Rick Warren Mentor Tied To Effort Behind Uganda's "Kill the Gays" Bill

Networks tied to Rick Warren's mentor have played a major role in organizing and inspiring Ugandan legislation that would mandate the death penalty for homosexual acts.
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Critics have called the Anti Homosexuality Bill due to come before "Purpose Driven" Uganda's parliament in early 2010 a "kill the gays bill." As detailed in a new report from a religious right watchdog group, networks tied [1,2,3] to Rick Warren's mentor and doctoral dissertation advisor have played a major role in organizing and inspiring Ugandan legislators who have spearheaded the legislation, which would mandate the death penalty for homosexual acts.

Homosexuality is already legally a crime in Uganda that can lead to lifetime prison sentences, but the new bill would require the death penalty for something termed "aggravated homosexuality" and might even lead to the execution of HIV positive Ugandan citizens. Rick Warren has refused to denounce the new bill.

As described in the report, Rick Warren's Dissertation Advisor Leads Network Promoting Uganda Anti-Gay Bill, both Rick Warren and C. Peter Wagner have called on their followers to take dominion over the globe, and Rick Warren's efforts in Uganda closely parallel those of his academic mentor Peter Wagner. Mainstream media has glossed over Rick Warren's political extremism but, as shown in a video at the end of this post, in April 2005, before thousands of his church members assembled at California's Anaheim Angels sport stadium, Rick Warren described a "stealth" program for global Christian dominion and encouraged his supporters to embrace the level of dedication shown by followers of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao [see here for a partial transcript of Warren's April 17, 2005 speech at California's Anaheim Angels Stadium].

In March 2008 Rick Warren designated Uganda as the world's second officially "Purpose Driven" nation. The other is Rwanda. Rick Warren's doctoral thesis adviser C. Peter Wagner leads globally influential religious networks that include, as a prominent "prophet," Founder of TheCall Lou Engle - whose organization played a substantial role in passing California's anti-gay marriage Proposition Eight.

Warren has backed and associated himself with virulently anti-gay religious leaders in Uganda, Rwanda, and Nigeria who are known for their anti-gay tirades, and Warren was until 2007 working closely with Ugandan preacher Martin Ssempa, who is one of the most extreme anti-gay activists in his country.

Peter Wagner is an unabashed dominionist and has said so in his books. Rick Warren tries to fudge things but as a new report details, there seems to be little difference in Warren's and Wagner's agendas...

* * *

Both C. Peter Wagner and Rick Warren want to transform the world, and both [1,2] have proclaimed the advent of a second Reformation. Wagner calls it the New Apostolic Reformation, while for Rick Warren this is a "purpose driven" effort powered by Warren's global P.E.A.C.E. Plan. In Uganda both visions for societal transformation appear to include the categorical elimination of homosexuality - by any means.

Rick Warren wrote his 1993 dissertation for a Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminar, under Wagner's supervision. It is titled New Churches For a New Generation: Church Planting to Reach Baby Boomers. In his 2008 book "Dominion", C. Peter Wagner describes the process through which this brand of Christianity can take dominion over government and society, and Wagner claims that this can be done within a democratic framework. Wagner clearly states that Rick Warren's global P.E.A.C.E. Plan is an example of "stage one":

"I think the P.E.A.C.E. plan fits most comfortably into Phase One, the "social action" phase of strategies for obeying God's cultural mandate. The Phase Two emphases on strategic-level spiritual warfare and associated activities have not been placed front and center. And crucial to Phase Three, as I am defining it, are such things as apostolic/prophetic government of the Church, the Church (including apostles) in the workplace, the great transfer of wealth, dominion theology and the 7-M mandate."

[page 174, Dominion! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World, by C. Peter Wagner, published in 2008 by Chosen Books

If Rick Warren is "phase one," what do Wagner's stages two and three entail ?

The "7-M" or Reclaiming the Seven Mountains mandate encourages believers to take over key societal sectors such as government, and a leading Ugandan spokesperson for the theocratic 7-M paradigm has played a major role organizing and inspiring politicians behind Uganda's Anti Homosexuality legislation.

On April 29th, 2009, as the Anti Homosexuality bill was first introduced in the Ugandan parliament, the Deputy Speaker of the House stated,

"Let us hear from Hon. Bahati. In connection with the motion he is moving, we have in the gallery Apostle Julius Peter Oyet, Vice-President of the Born Again Federation; Pastor Dr Martin Ssempa of the Family Policy Centre; Stephen Langa, Family Life Network."

Ssempa and Langa have received considerable media scrutiny and David Bahati has been exposed by Jeff Sharlet as part of "The Family," but who is Apostle Julius Oyet?

Tied to the top leadership of C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation, Julius Oyet organized charismatic prayer breakfast meetings which occurred in April 2009, shortly before the anti-gay bill was introduced, and again in November 2009, when the Ugandan Parliament was expected to vote on the bill. Oyet has served as General Secretary of Uganda's National Federation of Born Again Pentecostal Churches, and in March 2009, "deputized" the new "Presiding Apostle" of the Born Again Faith Federation, an organization representing millions of Ugandans...

In addition to serving as the Uganda national director for Healing Rooms which operate under the authority of one of Wagner's U.S. based Apostles, Oyet's role in C. Peter Wagner's global initiative includes starring in one of the movement's Transformations video "documentaries" that depict cities and even whole nations supposedly transformed to earthly utopias when charismatic Christians take control of societal structures and government.

The Transformations videos, produced by George Otis, Jr., teach that supernatural methods such as breaking "demonic strongholds," can quell riots, end war and poverty, eliminate corruption, cure diseases including AIDS, and reverse environmental degradation....

....Is Rick Warren's "second reformation" the same as C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation? Wagner is quite open about his goal of merging church and state - it is the core of his ideology. Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan has been publicly characterized as altruistic public service but what is this "Purpose Driven" world that Warren envisions?

On April 17, 2005 at California's Anaheim Stadium, Rick Warren told approximately 30,000 who had gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Saddleback Church,

"For the past 18 months we have been on a stealth, secret mission - project - around the world. We've been sending members out, actually over 4500 members somewhere overseas, over the period of the the last few years, going out to do what we're gonna call the PEACE plan....

....Friends, this is going to be a revolution. You see, over the years as we've been training these 400,000 churches around the world, we've built a network, and there are literally tens of thousands of other churches waiting to do what Saddleback has been testing the last few years. What is the vision for the next twenty-five years? I'll tell you what it is. It is the global expansion of the Kingdom of God. It is the total mobilization of this church and the third part is the radical devotion of every believer. Now I choose that word radical intentionally. Because only radicals change the world. Everything great done in this world is done by passionate people. Moderate people get moderately nothing done."

[ [More of the transcript is included at this link.]]

Warren continued by asking what his audience could accomplish if they had the absolute dedication of the followers of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao, and told the crowd they must do "whatever it takes" for the "New Reformation" and the global expansion of the kingdom. In response the stadium audience, in unison raised thousands of identical banners printed with Rick Warren's exhortation: "Whatever it Takes."

Hitler, Lenin, and Mao convinced their fanatical followers that by eliminating the "evil" which stood in their way, they could create utopias. C. Peter Wagner is forthcoming about the "evil" which must be destroyed to bring about his envisioned Earthly utopian kingdom. Wagner even assigns names to the demons which he claims control Roman Catholicism, Islam, and other faiths and cultural practices that he believes block implementation of his utopian vision. Nevertheless, Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation cloaks itself in words of love, peace, and faith-based public service. The formula has given the movement access to governments around the globe, and attracts the participation of many of the same people whose religions Wagner is determined to eradicate.

C. Peter Wagner's former student Rick Warren also has a formula for breaking down the walls of separation of church and state and building a Christian kingdom on earth. Who are the enemies that Richard Duane Warren believes must be eliminated to fulfill his utopian vision? Perhaps "Purpose Driven" Uganda gives us a clue.

Video: Audio, photos, and transcript of Rick Warren speaking at Anaheim Stadium on the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Saddleback Church.

For more information on the New Apostolic Reformation, see this special 3-part, 36 page report, Spiritual Mapping and Spiritual Warfare - Muthee and the "Transformations" Franchise and this special Talk To Action website resource section

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