The Empty, Anti-biblical "Help" from Rick Warren During A Tragedy

"Megachurch pastor Rick Warren tweeted a few days after the tornado, "In deep pain, people don't need logic, advice, encouragement, or even Scripture. They just need you to show up and shut up."Love."

~USA Today

This shows the darkness of Rick Warren. His damnable heresies are absolutely worthless to anyone facing any sort of trial or tragedy, including  his own son's. A true Christian knows exactly where to point a hurting person: to the Scriptures and the Lord Jesus Christ. But then, one would actually have to believe and trust in both to do so.

2Co 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5  For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6  If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 

2Co 1:8  For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 

We also know how comforting Psalms is for those in distress. Who hasn't jetted over to that precious book and read something so familiar like Ps. 23 about God shepherding His own people? How often is that chapter quoted from at funerals even by unbelievers? And yet Warren wants people to not even do that? That is hostility toward what is true, pure, holy, helpful, and powerful.

There is reason for our trials and our suffering for those in Christ. It is for our good and His glory. It is to know His comfort and then give that to others who in turn are suffering. For those outside of Christ, it is a call to humbly repent of one's sins and seek God for forgiveness and salvation, "while it is still called 'Today'". In other words, tragedy is really God's mercy and grace.

On a side note, I found it hypocritical how Rick Warren didn't "shut up" against his critics shortly after his son's death either. To tell people who give Scripture to those who have suffered loss to "shut up" and "love" is nothing short of Satan's doing. Its the antithesis of love. True love knows the God of all comfort and will act with that love, not just sit there silent while a person suffers and call that "compassion". Agape love is always Christ-centered and Christ-focused and for the Christian, that is true comfort regardless if we can't comprehend God's specific reason for a trial in our lives. We do know this as a fact: all that God does is for His glory and our good and our trials aren't just for us, as 2Cor. 1 says above--its to help others. All is not lost!

Rom 8:27  And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

There's the true, biblical, hope-filled answer.