Understand The Times, International

Comment from UTT:

The definition of what it means to be a Christian is in the process of being redefined. Those who promote a social gospel and forsake the gospel according to the scriptures are becoming the majority, led by a pied piper that wants to bring a P.E.A.C.E. Plan to the world for the sake of change.

Both MCCain and Obama support Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan. Will the next President support the P.E.A.C.E. Plan with taxpayers funds? That is the question!

The secular press is calling Warren "one of the significant evangelists of this generation." What is he an evangelist for?

Warren's three legged stool is in the making - remember the third leg is made up by "the churches" - government, the private sector and "the churches." Also, remember, you don't have to be a Christian to qualify as a contributor to the P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

Also note, the former prime minister of England (who now heads an his own interfaith foundation), will be coming to Saddleback next. Who will be next - the Dalai Lama?

Could the purpose-driven P.E.A.C.E. plan be a stepping stone for "evangelicals" towards a global one world religion?

When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage Saturday at the sprawling religious campus of Orange County's Saddleback Church, their presence will vividly underline the reach that has made Pastor Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation.

But Warren's willingness to soft-pedal political issues once central to U.S. evangelicals, such as opposition to abortion, has opened him to criticism that he has strayed from his calling to spread the Gospel.

The 54-year-old pastor, they say, is emblematic of a new breed of evangelicals who put social justice ahead of partisan politics. Some go so far as to call the plain-talking Warren, a bear of a man who prefers bluejeans to business suits, the Billy Graham of his era.

"He's a guy whose message has met the right moment," said Richard Land, a leading authority with the Southern Baptist Convention, the denomination to which Warren's church belongs.

"You know that I never endorse, nor campaign for, political candidates. Neither is it my role to give political advice. But I am a cultural observer and I do understand the unique stresses and responsibilities of public leadership, so I try to help leaders when asked."

Warren now wants to mobilize 1 billion Christians to attack what he calls "five global giants": spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. His church has already dispatched more than 7,000 volunteers to dozens of developing and Third World countries. Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, has spoken of his country becoming "the first purpose-driven nation."

Warren is playing an increasingly prominent role on the international stage.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is scheduled to speak at Saddleback Church next month. And Warren plans to visit Kenya, at the invitation of its parliament, to conduct a training session.

His growing portfolio has attracted criticism. "It's not our business to make friends with all of the political leaders of the world," said Bob DeWaay, an evangelical minister from Minnesota whose book, "Redefining Christianity: Understanding the Purpose Driven Movement," critiques Warren's work. "We have a message about how people get right with God, not about how the world is going to get rid of its problems," DeWaay said.