Blair courts controversial US pastor Rick Warren in bid to unite faiths

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Observer

Blair courts controversial US pastor Rick Warren in bid to unite faiths
Former prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious 'offensive' in North America
Jamie Doward and Paul Harris
The Observer, Sunday 14 March 2010

Blair courts controversial US pastor Rick Warren in bid to unite faithsFormer prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious 'offensive' in North America
(11)Tweet this (10)Comments (44) Jamie Doward and Paul Harris The Observer, Sunday 14 March 2010 Article history
Tony Blair. Photograph: Nathan Denette/AP

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".


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/14/tony-blair-faith-foundation-america

[Grand Taurean]

1. Go away Tony!

Using a bigot to unite faiths? :wtf:

[tsuki]

2. The poodle comes to America. In the word of Jiggles in the Morning, "Yikes".

[LeftishBrit]

12. Please keep him! We don't want him back.

[DFLforever]

3. I don't get this. Not a word about his R. Catholicsm

Didn't Blair convert right after he left office?

All in all, sounds quite creepy.

[vixengrl]

4. Wow--there is everything in this for me not to love.

There is something about Tony Blair that I can't stand. Is it fallout regarding his partnership with W over Iraq, just sort of going along with the same inexorable pull towards that kind of "hey let's be colonial" thing John Major did in the first Gulf Conflict? Is it because nothing about that phased him? Not even the atrocious tortury-bomby, DU-weapons, killing kids bits? Is it because he comes off as a smarmy prig who'd greatly rather not be judged by things he actually did, but by things he likes to think he believes in? I don't really care. People called him a poodle--I think he was willingly lead. And his finding religion is....nice for him.

I also can't stand Rick Warren. I think he's a lucky schmuck who has never really reconciled his beliefs to his supposed inclusive persona--he doesn't like that he's been associated with hate regarding his mission in Africa. But it's more along the lines of not liking being caught at spreading hate than not liking doing it.

Between them, I think they could spread something worse than, say, malaria. For some reason, works aside, I find their respective "faiths" a bit poisonous. For that reason I am dubious about any enterprise that involves both of them. Also, I am skeptical about the intentions of faith-based enterprises in general. And I dislike the chummy faith/government thing going on. Meh.

But I am an atheist curmudgeon, and my response is what it is.

[EFerrari]

5. A match made in Hypocrite Heaven. The Torturer and the Homophobe.

[justicia]

10. Well said... Tony B. and Rick W. make me sick. They are pure scum...

[No Elephants]

11. +1

[troubledamerican]

13. Look deeper. Go see "The Ghost Writer"

and read between the lines to see what Blair is planning for up ahead.

Team Blair, Team Bush & Team Clinton all colluded for separate reasons to rewrite Nuremberg -- the Third Rail you cannot touch without contaminating the entire social fabric -- and now there's only one way to un-paint themselves out of that corner.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Is Blair trying to increase the pool of sex victims for Catholic priests?

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Good news. Warren seem to have a knack for killing

organizations he is affiliated with.
Remember his short lived contract with Reader's Digest, which folded shortly after announcing
a business deal with Warren?

Let us pray.

[Drops_not_Dope]

8. I agree with all of the above comments

[SlingBlade]

9. Maybe he'll get in on that Carlyle Group thingy if he helps

[No Elephants]

14. The international conservative political-religious cult. What are Democrats doing about it?

Joining in droves?

[deminks]

15. Why does religion and politics attract so many liars, thugs and thieves?

Bliar seeking a culture war (faith offensive) in America 'cause he knows it would never go over in Britain. In many ways, I find this the most disturbing news of the day so far. Mr. 'No Regrets' Blair on a mission from Gawd.

Who is paying this poodle to do his tricks here?

[tanyev]

19. Predators instinctively seek out the easiest prey.

[pattmarty]

16. So, that's how Blair is going to make HIS money. As far as I am..................

............concerned, "unite" all of them in one place and drop the "big one".

[madrchsod]

17. keep that little fucking fascist away from my religion

fascism and religion are such a wonderful idea.

[DavidDvorkin]

18. "...casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain"

Does he have any popularity left in Britain?

[Solly Mack]

20. Now that's disturbing

hmmm

[Joe Bacon]

21. Ass, meet Hole

You were made for each other, Phony Tony and Slick Rick!

[xxqqqzme]

22. Maybe he'll use his millions to take

the Crawford pig farm off W's hands, since Laura won't set foot on it.

[Countdown_3_2_1]

23. What is the benefit in uniting the faiths?

in America, diversity of faith is the rule, not the exception.
Under one big tent, the diversity disappears. Everything becomes the same, and deeper meanings are lost.

Do wiccans really want a panel of Catholics and protestants making decisions for them?

One big happy faith is pie in the sky. It won't work. and its not worth the time and effort to make it so.
Still it does keep Blair out of politics...wasted efforts seem to attract him,