As megachurch pastor/author Rick Warren slowly emerges into the spotlight again after the suicide death of his youngest son Matthew five months ago, he appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan to talk about gun violence, particularly in the wake of the recent shootings in the Navy Yard in Washington D.C. Warren said when he heard of the shooting, he immediately got “down on his knees and prayed for those families and for those who were wounded.”
Warren and his wife Kay have continued to be outspoken about gun violence since Matthew took his life with a gun he bought on the Internet. When asked if he ever questioned his faith in God during the ordeal, Warren told Morgan, “I never questioned my faith in God; I questioned God’s plan. God isn’t to blame for my son’s death. My son took his life. It was his choice.”
LifeWay Research says 53 percent of Americans think that churches should do more to prevent suicide in America. Nearly half of evangelicals (48 percent) believe that serious mental illnesses can be cured by prayer and Bible study alone. Sixty percent of Americans disagree.
Warren and his wife have begun a new campaign to offer hope to those struggling with serious mental illness. “It’s so important that people know, no matter how desperate their despair, there is hope and not to give up,” said Kay Warren.
The interview with Warren and his wife is set to air on CNN’s Piers Morgan Live Tuesday night 9/17 at 9:00 PM. See clips of the interview here.
