When he's not preaching hate to sell books, Rick Warren preaches modesty. He preaches helping the poor and fighting poverty. Rick Warren reverse tithes--or gives 90 percent of his income to charity and keeps 10 percent for himself. Even some of Warren's critics have praised him for this. The truth is Rick Warren is a very, very wealthy individual.
Rick Warren has sold 40 million books in the past thirteen years. The average price for a book is $19.95. Most authors get a 15 percent royalty on the books they write (authors of Warren's success may well get a higher percentage, but we'll be conservative here). All this means that Warren has sold $798 million worth of books. Warren's take--15% of $798 million--is $119,700,000. So even if Warren "tithed" 90% of his income, he still kept $11,970,000 for his own personal use. That is more money than most people will make in their lives. And it is certainly not what Jesus did.
Before, I get to what Jesus did, I have a few questions for Rick Warren. Since you think that my gay friends are the equivalent pedophiles and people who commit incest, how long should we sentence them to jail? Is 5 years enough, or do we need to be "tough on gays" and toss them in a cell for 15 years? After they are released, should they have to register as sex offenders? Mr. Warren's bigoted comparisons indicate that he thinks that this would be fine and acceptable.
I have more questions for Mr. Warren. Did Jesus ever come across sinful people in his travels? Did he ever run into gays, or prostitutes, in his travels? Did he condemn them with the same language you have used this week? The answer is, of course, that Jesus did indeed come across all sorts of unique individuals in his travels. In fact, he sought them out, and embraced them. That passage, which Mr. Warren conveniently has amnesia about as he spreads hate to sell books, is in the Bible too:
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:17.
The message of that verse, which is also the underlying message of the entire New Testament, just doesn't sell as many books, I guess. Jesus specifically didn't condemn the many sinners he encountered in his life. Instead, Jesus embraces sinners as diverse as homosexuals, prostitutes, tax collectors, corrupt local politicians, adulterers and, of course, his executioners. Sadly, for fame-seeking, power-hungry pastors like Rick Warren, following the true message of the Bible is a dead end. Instead, they pick and choose the versus they emphasize, and in so doing create a religion that is decidedly not what Jesus had in mind.