Tuesday, September 5, 2006 · no responses · comments closed

Last week’s Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly profiled Rick and Kay Warren and their efforts to combat HIV and minister to people impacted by it. A number of things the Warrens said in the interview caught my attention — 

On the usefulness of churches in this type of effort, he says:

Nothing comes close to the size of churches — the broadest distribution network, the most volunteers, local credibility — all these different things that make the church poised to deal with these issues of spiritual emptiness and corrupt leadership and poverty and disease and illiteracy, which are problems that affect billions of people, not just millions.

About the size of the goal:

I think we often set our goals too small and try to accomplish them too quickly. This is not something we intend to do in five years or 10 years.

Regarding churches and World AIDS Day, she says,

Do you know how completely out of the ordinary it is for a church to be full on World AIDS Day saying, “We care about people who are HIV positive”? It’s amazing. Amazing.

And on how God spoke to his heart:

So, I wasn’t wasting my life, but God just said, “Rick, you don’t care about the people I care about the most. I care about the poor and the sick, and the needy, and the oppressed.” And I said, “God I’m sorry, and I will use whatever affluence or influence you give me to speak up for those who have neither.”

When I read this interview, my first thought was “Yes! This is exactly what God’s people and churches should be about: using their resources to minister to those most in need.”