RE: Saddleback.com Web Form Submission
Thanks for your inquiry. Pastor Rick has responded publicly to this question many times.
The rumor is called "Chrislam." Saddleback Church and Pastor Rick are not involved in "Chrislam" in any way. Pastor Rick is not the promoter of "Chrislam," the Koran is not placed in our worship center, we are not reading from the Koran, we are not interweaving the faiths, and have not taken down crosses. (We have crosses all over the church property—three on a small hill in front of the children's building; one atop the church building; and at our San Juan Saddleback campus, three fifty foot crosses are illuminated on a hill that commuters can see for miles.) Also, we are not a part of a "one world religion," are not "New Age," and Pastor Rick would NEVER deny the deity of Christ! We believe the Holy Bible is the only inspired, inerrant Word of God. Pastor Rick was quoted as saying in his interview with John Piper when asked if the Muslim God and the Christian God are the same, "My God looks like Jesus Christ…if your God doesn't look like Jesus then the God we worship cannot be the same….sorry."
You can also read what Pastor Warren says for himself below. This is an answer he posted in the comment section of a blog where others had attacked him:
"Several of the above comments are completely incorrect, based on believing 2nd hand false rumors instead of finding out the facts before speaking up. 'Only a fool believes all he hears.' Proverbs 14:15
"The so-called 'Chrislam' rumor is 100% false. If the guy who started this libelous myth, or anyone else who passed it on, had obeyed our Lord's command (Matt. 18:18-20) to come directly to me, and then asked what I actually believed - they would have been embarrassed to learn that I believe the exact opposite. As a 4th generation Christian pastor, my life & ministry is built on the truth that Jesus is the only way, and our inerrant Bible is our only true authority.
"As an evangelist, I spend much of my time speaking to non-Christian groups. You cannot win your enemies to Christ; only your friends, so we must build bridges of friendship and love to those who believe differently so Jesus can walk across that bridge into their hearts. Besides, it is not a sin, but rather COMMANDED by Jesus that we love our enemies. In the past 10 years, Saddleback Church has baptized over 22,000 new adult believers- simply because we express love to those who don't know Christ yet.
"It is nonsense to believe that you must compromise your belief or water down your convictions in order to love someone, or even just treat them with dignity. Jesus was called 'the friend of sinners' by the legalistic Pharisees because he hung out with (and clearly loved) unbelievers. I HOPE YOU will: 1) Always believe that EVERYONE needs Jesus as their Lord & Savior; 2) Have the courage to associate with nonbelievers in order to love them and bring them to the Savior; 3) Consider being called 'a friend of sinners' a Christ-like compliment; and 4) Refuse to pass on rumors until you've checked for the truth with the person accused. The false statements above should be removed."
We are an Evangelical church that believes in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as the ONLY way to reconciliation with God. We stand for the truth.
If you'd like to know more about Rick's sound doctrinal beliefs, you can check out his interview with John Piper at http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/john-piper-interviews-rick-warren-on-doctrine.
Thanks for following God's Word (Matthew 18) and coming directly to us for the truth!
Blessings,
Dennis
Volunteer Assistant
Office of the Pastor
PastorRick@saddleback.com
