What are Freeper opinions of Rick Warren and his book?
And, I can say that it has been one of the best things I have done in years.
I haven't read Mr. McAurthur's book, so I have nothing to compare it to. And, perhaps, because it is Lent or because I have been doing my daily devotion more devotely while reading the book, but The Purpose-Driven Life has had an important impact on me.
And, there's only 1 book that should be taken as scripture: it's called The Bible.
I'm sure that Rick Warren's book (or any of Mr. MacArthur's books, for that matter) could probably be criticized for getting something (or even several things) wrong.
That, though, doesn't seem to be the real issue here. It is CNN's package of the story. They want to show 2 "preachers" at odds. They want to show the "internal strife" that is ripping through the religious community over this or that book.
They do the same thing whenever there is even the slightest disagreement on political policy. One Republican thinks X, another thinks almost X. To CNN, this represents a "major rift" in the party.
CNN is a collection of leftist scum who wouldn't know the inside of a church or synagogue if it hit them in the face.
And, only by the Grace of God and the sacrifice of my Lord, Jesus Christ, do the people who produce this propaganda even have a chance at walking into God's great Kingdom. I only pray that they get it at some point.
"What are Freeper opinions of Rick Warren and his book?"
As far as Ronzo is concerned, it is a most perplexing book for me to read. There are some sections that are so goofey it makes me want to throw the book in the garbage, and then there are other sections so brilliant and insightful one is honestly amazed.
While Warren has a five-fold purpose as the thesis of his book, there's really just one purpose: the purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy a relationship with his Creator forever. (A paraphrase of Question 1 from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.)
Overall, I would say this book reads like a systematic theology for dummies. But since there are so many Christians ignorant of their faith, and many non-Christians curious about Jesus, then this is EXACTLY the type of book that many people need.
But, even I get some really good stuff out of it, and I've been a serious Christian for over twenty years.
There are much, much worst Chritian books on the market, even theologically correct ones! Sadly, most Christian authors are writing for the converted. It seems that Rick Warren realized that it might be a good idea to write a book which could introduce non-Christians to Christianity in a non-threatening way. In that goal, he has succeeded.
ick.
Excellent book. Almost didn't read it because it hit me the wrong way at first, but I took my time and grew to appreciate it. I like Purpose Driven Church even more.
Warren might be accused of a type of soft evangelism, but I don't think there's a thing wrong with that. His methodology is to reach out to as many people as he can and try to draw them in. The only crime would be to deny truth appropriately.
Is it a perfectly comprehensive book? No. But it has plenty of good fruit, including the dramatic change in the Atlanta court killer.
Paul
I flipped thru the book at the bookstore once for about 10 minutes once. I had heard about the book and wanted to take a look at it. After reading thru it I could not help but wonder what the big deal was. It didn't strike a that much of an earth shattering book. It has lots of weird bible translations which struck ne as weird.
I geuss after reading Watchman Nee, J I Packer and MacArthur PDL just seemed kind of tame.
I think one initial reason for its success was that he's a southern baptist and southern baptist general love their own. As my sister says, "southern baptist are a breed unto themselves."
"What are Freeper opinions of Rick Warren and his book?"
You'll get the whole gamut here. I personally think it is totally NewAge. It's just Robert Schuller repackaged. Warren even has a "Global Peace Plan" which plays right into the hands of the end time "One World" scenario. It's just unreal. If he is sincerely trusting Jesus, then he is profoundly ignorant of Scripture as well and should NOT be leading any church or even a Bible Study.
Some GREAT pages with links to LOTS of refutation of Warren's 'poison pablum' (as I like to call it).
Biblical critiques
of Rick Warren's (Essentially Robert Schuller's) teachings:
http://www.twincityfellowship.com/cic/downloads.php
especially the articles entitled
"Redefining the Church"
"Church Health Award - From Rick Warren or Jesus Christ?"
"How the Purpose Driven Life Obscures the Gospel"
and "Robert Schuller and the Seeker Sensitive Church"
http://www.moriel.org/discernment.htm#this
scroll down and click on the “church issues” tab – there you will see a list of topics, click “purpose driven.”
http://www.erwm.com/Church%20Growth%20Movement.htm
Many many links there.
http://www.seekersensitive.com/articles.shtml
as well as here.
http://www.myfortress.org/RickWarren.html
has quite a few also. Some may be duplicated between these three lists of course.
http://www.biblebb.com/files/purpose.htm
6 papers on Rick Warren's teachings from Grace Community Church (John MacArthur's church)
http://www.challies.com/archives/000573.php
challies has a lot of stuff on the Rick Warren Phenomenon. Search through his articles for church growth topics and through his book reviews.
here's a good excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
“Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God's grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves.
By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream. God is not a God of the emotions but the God of truth. Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should in God's sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it.
The sooner this shock of disillusionment comes to an individual and to a community the better for both. A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.
God hates visionary dreaming; it makes a dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself.
Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders but as thankful recipients. We thank God for what He has done for us. We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness, and His promise. We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather thank God for what He does give us daily... In the Christian community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for little things receives big things.
We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious. We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet not so small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.
-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer