Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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172 of 189 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Needed Salt To Hold Fast To Biblical Truth, February 12, 2006
The topics of the "seeker-sensitive" movement and Rick Warren's methodologies have been a major part of my life the past 3-4 years. I have devoured many books and articles about the Purpose Driven philosophy, especially after I began to have grave concerns about the changes brought into my church by my pastor after he attended a pastors conference sponsored by Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. Eventually, my wife and I were forced to leave that church (amicably) after private meetings with our pastor and a couple of deacons. In our church, Rick Warren started a slippery slope that included a softened and shortened sermon, dropping the name "baptist" from the church name, putting the hymnals in the church attic, selling the organ, needing earplugs to attend praise and worship time, watching an unicyclist parade through the sanctuary, participating in a live, interactive congregational marketing survey during church service time and starting a building program when neither attendance nor the budget supported doing so.
Sound familiar? If not, these seeker-sensitive things will soon be coming to your church if Rick Warren has his say. The final straw was our discovery that our pastor was plagarizing and purchasing Rick Warren sermon series from Pastors.com and fellow church members had no clue that these sermons were not his own. Sorry, but Rick Warren has his tentacles into far too many areas and people don't recognize it. No wonder Jesus used the "sheep" analogy in describing humanity's ability to discern danger.
Thanks for indulging me. I tell my story to lend some credibility to reviewing Bob DeWaay's book. In my studies and after reading this book, I quickly came to the opinion that Bob DeWaay's book is the most complete, accurate, and biblical response to the seeker-sensitive movement available. This movement has hijacked evangelical Christianity over the past decade or so and has now displaced countless bible-believing Christians from their churches. DeWaay has correctly analyzed that Rick Warren has created a franchise, similar to Ray Kroc with McDonald's restaurants. Local pastors, lacking Warren's homespunness and strength of personality, merely need to copy Warren's recipes and methods, and transplant them into their own community, directly (with some fees) from yuppie, wealthy Orange County California.
By worldly standards, Warren's methodologies are wildly successful which is not surprising since the principles used are taken from modern psychology, Peter Drucker and the Harvard Business School. However in the process, the gospel of Jesus Christ (I Cor 1: 17-19) ends up being ignored in the quest to insert worldly wisdom. Warren's target audience, the infamous Saddleback Sam, does not want to hear about sin, the blood of Christ, Jesus' second coming as a judge and conquering king, and the past, present and future importance of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Warren simply gives Sam what he wants, not what he needs. I actually believe Warren is sincere. However, he emphasizes the parts of the bible and Christianity that are easy to believe and appealing in order to maximize numerical outcomes. Warren may believe the rest of the bible but he knows Saddleback Sam doesn't want to believe them so he ignores them out of existence.
As Pastor DeWaay articulately states, Warren adeptly redefines Christianity around the PDL model of giving people what they want and downplaying most teaching, doctrine, and end-times prophecy. Warren does this largely through the use of multiple bible translations, relying heavily on paraphrases that too often subtly raise the importance and power of man over the sovereignty and holiness of God. Especially strong is DeWaay's documentation of how the Warren church model emphasizes evangelism rather than discipleship. This philosophy is best seen in that the desires of the unsaved are paramount and drive the content and format in the seeker-sensitive church. DeWaay however proves that the early church in the Book of Acts and the epistles were primarily for believers. Unbelievers were welcome but the church meetings were to focus on the needs and development of the believers (Hebrews 10:25 and I Cor 14:23), not the fleshly wants of unbelievers.
That's why we have so many Christians fleeing the seeker-sensitive churches today because we are no longer fed and are dying of thirst in these services that resemble worldly entertainment and the sound bites that today's media present. The customer is king and queen and Rick Warren takes this basic business tenet and applies it into the church. We should all know that fallen man never has the ability or desire to do what is right apart from the grace of God. The fact that we abdicate control of our churches over to the unsaved is a major sin of American Christians today. Most Christians, Rick Warren especially, do not have the guts to say what is right and proper, even if it means we may have the unsaved reject us. If Rick Warren said what he really should, he wouldn't sell 25 million books, be on the cover of Time magazine, and be a regular on CNN and the major TV networks. But what has Warren really achieved in the eternal perspective? See Mark 8:36 for some food for thought.
Another grave error that Rick Warren makes is that he quotes biblical promises and delivers them to the unsaved. Secular people reading the "Purpose Driven Life" end up receiving false assuarances that the bible only intended for believers in Jesus Christ. That's why bible teaching and preaching of God who chose to become a crucified Jewish carpenter is key as Bob DeWaay continually reinforces. If one doesn't believe in who Jesus Christ is and why he needed to come to earth as a man, these biblical promises are null and void. This point is especially noticeable to me as I know people who don't believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus Christ was God, and that the resurrection didn't happen, and that he may have had a child with Mary Magdalene as portrayed in the DaVinci Code, yet these people love Rick Warren's book and say that it provides them with God's love and validation. Goes to show that your average reader of Purpose-Driven Life didn't read the gospel in that book.
Rick Warren may believe all the major doctrines of Christianity, but he has done an extremely poor job presenting them in his mega-selling book. One must wonder if Colossians 2:8 may apply to the seeker-sensitive movement. If the gospel is so clear in Warren's book, I doubt that it would have sold 25 million copies. If the person and work of Jesus Christ was accurately presented, I doubt that millions of Muslims, Mormons, corporations, and professional sports teams would read this book as they have and generate positive response. Warren has done the impossible of getting popular society to read a "christian" book but in so doing, he has so redefined christianity, that the integrity and good news of the gospel has been lost in the process. I don't doubt that some find the truth through the Purpose-Driven Life despite the book's shortcomings. But I have to wonder how many people are permanently led astray and scarred by the falsehoods and misdirections the book does offer. Rick Warren will need to answer for both results some day but not to Bob DeWaay, me or anyone other human, but to a holy God.
DeWaay concludes his book with an "open letter" to Rick Warren. In Matthew Ch. 18:15-17, believers who have a disagreement with a fellow believer should go to that person privately to discuss the matter. Rick Warren is far too famous and busy to ever permit Bob DeWaay to do so. I commend DeWaay for his gentle reproving of Rick Warren in a loving, gracious manner and contending earnestly for the faith as the Book of Jude, verse 3 describes.
Don't miss a wonderful biblical lesson in the Appendix from Revelation Ch. 2 and 3: the seven short epistles taught by Jesus Christ himself. The churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia were not large but were commended by Jesus for their faithfulness to the truth and enduring much hardship. Too many of today's churches fit the mold and description of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). Jesus said these churches think they are rich and in need of nothing, but are actually naked and pathetic. What a description of most American churches today. And people say that the bible is an outdated book and needs to be modified to be relevant !! Classic example that the bible is a living, breathing book worthy of study.
In summary, America doesn't need "Purpose-Driven Life" or 75 percent of the junk that litters the shelves of Christian bookstores. America needs preachers like Bob DeWaay and the gospel preaching described in his outstanding book to reach a hurting world in need of hope and redemption. We need heartfelt worship in our services and songs without the need for earplugs that teach deep biblical truth while conveying God's holiness, majesty and sovereignty to a skeptical world. That's what will reach the world for Christ and address the Great Commission.
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57 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Biblical Grounds for Rejecting the PDL Movement, March 3, 2006
This book is a resourceful & painstaking effort on behalf of the author to methodically outline & expose the fundamental flaws with the Purpose Driven Movement. No stone is left unturned as chapter by chapter the problems with Rick Warren's best selling book are laid bare.
The book certainly goes beyond `food for thought' as Mr. DeWaay persistently & effectively shines the light of God's holy word into many of the PDL myths... shaking it to its very foundation. When all is said & done...the verdict presented here...as is consistent with scripture...reveals a foundation which is weak & erroneous ...lacking in sound doctrine & theological accuracy.
Many PDL readers believe Warren's seeker sensitive approach is harmless...inspired only by a sincerity to bring the lost into the church & see God's kingdom increased...& from the all outward appearances...that may seem to be the case. However after reading "Redefining Christianity' a sincere, genuine God seeking seeker will be hard pressed to come to that conclusion when presented with the overwhelming & abundant evidence that undoubtedly proves otherwise. The author exalts scripture over public opinion & reminds the reader to examine any Christian leader's doctrine over popularity.
Chapter 10 certainly offers the `slam dunk' on the matter & ever so graciously points us back to Christ as the leader of the church, church movements or reformations...& there again Mr. DeWaay skillfully lays out the earmarks from scripture of a healthy church.
If one is genuinely looking to gain a beneath the surface look into the heart of the PDL beliefs & even more importantly...whether those beliefs are biblically based...Mr. DeWaay's book will get you there from start to finish. This book has drawn a bold line in the sand...creating a well pronounced division between `easy believism' & the `hard to believe' stance. If you're searching for definitive answers...you won't be disappointed.
Above all else, what is most notable about this book is that it's penned by the heart of a true shepherd, who obviously cares deeply for the spiritual well being of God's sheep.
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Are Purpose Driven methods Christlike? , June 8, 2006
This is a revealing book written in easy to understand language. It confirms much of what I found to be extremely troublesome with the "purpose driven" movement. Coming from a Mennonite perspective I had to weed out the author's fundamentalist views but overall it is a much needed critical look at the structure and methods behind this movement.
On pages 52-65 DeWaay writes extensively about another Rick Warren endorsed book "Transitioning: Leading Your Church Through Change" by Dan Southerland. DeWaay describes how this book encourages pastors to convince their congregation they've "lost their vision". This is necessary to sell the congregation on the new vision which in combination with the purpose driven formula is imposed on the unsuspecting congregation. Pastors are told to expect vigorous dissent by some and possibly significant loss of members in transitioning to the purpose driven format. According to the PD strategy this is to be expected and seen as success. So much for the shepherd caring for every sheep in his flock!
DeWaay also shows how the purpose driven model uses marketing techniques and vision statements to give pastors a way to "measure" the success of a church. Success, as defined by the PDM, is ultimately based on numerical growth in the church. According to the purpose driven model if a church is not growing in numbers it is seen as a dying congregation. I have seen firsthand the damage this causes in a congregation. Why do so many church leaders jump on this bandwagon with little if any discernment of its merits?
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