Purpose Driven Life | Red Flags in Dedication

I was thirteen years old. “My favorite book is the Purpose Driven Life.”

For many years, if you had asked me what Christian book, aside from the Bible, was my favorite, I would have answered, “Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.”

Looked upon as odd when I was young because I wanted an in-depth understanding of theology. Many of my thoughts and questions growing up were left open-ended. I had a “surfacey” understanding of the Gospel and a legalistic view of holy living.

In my mindset, it was all about making sure we understood the will of God, which I often sought through external means – dreams, experiences in life, thoughts (is it God or is it me?), and we better make sure we figure out what our purpose, calling, and spiritual gift(s) is because if we do not, well then, we are awful followers of Jesus, aren’t we? “I could be doing a lot more, if I only understood my purpose.”

It is no surprise then that I was deceived into Christian Mysticism, while having no idea what Christian Mysticism was. But what I can tell you now is Christian Mysticism further led me into a vague understanding of scripture, which encouraged me to look at experiences through a very emotional lens. Lacking solid theology, I was easily manipulated because I did not know the truth deeply. I thought I did, I was said to be mature. But truthfully, I had no idea what was going on, and the people around me did not either.

Which is why looking back, it’s not surprising Purpose Driven was a favorite book of mine.

You see, as the years went by, through the Lord’s Providence, I started to realize the holes in my theology. I realized the dangers of the vague teachings I thought were once brilliant, truly were deceptive; some even encouraged occultic practices.

With a heavy heart, I started to realize one of my favorite books of all time sadly misled me and only fed me with more vague teachings. I THOUGHT what I read was filling, but honestly, the vagueness, which on the surface sounds full, was empty.

No wonder I was hungry.

No wonder I sought so many answers.

No wonder I struggled with legalism, fear of my purpose, my calling, and honoring the Lord.

Why Am I Writing About Purpose Driven?

I want to go through the book with a new pair of eyes, and I want to breakdown the issues I never noticed when I was younger while under vague teachings.

By no means is my goal to slander Rick Warren. Instead, I want to use his own words to breakdown why what he IS saying is a problem and why what he ISN’T saying is also a problem. I don’t want you to have the same questions I used to have without getting answers.

My plan is to go through the book and jot down both things I can agree with, things I disagree with, concerns I have, and questions I have that I hope the book later on can clarify or answer.

Let’s begin.

The Dedication.

Right away, my eyebrows are raised.

The dedication begins with Warren saying (paraphrase), “God planned this moment for the reader to read this book.” (Warren, 2002) I’m not against the sovereignty of God, so I’m okay with this statement.

But then the very next line talks about how God longs for us to know the life we were meant to live. (Warren, 2002) What’s missing is that God wants us to know Him (John 17:17) and to know Him begins with Christ. However, the next verse in the dedication is from Ephesians 1:11 from the Message version and the verse does discuss Christ. However, there is no further commentary from Warren to talk about Christ and the importance of Jesus in our life.

We are then given an intro that discusses how we should journey through the book.

40 Days – Significant?

The goal of the book is to know why we are here in this life, what is our purpose. Which naturally means we need to see the Gospel message presented, right?

Third paragraph in, Warren again speaks for God by saying “God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period.” (Warren, 2002, pg. 9)

Hold up.

While it is true we see 40 days significant in scripture regarding particular events, we run the error of encouraging numerology with this statement. Warren then takes this idea further claiming, “Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes he took 40 days.” The statement sounds like an if then statement. If God wanted to prepare someone, then He took 40 days to do it. (Warren, 2002, pg. 9)

However, a 40 day period is not true for every godly person in the Bible. Thus, it is misleading to encourage a 40 day period by these statements. Also, the following 40 day examples Warren shares to support his idea come from twisting scripture. He uses words like transformed or empowered of men who went through a 40 day period. Claiming Christ was “empowered” while in the desert for 40 days. Or how David was “transformed” during the 40 day period Goliath gave or the spies who were “transformed” during the 40 days in the Promised Land. (Warren, 2002, pg. 10)

Whereas when we read scripture, we see that Jesus fasted for 40 days. He was extremely hungry to the point of being tempted by Satan. It was not the 40 days itself that “empowered” Christ, but rather the word of God which Christ spoke. It was God’s word, which is living and breathing, and sharper than a two-edged sword that helped Him through the temptation. (Hebrews 4:12) David did not need 40 days for Goliath. He was immediately ready to fight for the Lord. The spies, all but two, fell from trusting God, while they were spying out the Promised Land. They were not transformed. And the two spies Joshua and Caleb were not necessarily transformed by the 40 days, but rather had faith.

Question: What exactly does it mean to be transformed?

Real Spiritual Growth Only Comes From Relationships?

Buzz words like “transformed” and “empowered” are not explained and the context of the 40 day period is twisted. Noah probably experienced more “transformation” during the fifty plus years when he was building the ark before the 40 days of rain came. I can agree the disciples would have been greatly encouraged after Christ resurrected and stayed with them 40 some days. But truly it was not until the day of Pentecost, after Christ’s ascension, that I would use the word “transformed” when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

I will say I appreciate Warren’s encouragement to memorize scripture and discussion about the importance of talking with others. However, his statement, “Real spiritual growth is never an isolated, individualistic pursuit. Maturity is produced through relationships and community.” (Warren, 2002, pg. 11)

What about the individuals who went on a 40 day journey, as Warren claims and were, as he says, transformed? Some of these men were on an individual solemn journey, yet Warren says they were also transformed/ empowered? I’m a little confused. Is Warren then implying that fake spiritual growth is an isolated, individualistic pursuit, since by his statement real spiritual growth comes from relationships and community? Perhaps, that is not his intention, I’m finding the wording confusing.

Mind you, I agree it is important we have people to turn to, to learn from, and grow with. However, I would say that true spiritual growth is only given to us by the Holy Spirit, not the relationships with others or even a community. The Lord, absolutely, can use people in our lives. He designed us for relationships. But ultimately, God designed us for a relationship with Him, so that even individuals who are persecuted for years in solitary confinement can grow greatly in spiritual maturity because of Christ.

What’s Missing

Warren uses 15 various translations in his book, which can be quite troubling. The problem with using multiple translations and paraphrases is it often allows the speaker to twist meaning. He even states the whole purpose is to give us scripture in a fresh way. (Warren, 2002, pg. 325-326)

The problem about giving a “fresh” take on scripture is if we want a scripture to be understood a particular way, then we simply find a translation that says what we want it to say. I’ve certainly done this in the past as a Christian blogger, I understand the temptation.

Also, I’m not against people promoting their products. By the third page, two products in relation to the Purpose-Driven Life are promoted. (Warren, 2002, pg. 11)

But what does bother me is the 40 day devotional selling point. It would be much better to encourage someone to be more consistent in their Bible reading each day than picking up this book for 40 days. – But truthfully, this is more of my personal conviction. Daily devotions can be helpful, but they should never be substituted for scripture reading.

The Purpose Driven Life promises to change your life. The book promises that “great things are going to happen to you.” (Warren, 2002, pg. 12) – So what happens if that promise fails?

Rick Warren says he was praying for the readers, as we should. What I find interesting are the words he used to pray for his readers. He prayed the reader would experience hope, energy, and joy that come from knowing what God wants us to do in this life. (Warren, 2002, pg. 11-12)

Allow me to pause for a second.

Jesus says that His words give us joy. I’m also wondering why the word “salvation” is missing, as Christ is our source of both joy and hope, and I’m curious about the “purpose” of the word “energy.”

Maybe the book will clarify later on.

Next time, we will dive into chapter one, and let me tell you…

never expected chapter one to take me as long as it did.

Resource
Warren, R. (2002). The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Zondervan.

The Gospel Message– The Gospel message is good news, which means there’s bad news. We all are sinners and condemned. We all deserve the just punishment of God’s wrath. Christianity is unlike any other religion because we cannot earn our way into Heaven. God saw the weakness of man and his utter depravity. Yet, He showed us grace. Jesus, God, One Person of the Trinity, became God in the flesh, the God-Man. He was always perfect and sinless. And His humanity was perfected on the cross, living the full sinless life. He became our atonement sacrifice. Dying in our place, taking on the wrath of God upon Himself. He died on the cross, and He was resurrected because death could not hold Him. Jesus is the answer. We, as guilty sinners, need His blood to pay off our debt of sin. For all who put their faith in Him – meaning eyes are opened to the Gospel, we see ourselves as a sinner, we see the need for Christ, we desire our Savior, and we see the ugliness of our sin. Putting our faith in Jesus, we seek HIs forgiveness and repent from our sins, we turn away from our old way of life. We, through the work of the Holy Spirit, continue to become convicted of sin daily. Our eyes will never be the same again. We see things in a different light, and the truth of Christ affects how we live and serve Him. Christ tells us to count the cost. Salvation is a serious topic, it is not to be taken lightly. For a breakdown of this powerful message, understanding how Christ could be God and Man, why God required sacrifices, and more -please see: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)

If you think you know the Gospel, check out these questions and see how prepared you are for the day someone might ask you why you believe: The Gospel Challenge (30 Question Quiz) – Are You Ready To Defend Your Faith?

Scripture To Meditate On – (ESV) Psalm 143:08- Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Prayer Requests – Community Prayer for 2024

Christian Topics/Series Covered
Personal Blog: Peeking Beneath
Second Blog: UnAshamed Christian Housewife
Godly Men & Women I Recommend: Link To List
Resources For False Teaching: Recommended Websites For False Teachers/Teaching 
Video Playlist: Christian Questions, Topics, False Teachers, Insights 
Video Playlist: New Christian Believer 
Video Playlist: Understanding False Teachings
Video Playlist: Sermons To Grow From
Social: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
COMMENT RULES– Rules For Comments (Why Some May Not Appear)