Rick Warren’s Purpose for Rwanda

[elizabethevangeline]

I posted this in the Christian New section but I don't know if anyone goes there much. I'm rather surprised I haven't seen this mentioned yet in CF. The TIME article quotes a comment about such a cooperation between a mega-church and a nation is unprecedented. I find it alarming...what does Rick Warren know about the economic, political, racial, religious issues of a nation like Rwanda? How does any american think he can provide a solution "in a box" for such deep problems? I think I'm actually ashamed of this development.

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"ASSIST Ministries carries an interview with Rick Warren containing this interesting sub-heading:

RWANDA TO BECOME THE ‘FIRST PURPOSE-DRIVEN NATION’

Warren said that the plight of Africa was very much on his heart t this time. “I’ve been in three different countries in Africa already this year,” he said. I‘ve been Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya and actually in ten days, we are going back to Rwanda. The President, Paul Kagame, has invited us to help Rwanda become the first ‘purpose-driven nation.’

More at http://blogs.salon.com/0003494/2005/07/05.html


I first read about this in TIME: http://www.time.com/time/archive/pr...1093746,00.html


I find it rather disturbing...has anyone else read about this and have any thots?"
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[Theophorus]

Rick Warren is fooling himself if he thinks he can apply his western purpose driven marketing mentality to Rawanda. I suspect other things at work here which were alluded to in the blog piece. Warren is in constant revival mentality because he has to be. That is the financial model foir his Church, given the average member hangs in there for about 5 years. Plus it will be a huge boon to solicit monetary help.

I know I should not be skeptical like this, but I can't help it in this case. I plan to keep a close eye on this, thx for the heads up.

 

[Philip]

The link to Time doesn't seem to work

 

[elizabethevangeline]

The link to Time doesn't seem to work

Sorry...it's in the Aug 22 issue. I just searched "Rick Warren Rwanda" in yahoo and it was listed.

 

[elizabethevangeline]

Rick Warren is fooling himself if he thinks he can apply his western purpose driven marketing mentality to Rawanda. I suspect other things at work here which were alluded to in the blog piece. Warren is in constant revival mentality because he has to be. That is the financial model foir his Church, given the average member hangs in there for about 5 years. Plus it will be a huge boon to solicit monetary help.

I know I should not be skeptical like this, but I can't help it in this case. I plan to keep a close eye on this, thx for the heads up.

The TIME article talked about Saddleback small groups adopting villages, and sending short term missionaries. I'm totally skeptical. It makes me cringe...and someone is going to get hurt. The tone seems so...dabbling, kids playing at a new toy, trendy. Are they really prepared to stick it out in the face of such recent wickedness, face the complex problems and incredible needs?

 

[Llauralin]

Well, if it works.....

I don't think it will though.

Interesting the article mentions Uganda; I was just listening to a serman by a pastor of one of the mega-church sort of places there, and it sounds like that worked because it was both started and maintained by the Christians already there, praying under persecution for decades, and is maintained by those same local Christians. I very much doubt that something just imported from a huge American church will really do much at all.

 

[Llauralin]

I just read the blog article... What's with this"the inventor of perpetual revival" thing? Is that supposed to be a compliment? It doesn't really sound like a good title. It implies that his followers keep dying and needing to be revived by him...

Anyway, as one who has suffered through "40 Days of Purpose," I'm led to believe that Warren trivializes difficulty, is remarkably shallow, believes that his readers need constant back-patting patronizm, and has no sense of Christianity outside of what is practiced in his kind of church in his sunny, happy little corner of California. Not exactly what the Christians in a country that most likely has a long, difficult journey before them need imo.

I could be wrong though.

 

[Kolya]

Lord have mercy on Rwanda!

and it sounds like that worked because it was both started and maintained by the Christians already there, praying under persecution for decades, and is maintained by those same local Christians. I very much doubt that something just imported from a huge American church will really do much at all.

You've hit the nail on the head Llauralin. Africans have to evangelise Africa. Interestingly, Orthodoxy arose spontaneously in Uganda and Kenya, and the new converts went to the Partiarch in Alexandria, who Chatechised them, and later ordained two local priests, so the church there is part of the Official Orthodox Church.
I must see if I can find that story and post it.

 

[xristos.anesti]

Rick will get his head chopped off...

 

[walking.away.123]

Rick wil...................................

I'd recomed you edit that.

 

[elizabethevangeline]

This story is really bugging me for some reason and I'm not finding any good discussion about it online. I'm not looking to bash the effort but would like to see some serious consideration or dialogue about the difficulties of such an endeavor. All I'm seeing is rah rah, good for him type comments.

And I think there is a difference between a push to motivate and organize believers to go out and serve vs. declaring a nation with be the 1st purpose driven nation...IOW announcing your outcome, how your target audience should respond. Maybe that's what's bugging me...the expectation that a nation of people will fall into line and the PEACE plan will solve everything.

 

[Llauralin]

Yes, well, Rick Warren always bugs me, when I think about him and his programs. I think there may be something very unnerving about the whole "Purpose Driven" fad in it's amny shapes and forms. Never been able to quite pin it down though.