Barnabas File

Rick Warren has been one of the most influential pastors in Baptist life for the past forty years.     Under his leadership Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, became a flagship for many evangelicals including a number pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention, the tribe with which Saddleback chose to align itself.     I would say that he was a major influence on a generation of pastoral leaders.   There is much to admire about Warren and his leadership.  Although he identifies as a conservative theologically, in recent years he has been criticized as not being conservative enough, especially on the role of women in church leadership.   Warren chose to take a major role in the recent Southern Baptist Convention meeting in New Orleans, seeking to overturn the decision to expel Saddleback from the SBC because its ordination of women leaders showed that it was not in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC.  He was also a vocal propo...

Let me be very clear.     I am a former Southern Baptist who attended Southwestern Seminary.   When I was a young minister, fellow alum Rick Warren was a role model for pastors.     He was not only a challenging teacher and preacher, but he was emerging as a successful church planter with Saddleback Community Church. It is now one of the largest congregations affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.   My respect for Warren as a pastor continues.  I have a couple of his books on my bookshelf.  Due to some family experiences, Warren has been a strong champion for Christians to address mental health issues.   He championed evangelicals fighting AIDS overseas.  In recent years, he led the Saddleback church to ordain three women as staff pastors. His successors in pastoring Saddleback will be a married couple with the wife recognized as “teaching pastor.”   Even so, Warren misses the boat on some key issues.  ...