Beware the Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

TW: I have not paid all that much attention to this guy (I tend to focus generally on more secular types) but will confess I perceived him to be much more moderate than he apparently is.

From Daily Beast:

"Here is how evangelical superstar Pastor Rick Warren described his philosophy this August: “I have never been considered a part of the religious right, because I don't believe politics is the most effective way to change the world.”

...Warren has...supported every major ballot measure opposing gay marriage that sprouted up in his native California in the past ten years, a fact that is barely mentioned in accounts of him as the pioneer of a “New Evangelical” movement that sees beyond the old hobgoblins of the far right. Warren waged a sub rosa campaign to re-elect George W. Bush, but was still described as never having been ”written or talked about…in the context of any political issue,” according to the non-partisan Religion News Service. Fighting the culture war with a velvet glove...

While Dobson and his allies lent early support to Bush’s 2004 reelection bid, Warren seemed to keep clear from the campaign. In the last days of the presidential race, however, Warren sent an urgent blast email to hundreds of thousands of evangelicals insisting they base their votes on five “non-negotiable” issues: abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage, human cloning, and euthanasia.

Having helped put Bush back in the White House, Warren returned to his more familiar role as a global altruist. “I've never been involved in partisan politics—and don't intend to do so now,” Warren insisted in an open letter urging the President to battle world poverty. In April 2005, Warren introduced members of his church and its 40,000 global affiliates to five new, but not necessarily non-negotiable issues, from AIDS to illiteracy.

Warren might have gamed the media somewhat, but he has never lied to reporters about his core beliefs. He freely admitted to a Wall Street Journal reporter that the principal difference between him and Dobson is “a matter of tone.” Even the public relations firms responsible for burnishing Warren’s image seem mystified by the press’s worshipful portrayal of their client. “[Rick Warren’s] support of Prop 8 is consistent with the statement of belief that his church stands on, which is a biblical belief,” Cole of A. Larry Ross Communications told me. “As far as being America’s pastor or whatever, well, that’s just a title the media has given him.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-11-14/how-rick-warren-became-a-media-darling-in-spite-of-himself/