Christian Post informs us that Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren has gotten out his handy-dandy Play-Doh Bible again:

American pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren praised Rwanda’s Vision 2020 plan, which seeks to develop the country into a middle-income economy by the year 2020. The popular preacher and social advocate visited Rwanda over the weekend to check up on the progress of his PEACE initiative-funded projects in the country.

“I have read about Rwanda’s Vision 2020. It is very good,” said Warren, in response to Rwanda’s plan, according to the Rwandan newspaper New Times. “The Bible says that without vision people perish.”

Well, as usual with Rick Warren, The New Charles Finney, and the purpose driving his Scripture-stretching repainted social gospel there’s more to the story. The verse Warren refers to is Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, the people perish. You see, this is only the first part of the verse; here’s the rest, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he (KJV).

So what we are dealing with in that verse, as noble as Warren’s "P.E.A.C.E." plan is, becomes a bit clearer in the NASB – Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law (NASB). The point of this proverb is to teach us that when God sends no true preachers and shepherds who faithfully proclaim His Word the people have no prophetic vision (e.g. Amos 8:11-13).

The NIV translation of the verse brings this out – Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law (NIV). Without men of God teaching the actual truths of God’s Law–His Word–people lack revelation as to His actual character. So when this happens…well, they begin to follow semi-pelagian men like Rick Warren and Rob Bell who – speak as from the world, and the world listens to them (1 John 4:5).  

The truth is that those not in Christ are slaves to sin (Romans 6:6) and have been judged already (John 3:18). So the verse Warren quotes means that because the unregenerate cannot live up to God’s Law, without faithful Christians preaching the Truth of the Gospel to them, the sinners cast off retraint and go further into sin. And if the Lord doesn’t grant them repentance the people perish–forever, in Hell.

However, the good news is that Christ Jesus has already lived God’s Law perfectly and those who repent of their sin and give themselves to Him will be saved. This is the message the people of Rwanda truly need to hear and not some man-pleasing purpose driven drivel.