Rick Warren in North Korea

Rick Warren, the author of the Purpose Driven Life and the Purpose Driven Church has taken a lot of flack over the years (some of it deserved, some of it not), but he now has a great opportunity to impact North Korea for Christ. (Hat Tip: Stacy Harp.) According to BeliefNet:

LAKE FOREST, Calif., June 27 – Evangelical pastor Rick Warren has been invited to preach this summer to some 15,000 Christians in North Korea, a communist country infamous not only for its nuclear threats but also for its religious persecution…

And then, he told the crowd, “I’ve received another invitation.” Warren said North Korea would allow him to preach in a stadium seating 15,000, but that he could preach in a larger venue if he could fill the seats.

There’s, of course a risk to going:

Believers who proselytize or have ties to evangelical groups in China are arrested, tortured or executed, the report said. Still, religious leaders like Billy Graham have visited North Korea in highly choreographed trips. Warren said he had asked Graham for advice on his upcoming trip.

“I know they’re going to use me,” Warren said, responding to a question about whether he was concerned that the invitation could be a set-up, a ruse to draw out Christians so that the government could punish them.

“So I’m going to use them.”

The wheels are always turning, I see. The opportunity is huge, the risk is huge, and one of the biggest risks is this just being a dog and pony show for North Korea. I second Stacy’s motion. Send up some prayers for Pastor Warren.