Christians are called to be people of the truth (John 17:17). Sadly, some Christians have a persistent habit of misrepresenting the truth, by the way they (mis)use the Internet.
Take the example of pastor Rick Warren and the supposed “Chrislam” controversy. Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California. For years, Rick Warren has taken an interest in building relationships with Muslims, so that they might hear the Gospel of Jesus. As Rick Warren says, “You cannot win your enemies to Christ. You can only win your friends.” Yet as a pastor of one of America’s largest churches, such a high profile personality comes under a lot of scrutiny.
Sadly, another Christian leader, a tele-evangelist (I will not name the man), became suspicious of Rick Warren and popularized the terminology of “Chrislam,” accusing Rick Warren of trying to combine Christianity and Islam together into a single new religion, and denying the faith. Rick Warren, in 2011, publicly denounced the accusations as false.
Now, just to be clear, I have no dog in this race. I have never met Rick Warren. I have never been to his church. I have never heard him preach, but others tell me that he is a great evangelist. I read a short pamphlet/book he wrote a few years ago, and I thought it was somewhere between pretty good and OK. Not the best thing I have ever read. But not bad either. I am sure God has and will continue to use his writings to change the lives of many people. It just was not necessarily the type of reading I personally go for.
In 2012, an article in a local, secular newspaper, the Orange County Register, printed a story that sought to confirm the reports of Warren’s “Chrislam” views and activities. Unfortunately, the newspaper article contained many errors, according to Saddleback Church. Shortly after the article was published, Rick Warren made statements intended to correct the misinformation. Sadly, some Christians, including the above mentioned tele-evangelist, spread the Orange County Register story, like wildfire on TV and the Internet, without ever bothering to ask Rick Warren directly, if the story was accurate or not.
Fast forward to 2018, and if you do a Google search, for something like “Rick Warren chrislam,” you will get an amazing 200,000+ hits, most of them repeating the same type of accusations made six years earlier in 2012, that Rick Warren addressed within days of the Orange County Register article.
Six years. Over 200,000 hits.
Never mind the fact that Saddleback Church has baptized over 45,000 people, over the years, a number of whom come from a Muslim background. That is right: people from a Muslim background, risking ostracism and family rejection, to publicly identify with King Jesus.
It is like the Internet lie that never dies.
If you have been tempted to pass on such old rumors like this to your friends, there is this pesky little command, in the Ten Commandments, that you might want to be aware of: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
The video below should pretty much dispel such rumors, which is an interview that Rick Warren had with a leading Calvary Chapel pastor, a year or two ago. Much of the lingering controversy involves Rick Warren’s signature in 2007 on a Christian response to the Yale “A Common Word” document, written by Muslim leaders. The Christian response was open to misinterpretation on several points, but it was meant to commend Muslim attempts to call for peace and dialogue, and rejecting violence, and not to be a final statement on doctrine. For more about the related “A Common Word” Yale document, see this earlier Veracity post.
Veracity 
March 29th, 2018 at 5:45 am
Thanks Clarke. I actually appreciate his teaching and listen to his podcast daily. He is of course not perfect but I feel he is being strongly used by God.
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March 29th, 2018 at 8:43 am
Thanks, Fred. I read his little book, The Purpose of Christmas, to my mom, while she was dying of cancer a few years. I was already familiar with many of the themes in the book. It was not too heavy, but it clearly communicated the Gospel message. So, it was something that was perfect for my mom to hear, before she died.
I wrote the blog post because every few months or so, I run into Christians that keep repeating the same story about “Chrislam” and Rick Warren, that has been debunked so, so many times.
Would Rick Warren have signed the Christian response to the Yale “A Common Word” document today, if he knew there would be controversy? I think he would, if not for the simple reason that it has given him the opportunity to get in front of many Muslims, to talk openly about the Gospel, in ways that most Christians never have been able to do. And God has greatly blessed those opportunities.
As Matthew 5:11 says:
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account”
It just bothers me greatly when the those who “utter all kinds of evil against you” just happen to be Christians. We in the church can be our own worst enemies at times.
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June 27th, 2018 at 9:35 am
Dear Clarke,
Thank you for your post on Rick Warren and I love the name of your blog which means TRUTH!
Speaking of a lie that will never die regarding Rick Warren.
He and his publisher Zondervan claim his Purpose Driven Driven Life book is the
“bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history”, here is the evidence of whether or not this claim can be verified:
https://amos37.com/james-sundquist-open-letter-on-zondervan-rick-warren/
And here is the bestselling books in history ranking chart (note Rick Warren is nowhere near #1):
Click to access BestSellingRankingListinHistory.pdf
This marketing fraud, counterfeit commerce, false advertising is the poster child of fake news.
And here is God’s word for these false teachers, deceivers, and defrauders of their brethren:
“You shall not circulate a false report.” Exodus 23:1:
And do we obey the Apostle Paul’s command in Ephesians to “expose the deeds of darkness”? Or do we conceal the deeds of darkness, so that multitudes more can be both financially and spiritually defrauded and deceived?
Kindest regards in Christ,
James Sundquist
Eaglemasterworksproductions.com
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June 27th, 2018 at 11:57 am
James, You raise a good point regarding truthfulness in advertising. Please allow me to make a few observations:
(1) Measuring book sales is a notoriously difficult thing to do. It is not like someone is standing outside of the door of every Barnes and Nobles, clicking their counters when a particular book sale is made. Every publisher has their own method of counting book sales, and Christian publishers are not exempt from this. To your point, Christian book sellers should indeed stop making inflated claims about their books, that can not be substantiated.
(2) Authors have relatively little control of what goes on the jacket of a book published by a major publisher. Once an author signs a contract with a book publisher, you pretty much relinquish some of your ability to control the book’s content. The only way to rectify this is to self-publish, which is an expensive undertaking.
(3) This would not be the first time that an unverified claim makes it into a published book jacket. In reading your website, it looks like your primary concern is about the biblical integrity of Rick Warren’s message, and not the ethics of Christian book publishing. Having not actually read _Purpose Driven Life_ myself, I can not really comment much further. What I do know is that many Christians have been blessed by his writings.
(4) As I hope I made clear in the blog post, my main concern is not in trying to defend Rick Warren. I have no dog in this race, at that level. My main concern is this persistent idea that leading evangelical leaders are promoting so-called “Chrislam,” when they are simply calling for a loving outreach to Muslims, without needlessly demonizing all Muslims as terrorists. Christians and Muslims do share some common beliefs, but they also theologically conflict in some essential areas. Looking for common ground with Muslims is not “Chrislam.” It just part of trying to build on having a fruitful relationship with Muslims, so that they might be won to Jesus.
So, I appreciate and agree with your desire for integrity on the book sales. You should contact Zondervan, if you have not done so already, and let them know about your concerns.
As far as going after Rick Warren, I think there are bigger and more important fish to fry…
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December 15th, 2018 at 8:34 pm
I am THRILLED I found this video and heard Mr. Warren speak clarify his position! I saw a blurb on Facebook of the redoculous allegation of proposing to merge Christianity and Islam! I have read many of Mr. Warren’s book and greatly respected him for years! I knew the blurb was a lie.
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December 15th, 2018 at 9:37 pm
Hi, Holly: Yes, it is amazing how many people will believe just about anything, instead of checking out the facts for themselves.
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September 3rd, 2019 at 11:29 pm
This is something that Chris DID sign – and Hybels and Schuller . . . This is probably THE thing that started all the Chrislam talk. It is just an FYI: https://faith.yale.edu/common-word/common-word-christian-response
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September 4th, 2019 at 7:49 am
Not sure who “Chris” is, but yes, Rick Warren did sign the Yale Common Word document, along with a number of other evangelical leaders, as I noted in the body of the blog post. Look towards the end of the post, just before the video.
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July 27th, 2020 at 12:52 pm
My question would be why he signed on to a document describing God as the All merciful One which is the description of Allah through out the Quran. I went on to A Common Word’s website and Rick’s name is not on it anywhere. Did he remove it? Also did he use this phrase in a speech which Obama attended. If so we can see why people are thinking the way they are.
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March 8th, 2021 at 7:02 am
Great Television minister a prophet of God Jack Van Impi exposes the book Chrislam
. Truth is so close to lies that if it were possible even the elect would be deceive.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matthew 24:24 KJV
The Root problem of Islam religion of the Muslim “Allah begotten not neither can he begot”.
THIS DESTROY THE SCRIPTURES DOCTRINE THAT God Almighty of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob manifested word call The Son of God PURPOSE to destroy the Works of satan (disobedience and rebellion) out of the heart of People.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4 KJV
Friend with the world you are not a friend of God.
We sure show our self friendly with the world but never be their Friend.
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October 11th, 2021 at 3:48 pm
‘Chrislam’ is indeed a real thing. Pope Francis and a couple of influential, devout muslim sheikhs created it. Three new mosque churches have been built in the M/E and are scheduled to open early next year.
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February 6th, 2022 at 1:17 pm
The bible mentioned that even if an angel brings another gospel,do not believe it!!!!!!!!!! God can use a donkey to talk too.The devil is an angel of light with lies!!!!!! Islamics don’t believe Jesus is God n that he did not die or resurect.so there sins are still on them sinful belief!!!.
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September 27th, 2022 at 8:32 pm
True Islam is this: Convert or Die.
This is the true spirit of Islam.
I really hope Rick Warren is not deliberately causing Chrislam to happen, but yesterday it was announced that Chrislam is ‘The Official World Religion’. If Rick Warren has had anything to do with this then he is one of the Gatekeepers To HELL.
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