Wolves Among the Sheep > Is Rick Warren losing it? Is it time to retire?

 

Last year I called for the retirement of Archbishop Justin Welby three times before he finally stepped down after being out of touch with reality. Today, I'm calling for Rick Warren to step down after a dreadfully poor analogy of Christ on the Cross is liable to lead his flock astray.

Rick Warren's political interpretation of Crucifixion draws Christians' ire: 'Embarrassing'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Rick Warren, founder and former pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., appeals the removal of the church from the Southern Baptist Convention during an afternoon session of the SBC annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 13, 2023. | Flickr/Baptist Press/Sonya Singh

Saddleback Church founder and former senior pastor Rick Warren drew scorn on social media for implying that Jesus Christ would be a political centrist today because He was crucified between two thieves.

"'They crucified Jesus with two others — one on each side & Jesus in the middle," Warren tweeted Tuesday, quoting John 19:18. "The guys on both sides were thieves. If you’re looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you’ll find him in the middle, not on either side."

John 19:18 “They crucified Jesus with two others-one on each side & Jesus in the middle.”

The guys on both sides were thieves.

If you’re looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you’ll find him in the middle, not on either side. pic.twitter.com/wYmLyayqsZ

— Rick Warren (@RickWarren) February 11, 2025

Several prominent Christian voices on X took the bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life to task for what they deemed a questionable application of the biblical text.

"If you’re going to misuse the story this bad, you should also point out that the thief on the Right is the one that went to heaven lol," tweeted Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry.

Justin Peters, who heads a worldwide expository preaching and teaching ministry, rebuked Warren for what he characterized as sloppy biblical interpretation.

"This is, sadly, typical of Rick Warren's approach to scripture," wrote Peters. "This would have been laughed out of biblical hermeneutics on day 1. Basic hermeneutics dictates that you strive for authorial intent, and this is definitively NOT the point the author was making. This is not only embarrassing, it is inexcusable."

Others accused Warren of exhibiting the lukewarmness that Jesus warned against.

"Your Jesus sounds more like a lukewarm moderate in your own image," tweeted Aaron Edwards, a theology lecturer at Cliff College in Derbyshire, England, who was terminated in 2023 after he tweeted in opposition to homosexuality.

Ryan Visconti, pastor of the Arizona-based Generation Church, suggested Warren's call for political moderation among American Christians has become antiquated and effectively impossible given what much of the Left supports today.

"How would one be 'in the middle' on abortion, mutilating kid’s genitals, homosexuality, open borders, DEI, CRT, etc? There’s no middle ground between evil and righteousness. You’re wrong, Pastor Rick. Your approach made sense in 1990, but not today," he wrote.

Author and podcast host Eric Metaxas echoed Visconti's sentiment, calling Warren's tweet "misleading posturing."

"What does it even mean? Shall we be 'in the middle' when it comes to standing against killing babies or mutilating kids or corruption in our own govt? There is a time to be bold as lions against evil! That's not 'partisan.' It's the Lord's will," he wrote.

Attorney Jenna Ellis tweeted that Warren should "be embarrassed to call yourself a pastor."

"Jesus is not a moderate or 'in the middle' when it comes to truth. To characterize him as such simply because of the placement of his cross is perverting an historical fact into a symbolic meaning to serve your own ideological agenda," she added.

"It's so bad my jaw is on floor," author and Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham wrote in response to Ellis' tweet.

Basham, who has written extensively about the infiltration of left-wing financial interests in the American church, also suggested that Warren's widespread influence in the Evangelical world might have contributed to its present theological weakness.

"The fact that this is the pastor from whom millions of Americans found spiritual guidance for years explains a lot about the state of our theology," she wrote.

"With every post, Rick Warren proves the wisdom of Southern Baptists in kicking him out," wrote William Wolfe, who serves as executive director at the Center for Baptist Leadership.

In 2023, the Southern Baptist Convention upheld the removal of Saddleback Church from the denomination for permitting a woman to serve in the office of teaching pastor, despite an impassioned plea from Warren.

A website devoted to Warren's bestselling book touts him as "America's most influential spiritual leader," and notes how he "is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Pacific Council on International Policy," and has delivered addresses to international bodies such as the World Economic Forum.

Perhaps he should convert to Catholicism, he should get along well with the Pope.

======================================================

Wolves Among the Sheep > Justin Welby prayed against Israel - now he's gone!

 

Welby prayed God would turn the world

against Israel and was judged for it

Nov 15, 2024 | Christians Against Anti-Semitism, News

Justin Welby has resigned as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Recently, Welby came out strongly against Israel, denying the Biblical rights of Jews to the land, and many are now asking whether this has brought God’s judgement upon him. It is a lesson that all Christian leaders should learn from.

Jesus told us that the world would hate us just as He was first hated by the world (John 15:18-19). And Paul teaches us that we are not to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2) but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

As leader of the Church of England his role should have been to challenge the world. To hold the government and authorities in Britain to account according to the teachings of the Bible. Welby was supposed to defend the faith, not transform Christianity to fit the politics of the day.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” – Matthew 5:13

The Church cannot be salt and light if it is indistinguishable from the world. It has no value to God. Sadly, Justin Welby was conforming to the ways of the world and rejecting Biblical truth.

At CUFI, we are fully committed to the Godly cause of Israel. We speak of little else. Our supporters have raised several issues they had with other teachings of Justin Welby, but we are not going to cover those topics today. We are only looking at it from his stand on Israel. Ultimately, it seems it was his anti-Israel stance that brought him down.

In August, Archbishop Welby released a statement on the ‘Two-State Solution’ and called for Israel and Jewish removal from all of Judea and Samaria, including East Jerusalem.

These areas rightfully belong to Israel, including the Old City of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives (where Jesus will return) and the Tomb of the Patriarchs to name a few. Welby wanted to remove the Jewish rights to these places and give them to Islamists.

CUFI wrote an article about it which went into seven reasons why the Archbishop’s stance was unbiblical and out of order. You can read that https://www.cufi.org.uk/news/seven-reasons-why-archbishop-welbys-statement-on-israel-is-unbiblical-and-out-of-order”>here.

Ultimately, God warns that Jerusalem will be a heavy stone for all who try to lift it. And that includes Christian leaders.

“And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” – Zechariah 12:3-4

Welby’s statement in August made clear the Archbishop’s stance. He said, “Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unlawful and needs to end as rapidly as possible.” And he wrote this based on biased statements from ungodly global bodies.

Welby forgot that the Bible is the final authority on Israel’s legality. God’s law is infallible. International law is not. The legal text for Israel’s status is written down in the pages of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all their descendants, are the rightful heirs of the land as decreed by God.

Not only did Welby replace God’s word with man’s, but he also encouraged the world to go against God.

“It is imperative that governments around the world reaffirm their unwavering commitment to all decisions by the International Court of Justice, irrespective of the situation,” wrote Welby.

Then Welby wrote his most egregious comment: “I pray that all UN member states respond positively to this Advisory Opinion.”

Not only was Welby urging the world to turn against Israel, Welby said he was praying, talking to God, that He might turn all the nations of the world against Israel.

Think about it for a moment. He was asking the God of Israel who made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to turn the world against Israel and the Jews.

How foolish!

God is clear that anyone who tries to remove Jerusalem will be cut into pieces. Likewise, anyone who touches Israel touches the apple of God’s eye (Zecheriah 2:8).

What could possibly lead an Archbishop to have the audacity to demand from God that He rescind His eternal promise, reject the people whom He foreknew, rewrite Scripture, and ask God to turn all nations against the thing God loves? It was far worse than just poking God in the eye, and it wasn’t God leading Welby to make such unbiblical statements.

Three times this year, before this story broke, I have called for Welby's resignation. Each time it appeared that Welby's decisions were not those of a godly man, but those of one who has departed from God. 

Is this possible? Martin Luthor once spoke against the Jews, although this may have come shortly after the death of his youngest and favourite daughter.

I know by experience that it is possible to depart from the Lord for a season. I believe Welby will find his way back into fellowship with the Lord, but he definitely needs to step down from his lofty position.

At CUFI, we seek to follow the Lord and obey His commands. We fully believe and accept that God knows what He is doing and compared to Him we know nothing. We do not have the audacity to think we know better than God. We fear the Lord.

Welby learned the hard way that compromising the truths of the Bible is a bad move. He had already lost a lot of respect from the Church for various ways in which he pandered to the world. Now, he’s lost the respect of the world too. And it was all because he tried to please the world rather than God. He lost his flavour, turned against Israel, conformed to the world, and it seems he was judged for it; losing his position and having his legacy cut to pieces.

We will of course be praying for Justin Welby and for his successor. The Church of England needs Godly leaders who will stand up for Biblical truth and be salt and light in this dark and evil world.

===============================================================================

Wolves Among the Sheep > Senior Pastor - a liar and a thief, sent to prison in Maryland

 

Pastor who obtained $3.5M in COVID relief funds, bought Tesla sentenced to prison

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, September 01, 2024

Rudolph Brooks, a 48-year-old pastor from Cheltenham, Maryland, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $3.5 million in COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans and using part of these funds to purchase a Tesla.

The sentencing also includes two years of supervised release and mandates the forfeiture of significant assets, including properties in Maryland.

And the Tesla?

Investigations revealed that from April 2020 to September 2021, Brooks, founder and senior pastor of the Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries in Washington, D.C., exploited the PPP by submitting falsified documents to obtain loans for businesses under his control, including a car dealership and a ministry, Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement.

Brooks’ fraudulent activities centered around his businesses, Cars Direct by Gavawn HWD Bob’s Motors, Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries, and Madaro, LLC. He inflated employee numbers and payroll expenses on PPP loan applications, securing millions, which he then misused for personal expenses.

Satan is the father of lies, and liars, IMHO.

Notable purchases included a 2018 Tesla Model 3, a property in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and lavish spending on groceries, retail items and restaurant meals.

The CARES Act, under which Brooks committed the fraud, was enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans impacted by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

Brooks pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, as per court records from the sentencing Tuesday. As a result, he was ordered by Judge Deborah L. Boardman to forfeit over $2 million, the Tesla vehicle and the real estate purchased with the fraudulently obtained funds.

The case against Brooks involved several federal agencies, including the FBI and the IRS.

Brooks was prosecuted by the District of Maryland Strike Force, one of three nationwide initiatives aimed at combatting pandemic-related fraud.

In an interview with The Impact’s Robin Dorsey on WBGR in 2018, Brooks said he knew he was called by God when he was about 4 or 5 years old. He further noted that he was raised in the church and his father was a minister.

His church’s website describes him as “a man after God’s own heart and has a passion for God’s people.”

“Pastor Brooks desires to see believers grow spiritually and desires to see the church function according to the word of the Lord. His intense love for the Lord, relentless spirit and ability to tap into the very heart of God make him a memorable speaker. With his love for God and lively preaching style, which can hold even the skeptics’ attention, Pastor Brooks speaks and shares the heart of God with compassion and conviction,” the church notes.

Did Brooks write this himself? Liars and thieves have no place in the pulpit of a real Christian church. Where was the gift of discernment in this church? Was no-one listening to God?

Wolves Among the Sheep > Hundreds of Christians murdered or suicided in Kenyan cult

 

Kenyan cult leader faces terrorism charges

for mass starvation deaths

Kenyan doomsday cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie appeared in court in the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa on Monday at the start of a high-profile trial over the starvation deaths of more than 400 of his followers. Mackenzie faces terrorism charges and is also accused of murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and torturing children, along with 94 other defendants.

Issued on: 08/07/2024 - 12:38

2 min

By:NEWS WIRES

The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult went on trial on Monday on charges of terrorism over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers in a macabre case that shocked the world.

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie appeared in court in the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa along with 94 co-defendants, an AFP journalist said.

Journalists were removed from the courtroom shortly after the start of the hearing to enable a protected witness to take the stand.

Mackenzie, who was arrested in April last year, is alleged to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to "meet Jesus".

He and his co-accused all pleaded not guilty to the charges of terrorism at a hearing in January.

They also face charges of murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and child torture and cruelty in separate cases.

The remains of more than 440 people have been unearthed so far in a remote wilderness inland from the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi, in a case that has been dubbed the "Shakahola forest massacre".

Autopsies have found that while starvation appeared to be the main cause of death, some of the victims -- including children -- were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.

Previous court documents also said that some of the bodies had had their organs removed.

Police accused of laxity

Mackenzie, a former taxi driver, turned himself in on April 14 after police acting on a tip-off first entered Shakahola forest, where mass graves have been found.

In March, the authorities began releasing some victims' bodies to distraught relatives after months of painstaking work to identify them using DNA.

Questions have been raised about how Mackenzie, a self-styled pastor with a history of extremism, managed to evade law enforcement despite his prominent profile and previous legal cases.

Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki last year accused Kenyan police of laxity in investigating the initial reports of starvation.

"The Shakahola massacre is the worst breach of security in the history of our country," he told a senate committee hearing, vowing to "relentlessly push for legal reforms to tame rogue preachers".

The state-backed Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in March criticised security officers in Malindi for "gross abdication of duty and negligence".

The horrific saga has seen President William Ruto vow to intervene in Kenya's homegrown religious movements.

In largely Christian Kenya, it has also thrown a spotlight on failed efforts to regulate unscrupulous churches and cults that have dabbled in criminality.

(AFP)

Wolves Among the Sheep > Bruxy Cavey's megachurch closed for lack of abuse insurance amid flood of sex misconduct reports

 38 reports of sexual misconduct involving 4 pastors

The Meeting House megachurch temporarily shutters

because it can’t get abuse insurance

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, July 02, 2024

Pastor Bruxy Cavey preaches at The Meeting House in the Toronto suburbs in December 2019. | YouTube/The Meeting House

More than two years after former teaching pastor Bruxy Cavey resigned from one of Canada’s largest megachurches amid allegations of sexual misconduct, The Meeting House has temporarily paused operations because no insurance company wants to cover its abuse liability or employment practices liability insurance.

“The historical incidents and allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse at The Meeting House continue to impact our church today in many ways, including how we are viewed by insurers,” the Toronto area Anabaptist church’s transition board of overseers and network leadership team stated in a recent email to congregants.

They said that even though the church took significant steps to help prevent abuse and better protect staff, volunteers and congregants “over the last few years,” its current insurer still sees the church as a high-risk operation and will not renew its abuse liability and employment practices liability coverage.

“We were recently informed that, effective June 30, our current insurer will not be renewing our Abuse Liability (AL) coverage, or our Employment Practices Liability (EPL) coverage. Our insurer is willing to renew all other types of insurance we require, excluding those two types of coverage,” church officials said.

“Since receiving this news, we have been working as quickly and as thoroughly as possible to source replacement insurance coverage. At this point, we are confident that we have engaged all available insurers in Canada — and some internationally — who work with churches.”

Abuse liability insurance helps protect businesses and organizations when claims are made against their staff or volunteers for the abuse of people in their care, according to insurance broker Foxquilt.

“More specifically, Abuse Liability helps provide coverage for legal costs and the cost of damages. Without this coverage, a claim, and the financial costs around it could even close down your business,” the firm said.

The Meeting House leaders said due to the inability to secure insurance coverage, the ministry will have no in-person meetings for the month of July, which they will use to “continue discerning what form God is inviting us to take into the future as a network of churches, in partnership with our local leadership teams.”

“We know this will be yet another difficult challenge for us to face, and we grieve the need to pause ministry as a church. At the same time, we sense God at work in our midst in powerful ways and have tremendous hope in the process of surrendering and listening to the Spirit’s leading as we discern where He is leading us next,” the ministry leaders said.

An independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct commissioned by The Meeting House in December 2021 concluded in March 2022 that Cavey abused his power.

“The investigator determined that Bruxy had maintained a sexual relationship with the victim, an adult woman, in violation of The Meeting House policy and the Handbook of Faith and Life of Be in Christ Church of Canada,” Maggie John, the then chair of the church’s overseers board, said in a statement.

“The investigator also found that what became a sexual relationship between Bruxy and the victim, which lasted over an extended period of time, constituted an abuse of Bruxy’s power and authority as a member of the clergy, and amounted to sexual harassment.”

38 reports of sexual misconduct involving 4 pastors

Cavey was subsequently arrested and charged with sexual assault of a former parishioner. In June of that year, officials at The Meeting House would reveal that at least three more former pastors were involved collectively in at least 38 reports of sexual misconduct.

Wolves Among the Sheep > Is Duplantis inviting Satan to test him like he tested Job?

 

Televangelist Jesse Duplantis calls poverty a ‘curse,’

says his wealth is because he’s ‘blessed’

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, April 29, 2024

Televangelist and prosperity gospel preacher Jesse Duplantis, who has an estimated net worth of around $20 million, has called poverty a "curse" and says his wealth — which includes a private jet and a 40,000-square-foot mansion in Louisiana — comes from being "blessed" by God. 

He may be right. God blessed Job with riches twice, but, in between, Job suffered greatly. Has Duplantis been tested by Satan like Job. Has he received his reward in full like the hippocrites? Asking for a friend.

In New Testament days our riches should be counted in spiritual blessings not financial blessings. Is he teaching his followers how to draw close to God, or how to use Him like a genie to get rich? God never appeals to the flesh. 

"Let me give you a prime example why I don't care what people think about me, about what I have. Now look at me. Look at me. I am a very blessed man," Duplantis said in an online "Boardroom Chat" session with his wife, Cathy, earlier this month.

"Me and Cathy are very blessed. I'm spiritually, physically, and financially [blessed]. I've had more people criticize me over that jet. They still can't get over it. Criticize me over my house. They didn't pay for it. I paid for it. Do you understand what I say?" he asked.

In 2018, Duplantis faced widespread criticism for trying to raise money from his followers to purchase a $54 million jet.

In the "Boardroom Chat" session, Duplantis argued that most people's troubles stem from disobedience and claimed "Christian propaganda" makes people think "poverty is a blessing." 

"Most people's troubles come because people disobey. That is just simply the truth. Wars, rumors of wars, people always mad about somebody," he said. "It's usually someone who has enough power to change 'people's thinking,' I call it. Especially in the Church, I call it Christian propaganda."

The televangelist highlighted what he sees as propaganda in the Church.

"You know that 'poverty is a blessing?' That's a lie. Poverty is a curse. It's not in Heaven, none whatsoever," he said, quoting common phrases some Christians use to challenge the prosperity gospel. "'Jesus was poor.' When was He poor? Did you ever hear Him say, 'I can't eat today [because] I don't have anything?'"

Duplantis further suggested that people frustrated about not being blessed when they give financially to a ministry are emotionally manipulated into giving instead of giving out of obedience to Scripture.

"If you move on people emotionally to give, and you do that a lot of times with poverty … why don't you move on people to simply obey God's glorious word that He will do what He says," Duplantis argued. "A lot of people raising money on people's emotions, so they don't get blessed."

Duplantis attempted to use Psalm 49:16 to suggest that the Bible tells believers not to worry about how much another person has. The scripture he read and the verses that follow appear to warn against being enamored by financial wealth.

"Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them," the Scripture states. "Though while they live, they count themselves blessed — and people praise you when you prosper — they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish."

Duplantis shared his thoughts on Christians turning the other cheek, according to Matthew 5:38-48. He argued that Christians should not interpret this as the scripture asking Christians to be pacifists because he does not subscribe to that view.

"I'm just going to be honest with you. … I've been spit on, slapped and everything when I've been preaching. But I'm not going to let somebody just come up to me and slap me if I'm not preaching and somebody just wants to slap me," he said.

"You better believe in healing because something's coming down. … Don't let this small stature fool you. I get me a baseball bat if I got to. You know what I'm saying? I don't mean that pridefully but … I know what I can do with a baseball bat."

According to Got Questions Ministries: "Turning the other cheek does not imply pacifism, nor does it mean we place ourselves or others in danger."

"Jesus' command to turn the other cheek is simply a command to forgo retaliation for personal offenses. He was not setting government foreign policy, and He was not throwing out the judicial system," the ministry notes. "Crimes can still be prosecuted, and wars can still be waged, but the follower of Christ need not defend his personal 'rights' or avenge his honor."

=======================================================================