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Pastor Rick Warren on tragedy and meaning of Christmas

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    'Purpose Driven Life' author on 'FNS'

  • Duration 9:46
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A decade ago and as best selling book the purpose driven life.

He wrote god has a plan for us this holiday season as the nation tries to cope with the tragedy at sandy hook elementary.

His perspective takes on a special meeting.

Earlier I spoke with the evangelical minister -- -- -- welcome to FOX News Sunday thank you thank you Chris good to be -- you.

Nine days later we are still mourning the victims of the shooting in Newtown Connecticut what are your thoughts about this tragedy.

You know time magazine's calling it the massacre of innocence that actually there's a phrase from the first Christmas where -- Killed.

Baby boys -- -- -- at Christmas time and then it's very tragic that this is happening at christmastime.

I I think we have.

The -- sandy sandy hook and -- sandy hurricane.

We really need the Christmas spirit right now.

The -- the pain the deeper the grief if you were the words there there -- some long -- things we need to deal with.

Is to prevent this from happening again but right now we need to console those who are grieving.

As a Pastor -- he would grief every day of my life.

And I discovered the grief is actually a good thing it's the way we make transitions and the losses of life.

Jesus said blessed are those who mourn they should be comforted if we stuff our grief what I've figured out is that it comes out sideways.

Later on in some strange ways and so part of the -- healing process is actually dealing with the grief fend.

And the way we help people in grief is just deal with them.

-- you don't have to say anything you don't you don't need anything profound you don't need to be.

Why is you just need to sit with people -- love them during their grief.

You know -- we.

We talk if you say long term solutions and obviously some of them which were talking to the politicians about gun control and that Iraq has the mental Hal son.

You know trying to deal -- these violent games in the culture of violence in Hollywood yes but but it -- it hit him.

Deeper more spiritual sense what's the problem and what's the solution.

Well I think the spiritual sense is that the root of it.

If any time you have.

Major crisis -- tragedy like this that their -- multiple angles you know we've had seven major shootings.

Since April in America.

And there's always there's a mental health angle.

That you have to deal with -- I don't think we're taking care of those who are struggling mental illness like we need to -- America.

There is the -- the civil safety issue which is gun control and and these assault weapons and a -- assault weapons for nothing.

There is the and the social issues you mentioned win the students served.

By the time they're eighteen they may be -- killed 101020000.

People on video games without any.

You know remorse for it it creates a culture of violence.

But at the deepest level it is the spiritual issue which is the -- penis inside if people.

That causes people to to be -- -- like this.

Problem.

When we when we don't have peace in our hearts -- not gonna have peace with each other that's -- Jesus the prince of peace came -- Christmas.

So it starts -- in the heart.

Ten years ago.

When your book the purpose driven life came out you I think it's sort of say became the face.

Of the evangelical movement your I think you'd agree that your public profile has not been as high.

In the last few years which are just about to begin a new campaign what is your goal sir.

Well first I intentionally.

Was absent from the scene for the last ten years I've had been in a lot of small villages around the world Africa in places like that that the most people never heard we started.

Would vote the proceeds of the book.

We took that and put it into a thing called the peace plan PE -- CE stands for promote reconciliation.

He -- leaders ethical leaders the system for care for the sick and educate the next generation.

And in the last ten years I've been overseas most of that time I had -- over 161000.

Of my members.

Doing humanitarian work in a 196.

Countries so.

I I can do is really not around a whole lot but except when I was here to church.

The new campaign is like I realize that.

What I wrote the book but what -- -- -- -- here for the purpose driven life.

A girl who was twelve years old when that book came out -- now up 22.

And if she needs to know the purpose of life and what I've discovered is -- a lot of people who are younger day in their twenties who worked pretty disillusioned with.

The American dream that I I hear this all time people say you know Rick -- I did before years of college and I've been out now and I've been one to three years without a job and had to move back and when my parents and a lot of people in their twenties early thirties feel like their life is on hold.

And they're kind of in limbo and so I thought I need to revised update from the book.

-- write a new six week spiritual journey called -- on at the right here for and and go after new generation to help them find some some meaning and purpose -- while we're waiting on the economy to turn around.

YouTube talked about a nation in decline and you talk about ending has -- -- as it's ever been since the civil war and you talk about a need for us virtual.

Reawakening.

What what does that mean.

Well.

There are a lot of things we're never gonna agree on.

There are some things we'd all agree on when when you get down to the basics of it people want the same thing.

They want safety for their family they want -- security they want a good job they want to prosper they want our nation to be safe they want to be in good health.

What people disagree on -- how to get there.

And and so the answer to our unity I believe is not going to be in politics.

Because we're gonna have different degrees of it all over the spectrum on that.

But when we come together on the things are really mattered most in their three fundamental questions.

The question of significance and that is does my life matter.

The question of intention.

-- what is my purpose on the question of existence why am I here.

But these -- spiritual issues are not political issues and they can provide a rallying cry.

A purpose.

That could help -- unified we're not ever gonna agree on on policies but we can't agree on on direction.

You you talk about not agreeing on politics for years ago.

You deliver the invocation at president Obama's first inauguration.

-- question.

-- do you think he's done as president.

Well you know what.

I would say like every president there are things I agree that.

I think he did a pretty good job on I think there's some things that I totally disagree with the -- on.

I made that known to him.

You know four years earlier I did the opening prayer for the inauguration week for President Bush also.

And the -- agreed with some of the things he did and disagreed with some of them every every.

President is bound to be set up for failure because the moment he's elected half the people don't like him.

I -- -- stuff so he's gonna have but he's a human being is gonna make mistakes.

That bill that I I'm I'm praying for our president because I believe that the Bible tells us to do so what do what do you think isn't that isn't.

Biggest accomplishment and what are you what are you most disappointed about over these last four years.

I don't know what the biggest accomplishment would be -- really don't know that I might this biggest disappointment is.

That this unity.

President.

Obama ran.

-- saying I'm gonna be a unifier and our nation is more divided than ever before.

I think it's more divided than that any time since the civil war that's disheartening to me.

Well you know he would society.

I've tried and you know you had Mitch McConnell say had been in 2010.

Are number one objective is to make them -- one term president.

How much is he responsible for about how much is it.

Everybody else in Washington.

Yeah I know I don't I don't blame simply the president I think there's plenty of blame to go around but I would say this we need to stop blaming.

You can't fix the problem while you're fixing the blame.

I've trained leaders literally all around the world.

For the last thirty years and one of the things they teach leadership is that.

Leaders.

Accept the responsibility.

And and are accept the blame and and they give away the credit.

And I I see a lot of politicians do in exact opposite today you spell blame be blame.

-- -- every time you blame your being white so I wish that both sides would stop blaming.

And start fixing the problem.

-- -- -- Even in a bleak season like this year and obviously.

New town is gonna color everything about the rest of the season.

We still look forward to Christmas do you have a message.

For all of loss.

-- -- also all of our viewers this year's -- out.

You know Chris the purpose of Christmas is actually found in the in the three statements that the angels made at the very first Christmas.

It that it Christmas is for celebration.

It is for salvation and it's for reconciliation.

That's the one we want to thank you so much for talking with us that we that we need to -- celebration right now things you and Merry Christmas.

Very Christmas.

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