Rick Warren -- Out of the Closet!

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

Posted Dec 23rd 2008 12:24PM by TMZ Staff

Rick Warren, the pastor who will deliver the invocation next month for Barack Obama, apparently is doing a little image-adjusting in West Hollywood.



We got this pic, taken yesterday at Out of the Closet thrift store. That's Warren on the right (naturally), his arm around Erol Sarabi, who is openly gay. Warren, who supports the ban on gay marriage which has not sat real well with some Obama supporters, bought 8 to 10 books, two of which were his own (that doesn't help with his Amazon ranking). Warren told Sarabi not to believe everything he reads, that he does a lot for AIDS research and was happy that Out of the Closet does free AIDS testing.

Warren also said he met with Melissa Etheridge recently and the two planned to have dinner together -- go figure.

By the way, Warren gave a signed copy of his book to Sarabi. The inscription from the Bible, Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

http://www.tmz.com/2008/12/23/rick-warren-out-of-the-closet/

[trayfoot]

1. Maybe Obama is having an affect on Warren! :)

[Bolo Boffin]

2. This is all P.R. -- for Warren's evangelical audience.

How reasonable and undisagreeable he is! How disagreeable and bitchy are the people who hate Rick Warren and his hatred!

He looks like Falwell in that picture more than I've ever seen him.

[peace frog]

8. Exactly

Warren is hard at work, scrubbing his image to appear more acceptable to those he's offended. Don't expect it to go any deeper than the kinder, gentler facade he's cultivating.

[Critters2]

3. I've said it before, I'll say it again. He does set off my gaydar. nt

[boppers]

4. It's un-bear-able!

:evilgrin:

[Rockholm]

10. OMG. Me too! Watched his video on Americablog.

Warren is a total closet case.

[Pale Blue Dot]

5. So Rick, if a gay man wants to use his health insurance to take care of his partner who has AIDS,

You're OK with that, right? Right??

Wait... you're against gay marriage, so I guess not.

You're a dickhead, Rick.

[Zuiderelle]

6. AIDS does not afflict only gay people, and it IS NOT THE ONLY GAY ISSUE.

Jesus, I'm sick of him touting his work combating AIDS as if that's all he has to do, while on the other hand calling us pedophiles and rejecting us from his church.

Every day that goes by, makes me distrust that snake more.

[Rockholm]

11. He only touts his AIDS work in Africa.

Big old difference. Africa=hetero. America=teh gay.

[Zuiderelle]

13. Yep

[Bluebear]

14. He loves the straight AIDS victims in Africa.

Self-actualized and partnered gays in the US, not so much.

[AntiFascist]

7. I can't wait for the SouthPark episode...

Rick Warren goes to W. Hollywood and has sex with a bunch of gays to prove how much he loves them...but its all sinful of course.

[Bolo Boffin]

9. Oh, Lord, this is right up their alley, isn't it?

Well, everybody's got to have a hobby. :)

[Neshanic]

12. He's really working the "I love the gay" angle. Sad people fall for it.