Kay Warren: Orphans Are the Litmus Test of Being A Christian

Mat 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Mat 6:2 "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Don't call yourself a Christian if you aren't caring for orphans," Kay Warren said at the recent Catalyst West Conference.

My thoughts are in italics.

Quote:

"If we are doing little to nothing, how dare we, how dare we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ," she said Friday. "Followers of Jesus Christ care about widows and orphans and they understand that it is a litmus test.

"It is not an option."

A litmus test? Who defines "little" "nothing" or "enough"? Its Kay. Read on.

The Litmust test: Scripture says:

2Jn 1:9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Joh 7:24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

Is. 8 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Gal 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

As for the issue of orphans:

First of all those of us in the USA pay a lot of money to the poor and needy, not just here but worldwide. That's a fact. Also, its presumptuious for Warren to dictate how we live out our faith--what if we are not given the opportunity to PERSONALLY house and feed orphans? What happened to our priority to our own families God has given to us first?

Also:

Jas 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.... 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

Kay purportedly is borrowing from James on orphans, however her twist is not in the context of Scripture. The context of caring for orphans is about obeying the Truth of Scripture versus hypocrisy. Doctrine dictates our behavior. If a person claims to be religious but isn't bearing fruit, they should examine themselves to see if they are in The Faith. We are to obey the WORD, not some woman's social justice band wagon. Kay's agenda is that poverty can and shall be eradicated via her husband's 5 point PEACE plan: "1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger"

James isn't saying you if you don't care for the orphans, then you aren't a Christian. After all, the poor we will always have with us.What he IS saying is that hypocrisy is wrong. He's showing the nature of true salvation. Considering that the Warrens don't have The Gospel makes Kay's words all the more hypocritical. God says TRUE religion, that is, true FAITH is a heart issue and grounded in biblical Truth.

Warren wants the orphan issue to determine who's saved or not, but she ignores the REST of the verse: "and to keep oneself unstained from the world. " This she and her husband have NOT done. The Warrens are infested with worliness and the world hears them for they are of the world (1John 4:5).

I also believe 1John 3:17 would bear light on this issue as well: 1Jn 3:17 "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? "18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

The weighty words were delivered to thousands of church and ministry leaders on the final day of Catalyst West, a three-day conference designed to challenge leaders to be change agents in the culture.

Warren is violating clear Scripture:

1Tim2: 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

James 3:1 says not many should become teachers, and that includes Kay and Rick Warren.

Kay's twisting of the orphan issue shows exactly why women are not to teach men. This isn't the only issue she's been wrong on; she's also pro-homosexuality and has taught men in the past as well.

"It has nothing to do with personality, it has nothing to do with spiritual gifts, it has nothing to do with economic status, it has nothing to do with your season in life," she stressed. "It has to do with accepting the responsibility that God will one day hold us accountable."

She's right on this one thing: her view on orphans has NOTHING to do with spirituality. Rather its merely social justice that the pagans participate in to soothe their guilty conscience or to look better than the next guy. Its fleshly, not spiritual. Its legalism. And its what Rick's PEACE plan is here to save the day.

And it's not just a matter of personal responsibility either, she indicated.

There is a theological reason all Christians are to do something to help vulnerable children.
Warren highlighted: "What our Heavenly Father does for us spiritually, He expects us to do physically."

This is not supported by Scripture as some sort of mandate. This is nonsense. How can you do physically was is spiritual? By its very definition, its not physical. Besides that, this is a twisting of Scripture. For instance how will she atone for her sin? How does one do PHYSICALLY what Jesus did on the cross? She's the one who said what God does for us spiritual He EXPECTS US TO DO PHYSICALLY. Doesn't this smack of Romanism?

"You and I were all spiritual orphans," she said. "We're not just cleared of the guilt of our sin. We belong in God's family. He has taken us and made us part of Himself.

"Now He shares with me everything that He has. Everything that belonged to Jesus belongs to us."

Again, I don't know where she gets this notion. First of all, we either have God as our Father or the Devil:

Joh 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
Joh 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

We aren't spiritual orphans. Also we are not part of God. This is like Rick's sympathy to panentheism views. Its pagan. We are IN Christ, those who are truly saved that is, but God does not make us part of Himself. He is always distinct from His creation.

While Christians have a spiritual home, there are 143 million children around the world who don't even have a physical home.

What does "spiritual home" mean? If she means a church, then that is NOT comparable to a physical home. God commands us to be in a local church, which He provides. But not all His children have physical homes (think of Christians who were dispersed during the first century for instance, but still had biblical churches---or those who sold their homes for money to give to brothers truly in need). This is earthly thinking. Jesus did not have an earthly home. And no, I'm not saying its good to be homeless. What I am saying, is that Kay again, is twisting what Scripture says. Consider that in her view, since we who are truly in Christ are blessed by God with every spiritual blessing and spiritual riches, therefore that means that all 143 million children (where did she get that number?) should have all the riches in the world? Can spiritual riches even have an earthly price tag? How in the world can spiritual blessings have any equivilance to the temporal, fallen things of the earth?

Yet many believers likely are unable to name the names of five orphans, Warren noted.

And? This is the test? List five names of orphans? Seriously? If someone can name six are they better than one who can name 3? And does how knowing or not knowing the names of orphans matter?

What about those who live in remote places where there are no orphans? What if someone is too poor to support an orphan? And how does Warren define "orphan"? I've witnessed a woman claiming to be so poor that she can't feed her "orphan son". She was typing this online. On a computer. So these things need to be defined. Additionally, this is a pride issue.

The orphan advocate clarified that the Bible isn't necessarily calling every person to adopt a child. She and her husband, renowned pastor Rick Warren, have not adopted, she noted.

Yes, do as they say, not as they do. But they'll brag about what they do, too.

But, she added, the Bible does say Christians have a personal responsibility to do something, whether it's contributing to the fund of a family trying to adopt, providing house cleaning for a family that adopted, or getting involved with church sponsorship of children.

Where does the Bible COMMAND this? Seriously, cleaning for a family who has adopted? The wife can't clean her own house? Why? What does having an adopted child have to do with that?And what about the family that is raising their children in a godly way? They're what, less worthy? This is elitism and really, Phariseeism. Is Kay cleaning houses? Why won't she adopt? She said the "season in life" is not an excuse. And when is enough, enough, according to Kay?

At the same time, it's not enough to simply send some money or place children in orphanages.

There's your answer. So she slams people for not meeting her expectations regarding orphans, and when they DO do something as she said they should, she then says that's not enough. What a harsh task master.

"God is a relational God," she said. "And orphanage is an institutional solution."

End quote.

Social justice defines a TRUE Christian, she says. And this from a woman who has no idea what biblical doctrine is, much less what a biblical church is and what its called to do.

I wonder if John and Noel Piper are fine with their new buddy's wife teaching men? Oh wait, Ricky told Piper he thinks women should not be hold the office elders. Yet his wife repeatedly teaches men. I pointed this out years ago too. Warren IS a feminist. Both of them are. But hey, what's biblical doctrine and obeying it?

And what about the widows? Where is her litmus test for that? We know that Scripture says the family is to look after their widows first and if they have no family, then the church they are members of, should care for ONLY the widows in DEED and 60 years or older--those who truly have NO HELP at all. This IS a command of God to the local church in 1Tim. 5.

The problem is that we have "Christian" families that are splintered and destroyed by immorality, selfishness, and divorce. "We" can't even get our act together in marriage let alone raising our own flesh and blood, but Warren commands such horrific families to be religious by adopting MORE kids they can't care for? The churches can't even function somewhat biblically, but she says the issue of orphans are THE TEST of faith? Just what is she proposing to do with that "143 million" group of children? Dump them into families where neither parent is home? Where the mom is out working and throws her own kids into daycare?

Did Kay Warren ever consider why these children are orphaned? And is this tied to Rick's horrific PEACE plan?

You betchya.

This Catalyst conference was chock full of Emergents including women teaching men. Emergent leaders speaking include:

Andy Stanley
Dallas Willard
Erwin McManus
Kay Warren
Mark Driscoll
John Ortberg

Others:

Charlene Li
Don Miller
Eugene Cho
Louie Giglio
Reggie Joiner
Scott Belsky
Wess Stafford
Chris Tomlin

Some of the Sponsors:

Compassion International
David C. Cook
Indiana Wesleyan University
Alpha USA
Fuller Theological SeminaryNavPress
Saddleback Community Church
XXX Church

For the record, because I know I'll get some snarky comments about how I hate the orphans and have no compassion, etc. etc., as I have already stated, I'm taxed out the wazoo to pay for the homeless, the hungry, the widowed and the orphans. I will not disclose what I do for anyone because that would be prideful, fleshly, and letting the "right hand know what the left hand is doing".

In addition to that, I have given Scripture that talks about the heart issue when we see a brother in need and have the means to meet that need but refuse to do so. "Brother" and "need" are key words here. So caring for orphans is a GOOD thing, but it is not the litmus test of a true Christian. After all, the Roman Catholic Church, Theresa of Calcutta, the Mormons, etc. can do all of this as well, but they do not have a religion that is truly of God--not of Truth according to Scripture.

And remember this: Kay's agenda is the PEACE plan--with the hope to change our society and churches into socialistic states. This is a factor that cannot be ignored.