This short piece at Apprising Ministries was inspired by an excellent post at the fine website A Little Leaven: A Museum of Idolatry called Rick Warren’s Top 5 List on the Things Jesus Did on While He Was on The Earth and the question is asked: “How on earth could Rick Warren, a CHRISTIAN PASTOR miss Jesus’ death and resurrection?”

Well, this is the key question because the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ–the very heart of the Gospel of God itself–did not even find its way into Rick Warren’s Top 5 list of what Jesus did while He was upon His earth in a piece that originated at BeliefNet.com.

Here’s what Warren says:

It’s the five things Jesus did when He was here on earth. What did Jesus do when He was here on earth?

The first thing He did was He planted a church…

The second thing He did is He equipped leaders. He spent three years training these disciples.

The third thing He did is He cared for the poor. In fact, in his very first sermon, he says, “I am here to preach the gospel–the good news–to the poor”… He cared about the poor.

Fourth, He healed the sick…one-third of His ministry was a health ministry.

And then the fifth thing was He taught… He was an educator… And particularly He cared about the next generation. And He said, “Let the little children come unto Me for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Online source)

For someone to claim to have been a Christian for as long as Rick Warren, and to be a pastor-teacher supposedly sent by the Lord, Warren shows an alarmingly low understanding of Jesus Christ and His mission. As was already noted there’s no mention by Warren of Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection from the dead, without which we would all be most miserable people still in need of a Savior.

Then beyond that, in these Top 5 “bullet point” items Warren can be clearly seen reading in his own Peter Drucker-like CEO leadership bent while also revealing an extremely superficial understanding of the Scriptures that he kinda-sorta quotes. Yes, Messiah did preach the “good news” to the poor, but the Bible is speaking here of the poor in spirit, oppressed by Satan and under the wrath of God. And so Jesus says – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:3, NASB)

But Warren, in an apparent attempt to placate the world attempts to twist the Scriptures into meaning the poor monetarily. However, playing loose with God’s Word is something genuine Christians–and most assuredly ministers sent of Christ–will simply not do. So to people who would dare do that Jesus says – “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them” (1 John 4:5).

And Warren finishes by quoting Jesus saying – “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). But the Master is not talking here about developing the next generation, which is likely Warren bowing to the alleged “emerging generation,” but as Dr. John MacArthur–a real man of God–points out “Christ used them as an illustration of those who make up the Kingdom.” Jesus is using their “child-like” faith and trust as an example in order to humble the proud who wish to enter the kingdom their own way.

Now in fairness, along with the Curator of A Little Leaven, we point out that this “interview on beliefnet.com was about Warren’s ‘Second Reformation’. (That’s Warren’s own personal reformation of Deeds NOT Creeds.)” Still however, I find myself in agreement as the Curator then goes on to say:

We admit that Jesus’ death and resurrection sure do sound creedal and mentioning them in an interview about Warren’s Second Reformation would probably confuse people.

But here is something to think about… since Warren isn’t willing to affirm Jesus’ death and resurrection as part of his Second Reformation we probably shouldn’t even call it a ‘Christian’ Reformation. No movement that is truly Christian would ever consciously omit Christ’s death and resurrection, would it?

And as we look at all of this one might now have very good reason to conclude that America’s Purpose Driven Pastor Rick Warren is an amazingly immature “Christ-Follower” at best and indeed he just might not even be a Christian at all…