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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Here's another one I've wanted to read for YEARS and never got around to actually purchasing it until I found it at a local thrift shop. And what a wonderful book!
This is the first book besides the Bible that I actually let myself highlight in, and I appreciated that it was formatted to be a study; broken up into forty sections and intended to be read over a forty-day period to allow for contemplation and putting what you learn from each section into action in your life. (I got off-track for a little while, which is why it took me longer than forty days, haha). Every section left me feeling inspired, whether it was reminding me of truths I already knew and had forgotten, or piercing my heart with truths I'd never thought of before. I had a lot of breakthroughs reading this book, and will definitely be rereading it in the years to come.
I'd definitely recommend this book as a comprehensive, helpful, and inspiring guide dealing with many of the issues Christians struggle with today. It helped me be reminded of where my hope and purpose lie, and to renew my perspective to align with Christ's. There's nothing as important as living the way God intends us to.
This is the first book besides the Bible that I actually let myself highlight in, and I appreciated that it was formatted to be a study; broken up into forty sections and intended to be read over a forty-day period to allow for contemplation and putting what you learn from each section into action in your life. (I got off-track for a little while, which is why it took me longer than forty days, haha). Every section left me feeling inspired, whether it was reminding me of truths I already knew and had forgotten, or piercing my heart with truths I'd never thought of before. I had a lot of breakthroughs reading this book, and will definitely be rereading it in the years to come.
I'd definitely recommend this book as a comprehensive, helpful, and inspiring guide dealing with many of the issues Christians struggle with today. It helped me be reminded of where my hope and purpose lie, and to renew my perspective to align with Christ's. There's nothing as important as living the way God intends us to.
medium-paced
Where do I even begin with this book? Marketed to Christians as a Christian text, I can hardly say that Rick Warren's theology lines up with what actual Christians believe. Our relationship with God is what influences our works; it is not our works that influence our relationship with God. Warren's Purpose Driven life appears to support a one-sided relationship with God where the onus is on us to produce works.
Warren uses many Bible verses throughout the book, quoting verses from several different translations and often using the Message Bible. One of the biggest concerns I have is that he simply says "the Bible says..." and never references the verse/chapter he is quoting - leaving the reader to research whether or not the Bible actually does say that.
Warren appears to be afraid of the words 'repent' and 'sin' as he tells the reader that all they need to do to follow God is to "Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes" and "bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: `Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you." He does mention that we need to receive Jesus' forgiveness for our sins - but what sins? If we aren't taught that we are in need of repentance - why would we accept forgiveness?
The message he puts out there is that we shouldn't convict other Christians or non-believers of their sins because it makes them uncomfortable and lead them away from Jesus. But if we aren't repentant then have we really turned to Jesus?
Warren also argues that relationships are ALWAYS worth restoring and that we should focus on restoration instead of resolution. Sure, in most cases (especially if they are petty) this is true. But what if the disagreement comes down to central points in doctrine? Should we ignore unbiblical teaching, attitudes or behaviours simply because we do not want to offend or break a relationship with someone? Is that what Jesus did? Unity for unity's sake while ignoring important theological matters is not always the healthiest or wisest choice.
I did agree with some points made. Firstly, that "seeking an experience rather than seeking God" and "Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship." I do find that many charismatic churches focus on the feelings and experiences people have in Church. Of course, these can be valid - but the foundation of our Faith is not how we feel, rather it is the Word of God.
The second point I agreed with was that "The invitation to be part of God's family is universal, but there is one condition: faith in Jesus." I have heard many pastors preach that we are ALL children of God, ignoring that unbelievers have not yet been grafted into God's family (it happens when you become a Christian).
Overall thoughts: I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you choose to read it, I would highly suggest you have a strong faith with firm doctrine so you can discern which parts of Warren's theology are actually Christian and what is simply his opinion.
Warren uses many Bible verses throughout the book, quoting verses from several different translations and often using the Message Bible. One of the biggest concerns I have is that he simply says "the Bible says..." and never references the verse/chapter he is quoting - leaving the reader to research whether or not the Bible actually does say that.
Warren appears to be afraid of the words 'repent' and 'sin' as he tells the reader that all they need to do to follow God is to "Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes" and "bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: `Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you." He does mention that we need to receive Jesus' forgiveness for our sins - but what sins? If we aren't taught that we are in need of repentance - why would we accept forgiveness?
The message he puts out there is that we shouldn't convict other Christians or non-believers of their sins because it makes them uncomfortable and lead them away from Jesus. But if we aren't repentant then have we really turned to Jesus?
Warren also argues that relationships are ALWAYS worth restoring and that we should focus on restoration instead of resolution. Sure, in most cases (especially if they are petty) this is true. But what if the disagreement comes down to central points in doctrine? Should we ignore unbiblical teaching, attitudes or behaviours simply because we do not want to offend or break a relationship with someone? Is that what Jesus did? Unity for unity's sake while ignoring important theological matters is not always the healthiest or wisest choice.
I did agree with some points made. Firstly, that "seeking an experience rather than seeking God" and "Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship." I do find that many charismatic churches focus on the feelings and experiences people have in Church. Of course, these can be valid - but the foundation of our Faith is not how we feel, rather it is the Word of God.
The second point I agreed with was that "The invitation to be part of God's family is universal, but there is one condition: faith in Jesus." I have heard many pastors preach that we are ALL children of God, ignoring that unbelievers have not yet been grafted into God's family (it happens when you become a Christian).
Overall thoughts: I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you choose to read it, I would highly suggest you have a strong faith with firm doctrine so you can discern which parts of Warren's theology are actually Christian and what is simply his opinion.
This book helped me to put some questions I had regarding my faith to rest. I feel overall that my faith was strengthened and affirmed by Rick Warren's interpretation of God's works.
I have read many Christian books in my life and have to say that this book is not for those that are looking for some deep theology. However, that isn’t the purpose of this book anyway. It had some great advice on how to find your purpose in the church. It certainly made me rethink the role that I was playing in my congregation and helped me focus on my strengths and put them to use. So, personally this book was helpful and I give it 4 stars.
slow-paced
For a book proclaimed one of the bestselling in nonfiction history, Warren's The Purpose Driven Life did not live up to its reputation. While Warren makes amazing points and emphasizes the importance of the prominence of God's presence, his narration comes off as close-minded and segregating. He draws a line between "believers" and "non-believers." In his opinion, a believer's job is conversion, and non-believers are doomed. Even as a believer, something about this rubbed me wrong. There was, however, a part I liked where he states that the goal is not hardcore but rather just sharing the message and enthusiastic response. He later states that the Church shouldn't be criticized without us criticizing God, who is perfect. This is BS. God is perfect, but the church is not. It is a manmade organization and has changed a lot from the tradition of Christ's time. Hiding the church's imperfections and not admitting its flaws is injustice. Something tells me a big righteous someone would not appreciate this. Warren stresses a lot about being a “believer” and memorizing scripture to defeat temptation. While he makes other good points, I don’t see this as necessary. I don’t think this is the “only” path. There are many paths to ground the spirit, and it seems closed that Warren would refuse otherwise.
Warren proposes some great ideas. I appreciate the way that he upholds Christ and lives for Christ's will and not your own. However, his execution could not some work.
Warren proposes some great ideas. I appreciate the way that he upholds Christ and lives for Christ's will and not your own. However, his execution could not some work.
I think I like Rick Warren a lot more than I liked "The Purpose Driven Life." I had read the book my freshman year in college, and I just finished it again. My first time through, there was little that really stuck out to me, positive or negative about the book. I was reading a lot of books at the same time, and much of what Warren had to say simply blended together with other voices. However, this time around I have much higher praise for aspects of the book, and also much greater criticisms. In fact, I waffled back and forth, almost chapter-to-chapter, about whether I could recommend the book or not. On the positive side--and this is going to be mostly about Rick Warren "the person"--Warren has a rare drive that has allowed him to view more of the church, hear more voices, input more information, and experience the world more than most of us could dream. He's probably more well-read than anyone you know, he's been preaching across the country since he was 16, and he's involved in an uncanny number of ministries and organizations across the world. The sheer number of books he's sold (a book that is unapologetically NOT a self-help book) is testament to his ability to communicate, persuade, and authoritatively lead people. The structure of his book is outstanding, he gets his points across concisely, and at points is easy to stand up and applaud his perspective (which is quite often spot-on). His theology and interpretive method are generally solid, at least in theory (more on that in a second), and most of his advice is very practical and immediately applicable. It's a book that's hard not to like...
but I didn't. Here's why:
First off, and this is one of the most-common criticisms of Warren, there's just not quite enough gospel. Now, Warren has stated that the book was written specifically for Christians, and he did not plan on it being read by so many non-Christians. Even so, I believe it is an error to spend so much time building a structure of Christian life ethic (elegant as it may be) without attending first to the integrity of the foundation. It is an error to assume even than Christians know what that foundation is. There is very little about what Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and reign really accomplish, either individually or corporately. And, while I know that I would generally agree with what Warren would say about those things, the problem is he didn't say them. How can we talk about the "purpose" of a Jesus-follower until we have talked about the "purpose" of Jesus?
Secondly, while "simple" can be done very well (see: Francis Chan), it can also be done vaguely, particularly when trying to cover a large range of subject matter. Unfortunately, there are far too many statements made in "The Purpose Driven Life" which have been and will be taken the wrong way, because they were never explained. I've heard Warren explain in interviews what he meant by several statements he made, and it was generally to my satisfaction. But it does no good when the internal confusions are left vague, for the reader to see only what he or she believes.
Thirdly, I found Warren's use of Scripture nothing short of bizarre. I have nothing against the use of different Bible translations--far from it. Even paraphrases have their uses. But it seems to cross the line of biblical and pastoral faithfulness to say, "The Bible says _____" and then not use the Bible, but what Eugene Peterson (The Message) or Kenneth Taylor (The Living Bible) say about the Bible. Their paraphrases are pastoral opinions. Not translations. Along the same lines, it's one thing to tell your readers to check out the context of the passages you're quoting, but it's another to interpret those passages out of context, but in a translation that "happens" to match your own vocabulary. I can't get on board with that.
My last main issue with the book was Warren's Platonic understanding of reality, and this was my main "theological" point of disagreement. Warren takes life on this earth to be a mere "training ground" for "heaven." He seems to view the benefits of a life lived for God as being all future and "heavenly." He places a great emphasis on following God, the eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present One. There's less of an emphasis on following Jesus in his present reality, his wisdom, his Spirit-filled life, and his earthy activity. I see our present lives as being of tremendous existential meaning and beauty, and I cannot condone a view that sees all of God's good creation as a tool for "practice."
It's not that I hated the book, there are just too many things that need correction.
but I didn't. Here's why:
First off, and this is one of the most-common criticisms of Warren, there's just not quite enough gospel. Now, Warren has stated that the book was written specifically for Christians, and he did not plan on it being read by so many non-Christians. Even so, I believe it is an error to spend so much time building a structure of Christian life ethic (elegant as it may be) without attending first to the integrity of the foundation. It is an error to assume even than Christians know what that foundation is. There is very little about what Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and reign really accomplish, either individually or corporately. And, while I know that I would generally agree with what Warren would say about those things, the problem is he didn't say them. How can we talk about the "purpose" of a Jesus-follower until we have talked about the "purpose" of Jesus?
Secondly, while "simple" can be done very well (see: Francis Chan), it can also be done vaguely, particularly when trying to cover a large range of subject matter. Unfortunately, there are far too many statements made in "The Purpose Driven Life" which have been and will be taken the wrong way, because they were never explained. I've heard Warren explain in interviews what he meant by several statements he made, and it was generally to my satisfaction. But it does no good when the internal confusions are left vague, for the reader to see only what he or she believes.
Thirdly, I found Warren's use of Scripture nothing short of bizarre. I have nothing against the use of different Bible translations--far from it. Even paraphrases have their uses. But it seems to cross the line of biblical and pastoral faithfulness to say, "The Bible says _____" and then not use the Bible, but what Eugene Peterson (The Message) or Kenneth Taylor (The Living Bible) say about the Bible. Their paraphrases are pastoral opinions. Not translations. Along the same lines, it's one thing to tell your readers to check out the context of the passages you're quoting, but it's another to interpret those passages out of context, but in a translation that "happens" to match your own vocabulary. I can't get on board with that.
My last main issue with the book was Warren's Platonic understanding of reality, and this was my main "theological" point of disagreement. Warren takes life on this earth to be a mere "training ground" for "heaven." He seems to view the benefits of a life lived for God as being all future and "heavenly." He places a great emphasis on following God, the eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present One. There's less of an emphasis on following Jesus in his present reality, his wisdom, his Spirit-filled life, and his earthy activity. I see our present lives as being of tremendous existential meaning and beauty, and I cannot condone a view that sees all of God's good creation as a tool for "practice."
It's not that I hated the book, there are just too many things that need correction.
I can't rate this because it's like rating a church pamphlet. My Methodist friends and I read this for our young women's group. It wasn't bad, but there was nothing new or excititing or challenging. I wish we had picked a different book.