Pastor Rick Warren Denounces AFA's Bryan Fischer For HIV Denialism

"For the past eight years we have worked with thousands of churches around the world and in America who have ministries to those infected and affected by AIDS. No one deserves this illness, and we must not ignore those among us who are infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. There are numerous ways to acquire the virus – sexual activity, blood transfusions, being born to an HIV positive mother, dirty needles – but what matters isn’t how a person became infected as much as how we will respond.

"People with living with the virus are people that Jesus created, loves, and died for. Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan teaches us that when you find someone bleeding on the side of the road, you don’t say 'Was it your fault?' You just help them in love! Let’s be very careful about what reality we deny; lives are at stake." - Pastor Rick Warren and his wife Kay, in a statement issued to Warren Throckmorton regarding Bryan Fischer's recent denial that HIV causes AIDS.

Warren's statement notes that many people have died in Africa due to the HIV denialism promoted by Peter Duesberg, the discredited scientist now embraced by Fischer.

RELATED: President Obama created a still-lingering firestorm of ill will when he tapped Warren to conduct the prayer at the 2008 inauguration. Warren is close friends with Uganda's Martin Ssempa, the chief proponent of his nation's still-pending "kill the gays" bill, although Warren has issued a statement condemning the legislation. While we welcome the above-linked statement to Throckmorton, critics maintain that Rick Warren's AIDS ministry in Africa may actually be worsening the situation due to his relationships with those who persecute homosexuals.