Tony Blair Faith Foundation Watch: Blair courts controversial US pastor Rick Warren in bid to unite faiths
Previous posts on Tony Blair’s “Faith”: here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
As it happens, I think that Tony Blair and Rick Warren make a fine couple. Rick with his formulaic business approach to faith and Tony with his politically correct brand of faith/s.
Truth is, if Tony really wants to do something worthwhile, then he should find a way to protect the dwindling Christians in Iraq, who have been decimated as a result of his invasion.
In the seven years since the Iraq War was launched, 2,000 Christians have been murdered and 600,000 have fled Iraq, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 44% of Iraqi refugees are Christians, and many of the 600,000 Christians who remain are internally displaced persons who have had to flee their homes.
How about putting your talents, connections, ego, influence, power and money into this little problem Tony.
Former prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious ‘offensive’ in North America
Tony Blair is preparing to launch a “faith offensive” across the United States over the next year, after building up relationships with a network of influential religious leaders and faith organisations.
With Afghanistan and Iraq casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain, Blair’s focus has increasingly shifted across the Atlantic, to where the nexus of faith and power is immutable and he is feted like a rock star.
According to the annual accounts of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes cohesion between the major faiths, the foundation is to develop a US arm that will pursue a host of faith-based projects. The accounts show that his foundation has an impressive – and, in at least one case, controversial – set of faith contacts. Sitting on some £4.5m in funds as of April last year, mostly gathered through donations, it is now well placed to make its voice heard.
The foundation’s advisory council of religious leaders includes Rick Warren, powerful founder of the California-based Saddleback church. It attracts congregations of nearly 20,000 and is reportedly one of the largest in the US. Warren, who has addressed the UN and the World Economic Forum in Davos, has been named one of the “15 world leaders who matter most” and one of the “100 most influential people in the world”.
His influence was confirmed in December 2008 when Barack Obama chose him to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration. But the decision angered many liberals, who see Warren as an opponent of gay rights and abortion on demand; a prominent alliance with Warren is likely to attract similar attacks on the former British prime minister.
Tags: Christianity, News