Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will make their first joint appearance as the presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominee, respectively, at Saddleback Church on Aug. 16 for a leadership and compassion forum.
In the two-hour event, each candidate will take the stage separately for about an hour to respond to Pastor Rick Warren’s questions about faith and moral issues such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate change and human rights.
“We’re honored that the candidates chose The Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion for their first joint appearance, an unprecedented opportunity for America to hear both men back-to-back on the same platform,” said Warren, who founded the 22,000-member Lake Forest, Calif., megachurch.
“This is a critical time for our nation and the American people deserve to hear both candidates speak from the heart – without interruption – in a civil and thoughtful format absent the partisan ‘gotcha’ questions that typically produce heat instead of light.”
Both presidential candidates have recently increased their outreach to the evangelical community, and an appearance at the popular evangelical church could help the candidates’ appeal to this key voting bloc.
Warren will be the only one to pose questions to the candidates, as requested by both senators, although the event will be open to the media.
“While debates typically focus primarily on the candidates’ positions and only secondarily on how they’d lead and make decisions, this Saddleback Civil Forum will reverse that ratio,” Warren said. “Since the oath of the President is a commitment to protect the Constitution, it’s critical to know how each candidate interprets the nature of its principles. Leadership involves far more than promoting programs and making speeches, and since no one can predict what crises will happen over the next four years, it is vital to know the decision capacity and process of each man.”
This forum will be the only joint campaign event prior to each party’s national convention.
Pastor Rick Warren, who wrote best-seller The Purpose Driven Life, said he has known both candidates before they ran for national office and had called each man personally to invite him to the event.
McCain and Obama, along with other political leaders, have endorsed Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan – a 50-year strategy to mobilize millions of local churches around the world to address the five global problems: spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy.
Moreover, Obama had spoken at Saddleback Church’s annual HIV/AIDS conference in 2006, and sent a video message last year about his commitment towards polices that would tackle the disease. Similarly, McCain also sent a recorded video message to the audience at the Global Summit on AIDS and The Church in November.
In conjunction with the Civil Forum event, Warren will convene an interfaith meeting with about 30 Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders to discuss joint projects that can benefit all Americans.
Following the civil forum, Warren will deliver on Aug. 17 a special sermon entitled “Making Up Your Mind: Questions to Consider before the Election.”
Faith in Public Life, which hosted a Compassion Forum earlier this year, featuring Obama and former Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton, will co-sponsor the Saddleback Civil Forum event. There are about 6,500 tickets for the event.
The Saddleback Civil Forum was established to promote civil discourse and the common good of all. The first forum, held during Passover week this year, featured five Jewish World War II Holocaust survivors sharing their stories. The next Saddleback Civil Forum in September will feature former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/home/index.html link to the lake forest saddleback church
Stanj said - "Usually when someone is trying to scare someone or mis-lead them they point to Revelation. No other book in the Bible is filled with such symbolism as Revelation. We do know that our instructions as Christians can be found in the Gospels of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. The victory over the Devil belongs to Christ, it is not our battle, except for the battle to resist temptation."
The book of Revelation is scary because it is true - all those Christians who want to pretend that life is fine while they accumulate material wealth will indeed be suprised by the return of Christ.
Is God loving - YES! But He is also just and will judge the living and the dead. People ARE going to the lake of fire forever and if that doesn't upset us and make us desire to cast off the whole Jesus stereotype that He is some kind of gentle friend who pets sheep and walks in fields of buttercups barefuot - then we are not reading the Bible.
When He comes back he is the judge that will cast people into the lake of fire - He will make war and the blood will be to the bridle of the saddle.
Yet for the believer the book of Revelation is hope because we know that we who were once His enemies will reign forever with Him.
More Revelation preaching would be a good thing in my opinion. (And by the way telling people the danger of ignoring God's wrath is not scare tactics - that if anything is TRUE love)
The candidates should be asked:
1. What is your position on man-woman marriage?
2. Where do you stand on partial-birth abortion and the killing of nearly-born babies?
3. Would you sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law?
4. How can the federal faith-based initiative survive without hiring protections for religious charities?
Good for Warren, this is the kind of balanced approach that churches need.
I agree with both CP2008 and rolln4him. We must not water down the truth.
We should seek unity, but not at the cost of truth (Ephesians 4:11-24)
We are headed for a one world government and one world religion. But I hate to think of believers being part of dragging us into it.
Usually when someone is trying to scare someone or mis-lead them they point to Revelation. No other book in the Bible is filled with such symbolism as Revelation. We do know that our instructions as Christians can be found in the Gospels of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. The victory over the Devil belongs to Christ, it is not our battle, except for the battle to resist temptation.
I agree with you CP2008.
The more I hear Warren publicly, the harder my red flag flutters in the wind and the louder it gets.
He keeps adding water to THE MESSAGE while his ego and pride swells.