Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren [Hardcover]

Jeffrey L. Sheler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009

Rick Warren is arguably the most influential man in American religion today. Megachurch pastor, friend of world leaders, and trend-setting spiritual entrepreneur, he is widely recognized as the new public face of evangelical Christianity in America. No other modern churchman has matched his success as a leader and motivator of Christians. His book, The Purpose-Driven Life, is the bestselling nonfiction hardcover of all time, with more than 25 million copies sold. At a time when evangelicalism stands at a political and cultural crossroads, his stature continues to rise.

But who is Rick Warren? What can be learned from the story of the man behind the message? And what does his life say about the state of Christianity today?

Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren traces the road Warren has traveled, the influences in his life, his trials and temptations, and the opposition he has encountered along the way. Honest, thorough, and insightful, it explores his spiritual coming of age during the turbulent 1960s, his principled determination to sit out the divisive battles between fundamentalists and moderates in the Southern Baptist Convention in the late 1970s, and his audacious endeavor in the 1980s to build a “church for people who hate church” in the suburbs of Los Angeles. From a handful of worshippers meeting in a tiny apartment, he grew a vibrant congregation of over 22,000 and a global network of pastors who follow his strategies for building churches and transforming lives. In this unofficial biography, Jeffery L. Sheler, who had unfettered access to Warren and those closest to him, presents an intimate portrait of Warren as a man of faith and vision but also of flesh and blood and human foibles–a pastor, communicator, philanthropist, and family man who is driven by a sense of divine purpose to complete the course his God has set before him.

Prophet of Purpose brings Warren and his mission to life and provides a provocative glimpse into the potential future of Christianity in America.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arguably the most influential evangelical in America, Warren gets full biographical treatment by Sheler, former religion writer for U.S. News & World Report and author of Is the Bible True? Sheler leaves no rock unturned in Warren's life and uncovers much about what drives the founder and leader of the 22,000-member Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., who has trained pastors in a network of 10,000 churches in 162 countries. In offering a behind-the-scenes look into the making of a megachurch and its pastor, Sheler paints in rich detail Warren's boyhood and family life—including such personal episodes as a tragic honeymoon and his depression. The author is careful to show diverse opinions about Warren, including those who believe the pastor, initially very green in international relations, allowed himself to be used by interests that oppose U.S. foreign policy. Sheler includes the story of Billy Graham's blessing and his apparently passing the mantle of America's pastor to Warren. For Americans who believe that's an important role, this book is a vital biography to have on the shelf.
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From Booklist

Sheler’s sober, smooth-reading life of the founder of California’s Saddleback Church makes it abundantly clear why he’s considered Billy Graham’s successor as “America’s pastor.” Warren’s an all-around straight shooter, as he puts it, a man with a purpose—God’s purpose. A gift for undomineering leadership made the presidency a boyhood dream, but in high school, becoming a pastor, like his dad (though not as peripatetic as his dad), became his goal. Inspired by the church-growing movement, he matched and arguably exceeded its premier exponent, Bill Hybels of Illinois’ Willow Creek Community Church. Would-be emulators among his peers prompted his first best-seller (The Purpose Driven Church, 1995) and then the all-time nonfiction best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life (2002), which enriched him enough to start PEACE Plan to encourage all churchgoers to help the world’s needy, beginning with African AIDS orphans. And then Barack Obama requested him to pray at his inaugural, which became controversial in both the asking and the execution, partly because of Warren’s unassuming answers to loaded questions. A creditable profile of an appealing man. --Ray Olson

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1 edition (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385523955
• ISBN-13: 978-0385523950
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #754,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffery Sheler is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered the American religion scene for nearly two decades. As a senior writer for U.S. News & World Report for many years he authored more than 35 cover stories on religious topics ranging from American evangelicalism to the pedophile scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the author of Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren (Doubleday, 2009), Believers: A Journey into Evangelical America (Viking, 2006), and Is the Bible True? (HarperSanFrancisco, 1999), which was named one of the top ten religion books of 2000 by Christianity Today magazine.

Sheler is an occasional correspondent on the weekly PBS public affairs program "Religion & Ethics News Weekly," is a frequent guest on national radio broadcasts, and has appeared on network television programs including "Early Today on NBC," "Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)," "The Situation Room (CNN), "CNN Headline News," "CNN Crossfire," and "John McLaughlin One On One." He continues to write for U.S. News as a contributing editor. His written work also has appeared in National Geographic, Readers Digest and Smithsonian Magazine. He is past president of the Religion Newswriters Association.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Reverent Look at the Reverend - Needs More Analysis of Warren's theology, December 11, 2009

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Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren (Hardcover)

I thought this was book was great, very interesting and compelling all the way through. Jeffrey Sheler discusses Warren's parents and his father's call into the ministry. He portrays Rick as a charming child from the get-go, a child who always had a flair for the dramatic and who always had an awareness of the divine.

You will follow Rick into high school and to the time he dedicates his whole life to serving Christ. You will follow him into pulpits across California, and you will marvel at the opposition he gets from his own pastor, who does not think that Rick should be licensed as a minister (the home pastor literally tosses the license at Rick across the pews!).

Rick rushes into engagement and marriage to Kay Lewis, and the book is frank about the discord in his marriage and how he put $1500 on a Mastercard to pay for the counseling that saved his marriage.

You also read about the rare disorder that causes Warren to pass out or get dizzy whenever he has adrenaline rushes. Yet God's grace was sufficient for him through the years he ministered in the pulpit.

You also read of the starting of Saddleback, the rapid rise and growth of the congregation, the struggle to acquire land for his church to build a sanctuary/campus, and the stress associated with all the changes.

Sheler also covers the fabulous success and influence of Warren's books: The Purpose Driven Church and especially The Purpose Driven Life. He also discusses Warren's assuming the mantle of evangelical influence that Billy Graham once had in America.

Sheler also writes of Warren's critics from the left as well as from the right, and those who opposed him praying at President Obama's inauguration.

The book was fabulous, but more needed to be mentioned about Rick's theology and hermeneutics. One of the major criticisms of Warren's sermons and books is how often he takes Scripture verses out of context and how he uses biblical paraphrases that say what he wants the text to say rather than what the text probably says. Rick wrote a valuable resource on Bible study methods, and it is occasionally astonishing to see how he departs from these methods in his own sermons and writings.

More should have said about Warren's understanding of the gospel. John Macarthur and others have noticed that in the one place that the Purpose Drive Life mentions the gospel, nothing is said about repentance, little is said about the shed blood of Jesus Christ to wash away our sins, and very little is said about the significance of Christ's resurrection and ascension. In short, Sheler ignores the considerable consternation that some have about Warren's watering down of the gospel message.

In spite of this, I still thought the book was great, and a biography of this great Christian pastor was long overdue.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good read, July 1, 2010

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..one small voice. "...one small voice." (ANGOLA, IN, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren (Hardcover)

I wasn't overwhelmed with this book, but it wasn't a horrible read either. It seemed to be rather long in spots, while not detailing other issues enough. As with any biography, there is a tendency to paint Warren as a guy who made the all the right decisions. Not to speak ill of a tremendous leader, but he obviously didn't. It would have been nice to have dealt with some of the struggles and crisis of faith he had in his road to maturity.

The author does a fantastic job of detailing the history of the modern church in America and how it spawned church division and demoninational splits.

I enjoyed the book, I did leave with a feeling that it could have been more, but can't quite define what else it needed. I left a bit hungry. Don't get me wrong, all in all, a good book for good read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazingly interesting story, February 10, 2010

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John Gibbs (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren (Hardcover)

Once someone becomes famous and starts appearing on TV chat shows, my cynicism reflex kicks in, and I actually thought that I had about enough of Rick Warren in my life until I read this book. I found the story so engaging that I was unable to put the book down. The book tells the whole story of Rick's life, from his parents' marriage through to his prayer at the inauguration of US President Obama.

There are many useful lessons to be learned from Rick's life. One is that a floundering marriage can be made to work if both parties are prepared to put a lot of effort into communication. Another is the importance of doing plenty of research and groundwork when planting a new church. Another is the necessity of trusting in God during the hard times that will inevitably come. Another is the advantages that networking can bring to your ministry.

Rick Warren is an extraordinarily creative person and capable leader. There is much to be admired about his church and his global PEACE plan. Even if you do not agree with everything he says and does, there are many great lessons to be learned from studying what he has done and why. I think this book should be compulsory reading for every church leader.