#Pastor rick warren sons suicide series
#Pastor rick warren sons suicide free

When he returned to the pulpit at Saddleback Church six weeks ago, Rick Warren launched a sermon series on grief and a campaign to help churches address mental illness. Researchers also found that 54 percent of Americans said churches should do more to prevent suicide, and 68 percent said they would feel welcome in church if they were mentally ill. The interview aired hours after LifeWay Research reported that nearly half of evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-again Christians (48%) believe that people with serious mental illness can overcome their condition through prayer and Bible study alone.Įven as evangelical leaders like the Warrens and former Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page (who lost a daughter to suicide) publicly share their stories, mental illness continues to be seen as a spiritual deficiency or character flaw by some Christians. But he's going to be raised in glory,' Kay said, referencing (NLV). That gun broke his body, and he was buried in brokenness. The Warrens told Morgan their son was not afraid to die and is now in heaven. So God isn't to blame for my son's death.

#Pastor rick warren sons suicide free

But we live in a world where there are free choices, so if I choose to do wrong, I can't blame God for that. Everything that happens in the world God allows, he permits, because it couldn't happen without his permission. … But not everything that happens in the world is God's will. The author of The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick repeated that there's a purpose to their pain, affirming his belief in God even after 'the day that I prayed would never happen happened.' He said: Christian leaders and viewers tweeted along to the hour-long conversation their hashtag, #WarrensOnCNN, trended into this morning. The Warrens combined personal moments from their story-Kay hugging her son's body as the coroner took it away, Rick reading sympathy letters from people who Matthew had led to Christ-with their advocacy for a more robust response to mental illness and their continued hope in God. Matthew's death, they said, came after years of threatening suicide and even asking his father, 'Why can't I just die?' His wife, Kay Warren, wiped tears from his cheek as they talked about the five months since their 27-year-old son, who had borderline personality disorder, shot himself with a gun he bought illegally online.

It's the way we get through the transitions of life.' 'I have cried every single day since Matthew died,' the megachurch pastor said on CNN Tuesday night. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Pastor Rick Warren shared for the first time intimate details of his son's suicide and his family's grief in what Piers Morgan called his most-inspiring interview ever. Plans for Matthew Warren's burial were not mentioned in his father's statement. A similar forum was supposed to be held for the 2012 presidential campaign, but Warren canceled it, saying the campaign had become too uncivil. Rick Warren is the author of 'The Purpose Driven Life.' In 2008, Saddleback sponsored a presidential forum with frontrunners Barack Obama and John McCain. 'Everybody loved Matthew for his talents and for his bright light.'ĭuring the evening service, grieving worshippers offered words and prayers in support of the pastor. 'Matthew was just a bright, energetic, very intelligent kid that we loved,' said Steve Rutenbar. Several members of the church gathered Saturday evening for a service, and churchgoers who knew Matthew Warren shared their memories. Rick Warren remembered his son as 'an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man.'Ībout 20,000 attend Saddleback Church, according to the church's website. Rick Warren also said he and his wife, Kay, had spent an enjoyable evening with their son before he died. 'In spite of America's best doctors, meds, counselors and prayers for healing, the torture of mental illness never subsided,' he said. Rick Warren addressed his son's death in a statement to the Saddleback congregation, saying his son suffered from mental illness and depression. Saddleback Pastor Rick Warren's son, 27-year-old Matthew Warren, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday night at his home in Mission Viejo, according to the coroner.