DesiringGod.org finally updated the 2010 DesiringGod Conference info page. Rick Warren will be speaking on “Thinking Puerposefully for the Glory of Christ: The Life of the Mind and Global Reality”.

You can read my comments on John Piper inviting Rick Warren to keynote at DG 2010 here, and here.

If anything, the Q&A session (if ever there will be one) that will be held at the conference will be one that will be very, very interesting to observe.

The 2010 Desiring God National Conference will take place, Lord willing, October 1-3 in Minneapolis. The conference theme is Think: The Life of the Mind & the Love of God, and the speakers and message titles are as follows:

• Al Mohler – “The Way the World Thinks: Meeting the Natural Mind in the Mirror and in the Market Place”
• Rick Warren – “Thinking Purposefully for the Glory of Christ: The Life of the Mind and Global Reality”
• R. C. Sproul (via video) – “Thinking Deeply in the Ocean of Revelation: The Bible and the Life of the Mind”
• Thabiti Anyabwile – “Thinking for the Sake of Global Faithfulness: Confronting Islam with the Mind of Christ”
• Francis Chan – “Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride”
• John Piper – “Thinking for the Sake of Joy: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God”

A number of people have asked about John Piper’s decision to invite Rick Warren. Here is a 12 minute clip from last night’s Ask Pastor John session where he addresses that question and explains why he thinks it will be good for Rick to come.

(A slightly shorter version is available on YouTube).

Stay tuned to the blog for further updates about the National Conference and registration details.

HT

And to give a little perspective as to whether or not it’s a “good idea” for John Piper to invite Rick Warren, here’s an informative post from the Apprising Blog: HT

And so, Warrengate begins.

From a 2004 interview of Rick Warren by Modern Reformation:

Theologically, I am a monergist and firmly hold to the five solas of the Reformation. (Online source)

From a 2005 report on Rick Warren by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said. “I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God’s family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church,….” (Online source, emphasis mine)

I ask you: Which Rick Warren are we to believe?

Also, Lane Chaplin’s thought’s on the matter. His analogy hits the nail on the head. This is no trifling matter. Brethren, pray. • HT

This is a sad day. I’m a little shocked but not much, honestly. It’s sort of like the person you knew who was in the hospital for the past three years or so. You knew the end was coming soon as you slowly watched them deteriorate, but you just didn’t know when. That’s how I feel about John Piper’s discernment after it has now been confirmed that John Piper has invited Rick Warren to speak at the Fall 2010 Desiring God Conference.

Here’s your confirmation from Piper, himself. In it, he shares this thought:

“At root I think (Rick Warren) is theological and doctrinal and sound.”

HT: CrossTalk Blog for the audio

As I said in my Tweet yesterday, “If this is true, I cannot, in good conscience, endorse @JohnPiper again.” You may now change that “If” to a “Since.”  At this point, I’m sure that many of you will write me off as “fundamentalist” or whatever else, but I really don’t care.  I believe that God is sovereign and all things work together for the good of those who are called and love Him, but, frankly, I can’t help but feel a little discouraged today.  John Piper has wonderful, wonderful things to say, but I honestly feel like I would if I were to find out that my Dad was having an affair.  I can’t imagine the two feelings being that much different.  Piper is looked to as an authority on Reformed Theology (which I hold to passionately as I believe it’s true), and he just brought in the camp the town prostitute to “meet Mom and the family” under the guise that “he’s trying to help her by inviting her into our household to stay and mingle with the family.”  Yeah, right; let your Dad try that with your Mom and see how well that goes over.  If your Dad were to stay with the prostitute at the expense of the well being of the rest of his family because it’s “in her best interest,” it would say a lot about his priorities and character, would it not?  It’s one thing to hold to God’s sovereignty while things are going well, but it’s quite another to hold to it and still see people you have respected as people with Godly discernment discredit themselves with decisions that undermine the Gospel like it’s been revealed about John Piper today.

All this “wait and see” stuff I’m hearing from people who would rather rely on unsubstantiated optimism than already established facts is nonsense. John Piper invited a false Gospel to his conference and called it sound. What’s left to wait and see?

Please click this link to hear and read what I consider to be sound critiques of the Purpose Driven Movement and the cult-like tactics it employs in seeking to win a church culture over who is more concerned with being groupies in a land full of “Christian celebrity” than disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If sound doctrine doesn’t matter, I’m on board with Warren, too.  It’s the easy way for me, and I’ll probably even sell more books if I ever write one.  Unfortunately, for everyone more concerned with who’s kicked off American Idol this week than what’s being preached from the pulpits they attend, theology does matter.  May God have mercy on this situation and bring repentance.  Piper, Warren, and those who condone this are sincerely in my prayers.