Is it really like a beautiful bouquet of roses ?
by Nathan - http://www.purposeverses.com/
The Purpose Driven Life: | ||
A beautiful bouquet?  | | Or an accidental assortment?  |
I estimate that a third of the book is not true in one way or another.
A few people disagree. After careful reading and consideration, I believe Rick Warren has not delivered a near-perfect book. My evaluation is that The Purpose Driven Life is an accidental assortment, where every chapter contains both truth and untruth. I estimate that a third of the book is not true in one way or another. These mistakes include half-truths where part of the truth is omitted, clear errors, errors which sound good because they are taught by American culture, and true statements which are incorrectly "proved" with Bible verses that are really talking about something else.
Here are some of the clear-cut errors...40 days
In the preface, Warren cites several 40-day periods in the Bible. He says some pretty strange things, such as "David was transformed by Goliath's 40-day challenge". Actually, David was the one who transformed Goliath. And David missed most of those 40 days - he just stopped in to deliver some food to his brothers (1Sam 17:16-23). Warren also says that "Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the wilderness." Actually, Jesus was empowered by the Spirit before he entered the wilderness. He was led there by the Spirit and was tested by Satan (Lk 4:1-2).
One passage, multiple interpretations
This is a perennial problem for Warren. Even in his book on Bible interpretation, he interprets the same verse two different ways (see pages 9 and 31 in Personal Bible Study Methods where he interprets Mt 22:29 two different ways). In The Purpose Driven Life, he does it several times. The worst example is in his discussion of how you should decide what to do given your SHAPE (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experience). In chapter 31 he quotes 1Cor 12:6 three times: once in reference to spiritual gifts (chapter 31, note 1), again in reference to abilities (chapter 31, note 5), and again in reference to personality (chapter 31, note 10). From context, the verse is clearly referring to spiritual gifts, and not to natural abilities nor personality.
Logical errors
Sometimes Warren has problems with logic. He quotes, "The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love" (Ps 147:11 CEV) (chapter 8, note 3) That is, God is pleased with those who worship him. But he uses this to show that "bringing pleasure to God is called worship." Think about it - if I said, "I am pleased when my daughter obeys me", does that mean that "bringing pleasure to me is obedience"? Of course not.
Warren has a similar error later where he quotes, "Those who live following their sinful selves think only about things that their sinful selves want." (Rom 8:5 NCV) (chapter 23, note 9). The NAS says "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." Warren says this shows that "selfish thinking is the source of sinful behavior" (182). That is, he claims that selfish thinking causes sinful behavior. Actually, this verse shows that those who engage in sinful behavior have sinful thinking. That is, it is describing a sinning person. If I said "those who make money think about money", it would not follow that thinking about money causes you to make money.
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Here are some of the Half-truths...
Incomplete gospel
Warren presents the gospel strangely in chapter 7. Many of the proper points are there, but the way it is described downplays some of the most important parts. His suggested prayer to be a Christian is "Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you" (58). That's not too bad. But he doesn't mention the holiness of God. He mentions sin three pages before his main gospel presentation, but it is described broadly as "failing to give God glory" and "loving anything else more than God" (55) with no specific examples. He returns to it briefly in the context of forgiveness (58). He mentions the cross briefly as part of a list of things to believe, with no explanation of its significance: "Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you" (58).
The overall message I got from reading the passage is that God really wants to be with me and forgive me for my lack of proper purpose and my occasional petty sins of being selfish, and if I just ask God he will give me proper purpose and the strength to carry out that purpose, and he will welcome me into his family. If other readers get the same message, I think they are missing the truth.
God's character: little wrath
Warren takes care to edit out mentions of God's wrath. For example, Warren has a Bible verse under the title in chapter 7 which says, "The LORD has made everything for his own purposes" (Prov 16:4 NLT). The whole verse in NAS is: "The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil." At the end of the same chapter, he quotes, "Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever!" (Jn 3:36 Msg). The whole verse in the NIV is "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (chapter 7, note 24).
In chapter 29, he does quote a verse about God's wrath, "He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves" (Rom 2:8 NLT), but then softens it in his interpretation. He says that for Christians it will mean a loss of eternal rewards. It would have been better for him to repeat his point on page 228 about questioning whether or not you are a Christian if you are living for yourself. Look at the context of Rom 2:6-8 and you'll see what I mean. (chapter 29, note 16).
Fear of God: Old Testament only
Warren says "fear of God, not friendship, was more common in the Old Testament. Then Jesus changed the situation" (86). It is true that Jesus changed the situation, allowing us direct access to God and reconciling us to God once for all. But we should still fear God! Jesus said to fear God who can kill your body and then cast your soul into hell rather than fearing men who can only kill your body (Lk 12:4-5).
Warren omits mention of fear in two verses he quotes from the book of Hebrews. First, when discussing Noah, he quotes a version that omits "holy fear" as a motivation for building the ark (chapter 9, note 6). Then in a discussion about how to worship God, Warren quotes, "Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him" (Heb 12:28 TEV). He lists four characteristics of right worship (accurate, authentic, thoughtful, practical). Unfortunately, he misses the one specified by the rest of the verse: reverent fear (chapter 13, note 1).
God is your buddy
This is an error, not a half-truth, but it is made possible by minimizing the wrath of God and removing the fear of God. Warren paints a picture of God longing for you, as if God can hardly stand to be without you. God does pursue us far more than we deserve, and even waits for us as a father might wait for a wayward son (Lk 15:11-32). In his relationship with the nation of Israel, he pictures himself as a husband who punishes his adulterous wife but lets her return to him and restores their marriage (Ezek 16, Hosea 1-2). It is also true that God has made a way for us to be his friends (as opposed to his enemies). However, being reconciled with God (2Cor 5:18-19) does not mean that we will be his confidantes. Warren justifies his caricature with a faulty word study on the Greek word "philos" (chapter 11, note 8) and then with various Scripture misuses.
For example, he quotes, "He is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you" (Ex 34:14 NLT) (chapter 11, note 10) to show that "God would want me for a close friend" (86). However, you get a different understanding if you read this verse in context or in a more literal version like the NIV: "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." So this passage means if you turn from God to idols, God may kill you. (For some examples of God's jealousy in action, see Ex 32, Lev 20:1-5, and Num 25:1-9.)
Next he quotes Acts 17:26-27 Msg (chapter 11, note 11) to show that "God deeply desires that we know him intimately" (86). But the verse actually speaks of seeking and finding God. In my opinion, "find God" is a long ways from "know him intimately".
Finally, he quotes, "If any want to boast, they should boast that they know and understand me.... These are the things that please me." (Jer 9:24 TEV) (chapter 11, note 12). He uses this to justify his statement that "being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure" (87). Warren is wrong because of what he has omitted in his quote. Here are the relevant verses in the NIV: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." (Jer 9:23-24). Note that the things which please God are "kindness, justice, and righteousness" which he exercises.
