Q&A: Pastor Rick Warren in the New Age Movement?

We are starting a new category of posts so that everyone can benefit from the answers to some of the questions we receive through the website. Our first question is from Bernadette in Florida, USA.

Question: Good day! I just want to know your opinion about the involvement of Rick Warren in the New Age Movement, because I’ve read his book. Please comment on this to enlighten my mind. Thanks & God bless. – Bernadette M.

Answer: Many critics say that Pastor Rick’s actions show he supports the New Age movement, primarily because he works with Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and even homosexuals on humanitarian projects. He even collaborated with alleged New Age supporter Ken Blanchard in leadership conferences like Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit in 2005.

But consider these: (1) He is the pastor of Saddleback, a Bible-based church (Click here to see Saddleback’s statement of faith.).

(2) He clearly says that he is not a supporter of the New Age and has a clear stand on not making compromises for his convictions. Christianity Today Magazine asked him, “But as long as you’re working with groups of other faiths, where do you draw the line?” To this, he replied, “You never compromise your convictions. I’m not a champion of interfaith dialogue. I think most interfaith dialogue is a waste of time, because you just sit in a room and talk. You’re probably not going to convince a Muslim to change his views, and he’s probably not going to convince you to change your views about Christ. I am interested in interfaith projects. Can we work together on issues that apply to humanity like caring for the sick, assisting the poor, educating the next generation, ending corruption, and promoting reconciliation? I don’t have to agree with you and you don’t have to agree with me on everything, but I’m not insisting that you compromise your beliefs.” (Click here for the full interview.)

(3) Furthermore, I don’t see any New Age teaching in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life.” On the contrary, the five purposes he wrote in his book are very biblical (Worship God, Fellowship with Believers, Discipleship, Ministry, and Evangelism).

Pastor Rick’s ways maybe interpreted by some as very New Age, but the truth of the matter is, we all have different views on how we can be in the world but not of the world, on how we can be set apart for the Lord but at the same time impact the world for the Lord. CCF’s attitude about differences is: In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, charity. I believe that in most cases, the how is a non-essential matter.

Here’s an important reminder: let’s be like the Bereans, who kept checking everything with scripture. I think that many things – including Pastor Rick’s “Purpose Driven Life” and even preaching from the CCF pulpit – can be misinterpreted if one does not know what’s written in the Bible. So, I would like to encourage you to keep on reading, studying, and meditating on the Bible; that’s our only sure and full proof against wrong teaching – Avi Gan, CCF (GLC Level 2 Graduate)