Laura on Pursuing Holiness has now apologized for an earlier comment on Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. I share her original concerns about misreporting of numbers. I do believe that pastors are often careless with the details, thinking they are not terribly important. But especially when you’re in Rick Warren’s position, you can’t afford that.
I generally agreed with the sentiment of Laura’s original post, though I didn’t comment at the time. But I thoroughly approve of her response to a challenge and to new information. Now why can’t more of us provide an honest apology!
She said:
I may disagree with their accounting methods for the Saddleback church roll, but I was way out of line for suggesting that Rick Warren was being deceitful. I have absolutely no evidence that he was. The bottom line here is that I tossed a post out there, having done no research on either the topic at hand or Warren Smith, the article’s writer. I regurgitated Smith’s opinion with a total lack of skepticism because it fit with my world view. That “fake but accurate” nonsense is something for which I have repeatedly, and justifiably, criticized the mainstream media. I’m sorry that I did it. Aside from the fact that it was hypocritical of me to do the very thing I’ve criticized others for, I failed to give the benefit of the doubt when I should have given it. There’s no excuse for it, and in the future I will be a great deal more cautious in what I write. For whatever it’s worth, I apologize.
Wow! Bravo! I can use that as an example when I teach on Psalm 51 and true confession, which is totally unlike what politicians tend to do. Way to go! If there was an award for demonstrating what she and I both meant by “philophronos blogging” it would go to her post.
Thanks for the kind words, Henry. I hate to apologize as much as the next person, but “if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well,” right?
I’m still not a Rick Warren or Saddleback fan, but I owed them that – and I owed it to myself, too.