Looking Behind The 'Purpose Driven' Sheep's Clothing

**lpara** · #1 01-01-2007, 03:44 PM

Looking Behind The 'Purpose Driven' Sheep's Clothing
By Christopher G. Adamo
January 1, 2007

The facade is beginning to peel back from the so-called ministry of Southern California Pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life." Unfortunately, many among his ample flock have far too much invested in him, both emotionally and otherwise, to admit their mistakes and cut their losses.

Moreover, he certainly faces no possibility of in-depth scrutiny from the "mainstream media," as his brand of "Christianity" poses little or no threat to their liberal social agenda. Yet to the degree that anyone at all questions Warren as anything less than authentic, his response is thoroughly telling as to his true character, as well as the nature of his "ministry."

WOW! Great Article

**Terri** · #2 01-01-2007, 04:23 PM

Chris seems to be taking some heat on this article in some places.

Apparently some consider Warren to be above criticism.

Luckyme · #3 01-01-2007, 05:17 PM

I don't know too much about Warren, but based on this article, I'm not at all impressed with him. Seems he leans left and with what the left stands for, it tells me a lot about his character. I wonder how many good people will follow him because he is a preacher.

I don't believe anyone should be over talking to Syria. That could be interpreted as interfering with US foreign policy. Between that and having Obama as a keynote speaker, is enough to convince me that Warren is not a good leader.

Mary-Lou · #4 01-01-2007, 05:32 PM

As a Christian, I have met far too many charismatic leaders who start out on the right path, but for whom popularity and power become an addictive drug that can destroy their ministry. I have promised myself to ALWAYS follow Jesus, and NEVER a mere person. That is a sure-fire way to get into trouble. Of course, dear, well-meaning brothers and sisters are constantly trying to get me to go to THEIR church and follow THEIR fabulous pastor, but I've been there, done that, and got a whole lot of T-Shirts to prove it. Love youze guys!But No Thanks.

RealDeal · #5 01-01-2007, 07:20 PM

We have our share of "seeker friendly" (ear tickling) churches, as does everywhere else. Most of them never talk about sin. Why would you want to offend the congregation? /sarc

I don't know anything about Warren, other than what I have read in recent articles and seen of him myself on TV news. I don't attend a megachurch. I didn't read "A Purpose Driven Life", I find my purpose in the pages of THE Book. But I have been in the flock of churches that started small and grew simply because they did NOT water down the Word. One such congregation was at about 300 when I started attending, now it's something like 15,000. Maybe more, I don't know... I followed a new church (same organization) that started with about 30 and now is in the hundreds. They teach verse by verse throught the Bible, not excluding any of it. No topical messages, etc.

Thousands came to hear Jesus, with less population than So Cal... and look at Billy Graham's Crusades, he preached sin like no other. So numbers aren't what automatically turn me off. But messages can/do.

We should always be like the Bereans, and compare what anyone says to scripture. If they don't line up, they are apostate-- plain and simple. And we should not esteem them, much less follow and support them.

Mary-Lou · #6 01-01-2007, 07:26 PM

Quote:

We should always be like the Bereans, and compare what anyone says to scripture. If they don't line up, they are apostate-- plain and simple

You got THAT right!!!!!

Love
ML
><>

RINOs Gotta Go · #7 02-06-2007, 02:33 AM

If there were no demand for seeker-friendly churches like Rick Warren’s and Joel Osteen’s, they wouldn’t exist. And, it’s not like Christians, new and mature, didn’t know that they needed to stay true to their commitment they made to follow Christ’s commands (not the church leaders, including Pope) and every word in the Bible on the day they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. So, if it’s a lukewarm Christian life style that they want, then, it’s a lukewarm church they shall get. Nobody put a gun to their heads and forced them to attend churches like Warren’s and Osteen’s.

**lpara** · #8 02-07-2007, 06:08 PM

Because there is a demand for it, makes it even sadder.

Quote:

Nobody put a gun to their heads and forced them to attend churches like Warren’s and Osteen’s

I'm not sure what you mean by this or how it applies to the article.

azwhitewolf · #9 02-08-2007, 04:00 AM

Quote:

For example, his letter to the congregation decrying the "attack" and making his defense by invoking Scripture is barely four paragraphs long. Yet in those four paragraphs, he employs three different "translations" of the Bible. Why, it must be asked, does he not trust any single translation to convey God's message to humanity?

Maybe because Google was easier to use and those were the first hits that came up.

Quote:

At a recent conference on the African AIDS epidemic, Warren invited the very liberal Senator Barak Obama (D.-IL) as a keynote speaker. He justified the inclusion of Obama, who avidly supports abortion and same-sex "marriage," on the grounds that Obama offered a worldly solution to ostensibly curb the spread of the disease through condom usage.

Right, because God's outdated attitude towards abstinence and single-partner commitment is "soooo yesterday".

Thanks, preacher!

Here's how you wipe out AIDS in a single generation: Stop screwing strangers. Funny, that's what the Bible says too, but... but... uh... Warren?

I guess he's playing into the "Well, the Catholics don't allow condoms, but we do" bit.

Can't bust on his ministry, because it is a display of fruit, and he obviously brings more people in that I would. But is he bringing them to God? I DO believe that is worth a second look.

I read the Purpose Driven Life. Meh. I guess.

I'm too busy playing my controversial "Left Behind" video game that has the agnostics claiming encourages Christians to convert or kill.

RINOs Gotta Go · #10 02-08-2007, 07:16 AM

Hello, Ipara. My statement,

Quote:

Nobody put a gun to their heads and forced them to attend churches like Warren’s and Osteen’s.

means that Warren’s church members by now must have heard of Bible-believing Christian groups rebuking his anti-Bible ideas of dealing with social and moral issues, which he gave when he appeared on liberal media. Warren’s church is not a cult; members are free to come and go. If Warren’s church members remembered

Quote:

that they needed to stay true to their commitment they made to follow Christ’s commands (not the church leaders, including Pope) and every word in the Bible on the day they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.

, they wouldn’t be staying with him.

Case in point: To stop AIDS, Warren’s solution

Quote:

to ostensibly curb the spread of the disease through condom usage.

I’m no Bible scholar, but doesn’t Bible prohibit premarital sex and extramarital sex? Warren thinks he is smarter than God and that Bible is outdated that he needed to abandon every word in the Bible that addresses both the moral and social issues.

Maybe Warren is only looking for fame, but not money, at least for now, in exchange for his soul. I’m sure some of you could give me the Bible verse that talks about selling one’s own soul for something temporal.