Rick Warren disavows support for Prop. 8
OneNewsNow–California mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren says he apologized to his homosexual friends for making comments in support of California’s Proposition 8, and now claims he “never once even gave an endorsement” of the marriage amendment.
Monday night on CNN’s Larry King Live, Pastor Rick Warren apologized for his support of Prop. 8, California’s voter-approved marriage protection amendment, saying he has “never been and never will be” an “anti-gay or anti-gay marriage activist.”
“During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never — never once even gave an endorsement in the two years Prop. 8 was going,” Warren claimed.
However, just two weeks before the November 4 Prop. 8 vote, Pastor Warren issued a clear endorsement of the marriage amendment while speaking to church members. “We support Proposition 8 — and if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8,” he said.
The following is a complete transcript of Warren’s comments just weeks before the Prop. 8 election:
“The election’s coming just in a couple of weeks, and I hope you’re praying about your vote. One of the propositions, of course, that I want to mention is Proposition 8, which is the proposition that had to be instituted because the courts threw out the will of the people. And a court of four guys actually voted to change a definition of marriage that has been going for 5,000 years.
“Now let me say this really clearly: we support Proposition 8 — and if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8. I never support a candidate, but on moral issues I come out very clear.
“This is one thing, friends, that all politicians tend to agree on. Both Barack Obama and John McCain, I flat-out asked both of them: what is your definition of marriage? And they both said the same thing — it is the traditional, historic, universal definition of marriage: one man and one woman, for life. And every culture for 5,000 years, and every religion for 5,000 years, has said the definition of marriage is between one man and a woman.
“Now here’s an interesting thing. There are about two percent of Americans [who] are homosexual or gay/lesbian people. We should not let two percent of the population determine to change a definition of marriage that has been supported by every single culture and every single religion for 5,000 years.
“This is not even just a Christian issue — it’s a humanitarian and human issue that God created marriage for the purpose of family, love, and procreation.
“So I urge you to support Proposition 8, and pass that word on. I’m going to be sending out a note to pastors on what I believe about this. But everybody knows what I believe about it. They heard me at the Civil Forum when I asked both Obama and McCain on their views.”
During his CNN interview on Monday, Warren expressed regret for backing Prop. 8. “There were a number of things that were put out. I wrote to all my gay friends — the leaders that I knew — and actually apologized to them. That never got out,” he admitted.
Additionally, Pastor Warren said he did not want to comment on or criticize the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision last week to legalize same-sex “marriage” because it was “not his agenda.”
Bryan Fischer with the Idaho Values Alliance says Warren is abdicating his biblical role as a pastor. “For Pastor Warren to say that shoring up marriage is not something that’s on his agenda is just something that’s hard to believe for somebody who believes the Bible is our rule for faith and practice,” Fischer notes.
Dr. Jim Garlow, the senior pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa, helped spearhead the Prop. 8 effort in California. Garlow admits he is confused and troubled by Pastor Warren’s decision to apologize for supporting Prop. 8.
“Historically when institutions and individuals back away from convictional biblical truth, it is driven primarily by one single factor — and that is the respectability of other people. In other words, much more caring about what other people think about them than what God thinks about them,” he concludes.
Pastor Warren did not respond to a request from OneNewsNow for an interview.
How sad that Warren would ditch the Bible for political correctness. Perhaps there’ll be a spot for him in the Obama administration now.
Too late for Rick Warren – he is anti-gay. He has asked Gay People to leave his church…oh yes he has. He lets them stay for the sermon but then they are approached following and told they are not welcome. So much for being a person of Jesus. While I am happy that he has taken a step back from his views on gay marriage, it still stings and it still hurts.
This message is directly to Rick Warren,Do you believe the Word of God or not? Does God change? Human beings are so tossed about by every wind of doctrine…Are you trying to please people rather than God? Why did God destroy Sodom & Gomorah?Perhaps so 2000+ years later you,Rick,could call God a liar…Let’s twist and turn Gods Word to say what we want it to say rather than what God has said…Rick you have a tremendous amount of influence…think about this…Are you a man of God or not? Are you instant in season and out of season ready to preach the TRUTH or not? Our prayers are with you to be spiritually correct NOT politically correct which really isn’t correct AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rick,
Just how many millions of dollars have you made with your books?
Should we just “burn” them, since they are a product of a “confused use to be believer” and we can no longer believe any thing you say?
This is the most amazing transformation we are all witnessing!
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/577459.aspx i hope this might ease a bit of the fuss.
To be sure, the preservation of the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman, for life, is what proposition 8 is all about. In my country, the Philippines’ Family Code defines marriage in the traditional way. It is between a man and a woman.
Any other definitions of marriage can therefore be legally opposed. Thus, if the Legislative or even the Supreme Court is inclined to change the traditional definition of marriage, then initiative can be made by the people to oppose said move.
It is my conclusion that this stand has nothing to do with being anti-gay. Opposing same sex marriage can be advocated for by anyone in accordance to his convictions.
In my personal observation, true gays [have intercourse with] the same sex as theirs. This practice is contrary to nature. Gays fucking each other do not pro-create. And pro-creation is a universal and humanitarian concern. Thus, anyone can participate in expressing his opinion on the matter of same sex marriage as this issue is also his concern as part of humanity.
However, making an impression on gays with terms like incest or pedophilia is another thing. These are defined crimes under the law; thus if Pastor Rick Warren indeed made such statements, then, his apology on this matter of tagging gay activities with incest and pedophilia is proper.
In other words, Rick Warren’s firm stand in opposing any and all same sex marriage is not a matter that is to be apologized for. Thus, his advocacy on the disallowance of same sex marriage in California is not a matter to be apologized for. I think he did not apologized for supporting Proposition 8. He apologized for making an impression that same sex relationships are equivalent to incest and phedophilia. Incest and phedophilia, i repeat, are defined crimes. Accusing someone of a crime is a matter that can be apologized for.
This is what i think.
If Our Savior wanted marriage to be between a man and a man or a woman and a woman then it would show up in the bible but its not it clearly shows that marriage is between a man and a woman a sin is a sin we can repent or go against our lord who created us and a mans physical traits fit with a women physical traits not another man