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Home/ stevenwarran's Library/ Notes/ July 29, 2013, New York Daily News, Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren preaches first sermon since son’s suicide, tells megachurch members not to be ashamed of mental illness, by Leslie Larson,

July 29, 2013, New York Daily News, Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren preaches first sermon since son’s suicide, tells megachurch members not to be ashamed of mental illness, by Leslie Larson,

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July 29, 2013, New York Daily News, Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren preaches first sermon since son’s suicide, tells megachurch members not to be ashamed of mental illness, by Leslie Larson, 


Copyright Saddleback Church 2013
Rick and Kay Warren's son Matthew, 27, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head April 5.

Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren returned to the pulpit Sunday, preaching his first sermon since his son Matthew committed suicide in April after a long struggle with mental illness.

The congregation at the Southern California mega-church gave Rev. Warren and his wife, Kay, a standing ovation as they took the stage to brief the thousands of members about their recovery after the tragic death of the 27-year-old.

An estimated 10,000 members attended the worship service to mark Warren’s return after a 16-week absence.

Warren, who delivered the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, never publicly shared his son’s battle with mental illness until the suicide on April 5.

The Warren's youngest child died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He shot himself with an unregistered gun he purchased online.


Saddleback Church is one of the largest evangelical churches in the U.S., with an average attendance of 20,000 members.

"I pray he seeks God's forgiveness," Warren wrote in a Twitter message, about the individual who sold Matthew the gun, shortly after the tragedy.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, the 59-year-old pastor told his church Sunday that the experience has sparked in him a desire to minister to people struggling with mental illness.

"If you struggle with a broken brain, you should be no more ashamed than someone with a broken arm," he told the crowd.


Rev. Rick Warren prayed at Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009.

"It's not a sin to take meds. It's not a sin to get help. You don't need to be ashamed."

Warren, who authored the best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" in 2002, took time away from preaching as his family grieved.

Though absent from the pulpit, he still remained active on social media.

The Southern Baptist preacher started his church in 1980 in Orange County, Calif., and it has become one of the largest evangelical churches in the U.S., with an average attendance of 20,000.

The Warrens also have two older children, Amy and Josh.

llarson@nydailynews.com

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Let's see, according to the good book suicide is a a one ticket south of heaven, but suddenly it's acceptable because it was a preachers' kid? Can't have it both ways folks.
It is a mental health issue, and imagine how many people good have been helped if religion didn't make it a moral issue...

I agree. I think its time we recognized mental illness for what it is... AN ILLNESS like any other that requires treatment and management same as diabetes or asthma. I would love to see. Warren use his platform to EDUCATE , EDUCATE, EDUCATE . Lets remove the stigma about mental disorders so that those who need can freely seek it!

A conservative preacher with Warren's reach can go a long way in pushing this country towards acceptance of the fact that the brain is a physical organ which, just like the heart, gets diseased - this country is drowning in mental illness.
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