Rick Warren

Matthew Warren's Suicide Turns into Self-Serving Referendum on His Father by His Haters and Their Haters

First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones of Matthew David Warren, the youngest son of Rick and Kay Warren of Purpose-Driven Life Fame, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound this past Friday. There's been an outpouring of support, thoughts, and prayers from ... More >>

Albert Pujols' Homerun Drought Begins at Home

So maybe it isn't a new team, unfamiliar American League pitching and/or since-fired batting coach Mickey Hatcher that are preventing Albert Pujols from hitting out of his $250 million Angels cap.Perhaps it's home cooking--or the lack thereof.

Rick Warren Weighs in On Weight Loss, Them Gay People

Rick Warren sat down with ABC's Jake Tapper for "This Week With George Stephanopoulos". The pair discussed gay marriage, Tim Tebow and Rick's weight loss. "I was a purpose-driven eater," Warren said. Just when I thought we were headed for a non-humblebrag interview with Rick, he mentioned his mot ... More >>

The OCeeker: Saddleback Church and the Believers Without Bibles

If you ever want to learn about ancient Jewish customs, your best bet locally is an evangelical church. Evangelicals love them some Jews, especially the ones whom they refer to as "completed", the kind that have accepted Jesus into their hearts. Yeppers, Judaism is the one Jesus-rejecting relig ... More >>

Orly Taitz v. Fox News Anchorbot Megyn Kelly

​Timing must be everything for Orly Taitz. The Aliso Viejo lawyer/dentist/real estate saleslady/Gabor sister/"Queen of the Birthers" started going medieval on Megyn Kelly in December, when the Fox News anchorbot dared host a panel discussion on Barack Obama's presidential eligibility without invit ... More >>

[UPDATE: Jason Russell Detained For Public Masturbation] KONY 2012: A Kenyan OC Weekly Intern Calls B.S. on the Film

​UPDATE, March 16, 5:15 pm.: It's being widely reported that Jason Rusell, co-founder of Invisible Childen and narrator of KONY 2012, was arrested yesterday morning in San Diego for masturbating in public.[Editor's Note: No, we're not making this up. Yes, this is the weirdest update to a film rev ... More >>

Bruce Gleason Wants Your God to Noexist

Forget Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the rest. It's all about us, says Orange County's most famous atheist

What We Learned

The Year on Navel Gazing and Beyond!

[UPDATED with God Smack:] Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson Coming to the Angels

​UPDATE, DEC. 8, 2:50 P.M.: Step aside, Rick Warren, Robert Schuller and Bishop Tod Brown: the next great Orange County Christian soldier may very well be Albert Pujols. Christian author Scott Lamb, who co-wrote Pujols: More Than a Game, believes the slugger may do more than knock baseballs over t ... More >>

Dave Gibbons Is a Church Misfit

Newsong was on its way to becoming Orange County's next big megachurch—then its pastor decided to pull back and go small

[UPDATE: Crisis Averted!] Angels to Honor Captain of the Evil Empire Yankees, Derek Jeter--WTF?

Jeter's shit-eating grin--and legacy--will be celebrated (or hopefully booed) on Sept. 9.​UPDATE, 2:30 P.M.,AUGUST 17, 2011: Thanks to commenter MayhemIntheHood, we've learned that the event is actually not happening. Crisis averted, indeed. Check out Halos Heaven for more details. ORIGINAL POST, ... More >>

6 Questions Pastor Rick Warren Should Ask Tony Blair

​Coming up next on The Saddleback Church Comedy Hour with Pastor Rick is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who stunned Americans with his poise, intelligence and speaking ability at podiums next to George W. Bush's--while at the same time being branded "Bush's poodle" by Brits.Rick Warren ... More >>

Rick Warren Saddlebacks George W. Bush

Courtesy of Saddleback Church​As released WikiLeaks proved George W. Bush lied, told half-truths and lived in a world far from reality--at least as chronicled in his recently released memoir, Decision Points--the former president was receiving a reportedly "rousing reception" at Sad ... More >>

Crystal Cathedral Declares Bankruptcy--Why Robert Schuller Had it Coming

​The news is traveling across the wires right now that the Crystal Cathedral, that iconic Garden Grove congregation that started the modern-day megachurch movement, has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The best coverage of this story has happened in the pages of the Orange County Register, specific ... More >>

Ex-Rated Criticism of Exodus International

Michael Bussee and other activists denounce the upcoming conference of the 'ex-gay' ministry

OC's 40-Year-Old-Virgin Thinks America Is Totally Screwed

A conservative Catholic in OC who can't get laid? Something else must be wrong with him

10 Reasons God Hates California

​Considering Sunday's 7.2 earthquake just south of California's border with Mexico, the 4.1 shaker six miles southwest of Malibu and assorted aftershocks felt up and down the state as this is banged out with fingers crossed, it's obvious God is peeved at something. Before Pat Robertston, Wiley Dra ... More >>

Get Your Horny Teen Daughters Free Tickets to See Jonas Brothers Perform at Saddleback Easter Service

Your teenage daughter likes Jesus, but loves the Jonas Brothers!As previously reported, the Jonas Brothers are performing at megachurch Saddleback's April 3-4 Easter service at Angel Stadium. The sibling act has made a career of, ah, elating, teenage girls and so it makes total sense that they would ... More >>

Orange County's Sexiest Cities

[Sex Issue] Our guide to the steamiest-and not so steamy-municipalities

[Year In Review] OC Weekly's News Blog, Navel Gazing, Gazes Back at 2009

Share Your Farrell's Memories

John Gilhooley​Ah, Farrell's. If there's anything that is more entwined into the American experience, it would have to be McDonald's. It seems that if you were alive during its heyday in the '70s and '80s, chances are good you had a birthday or other significant life event celebrated here with ... More >>

Why is Robert Schuller Still Giving Self-Help Talks?

​While Rick Warren has influenced two continents, for better or worse, and Chuck Smith can enjoy the twilight of his life knowing Calvary Chapel is one of America's great Christian quasi-denominations, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller faces the prospect of ending up as Orange County's Aimee Semple McPh ... More >>

Calvary Chapel to Crucify Darwin this Weekend!

​While Rick Warren goes around eating ice cream, the mothership Calvary Chapel campus will host a two-day conference starting Friday on the evils of Charles Darwin. Titled, appropriately enough, "Darwin was Wrong," a press release promises many lectures on the subject by scientists who "will prese ... More >>

North Carolina Pastor to Burn Books of Local "Heretics" Rick Warren, Robert Schuller, and Benny Hinn

I thought book burnings in the South went with the way of the Beatles, but this shows how much I know: to celebrate Halloween, Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, North Carolina will host an ol'-fashioned Scripture bonfire complete with "Bar-b-Que Chicken, fried chicken, and all the sides," acco ... More >>

Chatting With Bill Maher About Rick Warren And Orly Taitz

From Religulous: Bill Maher on the left, Jesus on the right.​Comedian, talk show host and atheist evangelical Bill Maher will perform at the Grove of Anaheim on Sunday, Sept. 13. We got a chance to chat with him on the phone last week, mainly to ask him for his thoughts on all things Orange County ... More >>

Wiley Speaks! On Keith Olbermann Naming Him "World's Worst Person"

Pastor Wiley DrakeWell, guessed who showed up in the ol' email inbox, responding to MSNBC's Keith Olbermann naming him the "World's Worst Person"? It's First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park pastor Wiley Drake, who drew the dubious distinction for saying he's prayed for the deaths&n ... More >>

Wiley Drake Gets the Keith Olbermann Stamp of Disapproval

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Pastor Wiley Drake of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park has been previously recognized for interfaith gestures, helping the less fortunate and sheltering the homeless on church property despite threats from lawsuits, ... More >>

Harvest Dates Announced. Consider Yourself Warned. Sinner!

Greg Laurie, working it.He may not have the press agent of your Rick Warren or healing touch of your Benny Hinn or out-of-control wig of your Jan Crouch, but Greg Laurie does attract a similarly large following, as will be evidenced at Angel Stadium Aug. 14-16 during the 20th anniversary Harvest Cru ... More >>

Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr. Responds to Weekly Query

Over the weekend, Christian philanthropist extraordinaire and Weekly reader Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr. responded to my post asking whether he'd buy a new property for Newport Beach's St. James Episcopal Church because they're currently homeless for casting their theological lot with a homo-hating Ugand ... More >>

'American Idol' 'Bikini Girl' From Not Too Far From Here

The star of tonight's American Idol eighth (I know, only eight?) season premiere of American Idol is surely Katrina Darrell, already known the world over as "Bikini Girl." That clever nickname is derived from the fact that she wore a bikini to the audition, which seems to be the only reason she made ... More >>

Why Isn't Wiley Drake Suing God Over Inauguration?

We've previously told you about Buena Park pastor Wiley Drake suing to prevent Barack Obama from being inaugurated as president of the United States on Jan. 20 and, if that fails, suing to stop U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts from delivering the oath of office to Obama. For good measur ... More >>

Looking Back at 2008: The Ecstasy and the Irony

This is not a look back at disgraced Sheriff Mike Carona, the Little Sheriff, the Debs, the Little Debbie Snack, the Freeway Complex Fire, Rick Warren, Wiley Drake, any lantern-jawed preacher with the last name of Schuller, pedo-priests, the 241 toll road extension, Proposition 8, fluctuating gasol ... More >>

When Mariners Church Fired Choir Director Bob Gunn for Being Gay, It Sparked a Six-Year Legal Battle

The Mexican invades . . . Signal Hill?

This Is Your Life: A Companion Guide/Shameless Propaganda for 'Orange County: A Personal History'

Rev. Schuller Spins Orange Coast Magazine

Like Rich, we're excited to see the "new" Orange Coast, and wish it the best even though it's now technically a competitor. I've yet to see the issue that Rich dissected but did catch the one before, one that already had hints of the literary journalism and well-written analysis readers can expect u ... More >>

Avian Feuds

Ducks vs. Wings

Stint in OC inspired Obama to run?

Last month's edition of The Atlantic profiles Barack Obama in several articles. One of them, "Teacher and Apprentice," a must-read piece on the Obama-Clinton relationship by Marc Ambinder, contains a couple of theories about what lit a fire under the man's ass and made him decide to seek presidency. ... More >>

You're On With Jesus

Neil Saavedra brings God down to Earth

Godsmack

Orange County authors try to bring unity to people of different religious faiths. For this they will face the wrath of believers. Again.

Commie Girl

Pots of Gold: At the end, theres the Rainbow

'Entertaining Lucifer'

Critics say TBN is too nice to Muslims

Jesus Kills

The end of the world is coming, and some OC Christians cant wait

Lake Forest

Diary of a Mad County