ON THIS PAGE
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
Who Was The Purpose-Driven Life's Target Audience -
The Mature Believer (childish), The New Believer (could easily be led astray), or The Unsaved who
would be presented with...
A Shallow Incomplete Gospel That Cannot Save
Repentance ...The Missing Message
A Profusion of Questionable Bible Versions
The Message and John 3:36 and John 3:16-18
Partial Quotes
NOTE: To paraphrase means to restate a text or passage in another form or other words - often to clarify meaning or make it easier to understand. It DOES NOT mean you can alter the meaning of the original text which, in many cases, is exactly what the paraphrases (The Message, Living Bible etc.) have done. However, to be noted is that traditional translations have very often rendered Greek and Hebrew words according to preconceived ideas or biases. See Mishandling the Word of God.
The Purpose-Driven Life's Target Audience
When it comes to Christianity there are only two categories of people - believers and non believers. However, the first category consists of both mature and novice believers. The Purpose-Driven Life that opens with the following statement gives no clear indication as to which group of people the book was addressing.
"This is more than a book; it is a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answers to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? By the end of this journey you will know God's purpose for your life and will understand the big picture — how all the pieces of your life fit together" (Pg.9). ”
Rick Warren seemed to think that all Christians should undertake the 40-day spiritual journey. And to confuse the issue even more, parts of the book are clearly directed at the non believer.
So lets take a quick look at all three categories.
The Mature Believer
Both the substance and tone of PDL is so very elementary (even childish in places) that one has to wonder how it can possibly be aimed at the mature believer. Yet thousands of churches and innumerable individuals (many of whom one would assume would be counted as mature believers) took Warren's 40-day spiritual journey.
The fact that most of the book did not seem to bore most Christians to tears makes me wonder how much of the church has not progressed beyond a sippy cup. What is even more difficult to understand is how so many have seen little or nothing wrong with it.
Truly, discernment has gone the way of the dinosaurs.
The New Believer
This is certainly not a book I would recommend to the new believer who on the one hand may learn a few things but, on the other hand, may very well be led astray by Rick Warren's use of inaccurate and unreliable paraphrases of the Bible, his innumerable distortions of the Scriptures, his many positive references to Catholic mystics, monks and nuns and others whose lifestyles and beliefs directly contradicted Christian beliefs and a Godly life.
The Unsaved
There is no question that Rick Warren makes some points that should cause the unbeliever (and some lukewarm Christians) to sit up and think. For example as he so rightly says... "the only time most people think about eternity is at funerals, and then it's often shallow, sentimental thinking based on ignorance". You may feel it's morbid to think about death, but actually it's "unhealthy to live in denial of death and not consider what is inevitable" (Pg. 39)
(One can only wish that more people would actually consider that, regardless of the legion of "experts" that offer "life review, autobiography workshops, humanities discussion groups, relaxation exercises, counseling (both peer and professional), antidepressant's, holistic health regimens, special diets", all of us have to face up the fact that our devoid of life bodies will one day become worm food.
See Salvation
Also See The Message of The Bible
Christianity, which appears to millions to be outdated, out of touch, and largely irrelevant in modern society, actually holds the answers to man's deepest questions and promises to fulfill his most longed for dreams.
If The Purpose Driven Life is at all aimed at the unsaved it is a drastic failure simply because long before there is even a hint of the message of salvation, the reader is told things like
We know that right now God is preparing an eternal home for us. In heaven we will be reunited with loved ones who are believers, released from all pain and suffering, rewarded for all faithfulness on earth, and reassigned to do work that we will enjoy doing." (Pg. 39)
"Every time you pass a test, God notices and makes plans to reward you in eternity. (Pg. 44)
"the good news is that God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them." (Pg. 45)
It is not until page 58 that the reader is presented with ...
A Shallow Incomplete Gospel That Cannot Save
Although the book says (in chapter 4)...
This life is not all there is. Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production. You will spend far more time on the other side of death - in eternity - than you will here ... Earth is the staging area, a preschool, the tryout for your life and eternity.... This life is preparation for the next .... (Pgs 36 - 37)
It gives the non believer little or no information as to how he or she can be included in the coming kingdom instead addresses the subject with a few paltry words...
If you learn to love and trust God's Son, Jesus, you will be invited to spend the rest of eternity with him. On the other hand, if you reject his love, forgiveness, and salvation, you will spend eternity apart from God forever. (Pg. 37)
The closest Rick Warren comes to the Gospel message isn't until day 7, when he outlines a two-step process to what he describes as the "only way to live".
Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ. If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to do is receive and believe. The Bible promises, "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Will you accept God's offer?
First, believe. Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes. Believe you're not an accident. Believe you were made to live forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you.
Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior. Receive his forgiveness for your sins. Receive his Spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says, "Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!"
Wherever you are reading this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: `Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you." Go ahead.
If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! (Day 7 - The Reason For everything. Pg 61. November 2012 Edition.) All Emphasis Added)
That's it!
According to Rick Warren's theology that prayer is sufficient to make you a member of "the family of God". In other words, all you need to do is pray this little prayer and hey presto! you're in the kingdom."
In other words, the statement "all you need to do is received and believe" is simply untrue. Scripture presents Repentance and Faith not as the same thing but literally as two sides of the same coin. Quite simply, you can't believe without truly repenting.
Yet Rick Warren tells his reader that they are welcomed into the family of God without any mention of Biblical repentance. Instead, this crucial topic only comes up twice (much later in the book). Once when Warren mentions repentance as one of the "different sacrifices of worship" that God is pleased with. (Emphasis Added)
In the Old Testament, God took pleasure in the many sacrifices of worship because they foretold of Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. Now God is pleased with different sacrifices of worship: thanksgiving, praise, humility, repentance, offerings of money, prayer, serving others, and sharing with those in need. Real worship costs. (Pg. 105)
The New Testament calls this mental shift repentance, which in Greek literally means "to change your mind." You repent whenever you change the way you think by adopting how God thinks - about yourself, sin, God, other people, life, your future, and everything else. You take on Christ's outlook and perspective. (Pg.182)
See Shallow, Abbreviated, and Highly Inaccurate Salvation Messages (Scroll Down Slightly)
Bereft of any mention of sin, repentance, and holiness Rick Warren's prayer cannot by any stretch of the imagination be considered the Gospel message. And yet, The Purpose Driven Life was touted by innumerable churches as a "life changer".
How many have stopped to think that this trivialized version of the Gospel will actually do a tremendous disservice to a non-believer who reads the book and believes that this nine word prayer will change their eternal future? Worse, even this partial Gospel message has been terribly compromised. In chapter 3... What Drives Your Life?, Rick Warren says
"God won't ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him?” (Pg. 34).
If this were true, then the Mormons who believe that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers and that we are all destined to become gods some day, the Jehovah's witnesses who do not believe in the Divinity of Christ, the Catholics who, among many other things, believe in a faith plus works based salvation, and the innumerable evangelicals that teach and practice very literal doctrines of demons are all to be counted as those that God will welcome into His kingdom.
Mormonism
Catholicism
The Modern Church's Literal Doctrines and Practices of Demons
With the Gospel left vague and no repentance required, the rest of the book is built on the precarious assumption that the reader has been converted - "You are a child of God, and you bring pleasure to God like nothing else he has ever created" Pg. 63.
The Missing Messages - Sin And Repentance
Although sin and forgiveness are mentioned, there is no clear explanation of who Jesus is or what sin is. Nor is anything said about why sin makes a relationship with a Holy God impossible. There is no mention of God's wrath against sin and the fact that death is the result of unconfessed and unforgiven, sin.
Lets look at this from the point of view of the unbeliever who knows next to nothing about Christianity but sees the book while meandering down the aisle at Walmart, then buys it. Since sin has not been defined, one can hardly blame this reader for being completely confused about what God wants to forgive him for. All he knows is that he is nice guy who tries to live as decent a life possible and has absolutely no clue that a holy God has said that the penalty for any and all sin is death.
Also because the book doesn't make the connection between his sin and Christ's death on the cross - that God releases us from the demands of eternal justice on the basis that someone else paid our fine - he can hardly be blamed for wondering why Jesus died on the cross for him.
Sin
If pressed, possibly the majority of people in the western world would place themselves in the 'not perfect' category, but a far cry from 'sinners', or really bad people, usually defined as the serial killers, rapists, and child molesters of the world. An almost universal 'Santa Claus' mentality holds to the idea of rewards for those who's good deeds outweigh the bad, and punishment for those for whom the opposite is true.
The subjects of sin and salvation are the warp and weft of very the fabric the Bible is woven out of yet, even when many Christians think of sin, they simply think of a violation of the Ten Commandments. The problem is that none of these views come anywhere near agreeing with the Biblical definition of sin, judgment, or even heaven and hell. This is simply because few know, or understand how the Bible defines sin. See Sin
Repentance
Do not be fooled by the watered down Gospel message of just "believe and be saved" because Biblical repentance is literally a matter of life or death. Repentance is presented as an absolute requirement for forgiveness in the Old Testament as well as the New and presents Repentance and Faith NOT as the same thing but as two sides of the same coin. Belief without true repentance (and holiness) will keep you out of the Kingdom. See Repentance
On innumerable occasions, the Scriptures record God as warning that He will only have mercy on those whose repentance is real but will destroy those who do not repent and turn from their sin.
Holiness:
In the 21st century, the word "holy" often conveys very negative connotations - often used to describe someone who is self-righteous, smug, sanctimonious, goody-goody, priggish etc. Even to most Christians, the word "holy" implies moral goodness.
However, this is only part of the meaning. Although holiness certainly implies goodness, the core meaning is not "good" but rather "set apart" and therefore, good. Holiness, or separation from the world and it's standards is NOT a virtue, it is the commandment of God, repeated from one end of the Bible to the other. Anyone who professes Christianity without holiness is as phony as the proverbial three dollar bill. See What Is Holiness?
A Profusion of Questionable Bible Versions
Regardless of who the book is aimed at, Rick Warren was a master of finding the version of the Bible that supports the point he was endeavoring to get across regardless of how inaccurate the version. According to Al Dager who was founder and president of Media Spotlight. (Emphasis Added)
The Purpose-Driven Life contains over 760 quotations from fifteen Bible versions (not the "nearly a thousand quotations" Warren claims). The vast majority, some 570 quotes, are from five versions: The New Living Testament (NLT); The New International Version (NIV); The Message (Msg); Today's English Version (TEV, originally The Good News Bible); and The Living Bible (LB).
The next three most quoted, a total of 151, are The New Century Version (NCV), The Contemporary English Version (CEV), and God's Word Translation (GWT). The balance consisted of a smattering of seven other versions: The King James Version (KJV); Philips (Ph); The New American Standard Bible (NASB); The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV); The Amplified Bible (Amp); The Jerusalem Bible (JB); and The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB). The last two are modern Roman Catholic versions. [Al Dager. The Purpose-Driven Program... A Growing Phenomenon In The Churches http://www.erwm.com/PDProgram1.htm. NOTE: Al Dager passed away is 2018 and this web site no longer exists ]
The obvious question that springs to mind is why so many versions.
According to Rick Warren we should read from many translations and paraphrases of Scripture because
1.) "no matter how wonderful a translation is, it has limitations. The Bible was originally written using 11,280 Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words, but the typical English translation uses only around 6,000 words. Obviously, nuances and shades of meaning can be missed, so it is always helpful to compare translations."
2.) "we often miss the full impact of familiar Bible verses, not because of poor translating, but simply because they have become so familiar! We think we know what a verse says because we have read it or heard it so many times. Then when we find it quoted in a book, we skim over it and miss the full meaning.
Thus he says he deliberately used paraphrases in order to help the reader see God's truth in new, fresh ways which statement is a lot of hooey [Appendix 3. Why Use So Many Translations? Pg. 325. Emphasis in original] In every case Rick Warren chose the version that best supported the message he was trying to get across.
Although there is little question that a comparison of different versions can be quite useful, it does not follow that all translations are equally accurate. It is a tragedy of immense proportions that too many versions reflect the translators preconceived ideas and biases.
The paraphrases take it a step further in the wrong direction as they often are little more than Bible commentaries or what the author thinks the paragraph in question says.
God's truths are as ancient as the hills, and do not change. Therefore, no matter how modern the language, the translation or paraphrase cannot alter the meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek text, but has to stay true to the thought and intent of the God-inspired author. This makes it critical that every single passage is translated as exactly as possible from the original Hebrew and Greek text. Which is why, although none of them are without their faults, a word for word translation is infinitely preferable to a paraphrase.
See Mishandling The Word of God
Sadly, the list of erroneous doctrines being taught as 'Biblical' is a very long one and covers almost every major doctrine in Christianity. One can only conclude that a pre-bias drove many of the so called translations. What we do know is that in the effort to put forward what they believe to be true, the translators have led people away from what the Scriptures actually say.
Certainly not everything Rick Warren wrote is wrong but he used the translation or paraphrase that best suited the particular thought he was trying to get across, regardless of whether that version of the passage was true to the original meaning or not. Most of his "new fresh ways" of looking at Biblical passages, actually means reading versions that alter the original meaning of the passage. A prime example is...
The Message:
Written by Eugene H. Peterson and published in segments from 1993 to 2002 it is described as a "contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm, events, and ideas in everyday language".
While that may sound very laudable what resulted was nothing more than Eugene Peterson's thoughts and views.
For example, note how The Message waters down ...
The Warning in John 3:36
This verse was partially quoted in PDL's version of the salvation message (Pg. 58 - "Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!"
That's nice! But what about the rest of the verse that carries a dire warning
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath (Gk. orge) of God abides on him." (John 3:35-36 NASB)
The Greek word orge translated wrath is used quite often in the New Testament.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath (Gk. orge) to come? (Matthew 3:7 NASB)
For the wrath (Gk. orge) of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (Romans 1:18 NASB)
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath (Gk. orge) of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:6 NASB)
and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath (Gk. orge) to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10 NASB)
Sadly, instead of the Wrath of God, the Message spouts some twaddle about "an angry darkness" - whatever that means. Read it for yourself...
That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn’t see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that.”
See The Wrath of God:
The Bible labors the point in both Old and New Testament that God is good to those who trust Him and is terrible to those who do not. Tragically, today's powerless, sickly sweet, sentimental Easy Christianity has chosen to babble on and on about the goodness and love of God, but totally ignore (to our peril) His wrath and judgment.
John 3:16-18
Also note the difference between The Message's version of John 3:16-18, and the NASB rendering of the same verses. All numbering and emphasis added to highlight the differences between the versions.
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son (1) merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. (2) He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. [John 3:16-18 MSG]
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world (1) to judge the world, but that (2) the world might be saved (Gr. sozo) through Him. "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [John 3:16-18 NASB]
Jesus' mission was not to judge, but to save. Judgment, which will be far worse than an accusing finger, will come later.
Additionally, using the word "help" instead of "save" puts a very different spin on what John said. The Greek word translated save in the NASB is sozo... to save, deliver or protect. Sozo is used in many verses that tell us Jesus came into the world to save people from the wrath of God (because of their sins). See Matthew 1:21, Romans 5:9, and 1 Timothy 1:15. The essence of the word is made clear by the following examples
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save (Gr. sozo) us, Lord; we are perishing!" (Matthew 8:24-25 NASB)
"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved (Gr. sozo) ; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21-22 NASB)
Seeing so many quotes from the "Bible" the average reader believes that he is reading Scriptural truth. It is unlikely he will continuously flip to the back of the book to look up the Bible references and, even if he does, will he or she take the time to compare the paraphrase with a word for word translation or check the context.
Every cult has to one degree or another attempted to make the Scriptures support their line of reasoning instead of letting God's word dictate what they believe. It is a grave concern that Warren doing exactly the same thing.
But this is not the only problem..
Partial Quotes
At the end of appendix 3, Rick Warren says he hasn't "always quoted the entire verse, but rather focused on the phrase that was appropriate". He further says that his "model for this is Jesus and how He and the Apostles quoted the Old Testament.
However, when Jesus and the Apostles used a phrase from the Old Testament, we can be sure that it was not taken out of context. On the other hand, when one reads the entire verse and the context of the verses that Rick Warren quotes it is very clear that the portion he cites does not mean what he says it does.
Note that in order to accurately understand what the original author was trying to convey it is necessary to read the verse in it's context, which may mean reading several verses, the entire chapter, or even more than one chapter. See Context is CRUCIAL
Besides which, anytime an author quotes only part of a verse it is essential that he indicates that he has done so. This is traditionally done by using the letter "a" to show that only the first part of the verse has been used and the letter "b" to show that only the second part of the verse has been used. This gives the reader the option to read the verse in it's entirety, and one can but hope people do.
Note: I don't do this. My method of indicating a partial verse is to put three dots before or after the quotation marks like so, "...You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. (James 4:14 NASB). Or "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? ..." (Matthew 16:26 NASB)
Although it is entirely possible that a Christian writer may simply forget to indicate which part of the verse he is quoting (as I am sure I have done) Rick Warren omits this on a consistent basis.
Continue On To Part III - Chapters 1-10
Did God have a specific purpose for each and every one of us before we were born and did He 'custom make' each of us? If the latter is true then is God directly responsible for the hundreds of thousands of babies born each year with congenital disorders such as cleft lips/palate, spina bifida, heart defects, Down syndrome, haemophilia, Sickle cell disease and on and on. AND MORE
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