 Posted Thursday, October 06, 2005 8:23 AM
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“Purpose driven life” by Rick Warren has already been discussed briefly on this forum but I don’t remember in which thread so I have started a new one.
Reason for that is that the church I’ve attended for over a year now, will commence a huge campaign in November, of almost the complete membership/regular visitors reading the book, getting together in groups once a weekly (6 weeks) and Sunday sermons matching the subject during these 40 days. Much time and effort will go into this project, and other studies like Alpha or more advanced topics on Christianity will not take place during this time, and of course much time within prayer groups is devoted to the project as well.
At the very beginning when this was announced I was rather open-minded. In the meantime, as the project beginning comes closer and I watch the enormous efforts to encourage people/members to participate in the project, and as I have read the book, an inner alarm keeps nagging on me on the following:
Even (or especially) if a church claims to be absolutely bible based and members consider regular bible study a must (and I haven’t noticed anything different yet), shouldn’t any major study project rather be a bible study one. And not the study of a book written by someone who happens to be very successful in growing his church and to sell millions of book copies? As every Christian has a duty to check anything against the bible, I don’t see that will be the focus of the 40 days but rather study of what’s written by Rick Warren and how to live that.
As I read through the book I had a feeling that Rick Warren’s vision and “purpose-driven life” guidelines focus on contributing to church and growing the church family only. As valuable and necessary as work for church and evangelisation are, what about a person’s vision that is not directly church-related? I sense a similarity between the Warren-instructions and various campaigns which met with praise and religion-like devotion only to be replaced by the next wave just a year or so later.
Can the enormous enthusiasm of the people who are preparing for the project, several of them having read the book already, be kind of “mass-hypnotisation”? Maybe I’m an alien among the (or at least this) Christian community when I would say that God – and prayer, worship, bible reading - has the No. 1 priority in my life and I strive as best as I can to follow his word, while considering church to be a very important part of my life, but not the No. 1, rather one part next to my family, friends, works and other areas in my life.
What do you who have read the book think of this? Did you have similar ideas? Or is it just me being overly careful because I know of the effects of other-than-biblical instructions (e.g. S&H)?
Marion
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Posted Thursday, October 06, 2005 8:27 AM
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The last sentense in the 5th paragraph should read:
I sense a similarity between the Warren-instructions and various campaigns IN THE BUSINESS WORLD which met with praise and religion-like devotion only to be replaced by the next wave just a year or so later.
Marion
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Posted Thursday, October 06, 2005 8:00 PM
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Our church worked through "The Purpose Driven Life" over several weeks at our weekly prayer meetings a couple of years ago, but the way our pastor approached the study was no different from his other Bible study topics and I didn't notice anything unusual about it. My pastor (and others) has commented that, "The Purpose Driven Life" is for the most part doctrinally sound but that Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Church" has some problems. I don't know what they are.
I suspect any book study can become unbalanced if people place too much emphasis on the book and its "process" rather than using the book as a tool alongside the Bible. You said, As every Christian has a duty to check anything against the bible, I don’t see that will be the focus of the 40 days but rather study of what’s written by Rick Warren and how to live that. Have you voiced your concern to the people setting up the 40-day campaign? Their reaction to what you say might tell you a lot about their intended focus. If they really want the event to be Bible centered, perhaps voicing your concern will help them realize that the need to voice their intentions more clearly.
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Posted Thursday, October 06, 2005 8:25 PM
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Marion,
... as I have read the book, an inner alarm keeps nagging on me on the following: ...
Don't blame you for the inner alarm. I've heard some odd things about PDL. Seems like a good thing at first, but some churches have had some bad experiences from it. The original book and individual applications don't have as many bad reports as trying to apply it churchwide. We had a group go through it and they drew apart from the rest of us. After many months, they're just now reintegrating with the general flow of the church.
Unlike Linda, I don't know anyone who completed it with fully positive results.
Do Go Be Man
<><
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Posted Friday, October 07, 2005 5:11 AM
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Hi all
PDL is a great book with a great message... but we must not forget that it is written by a human being.
I live very close to Warren's church and I am very very concerned at the "Deification" of Rick Warren by thousands of people around here. In hearing him speak and seeing how he operates, my only conclusion is that there is as always an agenda to "promote" and a serious lack of humility. Just my observation.
Then again, I am a Catholic, belonging to a religion that has changed very little ( in some cases to its detriment ie.. marriage for priests..women in the priesthood) but the essence of the Church that was started by Jesus' disciples 2000 years ago has not changed and we are very very leary of the "next big thing" in Chrisitanity.
Everything should be centered on the Bible and on the Risen Christ, he is our Lord and our God, and yes the Bible is our only guide... the rest is all from man and being from man will always have man's personal agendas.
Just my two cents
Love
SFJ
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Posted Friday, October 07, 2005 8:35 AM
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Thank you all for your comments!
No, Linda, I have not yet mentioned it to anyone within the church, my post was the first attempt to check out on my concerns. In the meantime I’ve checked the web for more information, and I think what I don’t like in particular can be summed up in the following statement I found: “Warren is more than a pastor and a teacher – he is a role model who is mimicked by hundreds of thousands of other pastors and teachers who seek to duplicate his success." The desire to save people turned into the love for growing figures of all types, rejoicing over this great tool which made other churches so successful.
I’ll pray about it and see what I will do. It’s definitely too late to stop it (and I doubt I could, I’m not even a member, and many people seem to be really enthusiastic), and I understand that sometimes we just have to stand by church elders who happen to have made what we consider a mistake (if it is one). An option is to go with it, accompanied by good bible study (especially of the bible citations in their context) and speak about whatever comes up during the weekly home-study group which I attend at the pastor’s home. As a simple attendant of a group I don’t need to support the campaign as much as I had to were I to head such a group.
And I’ll see where God takes all of us in this …
Again, thanks for your replies!
Marion
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Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2005 8:52 AM
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Some conversations and an orientation evening for potential members I attended have shown that the church indeed is re-structuring itself to make sunday services more seeker-friendly, make more members volunteer more, focus aggressively on reaching outsiders and grow, grow, grow. It's a church of 300, and the pastor has a vision to make it a church of thousands.
Have been quite confused, was barely able to pray about it, and now when I finally managed to pray about it I have huge NOs banging in my head, NO for membership, and NO for being part in the Life with a Purpose activity.
Marion
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Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2005 3:06 PM
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Hi Marion,
It seems to me that the no's that are banging in your head may be the same ones that guided you away from CS. Haven't we already been part of a church/movement/belief system that is not guided by the Bible, but rather by a leader? Whenever I think of the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, I think of the Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy. The principles are different, but the concept of an author claiming to have the answers for us -- that we needed him/her to deliver for us -- seems to be eerily the same.
Thank God you can say, "Been there, done that" and "Not a road I'm willing to head down again, thanks!", and then calmly return to the Bible which you know and love.
Listen to your instincts as they have proven useful and very correct in the past. Don't you think?
-- Grace
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Posted Thursday, October 13, 2005 4:22 AM
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Hi,
I've not read the Purpose Driven Life but have been meaning to get it from the library to see if it's really as bad as some say. I would definitely be concerned if my church was thinking about doing Warren's program, given the criticisms, (these from Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon).
PDL may have something to offer already well-grounded Christians, but the unchurched are liable to glean from it a watered down gospel of self-help salvation, so I'm told. If you've read the book or done the program, was that your impression?
Clive
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Posted Friday, October 14, 2005 6:26 AM
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