OPEN LETTER TO CHRIS ROSEBROUGH
(including commentary)
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TO ALL BLOGGERS, APOLOGISTS, DISCERNMENT MINISTRIES, AND OTHERS:
On July 28, 2008, Chris Rosebrough, owner and operator of Extreme Theology website, threatened me with a full blown lawsuit, alleging that I had committed libel and slander against him. He stated, in no uncertain terms, that if I did not meet his demands, then I would very quickly be hearing from:
a) his attorney;
b) my ISP, with whom he would be lodging a complaint.
His legal threat appeared in the comments section of the my article “Lighthouse Trails: More Ken Silva Propaganda.” The threat can still be found there in the comments section, and reads as follows:
Chris Rosebrough said, on July 28th, 2008 at 5:02 pm (Edit)
Richard,
This sword cuts both ways Richard. Let this comment serve as a legal notice to you. Unless, you
1. Publicly apologize for falsely claiming that I say that Rick Warren teaches salvation by works.
2. Rescind and apologize for the unfounded and libelous comments that you made about me claiming that I:
A. Have done damage to the body of Christ through the means of “slander, lies, libel, and deceit”
B. That I “spoon feed” lies to my adoring fans.
Then I will seek the fullest legal recourse allowed under U.S. Law. You have until 12 PM Pacific time on Monday July 28th to comply. These statements of yours are not only Objectionable, they are libelous and I will no longer idly sit by and allow you to publish these lies about me. This is no joke. You and your ISP will be hearing from my attorney if you do not comply.
Chris Rosebrough
I responded within 1/2 hour, saying: “Do what you need to do. I shall review your request. I await an official communication from either your attorney or my ISP. And will be glad to post them online. And respond accordingly.” I then locked all of comment sections in any blog pertaining to the ongoing controversy between myself and Ken Silva, which seems to have been the catalyst for Rosebrough’s reaction.
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MY OFFICIAL RESPONSE
I have not yet received any private communications from Chris Rosebrough, which I actually didn’t expect to receive since he has made his legal threat public. But I have also not I received any word from either:
a) his attorney; or
b) my ISP (which would actually have nothing to do with the issue because the comments are not hosted by my ISP, they are being hosted by wordpress — so Chris, just FYI, you would have to contact wordpress, not my ISP).
But to mind there seems to be no real need for me to even wait for such contacts to be made. Rosebrough’s requests need not go unanswered. There is no reason, in my opinion, for the situation to into the realm of attorney contact or notifying the appropriate host (i.e., wordpress). To allow this situation to go to that level or do anything to escalate the problem would be ungodly, immature, and show a lack of sincerity/integrity on my part. Most importantly, when faced with concerns expressed by a brother in the Lord, it would be the height of unChrist-like behavior to exacerbate the problem because of my own pride. So, I offer the following to Chris in hopes of appeasing him, and reconciling to him as a brother in Christ—a brother whom I have obviously offended in a public forum.
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Dear Chris,
I gladly apologize for anything I have said that ended up offending you in any way. I refer specifically to those comments I made in the comments section of this blog (see my July 25th, 2008 at 3:30pm July 25th, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. post). In the heat of blogging, we all sometimes get over-emotional and speak either too harshly, inaccurately, or in a manner that is unclear. It seems to me that I committed each of these offenses in my comments to you.
1. Publicly apologize for falsely claiming that I say that Rick Warren teaches salvation by works.
If you do not, in fact, teach that Rick Warren preaches salvation by works, then obviously I am wrong. I most certainly do apologize.
Much to my own hurt, I still remain a bit confused on this point, however. As I noted in a follow-up post (see my July 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm): “You told me on the phone that Rick Warren’s sermons, when taken out to their logical conclusions, teach salvation by following the LA —i.e., salvation by works. We went round and round about this.”
Did I misinterpret your words when we spoke on the phone? Did I not hear you correctly? Am I not accurately recounting the substance of our conversation? If so, then I take full blame. I must have misunderstood you. I apologize and I ask for your forgiveness.
I was also apparently mistaken in believing that I had made it quite clear (see my my follow-up comment # ) that although on your blog you CLAIM to not say Warren teaches salvation by works, you simultaneously make certain remarks that imply it. As I stated to you:
“You claim, ‘I have not made the claim that Warren teaches salvation by work,’ but you allow others to make that charge, and in your subtle way, talk out of both sides of your mouth, so as to not technically say it, but give the impression of it.”
This is the personal impression I have gotten from the verbiage you’ve used regarding Warren and salvation. If I am mistaken, and you absolutely do not mean to imply that Warren teaches salvation by works, then my personal impression is in error. But it is still my impression. Nevertheless, allow me say without reservation, that although it is my impression that you seek to imply that Warren teaches salvation by works—I now understand that you do not mean to imply that, and that you are not alleging (directly or by implication) that Warren teaches salvation by works. I am sorry for my misunderstanding, which resulted in me saying that you, in fact, have stated that Rick Warren teaches salvation by works. We can now both agree that he does not teach such a thing. And I am glad this issue is cleared up.
2. Rescind and apologize for the unfounded and libelous comments that you made about me claiming that I:A. Have done damage to the body of Christ through the means of “slander, lies, libel, and deceit” B. That I “spoon feed” lies to my adoring fans.
A. I do not agree with the way you have represented Warren’s doctrinal views, intentions for the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, pastoral messages delivered at Saddleback, and overall teachings at Saddleback church. To spread any misrepresentations of Warren’s actions, beliefs, motives, and/or historical events surrounding him, would constitute causing damage to the Body of Christ, since we know that such issues cause unnecessary division.
Although I believe that I could prove my accusation that you have done “damage to the Body of Christ with your own slander, lies, libel, and deceit,” I have neither the time, energy, nor patience to wade through countless posts at your website. Therefore, since I am a firm believer in not expressing anything that cannot immediately be substantiated, I have have no problem whatsoever removing that particular accusation from my original post, and saying with all sincerity, I apologize for making that accusation.
B. The sentence you are quoting from here is as follows: “. . . exalted by those who adore the false information you spoon feed them—e.g., Rick Warren teaches salvation by works.”
Since we have already covered the issue of you and your views on the mode of salvation taught by Rick Warren (i.e., you state categorically that Warren does NOT teach salvation by works), then I have absolutely no problem apologizing with great joy in having been corrected by you. And I was completely wrong here in saying, “exalted by those who adore the false information you spoon feed them—e.g., Rick Warren teaches salvation by works.”
And, to be honest, I am delighted to hear you say once and for all that Rick Warren does NOT teach salvation by works! Thank you, Chris, for clearing that up for everyone! That has been one issue I have tried desperately to make people see, and now I understand that Chris Rosebrough has weighed in on the issue in a most forceful way, and has stated for the record that Rick Warren does not teach salvation by works righteousness.
Chris, now that I have complied to your requests, I want to thank you for alerting me to these things that I had said, which you found grievous/hurtful to your heart and reputation. I hope and pray that we, as brothers, can work together, side by side, hand in hand, and shoulder to shoulder, to “earnestly contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
One in Christ,
Richard Abanes
P.S. I have gone in and removed the offending remarks. Thanks again for alerting me to your feelings. I am glad to be reconciled. I DO NOT believe that I in any way slandered or libeled you, but I responded as I have done so here, because I did offend you. And the Christlike thing to do was to apologize and remove what you found offensive.
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UPDATE – July 28, 2008
I have received a private confirmation from Chris Rosebrough that all is forgiven and all is well between us. I admire Chris for displaying a forgiving heart, and in doing so, has honored our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have sent him a request to post his very brief email to me as proof of our reconciliation so that others can be blessed. As soon as I hear back from him, I’ll act accordingly, per his wishes.
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UPDATE – END OF DISCUSSION
(Chris Rosebrough Response)
Richard,
I have read your open letter an commentary. I accept your apology and have alerted your ISP that the issues raised in the TOS Violation email that was sent to them during the 12 o’clock hour have been resolved and there will be no further action taken.
Chris
A FINAL WORD
As already noted, what prompted Rosebrough’s legal threat was me simply repeating/correcting his erroneous accusation about Warren preaching salvation by works of “the law.”
Rosebrough threatened his lawsuit, saying that unless I apologized publicly, he’d take legal action against me in CLEAR, BOLD, and DEFIANT violation of 1 Cor. 6. So, in the spirit of Christian unity, I apologized, acknowledging that if I had indeed misquoted/misunderstood him, then I was certainly wrong. Case closed — or so I thought.
However, barely two months later, Rosebrough proceeded to again repeat on his website the very same accusation against Warren that I had pointed out in the first place! On September 23, 2008, he posted an article/radio broadcast titled: “Rick Warren’s Law Based “Gospel.”
This is the kind of behavior now infecting the Body of Christ and influencing readers of various blogs/websites. Such conduct, IMHO, is both unbiblical and ungodly.
