Pastor Rick Warren to Visit and Preach in North Korea

Pastor Rick Warren is making news again...well kind of.  Most of the mainstream media is not telling you that Pastor Warren was invited to go and preach in North Korea this summer. 

In  a story by Sarah Price Brown of the Religious News Service it is being reported that Pastor Warren was invited to preach to 15,000 Christians in North Korea.

One would think with all the news on North Korea, someone in the mainstream media would've picked up on this story.  Pastor Warren, best known for his book The Purpose Driven Life, is asking for prayer for this mission.  Since 2001 our American State Department has considered North Korea "a country for particular concern" for religious freedom violations.

There is no doubt that Christians are being persecuted in North Korea, and there is no doubt this could be a dangerous mission for Pastor Warren.  Please remember him, and the Christians in North Korea in your prayers.

Comments

[John Karr]

Stacy wrote: "Since 2001 our American State Department has considered North Korea "a country for particular concern" for religious freedom violations."

And North Korea is again at the top of Open Doors' annual World Watch List of the top 50 worst persecuting countries: www.opendoorsuk.org/wwl.php

You can also download a 7-day prayer guide for North Korea on that page. It's a great primer and background brief on the plight of Christians there.

[John]

Maybe they'll ship in 15,000 Christians from their prison camps.

[Glenn]

You were right, Stacy. Sorry about that. Must be all of the chemicals floating around my system; started another rounds of chemotherapy yesterday.

Regardless, I have no great hopes for this visit and trust that he will show more wisdom than Luis Palau did during his last trip to China.

[Stacy L. Harp]

Hi Glenn,

Actually the article said both. So when I wrote the blog entry I chose to keep the 15,000 Christians :)

Good points about the Christians coming out of hiding though.

[Amy]

I was wondering why in the world 15,000 Christians who reportedly put their lives at risk by just believing would all gather in one place...

[Glenn]

You may want to correct your blog here, Stacy. The report is not that he will preach to 15,000 Christians, just in a 15,000 person stadium. I doubt very much that 15,000 Christians are going to come out of hiding for such a public event and the only two permitted churches in the country don't have that many members. This trip holds no danger to Warren, but I fear will be used for propogation purposes by the North Korean government, just as western evangelists were used by the Romanian communists while Richard Wurmbrand was in prison