We have all heard of the “Purpose Driven Life.” Rick Warren, who is the author of one of the most successful (in terms of sales) books ever written, is now a bit like a rock star. There are Churches that now describe themselves as “purpose driven churches”. If you read Warren’s book you will find some things that agree with the bible. The problem, however, is with Warren himself. When he speaks to non Christian audiences he speaks in terms of living out your purpose. He then allows you to fill in the blanks as to what your purpose is and leaves Christ out of the discussion. The message is not about the eternal purpose of God in expanding the Kingdom of God in the hearts of people by bringing them the gospel. It is more like a motivational speech to encourage people to act upon their gifting and talents. The idea is to be purposeful in living rather than just getting by with no vision. I happen to like that message as a point that should be made concerning motivational vision. It is good to get motivated and act rather than accomplishing nothing in life, however the problem is that no gifting or talent will ever get you or I to heaven.
As a minister, Rick Warren must declare the gospel. It is not the gospel of your gifting and talents. It is not the gospel of your personal purpose or vision. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If Warren preaches Jesus Christ and the bible as the word of God first, and then teaches about finding your gifting, talents and purpose in service to the gospel, that would be fine. Warren however dances around the question of salvation in Christ only. In his interview with Charlie Rose (about 21 min into the interview) he is asked about how we get to heaven and if he was saying that those who are not Christian are damned. He refused to straight forwardly say that Jesus is the only way and whoever tries to come to the Father in any other way is a thief and a robber (John 10:1). Warren went on to say that Catholics and Evangelical Christians have more in common than in disagreement. This is absurd since Catholics do not place the written bible as the final authority. Much of Catholic doctrine is superstition and idolatry. He also said that Christians have more in common with Muslims than secularists since they “believe in God”. That is another absurdity. Muslims do not believe in the God of the Bible therefore as Christians we have no common ground with them at all. Warren says we need a “second Reformation that is not about theology.” His Reformation idea is to bring together the liberal social gospel churches with the Evangelical churches because we as he put it “need both.”
What is motivating this man? Is he some kind of purposeful deceiver? I don’t think so. I think he is deceived and is spreading the deception with good intentions. As the old saying goes; “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Rick Warren is a globalist who believes that he can bring the world together under non essential doctrines. He has a a world-view that can be described as “Unitarian dominionism”; a view that tries to meld together Evangelicals, Catholics, liberal main line churches, and whoever else to accomplish his “global peace plan”. It seems that his non essential mind set includes looking the other way concerning Marry worship, saint worship, main line denial of the inerrancy of Scripture, and idolatry. It seems clear that Warren has given himself over to a Unitarian mind set. He says that for him he is “betting his life on Jesus.” Others may “bet on something else”. Why not say the truth? Why dance around? Rick Warren has a tremendous opportunity to preach the truth but he will not because he knows that he will be rejected by the world if he does. This is the reason he skirts the issue and compromises, deceiving himself into believing that he should be “inclusive”.
The inclusive mind set of Warren has led him to include Ken Blanchard in his leadership teaching. Blanchard is enamored with New Age pantheism. Blanchard is on the Advisory Board of an organization that promotes New Age philosophy called The Hoffman Institute.Those who have now been anointed by the world as “Christian Leaders” are now using their power to destroy Christian exclusivity. Do we who believe the bible also believe that Christianity is exclusive? You bet we do. It is exclusively for those who put their trust in the Jesus of the Bible, and hold to the teachings of it.
The Apostle Paul preached the Word with power and did not worry about offending the culture. He wrote;
“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” - 1 Corinthians 1:23
“For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified”
-1 Corinthians 2:2
The Apostle Peter wrote;
“And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed” - 1 Peter 2:8
When will Rick Warren and the others in the “emergent movement” understand that the Church is called to be Christ driven? When a Christian looks for a church to fellowship in, he/she should look for a church that preaches a Christ Driven Life. Not a church that is driven by a social gospel or motivation of unity without sound doctrine. Peace will not be ushered in by Rick Warren’s “global peace plan” or by his membership in the globalist “Counsel of Foreign Relations.” God has called Christians to bring reconciliation with God through the gospel message. Peace comes to the individual through the Church’s message of salvation in Christ and no other. Jesus did not come to bring peace to the world. Consider the following Scripture;
Matthew 10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven”
Here we see the importance of confessing Christ before men without shame. There is a strong promise here from The Lord that should motivate every believer.
Matthew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven”
Here we see that being ashamed of the gospel or allowing fear of what the world thinks stop us from confessing the only true Savior has a spiritual consequence. To have Christ deny you is a painful thought. No matter how big your “ministry” is, no matter how many books you sell, and no matter how many world leaders refer to you as a “Christian leader,” it matters not if Christ denies you.
Matthew 10:34 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword”
Rick Warren needs to understand that Jesus did not come to unify the world in peace. Jesus came to divide between those who receive him and those who do not. Christianity is open to all since Christ died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Having said that, every person must receive Christ as their Savior in order to be saved (John 3:7).
Matthew 10:35 “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law”
We must be willing to choose Christ even above our own families, and personal relationships.
Matthew 10:36 “And a man's foes shall be they of his own household”
Even those in our own household will turn against us due to our faith in Christ and choice to follow him.
Matthew 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”
Nothing and no one can be placed higher in our life than Jesus Christ if we are to follow him.
Matthew 10:38 “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me”
We must carry our cross and that means many will turn against us and revile us for our Christian faith and stand for God’s Word.
Matthew 10:39 “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it”
We must be willing to lose our position in the world’s eyes and even our lives if necessary for the proclamation of the gospel. Pandering to the secularists and false religions (only Christian teaching is true) only brings the death.
It is not the best seller “Purpose Driven Life” that we should aspire to. It is the Christ Driven Life that motivates the true Christian believer. “The Christ Driven Life” has a book to study and live by. It is called the bible!You want purpose? You want motivation? You want truth? Put down the Purpose Driven Life book, pick up your trusty King James Bible, and discover the eternal purpose of a “Christ Driven Life.”
Dr. David M. Berman Senior Pastor, Author, Convention Speaker 211 Whitcomb Road P.O. Box 10357 Swanzey, NH. 03446 Phone 603 352 9471
Disclaimer: Worldview Weekend, Christian Worldview Network and its columnists do not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site. We do however, encourage a healthy and friendly debate on the issues of our day. Whether you agree or disagree, we encourage you to post your feedback by using the feedback button.
My former pastor swallowed the Rick Warren cool aid hook, line and sinker. He changed a traditional Southern Baptist church into a Warren-modeled, contemporary, seeker-friendly social club. He did it slowly, like a thief in the night. Before we realized what had happened, we lost our church. He never preached an expository sermon because all he knew was evangelism. I told he missed his calling - he shouldnt be a pastor. All of the traditional people have been pushed out and it's now all "seeker-friendly". The membership is stagnant - a few come in and a few leave.
That's why it's my former church - God picked me up and put me where He needed me. Rick Warren has done more to damage churches in this country than any other influence outside of Satan himself. But I'm not sure I agree with the writer - I dont think Warren is deceived, I think he knows exactly what he is doing. Click here to reply to this post
A Challenge for the author...
Posted On: 02/08/08 10:12:57 PM
Age 64, OR
"By Rev. Dr. David M. Berman Th.D."
It is interesting that this author distinguishes himself by selfish pride when the Bible tells us "there is none who is reverend but God alone". So, how credible can this author or any professed Christian who lauds themselves with a "title". It just is NOT impressive but definately detracts from their credibility and sincerity as apostate to the Scripture they supposedly present. Click here to reply to this post
Truth is truth no matter where its found.
Posted On: 02/09/08 10:35:09 AM
Age 47, MO
Friend: I and others have mentioned this to David in the past. However, conviction will never come from us but by direction of the Holy Spirit. I just thought you should know the issue was addressed previously. But...the article speaks on its own meritt. It is a great article, and God has used David to relay truth. Why would you discount the truth by the author? Put another way, why would you judge a book by its cover? Only God should do this knowing the heart of man. John Click here to reply to this post
Apostasy is apostasy - period
Posted On: 02/11/08 01:54:29 PM
Age 64, OR
Self-glorification by man is apostasy to God. Any acceptance of it is being a 'man-pleaser' and is an afront to God. Compromise if you desire but I choose to confront the apostate to repent and turn away from their personal sin. Play around with that and you too are apostate. Click here to reply to this post
Who's reality?
Posted On: 02/11/08 04:31:23 PM
Age 47, MO
I'm glad we are having this discussion and I would like to persue it further if you wouldn't mind. I am currently writing an article on reality, and this fits right in with what is perceived as true. The Truth is that we can never know truth while on this earth but only what we experience as truth. Thus, your truth may not be the same as mine, or your interpretation of scripture, or even your reality. This is why we can both look at the same picture and walk away from it with different ideas of what the picture even was (1 Cor 13:6-13). This is also why we are different parts of Christ's body- certainly you would agree the feet experience Christ differently than the ear or the nose hair, and all are controlled by the head if not diseased. I don't want to be long winded with this, but not only do we perceive things differently, we also compromise our convictions daily. To not agree is to say that you are without sin. John Click here to reply to this post
not good thinking
Posted On: 02/11/08 11:47:29 PM
Age 44, NH
Can't agree on this sir. It is a relativism you are preaching. Please rethink that.
-Dr. Berman Click here to reply to this post
I'm talking about perception, not True Truth
Posted On: 02/12/08 01:43:36 AM
Age 47, MO
Actually no, perhaps I didn't explain it well enough. All truth is from God, that is not relative and I'm not saying that. I am talking about our perception of what is real. Let me explain. In his Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant, a secular philosopher argues that all human knowledge is based upon experiences that we gain by accessing reality through our five senses. He then asks; how do we know that our perception of reality corresponds to reality itself? There are things in themselves- what Kant called the noumenon- and of them we can know nothing. What we can know is our experience of those things, what Kant called the phenomenon. Take an apple; we can through our senses perceive its mass and its shape, which is in it’s self. However, the perception of its redness, its aroma, and its taste are not in the apple but in our experience or interaction with the apple. Indeed, our reality is our “take” on that experience. Further, my take would be different than your own or that of a person with limited faculties, or that of a dog, since they do not possess taste or color vision.
Kant further argued that we have no basis to assume that our perception of reality ever resembles reality itself. He reasoned that if we can only experience reality through our senses, then all we ever have is our experience, not the original. Since our experiences are varied and our perception of the originals is painted by these experiences, how can we ever presume that the two are even comparable? Truly, there are two realities; the painted copy of reality we experience, and reality which truly exists. The true reality is only known by its creator- God. Thus, our reality is God- if we remain in Him. This is wy He gives us His spirit and revelation so that we can know Him. We see Him dimly, Moses saw his back, if we truly saw God as He really is, we would be toast. John Click here to reply to this post
Finally
Posted On: 02/14/08 04:49:42 PM
Age 47, MO
I was expecting to have a discussion about this, but; oh well. Anyway, when I coppied and pasted some of the info in my previous post, I didn't paste the footnote. Most of the heavy thinking on this was done by Immanuel Kant, as previously mentioned, but also by Dinesh D'Souza in his book: What's so great about Christianity. His book speaks to the agnostic and the atheist, in my article I intend to speak to the religious and the modern Christian to cement the truth of Christ only.
Thanks, John Click here to reply to this post
Holy partnership
Posted On: 02/08/08 12:46:39 PM
Age 47, MO
David: Outstanding article! Due to things I have seen in my own church and their blind following of Bill Hybels, I have discovered what I believe is the crux of their error. Essentially, instead of believing that God works through the faithful, they believe God works in agreement and partnership with people. This error elevates man to be like God posessing power to save, agree, understand, persuade, and contend with Almighty God. Their take is that our goals become God's will because our God given talents, are given for a unique purpose. All we have to do is find our purpose and then God will bless our efforts. Thus faith becomes an exercise in discovering our worth and the worth of others created in God's image. John Click here to reply to this post
"Warren went on to say that Catholics and Evangelical Christians have more in common than in disagreement. This is absurd since Catholics do not place the written bible as the final authority. Much of Catholic doctrine is superstition and idolatry."
This is wrong!!! The written bible is the final authority in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has come a long way and is not the same as it was 10 years ago. You need to update your information, before you write!! There are many Bible studies now, and ways to learn God's word. Jeff Cavins is a wonderful modern theologian that is working hard to educate Catholics in God's word. We are a new Catholic Church, deeply reading and learning the Bible! Click here to reply to this post
Sorry, I am not wrong. I wish I was wrong on this matter
Posted On: 02/08/08 12:55:36 PM
Age 44, NH
The official teaching of the Catholic Church is that the Church has final authority. In fact the Pope has final say on all matters of Doctrine and practice when he speaks "Ex Cathedra" There is no way that you can read what the official position of the Catholic Church is and come away believing that the Catholic Church is biblical. It simply is not. From the doctrine of the Priesthood, to praying to "saints" to superstitious “novena”, The Catholic Church is not biblical. I suggest that you go to the official writings and proclamations of the Vatican, the Catholic encyclopedia, and on and on…you will see that the teachings of the Catholic Church are not biblical. –Dr. David M. Berman Click here to reply to this post
Ironic
Posted On: 02/08/08 04:39:12 PM
Age 40, MN
Didn't the Catholic Church decide what books should be included in the Bible? I find it ironic that you find issues with the Catholic Church yet you quote from the books that they chose. Click here to reply to this post
It should be Christ driven
Posted On: 02/08/08 07:26:49 AM
Age 61, MO
Thank you, Dr. Berman. Many of us have been critical of Rick Warren for several years. This essay is a good review of that criticism. Purpose driven or Spirit led? Perhaps Warren is confused about what God said through James: "But wilt thou know O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20). And that is true. "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 3:10). But there are many Biblical indications which tell us that works which do not proceed from faith are equally dead. George Cancilla Click here to reply to this post
