After “apology” Pastor Peter Lumpkins continues to attack Southern Baptist leaders

As noted here on February 25, 2012, Plumpkins was forced to issue a retraction for a deceptive piece he wrote about the North American Mission Board. He blamed his mysterious sources (likely the same ones he used for this erroneous conclusions about the SBC name change) instead of admitting what is likely closer to the truth: he made it up out of whole cloth. That’s what liars do, after all.

In Plumpkins retraction/apology, which was quoted here in full to give every benefit of the doubt, he said:

In addition, to the readers of SBC Tomorrow, I also offer my sincerest apologies. You deserve commentary on denominational affairs based on the most credible, factual information available. And while I sincerely thought I was basing my commentary on credible testimony, I hold no delusion that you should not be disappointed. The fact is, I am disappointed in myself. I broke my own strict protocol in making sure I have the goods before I deliver the message. This present post stands as the quintessential reason why that is so. And, know I have learned much in the process. I regret my lessons learned, however, came at another’s expense.

Finally, even though my normal commentary is based upon hard evidences like written, audio, and video–evidences which anyone may check and draw their own conclusions–and rarely base what I write on this blog on softer types like anecdotal, or softer still, verbal assertions, know I intend to be more careful still in the future.

May our Lord extend to us all His grace to be the best we can be for His glory alone. And, may our Lord forgive me as I look only to Him for my redemption.

His assertion that his normal commentary is based on hard evidences is enough to make one reach for Gas-X. His ruminations are based on speculation, mental confusion and wishful thinking.

Plumpkins must have enjoyed his earlier mentioned forgiveness fully since it took him less than a week to go off again half-cocked. This time the target of his verbal indiscretions was California pastor Rick Warren.

An article in the Orange County Register online set in motion the lame machinations of Plumpkins and his ilk. The problematic piece by Jim Hinch was taken for truth by many who hate Warren for as many reasons as can be listed with a ream of paper and an endless supply of ink. For most of them it comes down to jealousy, but that theme would require a blog dedicated to just that to explore it.

The gist of the Hinch article was that Warren has confessed a belief that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. In the same article buried deep in the comments Warren had responded to the multiple errors in the article, writing,

I deeply love my Muslim neighbors but this article contains multiple errors – factually and theologically that neither our dear friends in the Muslim Community nor the Christians at Saddleback Church would agree with.

Unfortunately, Pastor Peter Lumpkins, in his normal half-hearted search for truth amidst his whole-hearted search for gossip, took the OC Register’s bait. He speculated:

Warren’s latest celebrity spotlight features his bridge-building project to the Muslim world. And apparently he’s gone theologically berserk with syncretistic folly. According to Jim Hinch, journalist with the Orange County Register, Warren stepped outside the circles which make evangelicals on the left uncomfortable.

The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and one of America’s most influential Christian leaders, has embarked on an effort to heal divisions between evangelical Christians and Muslims by partnering that includes acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

Plumpkins closes with a slight disclaimer that acknowledges Hinch might be mistaken, but the article makes it clear throughout his belief in the reporter’s accuracy.

As it happens reporters/bloggers who are more concerned with accuracy than sensationalism and lies-as is the lying/deceiving Pastor Peter Lumpkins-got to the bottom of the story. On the same day Plumpkins spouted his nonsense about Warren, former Saddleback staffer, and current Saddleback church planter, Brandon Cox responded. Cox, who also oversees the websites pastors.com and Rick Warren’s Toolbox wrote in a lengthy rebuttal:

Theologically, there are two points that surface repeatedly among questioners. One surrounds the verbiage that Christians and Muslims worship the “same God.” This is a rather poor choice in terminology, but the misunderstanding is understandable. What Saddleback really affirms is that both Christians and Muslims are monotheists – that we both worship one God, and that the deities of which we both speak share many similarities. Neither the Christian leaders, nor the Muslim leaders involved in the discussion have ever affirmed that Jehovah and Allah are the “same God.”

So “we both worship one God” is easily interpreted as “we worship the same God” but wrongly so. There is simply an affirmation that both Christians and Muslims are monotheists. Pastor Warren and Saddleback still affirm, without reservation, that Jesus Christ is the One and only Savior of the world. But the point of the discussion between the two groups wasn’t to point out differences but to point out similarities, not for the purpose of highlighting sameness between the two religions, but rather the ability for the two religions to tackle issues, side-by-side.

You may disagree with this approach. You might feel that Christians shouldn’t work alongside Muslims, even with differences clearly stated, to accomplish common goals. Disagreeing with this approach is acceptable, branding Rick Warren as a false teacher is not. Disagree with Pastor Rick’s methodology if you wish, but don’t misrepresent his theology, which is clearly Christocentric.

(You can read the Cox’s entire article here: http://www.brandonacox.com/general/rick-warren-is-a-bridge-builder-even-with-muslims/)

On March 2, a lengthy interview in the Christian Post quoted Warren as saying:

First, as I’ve already said, Christians have a fundamentally different view of God than Muslims. We worship Jesus as God. Muslims don’t. Second, while we urge members to build friendships with Muslims and everyone in our community (“Love your neighbor as yourself”), our church has no partnership with any mosque. For example, I know that some of our members have led Bible study with Muslim friends, which I applaud. But I’ve never been to it, and it certainly isn’t any kind of partnership or merger. It’s crazy how a simple Bible study can be interpreted by some people as a plan for a new religion!…

Christians have a view of God that is unique. We believe Jesus is God! We believe God is a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not 3 separate gods but one God. No other faith believes Jesus is God. My God is Jesus. The belief in God as a Trinity is the foundational difference between Christians and everyone else. There are 2.1 billion people who call themselves Christians… whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal, or Evangelical…and they all have the doctrine of the Trinity in common…

[B]oth an Evangelical and as an evangelist, anyone who knows me and my 40 year track record of ministry knows that I would never agree to “not evangelizing” anyone! I am commanded by my Savior to share the Good News with all people everywhere, all the time, in every way possible! Anyone who’s heard me teach knows that my heart beats for bringing others to Jesus.

(Read that article and interview here: http://www.christianpost.com/news/exclusive-rick-warren-flat-out-wrong-that-muslims-christians-view-god-the-same-70767/)

In a similar interview on the blog of Ed Stetzer (later mentioned by Plumpkins), Warren responded these questions among others:

QUESTION: Let’s talk about evangelism. In the past 10 years, Saddleback Church has baptized over 24,000 new believers. No other church comes close to that record. You are likely the most evangelistic church in America. What’s the key?

WARREN: We are willing to do what many other churches are unwilling to do. We are willing to go beyond our comfort zone.

QUESTION: For instance?

WARREN: Because Jesus commanded us to take the Gospel to everyone, I spend much of my time with groups of people who completely disagree with what I believe. I’m constantly trying to build a bridge of love to nonbelievers, to atheists, to gays, to those I disagree with politically, and to those of other faiths. We don’t wait for these people to come to church; we go to them and share with them on their turf, not ours. Every member is a minister and a missionary. Saddleback was a missional church 30 years before the term became popular. We just called it being “purpose driven”

Even regarding the “King’s Way” document that formed the basis of Hinch’s article, Plumpkins makes assertions without evidence. In the first footnote of his March 2 article, he states:

The fault lies in part with Saddleback and the vague language of the Kings Way [sic] document.

Why Pastor Peter Lumpkins, oh why must you constantly lie and deceive on your blog? Just because the unbelieving journalist Jim Hinch did not understand the document does not mean it was vague in any way.

Following all these revelations Plumpkins expresses gratitude:

We are glad Warren cleared up the thick fog hanging heavy on us yesterday.

The only “thick fog” hanging around was that inside Plumpkins head.

Plumpkins apparently has one of two issues going on: he either is incapable of understanding the nuance in Saddleback’s strategy for reaching unbelievers with the gospel, or he prefers to lie and deceive his readers about it. In fact, his is so comfortable with his ongoing lies and deceit it is enough to make on wonder who his father is (John 8:44).

All of this is a sad reminder that there is no depth Pastor Peter Lumpkins of the Cornerstone Baptist Chapel in Waco, GA will not go to impugn the character of a genuine follower of Christ. For him an “apology” consists of little more than a lie that spans the time taken for him to come up with another lie or deception.

Coming soon: A partial list of Plumpkins’ efforts to lie and deceive on his blog; partial because complete would be impossible.