There is an old saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words [or names] will never hurt me." Unfortunately, this oft-used cliche is simply untrue. Words can, and do, hurt. And Proctor seems to know it. In fact, many of his articles seem crafted to deliberately hurt and wound others on as deep a level as possible, striking unmercifully at the spiritual and emotional soft parts of those whom he is attacking. To be blunt, the man comes off as extraordinarily mean. And he does it all under the guise of righteousness and in the name of God. The following examples will clearly demonstrate this tactic by Proctor. It is terribly sad that anyone, especially someone who calls himself a Christian, would resort to such unvarnished mean-spiritedness. He will often go so far as to use terribly offensive language, as the following examples will show.

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PROCTOR #1: "PIMPING FOR JESUS . . . Pimping for Jesus is exactly what the leaders of today's 'transformed' church and 'new spirituality' are doing; and I can think of no more accurate way to describe it. . . . What is a harlot? She's a prostitute, right? And, isn't a prostitute a woman that seduces passersby to join her for fun, fantasy and illusion? Does she not appeal to the flesh of potential customers by using her charm, beauty, talents and tempting attributes; adorning herself and behaving in such a way as to lure and entice prospects with promises of pleasure, delight and gratification? . . . Dictionary.com defines the word 'pimp' as: 'One who finds customers for a prostitute.' What's more, pimps are paid handsomely for doing it, not by the 'johns' (customers) but by the working girls that are recruited, trained and managed by them. . . . [W]ould not all the church growth consultants, leaders and change agents that have set out to "transform" the church into something more worldly, desirable and marketable, qualify as Pimps for Jesus?" (Pimping for Jesus).
RESPONSE: It is both difficult and painful to have to deal with a comment like this one. In context, Proctor is talking about none other than Rick Warren and Saddleback Church, specifically with regard to Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan that was launched in 2005 at Angel Stadium in California. I was at that event. And I can say with full confidence that there was no "pimping" going on—for Jesus or for anyone else.

It was a wonderful day of Christian fellowship, heartfelt prayer, expressions of commitment to God, seeing old friends, and sharing a vision to evangelize the world by fighting against some of those things that are preventing people from hearing the Gospel: spiritual lostness, egocentric leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance (see What is the PE.A.C.E. Plan?).

It is, in my opinion, a sick tragedy that Proctor would use such an occasion to call people like Rick Warren a pimp and compare members of Saddleback Church to customers of a spiritual prostitute (i.e., the Great Harlot depicted in Revelation 17). I believe it shows, and rather plainly, a warped and twisted mind at work. Proctor, using the ugliest of terms possible, is degrading a Christian pastor and thousands of lay Christians whose overriding desire is to simply reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and alleviate a lot of suffering on the way (see the section titled "An Evangelism Strategy" in my article What is the PE.A.C.E. Plan?).



PROCTOR #2: "Warren suggested that his followers 'will do, whatever it takes to establish God's Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.' Don't pimps establish their own territories or Kingdom's on Earth where prostitutes are sent out to 'reach,' 'impact' and 'engage' the culture around them by doing 'whatever it takes' to accommodate lonely and desperate souls in need of stimulation, entertainment and relationship?" (Pimping for Jesus). "[Warren] stated that they will do 'whatever it takes' to establish God's Kingdom on Earth. Excuse me, but that's lawlessness; the only code violent criminals and desperate men recognize. You simply cannot obey the Word of God and do 'whatever it takes.' But, those were Pastor Warren's very words; so again, draw your own conclusions" (Gathering or Scattering). "Worst of all, it is not limited to Pastor Warren anymore. It is systemic and has become commonplace among many of today's pastors and church leaders in and around the CGM who follow his Purpose Driven lead to do 'whatever it takes.' Are these men of conscience and conviction or are they cunning change agents pursuing career, convenience, consensus and control? You tell me" (Rick Warren: Fundamentalist or Finagler?).
RESPONSE: Comments like these by Proctor make me pause to ask myself, "In what realm of reality is Mr. Proctor functioning?" The phrase "whatever it takes to establish God's Kingdom" has nothing to do with some kind of endorsement of illegal activities, especially the kind that might be associated with the work of pimps and prostitutes seeking out customers for "stimulation, entertainment and relationship." Proctor is just being insulting and disgusting.

The words come from Warren's statement "I'm looking at a stadium full of people who are telling God they will do whatever it takes to establish God's Kingdom 'on earth as it is in heaven." The meaning behind these words is fairly obvious to anyone who speaks English—and it has nothing to do with "lawlessness," conduct by "criminals," and acts devoid of "conscience and conviction." Warren simply meant that members of Saddleback Church would be willing to be used by God in whatever way God saw fit to use them as vessels of honor and grace as they witnessed to a lost and dying world.

The FULL CONTEXT of the declaration read by those at Angel's Stadium, including Warren, makes the meaning of the phrase very plain:


I can't imagine a pimp saying anything like this. And it certainly doesn't sound very much like a plea for lawlessness, nor does it reflect anything like the conduct of "criminals." And, if anything, this sounds like the epitome of "conscience and conviction," rather than the lack of it.



PROCTOR #3:"I suppose I should rename this column 'The Warren Report,' since so much of my writing time these days seems to be spent rebuking much of the spiritual whiskey he pours his patrons in the name of Christ, rendering them drunk, delusional and unable to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil and sacred from sacrilegious. Like alcoholics, the more his regulars drink, the thirstier they get; the thirstier they get, the more they drink, until they all begin sounding brilliant to each other and yet silly to the sober souls around them that fear God. Oblivious to His Word and the consequences of their carelessness, most end up laughing, crying, hugging and high-fiving each other while bragging about all of the great things they're going to do for God, which frankly turns my stomach" (Gathering or Scattering?).
RESPONSE: This is typical Paul Proctor—insulting, sensationalistic, accusatory, and fairly mean-spirited. Although it remains unclear to me exactly why Proctor is so enamored with using such vicious and offensive imagery, my guess is that he knows such verbiage will hurt and wound. Or, if I were to be more forgiving, perhaps he just believes (mistakenly) that it is good journalism. He might also feel that it is titillating and exciting in some way. Then again, Proctor may simply be emulating the kind of articles he is most accustomed to reading—tabloid stories (e.g., National Enquirer or Weekly World News). His article titles such as "Pimping for Jesus" and the content of his so-caleld "news" stories are strangely reminiscent of the tabloids, which sport headlines such as: "THE MAN IN THE MOON IS A PEEPING TOM," "JUDGE WHO BARRED WITCHES FROM ADOPTING CHILDREN TURNED INTO GUINEA PIG!," "AIRPORT HAUNTED BY DEAD HARE KRISHNAS!," "I STRIP FOR GOD," "ANGRY SKELETONS ATTACK FAMILY!"

Whatever the reason, Proctor's language and imagery are highly inappropriate. And there is little more that can be said about such distasteful remarks since Proctor is not actually making any points or arguments. He is simply resorting to mockery, insults, and name-calling. Most interesting, however, is how Proctor exalts himself and other like-minded Warren-bashers as those who are the "sober souls" who truly "fear God" (as opposed to persons they criticize). Once more, no real arguments are here. Instead, we only see tabloid-like accusations and sensationalism.



PROCTOR #4:"The P.E.A.C.E. plan will be a 'revolution' for global Christianity, Warren told the congregation. And you thought all of the hippies, peaceniks and flower children from the 60's had gone away. Hardly. . . They've just been blending in and waiting around for another sunny opportunity to bloom. Guess what? It's spring and the church grounds are bursting out all over with them; and, believe it or not, many of them have W stickers on their cars!" (Gathering and Scattering).
RESPONSE: Again, we see nothing here except name-calling and insult-hurling. Of course, we also learn from this remark that Proctor apparently does not like hippies, peaceniks, flower children, or "W" stickers on cars.



PROCTOR #5: "Is it any wonder that kids are being taught in public school how to put condoms on cucumbers; that unrepentant homosexuals are preaching tolerance, diversity and unity from church pulpits, while marrying each other in front of them; and that sucking the brains out of a healthy, half-born baby is now considered a mother's right? Who's objecting? Who's calling it sin? Obviously not the 'Purpose Driven Church'" (Salt-Free Saint).
RESPONSE: Proctor is practically ranting at this point, and doing so using the most offensive imagery and grotesque wording possible—one might even say gratuitous. That is bad enough. But more relevant is the accusation that Warren and Purpose Driven Churches never mention sin, or discusses specific sins in a way that would indicate such activities are wrong and contrary to God's Word, will, and ways. But nothing could be further from the truth. When it comes to Warren and Saddleback Church, all of the issues noted by Proctor are viewed with a conservative, evangelical eye. Consider this statement made by Warren from the pulpit:



And with regard to abortion, Proctor apparently missed this article up at Warren's pastors.com titled "Speak the Truth in Love About Abortion." It reads:


So, in response to Proctor's accusatory questions—"Who's objecting?" and "Who's calling it sin?"—the answer would be Rick Warren and Saddleback Church (and hopefully, every other purpose driven church out there).



PROCTOR #6: "According to the Warren interview, apparently all one needs to do to receive God's forgiveness for past sins, like abortion, is show up on Sunday, look to the future and find your purpose. However, if the remedy for sin was to simply put it behind us, then sin is really nothing more than a hang-up—an emotional obstacle to be overcome—something secular psychologists have been trying to teach us for years" (Salt-Free Saint).
RESPONSE: Here we have Proctor rambling on about a fairly straightforward comment that Warren made during a 2004 Dateline NBC interview wherein he explained why he does not use the pulpit to push any political position or agenda—no matter what the issue! And Proctor, interestingly, decided to not quote the interview in full context to show that fact. Instead, he selectively quoted the show's transcript in an effort to make it seem like Warren was talking about abortion as an issue that he never dealt with at all. The topic of discussion was politics, not right/wrong or sin. In context, the full transcript reads as follows:

MANKIEWICZ: How many politicians have come to you saying, `You and I are singing off the same sheet of music. How about an endorsement?'
Mr. WARREN: I don't give endorsements.

MANKIEWICZ: But you've been asked?
Mr. WARREN: Oh, yeah. I, I give counsel, and I counsel both sides of the aisle. I'll talk to anybody who wants to be talked to.

MANKIEWICZ: You won't be campaigning with George Bush or John Kerry this year?
Mr. WARREN: No. No.

MANKIEWICZ: Who are you voting for?
Mr. WARREN: I keep that quiet, too.

MANKIEWICZ: (Voiceover) He says he's about inclusion, not polarization. So when Rick Warren is in the pulpit, don't expect to hear sermons on the evils of homosexuality or abortion rights. [To Warren] You don't seem to talk very much about some of the most divisive issues facing the country. Why is that?
Mr. WARREN: We never use the pulpit for politics. I believe abortion is wrong. But if someone comes to our church who has had an abortion, what I want to know—what I want her to know is that God loves her, God has a purpose for her life, God forgives her and God has a plan beyond what's gone on in her life. And so why in the world would I hold up a sign saying, you know, `I'm against what you've already done.' That's a thing of the past. What I want to know is, let's look to your future.

Nothing in this interview is suggesting that Warren's remedy to sin is to "show up on Sunday, look to the future and find your purpose," or that Warren sees sin as nothing but "an emotional obstacle to be overcome." Proctor is putting words in Warren's mouth. When it comes to sin, its nature, and its effects on us, Warren teaches/preaches the standard, Southern Baptist, historic, orthodox views (see Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell).



PROCTOR #7:"I'll tell you who IS objecting to such abominations and calling them 'sin.' It is those fearless and despised folks out on the street who WILL hold up signs 'against abortion' and against homosexual marriage. It's easy to see why Pastor Warren wouldn't want to be part of such a thing. It would seriously hamper his church's growth" (Salt-Free Saint).
RESPONSE: Actually, as the above response shows, Warren has no problem calling out any sin by name, including adultery, fornication, abortion, and homosexuality. What Warren DOES have a problem with is a "Christian" acting like an obnoxious, insensitive, callous fool who cares less about loving and ministering to someone than he does about just shotgun blasting a person with scriptures and repeatedly hitting them over the head mercilessly with the hammer of condemnation. A great lesson could be learned by Proctor if he would take the time to read the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman by the well (John 4:7-42).

And as for church growth, Proctor seems to be completely unaware of what Warren teaches on this issue. His purpose driven teachings are concerned with church health, not church growth (see What is the Purpose Driven Church?).



PROCTOR #8: "Michael Schiavo apparently believes HIS purpose in life is to see to it that his wife loses hers. After all he's been through over the last fifteen years, he'd probably call her DEATH a miracle—an event that would free him up to marry his live-in girlfriend and be a legitimate father to their two kids. Why doesn't somebody ask him if HE has a copy of Rick Warren's book? If anyone ever had a purpose, it's Michael Schiavo!" (The Purpose Driven Hostage).
RESPONSE: Tears could be shed over the depth of pure nastiness in this offensive tirade that makes reference to the tragedy of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo, and the controversy surrounding her husband's decision to remove the feeding tube that was being used to keep her alive. I am not even sure how to address the horrible inappropriateness of what Proctor has done here in his effort to find just one more way to slam Rick Warren and cast aspersions on Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life. Perhaps it is simply best to point out that neither Warren nor his book have anything to do with Michael or Terri Schiavo—period. And there was no good reason for Proctor to bring up these individuals and the tragic/painful circumstances that destroyed their lives.



PROCTOR #9:"[Warren] hosted an AIDS conference at his church, inviting an array of 'progressive' speakers that included a pro-abortion Senator and a gay physician—point being—this is just business as usual. 'Playing footsie' with evil is what being Purpose Driven is all about!" (What Rick Warren Wants)
RESPONSE: Proctor at this point is revealing one of the main problems that exists in today's Christian church—we have become so xenophobic, so terrified of the world around us, and so fearful of others who are not Christian (horror of horrors), we can't even talk to anyone any more unless they believe exactly as we do, and see things exactly as we do (usually about everything). And those who differ with us in any way have absolutely nothing to say about anything! They are not to be listened to, talked to, or looked to for information of any kind.

Instead of engaging the world and reaching out to others who are not in the "us" crowd (i.e., instead of seeking to interact with non-Christians as a means of being salt and light in the world, Matt.5:13-14), far too many Christians are hiding in their churches, huddled together in creaking pews, and preaching to the choir with the same sermons that they have been listening to and delivering for the last 100 years. It may be safe, but it certainly is not biblical.

We are to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-15). And, as Romans 10:15 tells us: "[H]ow shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!'" Contrary to what some Christians would believe, we are not commanded by God to isolate ourselves from the world or its people (see Working Socially With Unbelievers).

Warren's AIDS conference was intended to bring together a wide variety of people to discuss a very pressing issue in the world today—i.e., the spread of AIDS. Invited speakers included medical experts, other religious leaders, the press, and leaders in the AIDS community who are also trying to fight the disease. This is hardly "playing footsie" with evil. It is seeking to gather information and hear perspectives on an issue that the church is seeking to engage in the social arena.



PROCTOR #10:"Warren said his goal for writing The Purpose Driven Life was to 'help people develop a heart for the world'—not a heart for God or a heart for evangelism or even a heart for the lost, but 'A HEART FOR THE WORLD.' Millions of sugar addicts from every denomination took the bait and popped his delicious candy into their mouths to savor its sweetness, forgetting scripture's dire warning about loving the world" (Sweet Lies). "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And let's not forget that back in September of 2002 Warren told the Baptist Press 'the goal of The Purpose Driven Life is to help people develop a heart for the world. 'Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world'" (Gathering and Scattering).
RESPONSE: Here is another prime example of how Mr. Proctor can take a perfectly innocent comment and pervert it in a way so bizarre that it boggles the mind.

The obvious understanding of Rick Warren here is that he was hoping his book would encourage people to care about others around them (i.e., the world)—in other words, love thy neighbor and demonstrate that love by serving in the church. Such service, of course, may be rendered in many different ways: feeding the hungry, giving clothes to the poor, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless/orphaned, and comforting those who are in need (such as widows). These are marks of "pure and undefiled" religion (James 1:27) and exemplifies how Jesus lived out his ministry by feeding the hungry and healing the sick.

But Proctor, in his unending quest to make Warren look as bad as possible, lifted Warren's words out of context and twisted them to fit his own agenda. During The Baptist Press interview, which Proctor is quoting , the short phrase "a heart for the world" was in a paragraph that actually included an explanation detailing what Warren meant. The article stated: "Warren says the goal of The Purpose Driven Life is to help people develop a heart for the world. He says real meaning and significance won't come from pursuing one's personal goals and ambitions but only from understanding and fulfilling God's purposes" (see article/interview).

In The Purpose Driven Life, Warren talks a great deal about caring for others (our neighbors) and serving them. For instance, on page 293 he writes: "If you ask God, he will burden your heart for a specific country or ethnic group that desperately needs a strong Christian witness." And on page 294, he writes the following:


This is what Warren is talking about when he states that he hopes his book will give people a heart for the world. He is not advocating, or seeking to instill in his readers, some kind of carnal love for the world that scripture equates with being an enemy of God (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15). Proctor's mangling of Warren's words remains inexplicable since the context of those words makes Warren's sentiments painfully obvious. Nevertheless, Proctor seems unable (or unwilling) to understand Warren's point, going so far as to offer a bizarre interpretation of Warren's plain meaning in English.



PROCTOR #11: "Warren [said]: 'I stand before you confidently right now and say to you that God is going to use you to change the world.' 'Change the world?' Isn't that what John Lennon sang about in his song 'Revolution' with Yoko Ono by his side? Are you seeing a pattern here yet? No, you won't find any directive in the scriptures where Jesus or any of the disciples ever instructed us to 'change the world.' In fact, the Bible teaches something completely different: 'Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world"(Gathering and Scattering).
RESPONSE: It is almost inconceivable how someone could take such admirable sentiments being expressed by Warren and distort them into something sinful, carnal, and worldly (also see the next accusation). All Warren is saying is that the world can be changed for the better by people who are loving, following, and serving Jesus—i.e., those who need comfort will be comforted, the lost will be saved, the poor will be helped, the orphaned will receive love. Is this "loving" the world in a sinful way? Is this living in ungodly "friendship" with the world? Proctor himself would be as spiritually twisted as his arguments if he viewed such activities as loving the world. And from a biblical standpoint, he would be functioning under a non-scriptural perspective of the Christian's calling to love others (see (Matthew 22:37-40, James 1:27, 2:14-17). 



PROCTOR #12: "Rick Warren, the revered leader and latest figurehead of today's new age Christianity told Erin Curry in a Baptist Press article last year that his goal for writing The Purpose Driven Life, (The CGM's new unofficial bible), was to help Christians 'develop a heart for the world'—which seems to be exactly what Mr. Barna has concluded in his findings—that Christians no longer have the mind of Christ but only a heart for the world" (Confessions of a Facilitator).
RESPONSE: This wild accusation represents yet another terrific mishandling of Warren's words (see previous two responses). As for the accusation that Warren is the leader of a "new age Christianity," see my article on Is Rick Warren A New Ager?. Such a charge is ludicrous. Warren holds to all of the essential doctrines of Christianity and preaches salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the death of Jesus on the cross for sinners and his resurrection from the dead (see The Doctrinal Essentials of Christianity—and Rick Warren and Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell).

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• INTRO ARTICLE - Paul Proctor: Destructive, Delusional, Deceptive

• Paul Proctor: Accuser of the Brethren

• Paul Proctor: Hate-Talk and Heresy Hunting

• Paul Proctor: No P.E.A.C.E. For You

• Paul Proctor: Words to Wound By