Global Peace Plan
Global Peace Plan, as it is understood and promoted by certain churches, is largely the initiative of Rick Warren. In an interview Warren was asked:
“Q: Your book is a mega-seller and there are 82,000 names on Saddleback’s church rolls. What’s next?
Warren: “In the 21st century we are going global and mobilizing the American church to help internationally. … President Kagame will welcome us to Rwanda for a joint project among the government, business and the church….
Q: How will Saddleback tackle these huge problems?
Warren: With our PEACE plan…. P is for plant a church or partner with an existing one in every village. We’ll work with everyone who wants to help. I’ll work with an atheist who wants to stop AIDS. E – equip local leaders. A – assist the poor. C – care for the sick. And E – educate the next generation. …
Q: What is your greatest hope for all this?
Warren: A second Reformation. The first one was about belief. This one will be about deeds.”
(The Orange County Register)
Warren has now changed P to be “Promote Reconciliation” not “Plant a Church”.
Warren wants to bring the church, the government and businesses together to tackle the social ills of sickness, poverty and lack of education. He claims his PEACE Plan will achieve this end and that his Plan will do exactly what Jesus did:
“‘Billions of people suffer each day from problems so big no government can solve them…. ‘The only thing big enough to solve the problems of spiritual emptiness, selfish leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance is the network of millions of churches all around the world…The Scripture shows us that Jesus shared the Good News, trained leaders, helped the poor, cared for the sick, and taught the children… Our P.E.A.C.E. Plan will just do the five things Jesus did while he was here on earth.'”
(2005 Address at Angel Stadium.)
The Bible speaks a lot about helping the poor and needy, but it is not its central theme. The Bible is all about God’s plan to redeem mankind, bringing sinful men and women back into relationship with him. Jesus stated what is called the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:19-20
“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
The gospel, or good news, is that Jesus died to pay the penalty of people’s sins so that they could be born again as children of God. People are lost in sin as revealed by their beliefs (false religions) and behaviours (sinful – selfishness, greed, lust etc). The gospel demands that people renounce their false beliefs and sinful behaviours, becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ and accepting the Bible solely as the Word of God. This gospel is not what Warren preaches. His emphasis on “deeds not creeds” is not Biblical and false teaching. Warren wants to change the world by accepting people for who they are and just mobilising them to achieve social change. This is not what Jesus did nor what he asks his followers to do.
See Purpose Driven Rick Warren and Social Gospel