Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Rick Warren Does Not Embrace Chrislam, Say Pastors


Two Christian leaders are attempting to squelch a persistent rumor that Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren “embraces Chrislam.”

Pastors Geoff Surratt and Brandon Cox have posted their defense online. Warren recognized the posts late last week on Facebook and Twitter where he stated, “The stupid Chrislam lie wont die. Here are 2 true articles quoting me.”

Televangelist Jack Van Impe, who recently left Trinity Broadcasting Network as a result of his accusations aimed at Warren and Robert Schuller, has been suggesting that Warren is pushing Chrislam. He points to an Islamic conference in which Warren was a speaker at two years ago as evidence. Others in the Christian community and beyond have perpetuated the claim.

Followers of Chrislam use both the Bible and Quran and see them both as holy texts. Although Chrislam appears to have a limited number of followers, the term is currently being loosely interpreted by some people such as Impe.

Cox, who is planting Grace Hills Church in Arkansas and also manages Warren’s global network of pastors in an online community, said he's been wanting to write an article in Warren's defense for quite a while. However, he initially felt addressing the issue might bring more unwanted attention.

"When I saw Rick issue a tweet about it I felt the liberty to go ahead and address it publicly," Cox told The Christian Post. "It's as if both of us (Surratt and Cox) had that feeling of having had enough and wanting to stick up for a friend."

To read more, click here.

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