Mildew and Saddleback

Over the past few days I have been reading some news stories that have disturbed me and I haven’t known exactly what to think. This morning, however, as I was reading Leviticus I had an unusual thought and I am going to try to share my opinion. It may not be correct. I hope it is not judgmental or in a critical spirit. You see, when someone in the evangelical midst becomes famous and succeeds beyond expectation, there are some who wish him “badly”, who root for his fall or failure.

That is not my case. I have respected Rick Warren’s work, even though I do not agree with his style. I wish him well in his desire to see God’s Kingdom grow, even if I am unsure about his methodology. When, however, I read this interview, I was disturbed. “Saddleback has baptized over 20,000 new believers. We are, without a doubt, the most evangelistic church in America. There are churches that are bigger than Saddleback, but there are no churches that reach more people for Christ than Saddleback. There are no churches that send as many people into the missions field. There's not a church that has sent 8,000 people into the missions field.” (If you want to read the entire interview it can be found at: Christianity Today).

I hope in my heart of hearts, this was not said out of pride, like it sounds. Often we are quoted out of context or when it is written, the words don’t sound the same as when spoken. As, however, I read more on the Saddleback site, I continued to be disturbed by the hype and promotion surrounding the baptisms and the motivation behind the “numbers” game. That bothers me a lot. It seems too much like pharisee’s words and attitudes as he called attention to his “spirituality”. Whatever the reason for the interview, it struck me as a kind of spiritual “mildew”. (See the church's blog for the hype I am referring to).

Ok, I’ll explain. As I read the regulations about the treatment for mildew in Leviticus, I realized how quickly mildew can spread and how important it is to destroy it before it destroys you. The same goes for skin diseases. It is important to separate the infected victim before his diseases spreads to others. In Leviticus, it says a house where mildew cannot be controlled must be torn down.

On the Saddleback site there is a comparison between the church and Pentecost trying to baptize so many at one time. (By the way they baptized 800, not the 3,000 they hoped for). There was a video calling folks to be baptized, because they would gain a picture of themselves with the pastor, a magazine, and in addition they could attend the discipleship class that Pr. Warren would be teaching for the 1st time in 10 years.

I see a problem with Saddleback, if all of this really does reflect pride and a banalization of true discipleship. I do wish Pastor Warren and his church well, and so I would call them to root out the mildew of pride and self-promotion. It’s not like they need to engage in some kind of mea-culpa, but I do think they need to do some serious house cleaning. Yes, they should continue to spread God’s Word to all corners, but do they really need a marketing department to publicize it? Is it important to be able to say that they have done as great a work as Pentecost in baptizing so many? João and I are committed to praying for Pr. Warren. I am sure many wish to see him fall, but we do not, but I am not sure so many are praying for his spiritual life. I pray his house is soon cleaned of all mildew and his life of all skin disease. Join with me in this prayer.