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 Rick Warren in Rwanda in 2008. My Take: Church is world’s most powerful weapon against AIDS
By Rick Warren, Special to CNN On June 5, 1981, my wife Kay was late into her second pregnancy, just weeks away from giving birth. Absorbed in caring for our 2-year-old and preparing for a newborn, the farthest thing on our minds was news that day of a cluster of men in Los Angeles with a mysterious, devastating disease. But what began in Africa and was first observed in this small California group became an epidemic, then swelled to a pandemic - touching lives in every country on every continent Though late to the fight, in 2003 Kay and I heard God calling us to care for those infected and affected, to raise our voices on their behalf, and to figure out practical ways for local churches to serve them. Timeline: 30 years of AIDS moments We traveled to Africa, ground zero for this pandemic, and were brokenhearted by the pain and thrilled by the compassion we observed. Out of the bubble that is American life, we sat with dying men and women, held newly orphaned babies in our arms, and cried with shattered family members. In America, we’d heard public leaders, including pastors, make pronouncements about AIDS that implied that those infected were enemies, or at least deserved their illness. But at the grassroots level we witnessed Christ-followers by the thousands opening their hearts, their homes, their wallets and their churches to fellow human beings in their suffering. Clearly, local churches were at the forefront of this battle in Africa.  Kay Warren folding bandages in Rwanda in 2007. We returned home determined to model our church’s response to HIV and AIDS after the African church’s response. We began by inviting a member of our church – Saddleback, in Southern California - who was HIV positive to tell his story publicly for the first time. Our members responded with overwhelming love. And once people realized our church was a safe place, other HIV positive people began attending and opening up about their status. To help remove the stigma, I was publicly tested for HIV with network TV cameras rolling. We began support groups for anyone infected or affected; trained church members to be part of personalized teams for an infected individual; brought in experts in the field to educate our congregation; and hosted three “Global Summits on AIDS and the Church” to showcase the latest scientific, behavioral and psycho-social aspects of the disease. We reached out to local, regional, national and international organizations, offering our manpower and networks in the fight against AIDS. One of the great lessons of this fight is that the single fastest way to mobilize at the grassroots level around the world is through local congregations. Nothing comes close to the size and scope of this pool of compassionate volunteers. The church has the largest distribution network on the planet. There are more churches in the world than all the Wal-Marts, McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. The church was global 200 years before anyone else thought of globalization. We could take you to thousands of villages around the world where the only institution to speak of is a church. Plus, the Christian church is the only organization growing faster than the new infection rate: while 7,000 people are newly infected globally every day, and church growth experts estimate that the church is adding 35,000 converts daily in China alone. These church members have a non-profit motivation to serve. We are commanded by Jesus Christ to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Our church sent 14,869 of our members to all 195 nations in the world to beta-test a local church humanitarian program based on the model of Jesus. Called the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, volunteers Plant churches that promote reconciliation, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation. We’ve learned that any church can provide six essential services in the fight against HIV/AIDS, easily remembered by the acronym CHURCH: –Care for and support the sick. Caring requires no money, just a willingness to offer compassion and kindness. –Handle HIV testing. At the least, churches can encourage members to get tested, with the pastor leading the way. Everyone should know their HIV status. –Unleash volunteers. There will never be enough professionals to fix all that is wrong in our world. The Christian church claims 2.3 billion followers worldwide. If only half could be mobilized to care for those with HIV and AIDS, the fight would look very different –Remove the stigma. It is not a sin to be sick. Jesus never asked a sick person, “How did you get sick?” He asked, “How can I help you?” –Champion healthy behavior. HIV is almost completely preventable. While new reports suggest that accessing HIV treatment at an earlier stage of the illness is a vital way to prevent transmission, the cost may be an impediment. Behavior change will continue to be the most effective way to cut down on new infections. –Help with antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients. The simplest way to cut down on new infections, to help infected individuals live longer, and to prevent children from becoming orphans, is to create accountability with medication compliance. Church volunteers can make daily visits or phone calls, reminding individuals to take their medication. This strategy has been enormously successful in the Karongi District of the Western Province of Rwanda, where Saddleback Church, the government of Rwanda and local churches established a pilot program to train community health workers. Started in 2008, more than 2,800 community volunteers have been trained through the churches to take on a caseload of 26,000 homes in the rural district where there is one hospital for 300,000 residents. These volunteers provide access to basic healthcare information and are addressing preventable and opportunistic diseases – the big killers of those living with the virus. The lives of 120,000 children and 50,000 adults are being positively impacted. Thirty years have passed since HIV was first recognized. In that time, millions have lost their lives and millions of children have been orphaned. Millions more are living with the virus today. But if the church and other faith communities will step up to the table, and as governments and other health organizations welcome their assistance, the future can be brighter. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rick Warren. soundoff (1,335 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Next »Post a comment
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Editor's Note: Rick Warren is the founder and pastor at 
WonderSpring, what is a normal Christian church or leader? When did a normal christian church come about? What was the first normal christian church? What denotes a normal Christian church? Who are the normal Christian leaders? Is this a new religion or sect of an existing religion? Is there a normal Christian website?
The so called "church" of Rick Warren is not the real church. It is a lie. Rick Warren is a liar. Satan is a liar. Figure it out.
Christians should flee from Warren's "Purpose Driven" apostasy. It's evil and Satan's handiwork.
What has gotten into you? You are believing in miracles from the New and Old Testament like it was written by God! God is above all that. At least I hope so. Whatever God is he or she didn't have anything to do with religion. No way. God is good. The Bible talks of an evil God and there is plenty of nonsense involved. Let's face up to the faces. Religion is a business making money off people who need the opium of the masses.
By what standard do you judge your god good and the God of the Bible as evil? Explain that one to me.
The most powerful weapon against AIDS? There is nothing in this article about the church performing medical research or even offering to help PAY for the medications that will help victims. Offering medical information and making phone calls to ensure people are taking their medications is great, but it doesn't help the patients who are unable to afford the thousands of dollars a month in prescription drug costs. This article reads as solicitation, an attempt to bring more people to join the church. As a Christian, I am appalled that they would use something as devistating as AIDS to do so.
Well said.
It IS solicitation! That is what Warren is ALL ABOUT. He wants to fill pews and make money. Church is a business to him. That's what the Purpose Driven Church is all about! And the sad thing is, mega churches all over the USA are embracing this evil and turning away from the Jesus of the Bible! If you church doesn't have a cross in sight, doesn't talk about sin or salvation, if your pastor tells jokes and feel good stories, if you rarely or never crack a Bible open during a Sunday service, if your church is filled with small groups, if they play secular sounding man-centric music then YOU MIGHT BE IN A PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH! RUN AWAY! IT IS EVIL!
Remember, just as late as December 2009, Saddleback Church was $900,000 in the red due to what Warren said was the slack off in contributions due to the economy. Miracles happened when he sent out appeal for donations. Sudenly the money flowed like milk and honey, but that still didn't help the economy in S. CA. So, I'm wondering about the 18 month later blatant appeal for funds. Wonder if Saddleback has again been run into the ground. Just wondering. P.S. did nto see Warren volunteer to give up his salary until the church rebounded.
For all of the educated(?) church haters:
The "Church" is not represented in total by the Catholic Church. Rick Warren and all Non-Catholic denominations are not responsible for the Catholic Church's response to how some of their member clergy have acted, their position on condom use, the Crusades, or any other historical offense you want to bring up.
Rick Warren clearly indicates that many in the Christian community have and still do make mistakes regarding victims of aids, but does that mean they should not now try to help? Who cares if you think it's too late to help, and least they are getting into the game. Go ahead and question Waren's motives, but be asured that the 14,000 that were sent out where not in it for the money.
Maybe if they were part of the Catholic Church to begin with, things wouldn't have happened for them to criticize. How dare you break away from Christ's Church.
Judy, the church is the body of believers, not a denomination.
Do not limit the problems with condom use to the Catholic Church. During the Bush years funds used to promote condom use Asia and Africa were blocked to divert money toward abstinence and morality training. Successful programs were terminated and HIV/AIDS control efforts significantly hindered by America's need to export the morality of our religious right-wing. The subsequent reduction in condom use translated to a significant loss of lives and setbacks to the control programs. Many of those countries were our allies and their military and economic well-being directly tied to our interests in those regions. Don't make excuses for the blundering of Bible-thumpers in this area – there's plenty of blame to go around.
Pile on the pain, why don't you Judy!? Typical of the RC fundamentalists. Criticise and do nothing – just as Jesus did – not!
News Flash: Snake Oil Salesman recommends snake oil as world' best hope.
Best reply here so far!
"Church" as he calls is all about money and the power to control
Another example of lies spread by the christian faith. More lies about their fake jesus to spread destruction and discontent across the world.
Sorry, but this guy is not spreading true Christianity. His "Purpose Driven" drivel is a false gospel. You can dislike Christians all you want, but don't lump this charlatan with us!
This guy is one big fat joke. Can't wait to see his scandal.
This article is a joke, right?
People, it's easy for some of you o here to log into CNN and comment the shoulds and should nots about a subject. All the while sitting behind a computer practically doing nothing. The Body of Christ sends missionaries around with world using donations (those bible, and food, and clothes, and books do cost money) helping the poor and preaching the Gospel. Where ever AIDS comes from is just a symptom of this world system getting worse. However its nice for some of you on here happy and comfortable to criticize rather than get involved. Rick Warren is making and argument that I happen to agree with, however if some people don't then just take a chill pill and set off some fireworks. Not everyone needs to express and opinion on everything.
cash coming to the defense of rick warren! kind of poetic, sorry cash,i just had to comment!
$$CASH$$ gotta love it
STFU. If people want to express opinions on a subject as important as AIDS they sure as hell have the right. You're a hypocrite, expressing YOUR opinion and then in the same paragraph telling others "they don't have to?" hahah..
Really? Cash? That's precious!!! Everyone has the right to an opinion. No one has the right to an opinion free of consequence or scorn or critique or ridicule or fact checking or out right derision. But thanks for sharing.
"Religion aside, the fact is that he is working to make a difference. Obviously, all individual Christians and denominations aren't the same. Lumping all Christians together and patronizing them (for example) for the history and current corruption within the Catholic church is absurd. We are people just like everyone else."
No you aren't the same. Religious people are genetically inferior to other people. Even if their was an omnipotent godlike alien out there, it wouldn't be the one all of your retarded brethren made up. One day your inferior genetics will be removed from the gene pool. Until then I would suggest you shut up. You are not intelligent enough to have an opinion.
billz planning to "resettle" the genetic inferior?how you going to go about it bill?
CHURCH THE ANSWER?? I thought JESUS IS THE ANSWER!!
What church anyway? The 'THE CHURCH OF WHATS HAPPENING NOW"??
EXACTLY! This guy doesn't teach Jesus or sin or anything else. He preaches a "gospel" of feel good, motivational garbage. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing it calls itself "Christianity".
What a JOKE! The church is what kept CONDOMS from being distributed back when they were needed most! The utter HYPOCRISY of religion never ceases to amaze me!
Alex, the church is made up of people, just like any university, secular charity, and government agency. There is always going to be missteps, mistakes, and sins made. None of us would say that universities, secular charities, and the government should shut down because they have hypocrites for people. And Alex, this is hypocritical also: While secularist are loudest on boards like this, they are the least likely to financially give and they give the least financially to causes like AIDS. Who gives the most in regards to money and time? Churches and Christians. People aren't hypocrites because they go to church. People are generally hypocrites. So, of course, hypocrites are in the church. Are we Christians hypocrites? Yes. Are we determined to get better? By the power of Christ's Spirit, yes.
Not just then, but even now the church is trying to stop condoms from being used. Saying the Church is the greatest weapon against AIDS is like saying the Fox is the best guard dog for the henhouse.
Quick E Mart Clerk – can you give me a study showing chruch people give more volunteer horus than anyone else? Just becuase you said it and think it, doesn't make it true. Can you show proof of that. The Soutehrn Baptist Convention – the largest prostesstant chruch in america has only slight mroe than 4000 missionaries in 130 foreign countries.http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_sbc.html. There are about 450,000 missionaries for all faiths total. http://www.internationalbulletin.org/fckeditor.html?q=node/84. Guess which country recieves the msot foreign missionaries? You're right – the United States. U.S.A.— at 35,100; followed by Brazil—26,400; Russia—20,100; France—16,900, Britain—15,800; and finally, yep, there you go D.R. Congo—15,800. http://www.internationalbulletin.org/fckeditor.html?q=node/84. Now, I wonder if really, the church gives the most money and time to Africa? In fact, the church takes 19,000 volunteers out of Africa. Wow, amazing statistics. So, while we may not be missionaries, we may be giving time and talents and money, to some other organizaitons that are acutally IN Africa. Just saying.
Right on, Alex. Not to mention the fact that any research into the cause and possible treatment of AIDS was delayed due to the erroneous assumption that it was a "g@y disease". Many Christians believed that AIDS was God's punishment for being g@y, and everyone knows that ho-mo-se-xuality is a sinful choice, one that God hates.
Instead of bragging about the wonderful works done by a few decent Christians, Warren should be apologizing to the world for the ignorance and hatred on the part of the Christian church that allowed AIDS to become the pandemic it is. And, of course, if a few AIDS victims are allowed a longer life because of the medicines developed by men and women of science, Warren will try to convince the poor victims that God healed them. Anyone with a bit of common sense knows that if there were a God, diseases that kill innocent men, women and children would not exist, and that simple prayer should cure them.
I'm amused by the believers commenting about atheists doing nothing, while Warren and his flock are easing suffering. If we left it up to God botherers, no disease would ever be eradicated. And how can anyone speculate on the charitable works done by atheists? Perhaps we offer our help quietly, without the fanfare that Warren seems to need so badly.
That's got to be the craziest f'ing thing I've ever heard.
It's amazing how critical people can be just because he claims Christianity. I doubt the responses would be like this if religion wasn't mentioned. Religion aside, the fact is that he is working to make a difference. Obviously, all individual Christians and denominations aren't the same. Lumping all Christians together and patronizing them (for example) for the history and current corruption within the Catholic church is absurd. We are people just like everyone else.
The abuse in the Catholic Church (current and past) is orders of magnitude below that in public schools. Read the US Department of Education report. Google these three terms together: shakeshaft report doe
I find a lot of Warren's theology questionable, but I think there is one statement in this that every Christian should take to heart.
Jesus never asked a sick person, “How did you get sick?” He asked, “How can I help you?”
If this question is asked with an open mind (a statement that anti-religionist will not doubt take issue with), then good can be done. So much bad theology is based on blame and punishment. The antidote to bad theology is good theology, not no theology at all. And that includes Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists, humanists, and rationalists.
100% correct, the church has been set up to provide these kind of services for over 100 years and has done so,. liberal progressives however will argue that point to the deaths of thousands rather than admit it.
Not all of us liberal progressives would argue that way. Warren is doing more than many others.
"Even if a Christian church discovered a cure for aids it would still be condemned by all the small minded atheists because it is a Christian church."
Is this sorta like the million monkeys theory? Where a million monkeys typing for a million years could write Shakespeare? The Christian church does not create anything other than lies.
The Christian Church as a weapon against AIDS? Are we talking about the same "church" that's been victimising millions of HIV-positive Africans by promising that if they donate all their possessions, that God will miraculously heal them (and of course, when it doesnt happen- it's because they obviously "lacked faith"!)?
Yes, obviously, the church in theory *could* be a tremendous help in the battle against this disease, but the likelyhood of that actually happening in real life is so small as to be effectively zero.
There is no question that there have been men and women in the church that have hurt people, like swindle them out of their money. But it's not like this is a unique occurrence in the church. The news has been inundated with accounts of men and women taking advantage of their positions in secular charities by siphoning millions for their own personal use. So lets just call it evens.
The question is can the church and should the church play a vital role in this tragic issue of AIDS? I think the answer is yes. And while there have been men and women who've made missteps, there are as many men and women, if not more, that make vital contributions to make people's lives better all over the world. The Spirit I see alive in them makes me hope that Christ can use His church to affect people affected by AIDS. Just my two cents.
I said "But it's not like this is a unique occurrence in the church." I meant to say: But it's not like this is unique to just the Church.
To quick e mart, please cite studies ro at elast newspapaer articles. Plus, you never know aobut those missionaries. Waht are they really doing? Have you aduited them yourself? How do you know what you espouse to "know.?" Taht's all I want to "know.,"
Using Guttmacher Inst-itute data on birth control method failure rates, one is able to calculate the number of unplanned pregnancies resulting from the current use of male condoms. It is an horrific number of 1.2 million/yr. Even perfect use of would result in 138,000 unplanned pregnancies.
(And what is the abortion rate in the USA? ~1,000,000/yr CDC data.)
And B16 expects male condoms to prevent contracting AIDs?
Conclusion: currently, a perfect birth control/disease barrier system does not exist. Time to develop one. In the meantime, mono-masturbation or mutual masturbation for heterose-xuals are highly recommended for those at risk. Abstinence is the another best-solution but obviously the se-x drive typically vitiates this option although being biological would it not be able to develop a drug to temporarily eliminate said drive?
You are so right, Reality. Since condoms don't work a miniscule amount fo the tiems, lets not promote them at all. Gosh, I guess the percentage of times that condom usage does prevent the spread of disease is jsut wasted on those folks wqho don't contract. Gosh, what a poor argument against the sue of condoms.