If God's so good, why is Larry King still on the air?
I was up kinda late last night, and happened to catch Larry King interviewing Rick Warren, author of A Purpose Driven Life. Normally, I would have changed the channel in a heartbeat, considering both Larry's propensity for all things softball and irrelevant in an interview, and the fact that Rick Warren is perhaps the worst dressed pastor this side of the Vatican (not that I'd win any fashion contests myself). There I was regardless, and a couple of things struck me.
KING: It's got to make you feel very good and very proud, aren't you?WARREN: Well, I'm humbled by the whole thing. I'm not surprised by it, actually, because I've received thousands and thousands of letters literally from all around the world of people's lives who have been changed when they discovered, hey, I'm here for a reason, I am here for a purpose. It has the power to change people's lives.
It's not as dramatic as this one with Ashley and Brian. But I have heard these stories. And even when I was in Rwanda, I saw this taking place there, where an entire nation is kind of coming up out of the ashes. You know, they went through that genocide in '94, and the world turned its back on an entire nation, and yet I saw a nation learning to forgive, expressing reconciliation, rebuilding.
And I asked them, what's the reason here? And they said it's God, it's Jesus Christ. These things have -- we've been learning that we have to forgive, because if we hold on to our hurt, it only make us miserable.
This is hardly your typical Larry King interview, except that I think very few, Larry included, realize how that question can be dangerous. I personally have become more aware of pride as a major area in my life that I need to let go of, and I credit Rick for humility in his response.
KING: You can, though, Rick, have a purpose-driven life and be an agnostic or an atheist, can't you? Still do good, still help others, still have purpose?WARREN: Absolutely, you can help other people. I believe that we were made for a purpose, and that purpose is really to know God and to serve God and to love God, and to serve other people by -- serve God by serving others. You know, you can't really serve God directly, Larry, not here on Earth. The only way you can serve God is by serving other people.
KING: Since you believe in God, if an agnostic or an atheist is doing good, God appreciates it, according to you, right?
WARREN: God wants us all to be loving to each other, there is no doubt about that. In fact, Jesus wouldn't have made any distinction between someone who was of a different background. The issue was, do they love him and do they have a purpose? Are they following his purpose? See, I believe that we were made by God and that we were made for God. And that until we understand that, life isn't going to make sense. Now, really when it comes to...
KING: So even -- go ahead, I'm sorry.
WARREN: OK, that's OK. There really -- when it comes to purpose, you only got three alternatives. One of them is, you can just make up a purpose and say, this is going to be the purpose of my life. But really, all along, you kind of know, well, is that really what I'm here for?
Another way is to just speculate about it, and one of the popular ways today is to say, look within. And if you look within, then you'll discover your purpose.
Well, there's only one problem with that. It doesn't work. I've talked to a lot of people. I looked within. I didn't find my purpose. Since I didn't create me, I can't tell me what my purpose is. I have got to look to my creator. And of course, the premise behind "The Purpose-Driven Life" is that you're not an accident. That you were formed by God for a unique reason here on Earth, and that gives life meaning and significance.
We've talked about this before. A lot of people have success, but they don't have significance. And significance comes from knowing you're not an accident, knowing you matter to God and knowing how much he loves you, and then fulfilling that purpose.
Why do I feel like Rick missed a great opportunity? "I mean, yes Larry, you can be an atheist or agnostic, and still manage to help others, but why do you do it? The service of others is nice, but without a view of service as a mean to an end, it's utter nonsense. Is your Master your own guilt, your own sense of charity, some twisted sense of self-denial, or what? I've tried these as intellectual ends of justification for service, and they all fail. None of these things alone trump the fact that I could get ahead of the game at times by being an utter jerk. Without a Creator, it's a joke, a farce, so without puropose. The thing is that as much as we can try to serve, we fail, and fall short of the glory of a perfect Provider. God answers that need, though. If I could share a couple of bible verses, Larry ..."
I credit Rick Warren for fighting the battle, for moving the marketplace of ideas, but to be on such a stage, and not to tell people that God yearns to wrap you in His arms far more than He does to have you serve represents a failure at the very least to tell Larry about Christ (even if it's not the first time). I hate missed opportunities.
Comments
Agree, that could have been good.
Posted by: Matt | March 28, 2005 07:21 AM
I saw that interview too and I was a little disappointed in that answer as well. But I leaned toward giving Rick the benefit of the doubt because if he had answered that question directly, as in, "No, Larry, those people are completely wasting their time on this planet and their lives are completely meaningless," he only would have started an argument. Instead, he went around the question and gave a non-confrontational answer. But I think anyone listening, at least anyone who's ears God was opening at that moment, could have picked up what he was saying. And although King is a softball interviewer, he's an experienced enough interviewer to have jumped on that if Rick had been confrontational.
Posted by: Dan Benson | March 29, 2005 08:35 AM