In a story about Warren I wrote nearly three years ago, I asked: Is Rick Warren "all that?" Then, the jury was out. This is now!

With just about everyone talking about Pastor Rick Warren -- he even came up at our annual holiday brunch on Christmas Day -- I thought I would dust off a piece I wrote about Saddleback's finest back in March 2006.

At the time, Warren wasn't a household word, but he nevertheless was a man on the move; packing them in at Saddleback, giving well-attended speeches at international conferences, selling books by the millions, and hanging with U2's Bono.

These days, Warren has kind of sorta become a household word -- he came up again last night at a dinner I attended in Marin. (Some of the specifics in the story have changed, most notably some stats and details about Warren's P.E.A.C.E. initiative.)

My March 16, 2006 piece began with a quote from Peter Drucker, one of Warren's mentors, and continued:

You may have seen him interviewed on CNN's Larry King Show; some well-intentioned person may have given you "The Purpose Driven Life," the book that has sold well over 20 million copies; you may have noted that Time magazine named him one of "15 World Leaders Who Mattered Most in 2004," and in 2005 one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

If you wonder whether he is "all that," consider this: In 1980 he founded Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., with one family and now, he is presiding over a congregation averaging between 22,000 and 25,000 weekly attendees*; he's built a 120-acre campus; and he has more than 300 community ministries to groups such as prisoners, CEOs, addicts, single parents, and people with HIV/AIDS.

According to his website, "He also leads the Purpose Driven Network of churches, a global coalition of congregations in 162 countries. More than 400,000 ministers and priests have been trained worldwide, and almost 157,000 church leaders subscribe to Ministry Toolbox, his weekly newsletter."

He has spoken at the United Nations, the World Economic Forum in Davos, the African Union, the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, TIME's Global Health Summit, and numerous congresses around the world.

 

(Dedicated to the memory of Sarah Horowitz)

Recently, a close friend e-mailed a copy of the powerful and moving eulogy that conservative author and activist David Horowitz delivered at a celebration for his daughter, Sarah, who passed away earlier this year. While many are aware of actor Mike Farrell's work as president of Death Penalty Focus and Sister Helen Prejean and her decades of anti-death penalty activism, few know about Sarah Horowitz.  

Around the same time I received Horowitz's remarkable eulogy, I also received a copy of a report on the death penalty that was produced by the Austin-based Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.  

My story about Sarah Horowitz's anti-death penalty activism and the state of the death penalty as we leave 2008 is at Religion Dispatches.

 "Death Penalty, Debated (Dedicated to the memory of Sarah Horowitz) starts out like this:

The death penalty may seem like a distant and abstract issue for people who are threatened by layoffs or unable to make their house payment or pay the rent. However, while the country is largely focused on daunting economic problems, questions about social justice and the death penalty are still very much with us. And those committed to its abolition continue to press their cause.  

A "remarkable person who led an extraordinary life," [Sarah Horowitz] had a long list of accomplishments: advanced degrees, an undying commitment to peace, social justice and helping the disadvantaged, a strong connection to her Jewish faith, and a willingness to put her convictions to the test, whether by working in a village in El Salvador or walking the snowy streets of Iowa for then-Senator Barack Obama during the Democratic Party primaries.  

The rest of the story can be found by going to ReligionDispatches.org and clicking on the Archive icon.

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Paul Weyrich, widely considered the "Godfather" of the modern conservative movement, died on Thursday, December 18, after a long illness.

I have a story about Weyrich and his nearly forty-year contributions to the growth of conservatism on Religion Dispatches.

"Paul Weyrich, 'Godfather' of Modern Conservative Movement, Dead at 66," starts out like this:

For most Americans, the death of Paul Weyrich will not resonate; after all, most Americans have probably never heard of the man. He wasn't a dashing celebrity, a sports star, a captain of industry, or a prominent public political figure; he wasn't a regular guest on the premier talking-head TV programs; he never held elected office; there was no hint of a Ted Haggard/Newt Gingrich-like "values" scandal in his life. But Weyrich, who died after a long illness on Thursday, December 18 at the age of 66, and who wasn't reticent about sharing his ideas and opinions, was, in fact, the connective tissue of the modern conservative movement.

In his book, With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America, William Martin pointed out that after Weyrich came to Washington in the late 1960s, he "received a revelation [about] how he might accomplish his dream [bringing together working-class Catholics and evangelical Protestants] when he attended a political strategy session run by liberal operatives."

Although Weyrich hadn't been invited to the confab--and to my knowledge he never revealed how he got there--Martin's book quoted him as saying that "there before my eyes was revealed the modus operandi of the left:"

They had all these different groups, including religious groups, networking with people on the Hill, formulating strategy for offering amendments, and then executing that strategy with media, with demonstrations, with lawsuits, with studies, with political action, by targeting people--all the different elements of the political process.
Weyrich acknowledged that from that moment on, his life was "changed": He spent the early part of the 1970s working "to get these people who really have the same morals, who have the same ideals, but who came to it from different traditions to work together."

For nearly forty years, Weyrich contributed his ideas, organizational acumen, and fundraising skills to help build what evolved from an undisciplined gaggle of organizations that made up what was loosely called the New Right in the 1970s to the powerful political movement (although somewhat weakened after the recent election of Barack Obama) that it is today. Before there was a Heritage Foundation, a Moral Majority, a Ronald Reagan presidency, and before the so-called Republican Revolution of 1994, Weyrich had his eyes on the prize: steadfastly working to figure out how conservatives could regroup and rebuild from the ashes of the overwhelming defeat suffered by Senator Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.

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'The Trials of Ted Haggard'

In the midst of the controversy over Pastor Rick Warren delivering the invocation at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the death of Paul Weyrich, the "Godfather" of the modern conservative movement, the torching of Sarah Palin's Wasilla Bible Church, and the removal of Richard Cizik from his leadership post with the National Association of Evangelicals, comes this piece of news to brighten or, at the least, lighten up your day.

Are you ready?

According to the Associated Press, "The Trials of Ted Haggard," directed by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is set to air Jan. 29 on HBO. AP also reported that Haggard has agreed to promote the documentary.

Since Haggard's story includes drugs and sex -- I'm not sure how much rock n roll -- think of the possibilities!

After all, it's not television, my friends. It's HBO.

 

Warren, apparently desiring to be `America's Pastor,' honors Bush on World AIDS Day, maintains a friendship with Obama, opposes gay marriage, and advocates a muscular foreign policy. Will he become the twenty-first century's Billy Graham?

For a president who had little to do but pardon turkeys on Thanksgiving and throw the switch on the national Christmas tree, little to look forward to but packing his bags and evacuating the White House, and less positive accomplishments to look back on than most presidents, this year's World AIDS Day was clearly a high point. And Pastor Rick Warren was there to share the spotlight with him.

On December 1 -- World AIDS Day -- Warren, pastor of the Lake Forest, California-based Saddleback Valley Community Church and who is well on his way to becoming one of the most recognizable and powerful pastors in the United States, hosted his Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health at the Washington-based Newseum.

As part of the event, he bestowed upon President George W. Bush the first "International Medal of P.E.A.C.E." from the Global PEACE Coalition, in recognition of Bush's "unprecedented contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases," a Saddleback Church press release announced.

Warren discussed with both Bush, and the First Lady, Laura Bush, their "past accomplishments and priorities moving forward regarding international health issues -- including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria."

President-elect Barack Obama, who appeared with Senator John McCain this past August at Warren's Saddleback Forum on the Presidency, provided a video-taped message addressing the future of global health.

Warren's recognition of Bush revolved around the administration's "implementation and success of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has provided 18.8 billion dollars since 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS," a pre-event press release pointed out. "Congress has recently authorized an additional 48 billion dollars for ongoing efforts to address this pandemic as well as tuberculosis and malaria over the next five years."

While Bush, whose approval ratings have dipped to all-time lows, got the award, Pastor Rick Warren bathed in the spotlight.

Roe v. Wade hanging in the balance

After two presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate, the fourth was the charm - for a question about abortion. With Roe v. Wade hanging in the balance, CBS' Bob Schieffer asked the presidential candidates:

"Senator McCain, you believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Senator Obama, you believe it shouldn't. Could either of you ever nominate someone to the Supreme Court who disagrees with you on this issue? Senator McCain?"

Although the issue of abortion had not come previously in the debates, it is very much in play on the campaign trail, especially in a number of battleground states. Often, while the term itself isn't used, it is clearly the subtext when the question of appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court is discussed, or the phrase "judicial activism" -- meaning politicized legal decisions -- is used.

Not having the issue raised during the vice-presidential debate has not stopped Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Sen. John's McCain Republican Party running mate, from raising the issue a number of times in different venues.

In addition, South Dakota, Colorado and California all have abortion-related initiatives on their November ballots; initiatives that are aimed at ending or limiting abortion rights.

Conservative Catholic philanthropist funds attacks on Obama campaign and Planned Parenthood

As the presidential race winds down and attack ads against Sen. Barack Obama intensify, Raymond Ruddy, a multi-millionaire conservative Catholic who over the years has been more comfortable operating in the backrooms of conservative philanthropy, appears to be coming out of the closet. Despite being a longtime contributor to a host of conservative "culture war" causes - often relating to issues involving sexuality -- Ruddy hasn't made a lot of headlines. (As of Monday morning October 13, a simple Google search for "Raymond Ruddy" yielded only 4,660 results.)

However Ruddy's influence extends far beyond the paucity of Google hits and the few stories about him. The president of the Boston, Massachusetts-based Gerard Health Foundation and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Maximus, Inc. -- the giant Reston, Virginia-based services provider that pioneered welfare privatization - has committed himself big time to election year politics, turning up the heat on Obama. He is also fronting a project aimed at damaging the effectiveness of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Religious Right ready to crank up the volume at next weekend's Values Voter Summit

If the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin survives the slings and arrows of this week's intense media coverage, her next major appearance before an adoring crowd of conservatives and Christian evangelicals could be at next week's Values Voter Summit. Her name and picture was recently added to the gallery of invitees, although, according to the VVS website, she has not yet accepted the inviation.

For now, the self-described "hockey mom" - and the surprise choice for vice-president by Senator John McCain - who is virulently anti-abortion, supports the teaching of "creationism" in the public schools as a counterpoint to evolution, advocates drilling in ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge], talks about global warming but doesn't attribute it to man-made activities, has reportedly opposed giving spousal benefits to same-sex partners of public employees, has received hosannas from such long-time Christian conservative evangelical leaders as Pat Robertson, Richard Viguerie, and Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson.  

"McCain's decision to put Sarah Palin on the ticket proves that the Religious Right remains a powerful force that must be placated," Rob Boston, the Assistant Director of Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, told me. "It has been widely reported that McCain wanted to put Joe Lieberman on the ticket but had to drop the idea after receiving a barrage of complaints from Religious Right leaders. A dead movement does not wield such power."

If Palin does show up, she may be given a heartier welcome that the party's presidential standard bearer, Sen. John McCain, should he choose to accept the Summit organizer's invitation to speak. Despite having performed well in last month's "Civil Forum on the Presidency" at Pastor Rick Warren's Lake Forest, California-based Saddleback Church, it should be remembered that at last year's Values Voter Summit, McCain came in dead last in the attendee's presidential preference poll.  

Republicans resurrecting Wright as campaign issue

In 1962, two years after losing the presidency to John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon ran and lost the governor's race in California. At a post-election press conference, Nixon famously told reporters that they "won't have Richard Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference." It wasn't. He won the presidency in 1968, escalated the Vietnam War, shredded the constitution, was re-elected in 1972, and two years later he was forced to resign in disgrace over the Watergate Affair.

These days, one can easily imagine that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former Senior Pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC), a megachurch in Chicago with around 10,000 members, might wish - in his heart of hearts -- that the press, the cable news networks, conservative pundits, the headline writers and Republican Party operatives didn't have Jeremiah Wright "to kick around any more."  

Unfortunately for Wright, and for the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, they do have Wright "to kick around"; and kick around they will: The story about the relationship between the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Senator Obama will be with us through Election Day and beyond. Whether Obama wins or loses, there will be much post-election analysis about how much the Wright Affair hurt the campaign.

For the past three decades, the religious right has dominated the religio- political dialogue in the United States. The right's growth, and its agenda -- which revolved around so-called traditional family values issues including, but not limited to, opposition to abortion and full equality for gays and lesbians -- was pursued on two tracks: building multi-million dollar political and media enterprises, and making themselves an indispensable force within the Republican Party.

More recently, a number of observers have pointed out that the conservative evangelical movement's political power has been diminishing. The deaths of long-time leaders such as Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy, the coming to a close of the George W. Bush Administration, and a Republican Party presidential candidate that is less than inspirational to grassroots conservative evangelicals may indeed, as Focus on the Family's James Dobson has stated, "represent the end of an era."

Now, as the presidential campaign heads into its final stretch, after months of equivocating a group of long-time conservative evangelical leaders have endorsed -- albeit less than enthusiastically -- Senator John McCain, the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee.

Meanwhile, the campaign of Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential candidate, has been going out of its way to court religious voters.

California's Proposition 8 draws big-buck supporters, while Wildmon declares that outcome of 'culture wars' depends on turning back gay marriage

On July 31, CNS reported that Donald Wildmon's American Family Association is donating half-a-million dollars to ProjectMarriage.com, the organization sponsoring Proposition 8, the anti-same-sex marriage initiative on the California's November  ballot. An American Family Association spokesperson said that the $500,000 comes from "years of savings."

Two different -- yet ultimately linked - projects relating to the "homosexual agenda" are agitating the folks at the Tupelo, Mississippi-based headquarters of Donald Wildmon's American Family Association (AFA) these days. One is your basic AFA-sponsored boycott; the other, according to Wildmon, will determine the final outcome of America's "culture wars."

Wildmon is simultaneously leading an effort to boycott the fast food giant McDonald's, and marshaling the troops in support of Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative that would reverse the state's Supreme Court recent decision in support of gay marriage.

In light of Rick Warren's upcoming conversations with John McCain and Barack Obama at his Saddleback Church, and Pastordan's discussion over at Street Prophets, this post from earlier this year, is once again, timely. -- FC

The purpose driven man and his 'PEACE' mission marches forward with a goatee and Hawaiian shirt

In two recent Talk2Action posts, Richard Bartholomew and Fred Clarkson talk about Rick Warren, the popular and passionate pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., widely considered one of the more important mega-churches in the country.

While Bartholomew cites a speech Warren gave in Uganda in which he basically claimed that homosexulaity is not a human right, Clarkson raised important questions about so-called moderate evangelicals in general and Warren in particular.  

In December 2006, Warren hosted both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Sam Brownback at his annual AIDS conference. "Right wing, left wing. I'm for the whole bird," said Warren.

"You have to have two wings to fly. When I thought of all the men I knew in Congress and the Senate, and believe me there were more who wanted to come [to the conference], I thought of Sen. Obama and Sen. Brownback for three specific reasons," Warren said, citing "their integrity, their civility even when they disagree and their openness to learning and listening."

Warren appears to be close with U2's Bono, eschews being labeled part of the Christian Right, and is seen by some as a man for all seasons; perhaps even the 21st century's Billy Graham.

In March 2006, I wrote a lengthy piece about the Hawaiian short-wearing pastor who has sold millions of books and has grand plans for Africa.