Rick Warren won’t change on gay ‘marriage,’ because ‘I fear God’s disapproval’ not CNN’s
NEW YORK, December 20, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Evangelical pastor Rick Warren told CNN's Piers Morgan that he won't change his position against same-sex "marriage," because "I fear the disapproval of God more than I fear your disapproval or the disapproval of society."
Warren appeared on CNN's Piers Morgan Live on December 6. After a conversation about Warren's admiration of Pope Francis, Morgan asked the megachurch pastor if his views on same-sex "marriage" had changed since the two had discussed the issue on the program two years ago.
"Have you moved at all now? Are you recognizing that there is this seemingly unstoppable movement?" Morgan asked.
"Well, I don't get to change what God says is right and what God says is wrong," Warren responded. "And I think God is real clear that all sex outside of marriage is wrong."
"But the issue here is the issue of respect," Warren continued. "While I may disagree with you on your views on sexuality, it does not give me a right to demean you, to demoralize you, to defame you, to turn you into a demon."
Warren then argued that the meaning of the word tolerance has also been changed.
"Tolerance, Piers, used to mean we treat each other with mutual respect even if we have major disagreements," Warren said.
"Today, tolerance has been changed to mean all ideas are equally valid. Well, that's nonsense," Warren said. "All ideas are not equally valid. You could say the moon is made of cheese and I could say the moon is made of beans and somebody else could say it's made of rocks."
Morgan asked whether Warren believes in "equality for all," to which he quickly received an affirmative response.
"Then how can you really, as a Christian man, a great man, how can you espouse genuine equality if you don't allow gay people the same rights to get married as straight people?" Morgan pressed.
Warren responded that he is "more against the redefinition of the term marriage than anything else."
"I don't think other groups get an opportunity to redefine a term. For instance, if a Muslim says 'this is a term we use' and all of a sudden I take that term and [redefine] it for me - that's not right," Warren said.
"I think historically around the world the vast majority of people would say marriage means one man and one woman in a commitment," Warren said. "Don't take a term and make it something different."
"Orwell talked about doublespeak," Warren pointed out, "where words mean the exact opposite of what they used to mean."
"Can you see a time where not just you but other Christian preachers and indeed the Catholic Church and others say, You know what? Actually, real equality means everyone has the same right to get married, gay or straight," Morgan asked.
Warren answered, "I cannot see that happening in my life. I fear the disapproval of God more than I fear your disapproval or the disapproval of society."
