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Megapastor Rick Warren's controversial trip to North Korea next month has been postponed.
Originally scheduled for March when Warren was expected to preach to some 15,000 people at the first-ever outdoor Christian event in the reclusive country, the evangelical pastor plans to pursue a later date possibly in the summer when the weather is warmer, according to his public relations team, A. Larry Ross Communications.
Details have not been laid out on the reason for the delay, but the communications team says the trip to North Korea is still on.
Warren shocked his Saddleback congregation in July of 2006 when he announced his decision to preach in North Korea – a country listed as the worst human rights persecutor five years in a row by persecution watchdog Open Doors. They expressed support, nevertheless, for his trip.
The planned trip to North Korea came at the invitation of a delegation of South Korean businessmen working with representatives from North Korea. The invitation to preach publicly is a rare one. World renowned evangelist Billy Graham was one of the few Americans and religious figures to visit the communist nation. And Graham preached indoors. Warren was invited to preach outdoors at a stadium in Pyongyang, once considered “Asia’s Jerusalem.”
Warren's acceptance of the invitation drew wide criticism from many Christians and the general public. Many believe it is a propaganda exercise to show that North Korea has a free church, and the crowd of 15,000 is not expected to have any real Korean Christians. Although aware of many of the concerns, the megapastor reiterated in several reports that he is not going for political reasons, but to preach the Gospel. The planned speaking engagement is to take place in conjunction with the centennial year of the Pyongyang revival.
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Last month on the centenary day (Jan. 14) of a revival that is said to have established the base of Korean Christianity, thousands of Christians gathered at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastic Stadium proclaimed an International Year of Prayer for North Korea in 2007. The Rev. Hee Boum Choi, executive secretary of the Christian Council of Korea, proclaimed a call to all denominations and ministries around the world to join the South Korean Church in active prayer for the peace of the Korean peninsula.
According to Warren, South Korean clergy, from what he has heard, were happy that the invitation to the American megapastor was offered.
"I believe it would be the first opportunity for public preaching of the good news in a long time," Warren said in an earlier interview.
Meanwhile, a six-party agreement was made on Feb. 13 to end North Korea's nuclear program.
