Minor Thoughts from me to you

There was a kerkuffle in the blogosphere a few weeks ago, over John Piper's decision to invite Rick Warren to speak at the Desiring God National Conference, later this year.

There are quite a few people who think that Pastor Piper made an unwise decision, by associating himself with Pastor Warren. And, I'm sure there are quite a few people who think that there's absolutely no reason not to associate with Rick Warren. So, here are some resources to shed some light on the situation.

• John Piper briefly spoke, in February, on the decision.
• John Piper spoke, at length, about his decision on March 31.
• Doug Wilson speaks on Piper's decision. Bonus points for calling the "watchdog" or "discernment blogs" the "floor of the monkey cage blogs".
• Rick Warren's 2004 interview with Modern Reformation. Warren is often criticized for being too pragmatic and not theological enough. In this interview, he tries to make a case for himself as someone who translates theological ideas into terms that people can understand.
• Tim Challies on why John Piper should not have invited Rick Warren. Tim makes the case that Warren doesn't treat the Bible with respect and that he spends too much time tailoring his message to suit his audience.
• Phil Johnson writes about the controversy. While he acknowledges the critics concerns, he blasts their attitude of utter condemnation.
• Trevin Wax encourages people to think more about what their anger might be communicating.

I report, you decide. But my own position is close to what Doug Wilson says.