In that quote Clinton humanizes Jesus, bringing him down to a level equal to fallen man. The reality is, Jesus didn’t heal everyone who came to him for healing (John 2:23-25). She further humanizes Jesus by forgetting that the reason Jesus never asked why a person was sick before healing them was because he didn’t need to. As God, he knew why they were sick. (Clinton is implying here that Jesus never associated a person’s behavior with their illness, as evangelicals associate the sinful behavior of homosexuals with AIDS/HIV.)

But Clinton is wrong. On at least one occasion, the healing of the paralytic in Matthew 9, Jesus healed the man by saying, “Your sins are forgiven you.” Jesus demanded repentance as he went about healing the sick, an important part of the gospels Clinton seems to have forgotten.

In addition to walking the audience through her own comprehensive AIDS/HIV agenda, she offered at least three objectives her presidency would seek to achieve with respect to the AIDS/HIV crisis. In doing so, Clinton further exposes her socialistic worldview: (1) she would ask for $50 billion over five years to combat HIV/AIDS; (2) make the education of the world’s children a priority in the fight against AIDS (what she called “a social vaccine against the spread of HIV/AIDS”); (3) “stand up for Women’s Rights” by “working to empower women to take responsibility for themselves and for their futures with initiatives on everything from maternal health, to micro credits, and entrepreneurship.” (For Clinton, “maternal health” is a code word for “reproductive rights” which is itself a code word for “abortion on demand.”)

Her words were greeted with rousing applause by an evangelical audience.

Senator Clinton also offered six things the church could do to combat AIDS/HIV: (1) care for those who are infected and their families; (2) encourage testing, even become testing centers; (3) unleash volunteers; (4) reduce the stigma by showing it’s not a sin to be sick; (5) champion healthy behavior; (6) be treatment coaches for those taking medication. She added that churches “must tend to the spiritual side of this crisis,” which she defined as comfort care for orphans and psychological care for those diagnosed with AIDS/HIV. Nothing in Clinton’s list vaguely resembles the mandate Jesus left His Church.

While Senator Clinton is correct that Jesus spent one-third of his ministry healing the sick, she conveniently leaves out that the bulk of Jesus’ ministry—the other two-thirds—was spent preaching and teaching, calling men and women to repent of their sins. This is the priority of the church. While we should not ignore the plight of the suffering, the sick and the dying, neither should we fail to fulfill the one mandate our Savior gave: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15; emphasis added).

Rick Warren has become the new face of the evangelical right in America. Mark Pinsky, religion writer for the Orlando Sentential, in an opinion piece for USA Today last August, described Warren as “pragmatic, politically sophisticated,” and among the evangelical leaders who make up the “emerging face and voice of American evangelicalism.”

As the new face of American evangelicalism, Rick Warren has a responsibility to resist the temptations of political expediency by remaining true to his first calling: preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). But it seems Pastor Rick has learned you get much more favorable media coverage when you cover what the media favors. Rather than take a bold stand for the Gospel and its clear message of repentance, Warren has opted to follow today’s religious left as they revive the social gospel of the early decades of the 20th century, allowing Clinton’s mishandling of the Word of God and the presentation of her socialistic agenda to go unchallenged. 

Not only did he not challenge her agenda, at the conclusion of the Senator’s speech Rick Warren came to the podium and in remarks that were picked up by the microphone he said to Senator Clinton: “Fantastic! Home run … home run … home run! Great message!” 

Either Rick Warren wasn’t listening to what his guest was saying for the previous 30 minutes, or Warren is being less than candid with evangelicals about his own agenda.

Paul Edwards is the host of The Paul Edwards Program, a columnist and pastor. His program is heard daily on WLQV in Detroit and on godandculture.com. Contact him at paul@godandculture.com.