Purpose Driven or Purpose Drivel?

The discerning side of my mind

[Lasher]

Would like to know if there are any other Christians out there that have not swallowed Rick Warren's version of the Gospel. I left my "seeker-friendly" Church after much prayer and ponder, and it took several months to make the split. I still must speak with my former pastor about this, so until I do, I will not name my former Church. I have noticed that most who follow the "Purpose Driven" material are emotionally attached to it, much like true Christians are emotionally tied to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[Quix]

MESSAGE SCRIPTURES AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY:

The Message (MSG)
Deuteronomy 23:17


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17No daughter of Israel is to become a sacred prostitute; and no son of Israel is to become a sacred prostitute.





The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson



1 Kings 14:24


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24Worse, they had male sacred prostitutes, polluting the country outrageously--all the stuff that GOD had gotten rid of when he brought Israel into the land.







The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson



1 Kings 15:12


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12He cleaned house: He got rid of the sacred prostitutes and threw out all the idols his predecessors had made.





The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson



1 Kings 22:46


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46Also, he got rid of the sacred prostitutes left over from the days of his father Asa.







The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson



2 Kings 23:7


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7He tore out the rooms of the male sacred prostitutes that had been set up in The Temple of GOD; women also used these rooms for weavings for Asherah.

---

I Cor 6:9 THE MESSAGE version--a much tougher standard:

9Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex,

[blackie]

Some of us just live right. ;)

[Quix]

Being emotionally attached to anything or anyone but Jesus

CAN

be problematic

--such as--

--being emotionally attached to Rick Warren bashing;
--to a spouse
--children
--a job
--a car
--a home
--a hobby
--looks,
--money

. . . . etc.

Certainly Rick Warren does not go around suggesting, much less forcing people to make of him or his writings an idol. He does more the opposite--especially compared to most well known Christian leaders--including a lot of the Rick Warren bashing tribe.

[Quix]

[Qx: color emphasis. Scripture refs replaced footnote numbers. Bold and italics not colored are Rick's own emphases.]

I've heard/read folks whine that Rick Warren doesn't lift up Christ at all or some such silly assertion. Some complain that the Biblical God Almighty etc. and a Biblical focus on God is left out.

Here's some statements from his excellent booklet:

WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR

--which is basically excerpts from PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE:

p. 6:

You were made by God and for God--and until you understand that, life will never make sense.

Doesn't sound very man centered, to me!

p. 7

But being successful and fulfilling your life's purpose are not at all the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, becoming a raving success by the world's standard, and still miss the purposes for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. Jesus Christ once said, "Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self." Mat 16:25 Msg

p. 9

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Eph 1:11 Msg This verse gives us three insights into your purpose

First, you discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don't have such a relationship, I'll explain later how you can begin one.

. . .

[Terriergal]

Ha! And some of us live BETTER. ;-)

[Terriergal]

And ya know, that's totally unscriptural too! ;-)

[Gamecock]

I know you are not alone, not by a long shot.

Those who are enamored with the PDL are, IMHO, always chasing the latest mass marketing gimmick.

PDL? All fluff, no stuff

[JockoManning]

thanks lots and lots.

JM

[JockoManning]

Thanks again. Those words certainly strike me as truth, especially today.

LUB,
JM

[Robert_Paulson2]

There goes that fella Jesus again...

"ask and you shall receive.
SEEK and you shall find.
knock and it shall be opened unto you."

HE obviously meant, 'if God wills it for you, then you can seek and find, but it won't really be you, just me playing sock puppet with your head...'

That silly Jesus.
He should have been born AFTER Calvin and the determinist cult leaders straighted out all that 'whosoever will' drivel from the Savior's teachings.


The ONE who said:
"I set before YOU today, both blessing and cursing, life and death... therefore YOU CHOOSE LIFE, that YOU and YOUR seed may live!!!!"

must have been really relieved to have the determinists straighten HIM out on that confusing free will and choice issue... "seek the lord, while he may be found" is actually meaningless fill, inserted by the arminians, to confuse those predestined to eternal life and give false hope to those preordained to damnation...

I think Jesus had it right on these matters, seeing he IS God and all... and has apparently got the market cornered on correct theology... you know being God and all.

Apparently he thought, some of us actually would want to seek him... just as he wanted to seek us.

Silly Savior... er, right?

[Quix]

LOL. THX.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

Would appreciate it if you are going to quote Jesus that you would please post the verse. Thanks!

[Quix]

Certainly you have demonstrated the capacity to dismiss all kinds of solid, Biblical things. . . .

---

You said:

PDL? All fluff, no stuff

---

I STRONGLY disagree that the followign Statements of Jesus in the PDL are "all fluff, no stuff:"

You were made by God and for God--and until you understand that, life will never make sense.

Doesn't sound very man centered, to me!

p. 7


But being successful and fulfilling your life's purpose are not at all the same issue!
You could reach all your personal goals, becoming a raving success by the world's standard, and still miss the purposes for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. Jesus Christ once said, "Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self." Mat 16:25 Msg
p. 9

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Eph 1:11 Msg This verse gives us three insights into your purpose

---

Seems to me that you have been caught accusing a Christian brother of something that's very, very untrue.

I have a LOT of trouble imagining Christ being pleased with that.

[Quix]

I'm a bit puzzled. In the below, the sentences from the verse with the verse references are given. What's not sufficient for you?

Are you unaware of:

http://bible.gospelcom.net/

You can look at the verses in a dozen translations or so.

BTW, I post to my standards. I don't try to please all the idiosyncratic notions of what is good and proper in posting hereon. I have 0.000% need for such crazy making pressures.

[nobdysfool]

Are you taking your meds?

You are going completely over the top about anyone who DARES to question Warren's methodology. Some of us have some serious questions regarding the underlying assumptions, based on biblical and long-held beliefs and orthodox Christian teaching. Apparently, you feel threatened by that, hence your hissy-fits directed at anyone who DARES to speak against Warren.

Perhaps you should spend a little time thinking about what you want to say, and calm down before you begin typing. If your answers typify those who follow Warren's methodology, we are all the more right to question it.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

JESUS SAID those not against Him were with Him when the disciples started finding fault with those not doing it quite to their prissy standards. Jesus rebuked them soundly.


I am referencing the paragraph you posted ( I can see your tag line). I am familiar with this text but would like to see verses posted, many people on the free republic are not familiar with The Bible...they are cino. Thanks.

[The Mayor]

BTTT!

[The Mayor]

Bump!

[HarleyD]

Sadly I have to agree with you Lasher. The PDL IMO is nothing more than man's attempt at soothing his heart in believing he is "doing" something fulfilling to the Lord. A little meditation, a little prayer, a little sharing-you fulfilled your quota of spirituality for the week. Today's spirituality has become nothing more then a formulistic approach. There is no longer a fear of God. God has been replaced with a teddy bear.

Jer 5:30-31 "An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?"

[freedomcrusader]

I agree 100% with your contention with "the way Warren used a mish-mash of translations-some obscure or inaccurate-to get precisely the meaning that he needed out of the text."

I also found it uncomfortable, and considered that some might suspect the veracity of what Warren was saying because it seems underhanded.