[7thson]

I received the above this morning in an email and thought I would share it with you. I have not read this book yet but I plan to this summer. I do not know if Mr. Warren has read C.S. Lewis but this interview reminds me of what Mr. Lewis has written in Mere Christianity.

[EdReform]

Bump & Ping

[neodad]

It's a great book that changed my life. Just be careful, the changes can be dramatic. I always laugh when I drive by a church marquee (sp?) and they're about to start studying the book. I think, the pastors will be working overtime for a while - lol.

[Obadiah]

Thank you for posting this. I must admit that I have intentionally resisted reading this book despite being given a copy by a relative. My thinking was that this book was some faddish, Christian pop-culture thing, and I'm more into Philip Yancey, but this post clearly shows me wrong. This is where I have been traveling spiritually.

I do believe that at this time God is drawing Christians closer to Himself. Perhaps a reawakening is brewing, or perhaps persecution is nearing, we do not know, but there is great joy abiding in His presence.

[beckett]

I received the book from a friend not long ago and finished it recently. Warren utilizes many age old aspects of Christian teaching, which he presents in effective contemporary language. He also has a wonderful knack for de-pressurizing modern life, and for showing the Christian reader how to put society, with its surfeit of material distractions, in perspective.

A good book written by a Godly man.

[The Brush]

I read the book last year too. He's an inspired writer
Another great author is John Ortberg from Menlo Park Church. He wrote a great book entitled: If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat"
It's a funny and thought provoking book about how Peter always got himself into trouble by acting on his first instincts, and yet he was the only one of the desciples who ever walked on water as a result.

[Frumanchu]

While I disagree with some of Warren's theology, I admire Warren's willingness to give so much of his money back to the church. I certainly don't think it makes him any more virtuous than somebody else who is wealthy and tithes 10%, but in a country where less than 3% of church-goers tithe it's encouraging to see.

[PigRigger]

What liberals don't understand is that life is a series of adversities; character is defined by how one deals with them. In particular, one's confidence and determination are strengthen by first failing and then succeeding after trying again.

God is with us each step of the way. When we look to God for guidance our deliverance is assured:

"Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

[Terriergal]

I have not read this book yet but I plan to this summer.

He ain't no Lewis.

PDL if you read it from the perspective of already knowing the real Gospel, isn't so bad if you forget the part where he says 'it's not about you' and then proceeds to write an entire book fawning over you instead of God. It isn't anything to write home about either. I read it without predjudice a few years ago and thought "what's the big deal? Why do people like this book?"

I didn't figure it out until this last year when I read the Purpose Driven Church and figured out why some of the weird manipulative and controlling things were going on in our church.

The reason PDL is picking up such ratings is because it does not present the Gospel. It is written to believers and unbelievers alike and tells them a lot of nicey nice stuff without the hard truth: The problem of God's wrath.

PDChurch however is bad right from the start. Based on a faulty anthropology, it is self-contradictory throughout.

But of course, that is typical of the postmodern church.

if you want some good critiques check out:

http://www.erwm.com/Church%20Growth%20Movement.htm

that's a good site too with lots of links.

also http://www.seekersensitive.com/
http://www.heirsofgod.info/

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rseaborn/bandwagon.html
http://www.abrahamic-faith.com/James/purpose%20driven%20church.html
http://www.gracebible.org/seekersensitive/seeker.htm
http://www.internetmonk.com/rick.html
http://christdot.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5508
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/cgrowth/mkt.htm
http://meansofgrace.0catch.com/truthscaffold.htm
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/purpose_driven_issues2.htm
http://www.bibleguidance.co.za/Engarticles/RickWarren.htm
http://www.erwm.com/PDConfusion.htm

[TommyDale]

I am beyond the Rick Warren element...he is merely a tiny particle of the massive amount of apostasy in the church. These new-age hippies are leading millions of people down the wide, easy and wrong pathway. They will answer to God eventually, and be held ulimately responsible. Do any of you know how many thousands of people have been "purpose driven" from their own home churches simply because they refuse to swallow this nonsense? I would hope you study this movement before you jump in and accept it as the truth. It is far removed from the Truth.