Word: pastoring
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When Mel Gibson began looking for influential ministers to endorse his controversial film, The Passion of the Christ, high on his list was the Rev. Rick Warren, founding pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. (Warren loved the movie, reserved blocks of seats at local cinemas for his parishioners and on two weekends last month delivered sermons on the Passion and plans another one for Easter.) When the White House wanted advice on how to observe the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, aides called Warren to meet with the President, the First Lady and West Wing...
...million copies of The Purpose-Driven Life have been sold. And since it was published in 1995, an additional 1 million copies of The Purpose-Driven Church have been snapped up as well. Meanwhile, nearly 300,000 ministers from 50 states and 120 nations have participated in Warren's pastor-training seminars and Internet classes, and more than 10,000 churches of various denominations have offered his 40 Days of Purpose group-study course. Beyond the chapel, millions of people--from the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour members to Coca-Cola executives to high school students to prison inmates--meet...
...widespread appeal of this philosophy suggests that Warren just might be, as Christianity Today has declared, America's most influential pastor. The reverend himself takes a slightly less exalted view of his role. Says Warren: "I'm translating the truth into 21st century language, and evidently a lot of people are listening." He's convinced that the nation is on the verge of a spiritual awakening, as people seek fulfillment they don't get in fast-track jobs and can't buy with gold cards. "The culture is asking, 'How do I fill this hole in my heart?'" he says...
...critics say Warren's plan may not be the best prescription for every person's long-term spiritual growth. And some argue that he's using the Lord's name for commercial gain. "The Purpose-Driven ministry is a marketing strategy," says Dennis Costella, pastor of the Fundamental Bible Church in Los Osos, Calif. "We believe the Bible tells us to present the word of God without packaging it for a contemporary cultural context." What his detractors call commercialism and marketing, Warren calls evangelism. "I believe I have the key to meaning and purpose in life with...
...watched case in Sioux City, Iowa, district court Judge Jeffrey Neary allowed two women to terminate the civil union they got in Vermont. But rather than call it a divorce, his ruling simply dissolved their union and reverted the women to single status. Several Republican lawmakers and a church pastor are challenging the ruling in the Iowa Supreme Court, arguing that that kind of dissolution would implicitly recognize such unions and pave the way to same-sex marriage...