomas on Tuesday, Feb 26 at 03:51 AM

Rick Warren states rather matter of factly 8 minutes and 40 seconds or so into the intereview that he thinks the book became very populuar because "God wanted a platform"! Did I get this right? He is claiming God spoke to us through his writings? Holy smokes Batman! This guy takes the cake. Now he is a divine messanger? Maybe he mispoke or I misheard, but I reran his comments a couple times to make sure I heard him right. See if you hear it the same way. Persisting, Rose again asks why the book was so popular. He thinks people believe their lives lack fulfillment. He says God planned us. Its a book of hope and God has a purpose for us. Warren goes to Orange County, California. Hmmm. He goes to one of the richest, Republican counties in the country! Calls it the Saddleback Church! Suddenly, he's on the way to a best seller! Coincidence? He also admits the book says nothing new, just reiterates biblical teachings. He evangelizes. His goal is to get America's church from self centered consummerism to selfless giving... serving God by serving others, he says. Well, its all rocking and rolling for him, isn't it? But let's take Rick at his word and assume he is sincere. We don't know him that well to doubt him as a person, admittedly. But he says we won't get to Heaven without God's grace, not just our good works. He also says we all have a ticket to Heaven, regardless of our works on earth. He believes we need a 2nd reformation of the church... He says he thinks God likes variety.... he wants to bring the churchs back together....all denominations.. which he is seeing himself stimulating, by the way. He admits he only wanted to be a pastor of one church, something simple. But now he has this! 30 million hardbacks sold and a "mega" church. He says he is looking for the "man of peace" in every way of life, just as Jesus prescribed his Disciples to do, as he says. He is working for tolerance, he says. A Coalition for Civility, he says. Working from Jesus's M.O., he copies it by searching anyone for a person to work with, one who is "influential". If anyone doesn't want to work with him, he passes them by he says. Rick Warren is not a man of few words. Rose can't seem to get a word in edgewise. Warren is on a crusade to build a unified theology, ie his church, to promote Civility, as he calls it. Keeping it "simple" as he says early in the interview is not with brief talks, obviously. This was non-stop Rick Warren for the entire half hour! I wondered if he came up for air at all.