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Rick Warren cancels Obama-Romney forum at Saddleback Church
LAKE FOREST – Rick Warren, Saddleback Church’s pastor, announced Wednesday that a civil forum planned with President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the church has been canceled because of what Warren saw as uncivil discourse between the two campaigns.The forum, planned for this week, would have been two hours long, with each candidate speaking with Warren for 50 minutes. The event would have fallen during the same week when four years ago Warren hosted the first such presidential campaign forum, between then-Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain. Warren said it was the 2008 forum’s success among critics and pundits that led him to consider the idea again this year.
“The forum was praised for its unique format and fairness,” Warren said Wednesday while announcing a decision not to hold the forum. “Also, the TV networks were eager to cover it again since it garnered one of the largest viewing audiences of that election. I talked with both campaigns about the possibility of doing it again, and they were both favorable to participating.”
Warren pulled the plug on this year’s forum, explaining that the current negative campaign is opposite to what the church’s civil forum is about, even as plans had been ramping up to coordinate schedules, secure the area and get traffic control in check for a forum of this size. Planning had begun in March.
Requests for comment from both campaigns have not been returned as of early afternoon.
Warren has held seven civil forums with world leaders. Most recently, the megachurch pastor invited former Prime Minister Tony Blair to speak at Saddleback in March. In that forum, Warren and Blair talked about faith, 9/11 and the conflict in the Middle East. Warren also conducted a civil forum on Global Health in Washington, D.C., in December 2008 with President George W. Bush.
h/t Chalupa
sTevo
August 23rd, 2012
He is kidding no one. He canceled for fear of loosing his Tax Status.
Note to self…Jesus thinks he’s a Jerk.
beachmom
August 23rd, 2012
He’s a phony. He was caught on video, walking the streets of Iran talking about how nice it was there. And how good things were for their people.
beachmom
August 23rd, 2012
Pardon me…..it was Syria:
http://www.wnd.com/2006/11/38899/
123321123321
August 23rd, 2012
Beachmom, it was Syria not Iran, but I know what you are talking about.
Warren is a fraud too. In one of his books he steals/copies the occultist/psychologist Carl Young http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qW6aroPRx8
Jerry Manderin
August 23rd, 2012
Saddlecrack pushes Chrislam.
http://apprising.org/2011/02/22/the-rise-of-chrislam/
hanoverfist
August 23rd, 2012
My bad.
I thought the headline said “Brokeback”
Bob M.
August 23rd, 2012
A Mormon, a Mohammedan, and Mirror-worshipper walk into a Crystal Cathedral…
Lizziebee
August 23rd, 2012
He saw the blowback from Dolan’s debacle and got out while the going was good.
66chevelle
August 23rd, 2012
If the Dems don’t get all the real debates stacked completely in their favor, we’ll see more cancellations with even lamer excuses…perhaps some Wag the Dog, too.
The 2nd Presidential Debate will be a “Town Hall” format. “The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.”
Why do we let let this tiny group of ‘tards ask questions that the rest of us have already gotten answers for?
Strike-Anywhere Ukulele
August 23rd, 2012
he may do some good things but i don’t trust Rick Warren. I don’t like any of the mega churches. Feel like I’m watching a commercial instead of having righteous fellowship.
MNHawk
August 23rd, 2012
I feel like I’m watching someone that makes a living giving motivational speeches at corporations.
That being said, maybe since Warren can give an example of what Mittens has done, that’s so bad.
Chalupa
August 23rd, 2012
Warren’s a false prophet and a dhimmi. We’re not supposed to all get along, we are to resist and fight evil.
TexMark
August 23rd, 2012
Rick Warren ain’t too bright. He was soft on both candidates 4 years ago and failed to ask the tough questions that defined the flavor of “Christianity” both candidates subscribe to. He was so gullible to be enamoured by O’Bama. Just because someone says they’re a “Christian” does not imply they think like a Conservative or a Liberal. Look at the ideological differences between the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church Missourii Synod (LCMS). The LCMS does not try to dynamically change the meaning of Biblical scripture to fit current social issues, yet the leader of ELCA (Bishop Hansen) made the claim in November 2009 that the Bible is a living document that needs to be re-interpretted to fit current social challenges. The context of his argument was to support gay clergy, yet the LCMS staunchly opposes any gay lifestyle. Rick Warren failed to pull O’Bama’s true colors because he knew it would pit debate between theological doctrine, so that event in 2008 was nothing more than a dog and pony show.
Billy Fuster
August 23rd, 2012
Cut the crap. Put Obama and Romney in a caged ring and let them fight to the finish.
Maudie N Mandeville
August 23rd, 2012
@Lizziebee-Dolan might have gotten away with it if he had invited both candidates. I wonder if Obama’s defense against the lawsuit could include pictures at the dinner shaking hands and smiling with Dolan with the caption: “Hey, how bad can the mandate be?”
reddecaesari
August 23rd, 2012
when barry said he couldn’t answer one of rick’s questions because it was “above his pay grade”…
and rick let it slide. eh fix was in.
rick is like barry. needs to be worshipped personally.
Maudie N Mandeville
August 23rd, 2012
It might have been of interest for the journalism school kids who wrote the article and conducted the interview with Ricky to know that both camps had declined the offer. Ricky Warren is a slimeball.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/07/campaign-no-joint-obamaromney-saddleback-appearance-129184.html
reliapundit
August 23rd, 2012
he hates mormons?
jus askin yo
August 23rd, 2012
what? the Super Fun Rock Band Church can’t overwhelm the system?
h/t Ann Barnharct
Claudia
August 23rd, 2012
Never trusted Rick Warren. He’s all about growing churches to make money. Prove me wrong.
Hotlanta Mike
August 23rd, 2012
Uncivil discourse between the two campaigns? Smearing your opponent as potentially being a felon or evading taxes without evidence is more than uncivil discourse.
Hotlanta Mike
August 23rd, 2012
Will the Romney Campaign Demand Release of the Obama-Khalidi Video?
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/will_the_romney_campaign_demand_release_of_the_obama-khalidi_video.html#ixzz24Nn5aesX
AbigailAdams
August 23rd, 2012
Mega churches like Warren’s make me think of the adage: “Just because you stand in a garage, doesn’t make you a car.”
Alxandro
August 23rd, 2012
Maybe he was planning on burning Obama’s birth certificate?
Geri
August 23rd, 2012
OOH, “super fun rock band church”-man puts Romney and O in time out!! God bless Ann Barnhardt for the wonderfully descriptive label for false churches!!!
TigerEyes
August 23rd, 2012
Does anyone believe Obama is really going to debate Romney? Even with the White House picking commentators the risk of Obama off the teleprompter is too high.
Rick Warren is a Muslim sympathizer and I am happy we don’t have to see him fawning over this disgusting excuse of a president.
All debates should be canceled until we have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats asking the questions. I’m thinking this is what the Democrat Party wants in order to save them from the humiliation.
ruble
August 23rd, 2012
reminds me of the dogs I work on, they’re all lovable but only interested in 3 things. Eating, peeing and pooing. I know I left out sex, but I’ve managed to convince most of my clients that spaying and nuetering is the way to go.