"The Purpose Driven Life"

[ps139]

He then slams Tradition with his assertion that: "The people were offering God stale prayers, insincere praise, empty words, and man-made rituals without even thinking of the meaning. God's heart is not touched by tradition in worship, but by passion and commitment."

Well, you know, he was there in the hearts and minds of those people, so I wouldn't slam his book so lightly .

 

[Michelina]

I've heard that the book is okay, certainly nothing spectacular.

Warren says things such as:The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship" and also asks "how can you become closer to God or do his will when you separate yourself from the world and don't DO anything?" So he is pretty derogatory to those leading the cloistered life, which is incompatible with our Catholic faith. ....He's also big on sola scriptura....surprise, surprise. He says, "...for most of the 2,000-year history of the church, only priests got to personally read the Bible, but now billions of us have access to it." Of course the reason most people couldn't read it was that they were illiterate, not some scheme to keep people Biblically ignorant but you know, details details...

Not mention the fact that the printing press wasn't invented til the end of the 15th century, shortly before the emergence of Protestantism. But when it was a practical reality, Catholic Europe printed a couple of hundred translations of the NT & Psalms, before the onslaught of the Protestant Deformation.

 

[thereselittleflower]

The whole idea behind Purpose Driven Life is doing what God's will is for your life. It's supposed to strengthen your relationship to Christ. The first sentence of the book is "It's not about you, it's about God." Guess that blows away your theory about the book. Just read it before you make any comments about it. The ironic thing too is this book has been named the #1 Self-help book when it is more about God less about us.
Rick Warren has commented that this book has gone thru denominational lines and rightly so. It is a good book, highly recommend it.
I will definitely give Imitation of Christ a look-see. I have had Protestants and Catholics tell me it is a good book. There must be something to it.

Thanks for your input. . actually, I did understand what it is about, and my comments were not meant to be construed as my thinking that it wasn't a good book . . but it is getting a lot of hype and from what I understand, even though it is about God and His purpose, not ours, it does focus is on the person . . what "their" purpose is in God . . am I right?

What I was trying to suggest is that anything that does not focus entirely on God is going to miss the bullseye, even if it is by a little . .

I don't think our lives are to be so much "purpose" driven, but Christ driven . .




And the Imitation is a classic that many call the most important Christian book next to the bible . . . there really is something very profound and deep to it . .

Peace in Him!

 

[thereselittleflower]

I've heard that the book is okay, certainly nothing spectacular.

Warren says things such as:"The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship" and also asks "how can you become closer to God or do his will when you separate yourself from the world and don't DO anything?" So he is pretty derogatory to those leading the cloistered life, which is incompatible with our Catholic faith.

He's also big on sola scriptura....surprise, surprise. He says, "...for most of the 2,000-year history of the church, only priests got to personally read the Bible, but now billions of us have access to it." Of course the reason most people couldn't read it was that they were illiterate, not some scheme to keep people Biblically ignorant but you know, details details.

He then slams Tradition with his assertion that: "The people were offering God stale prayers, insincere praise, empty words, and man-made rituals without even thinking of the meaning. God's heart is not touched by tradition in worship, but by passion and commitment."

Are you getting the picture yet? Go with something like Imitation of Christ instead. It's far superior writing and deeper spirituality and has stood the test of time. I doubt anyone will know the name of this book on 5 years.[/QUOTE]

Are those quotes out of the book?

And he is trying to be an authority on what purpose is in a Chrstian's life?



Peace in Him!

 

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

I picked the book up this afternoon. I scanned through it in the Christian bookstore as the store owner praised it (and it's $20 tag!). Nothing jumped out as overly offensive, even the chapter on defending your church. Some of what I read was nice. Good applications and meditations.

I agree with Theresa though about the necessity to put God before self in all things. I didn't completely get the sense that this book preached otherwise though. It seemed ok. There can be no comparison with Kemper's "Imitation," which is just incredible.

The book is for my wife who is trying to discern a dream she had. Mary spoke to her and we are trying to figure it out. Somehow, this book is involved, otherwise I would not have gotten it. But I have no concerns of it leading either of us in any way from Mother Church.

Since we are talking good books on living spiritually, I am completely enamored presently with "Divine Intimacy." It is outstanding! I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. In a short time of using this book of daily meditations and prayers, I have felt my faith increase. If I get some time, I may write up a little something about it in a new thread. For now, suffice it to say that this is a MUST BUY (and I do not say that lightly or often).

God Bless,
P12

 

[Debi1967]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

Thanks for the quick responses. The review that NYJ posted concerns me a bit. The "purpose" in a "Purpose Driven Life" could be very different depending on such things as whether you think you can be saved and never lose that salvation and/or what the Sacrament of Baptism really means. Given that the author is a Baptist preacher, I doubt that it is consistent with Catholic Doctrine. Any more comments on this book is appreciated.

God Bless,
P12

P12,
this would depend upon whether the Baptist was of the belief of once saved always saved. Not all Baptists believe this and I know this cause I just converted. And I was not a "saved" Christian. Even the Baptists have sects that believe both ways. They even have ones that believe in predestination. It is all too confusing. But I think that it would have to be assessed as you are going along.

 

[thereselittleflower]

OK here is what I was trying to say, but this quote helps me say it:

He elaborates on five truths to answer this question of why we are here. According to Warren, we exist for the purposes of worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship and discipleship. He states that in fulfilling these roles on earth, we find and fulfill our purposes. [/qutoe]

If this is indeed the premise of his book, then this is the fundamental disagreement I have with his premise . . if his premise really is that we exist for these purposes . . then I disagree . .

I believe we exist for God and God alone . .I believe our relationship with God is evidenced in our worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowhip adn discipleship . . but those are NOT our purpose . . and this was what I was concerned about . .

There is a passage in the bible . .

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

When I realized that those who did these things were NOT doing the will of the Father . .though they were doing the work of a Christian life, I asked God, what is your will then? I was answered:

To love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, mind and love your neighbor as yourself . .


If this is true, then it seems to me that he is substituting for our real purpose secondary manifestations of that purpose . . (and so there is no room for those who seek God apart from others, hermits for example, even if it is with the approval of the Church .. )

This is what I was speaking about in missing the bullseye, but hitting close to it . . it is what is emphasized . .

I am afraid that though it will help people to get closer to God in one sense, that it will cause people to give these "purposes" higher priority than what is our real purpose . .to know God . . to seek His face . .

I do caution Catholics about this book .. I think there is probably much good that is in it, but a great deal of truth can be presented in such a way that it doesn't lead one straight as an arrow . .

There are Mary's and Martha's in the body of Christ .. and a Mary should never be made to feel as though he or she has to be like a Martha in how their relationship and faith lived and/or how it is exhibited to others ..


Another reviewer said this:

1. Warren says he purposely uses many different translations and paraphrases of the Bible to illustrate how relevant Scripture is to our day to day lives. However, Warren tends to rely on paraphrases more than actual translations of the Bible. This is a dangerous thing. Yes, the Bible was written in such a way that the "common man" could understand it's meaning. That's why paraphrases are so dangerous; they can change the entire meaning of a scriptural passage.

2. There is hardly any reference to the Holy Spirit. I am not a member of a charismatic church, but in many dominations across the country discussion of the Holy Spirit is totally ignored. Like it or not, the Holy Spirit is the seal that differentiates Christians from non-Christians. It is an essential part of the Trinity and to deny it, by ignoring it is very dangerous, almost blasphemous.

3. Thought Warren uses a lot of Biblical references, there are several times that he says "The Bible says" without actually quoting any passages from the Bible. I found this to be puzzling in a book that contains so much sciptural support.

4. Warren tends to overgenralize things. He uses words such as "all", "every", "everyone", etc. quite often. This was one of the more disturbing elements of the book to me. When I first started reading the book, I had considered purchasing it and giving it to my mother for a gift. However, about halfway through the text, I began to seriously disagree with some of what Warren was writing. The impression that the text leaves one with is that if you don't do things the way the book tells you to, then you're not a good Christian and there is probably something wrong with you. Many of the books suggestions aren't Biblical, just suggestions that Warren feels may help people out. But the impressions those suggestions leaves is not necessarily a positive one. Therefore, I am not giving this book to my mother. 5. The other major problem I had with the book is that it is largely a piece of advertising. Throughout the chapters, Warren discusses a point and says something like, "if you want more help with that topic, see my other book" or "see the resources of mine listed at the back" which you can purchase. Just about every other chapter contained at least one plug for one of Warren's resources which can be purchased. I have nothing against writers plugging there wares. I have nothing against Christian writers writing for money. I do have a problem with people using a tool that is supposed to be for evangelism but also use it as a way to advertise so that they can sell more products and make more money. Though this may not be the original intent of the other, his shameless self-promotion throughout the book, made it clear that Rick Warren was also out to make a buck and didn't care how he made it.

There are a lot of reviews by people who have read ir . . some points get repeated . . .

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0310205719/103-1419989-8361453?v=glance


Peace in Him!

 

[MichaelFJF]

Y'know, back toward the beginning of the thread someone suggested some "Catholic" books to read instead. It seemed like: Oh no - don't read that book, read these - they're what Catholics should read. Now we get: "I do caution Catholics...."
I'm of the opinion that I can think for myself. I'm Catholic. I'm 51, and I've been Catholic for 50+ years. I know there are a lot of books that are approved by the Church. I also know that there are some smart and Godly people out there that are not Catholic. I resent being told (it feels like it) what I should and should not read.
I'll keep reading it, and if it makes sense, I'll apply it. If it's garbage, I'll ignore it. If SOME of it makes sense, I think I'll be smart enough to apply that. End of rant. M

 

[thereselittleflower]

Hi MichaelFJF - Thank you for letting us know how it appeared to you . . the original OP asked our opinion . .we have merely given our opinion . . I have read several reviews of the book and I do have concerns about it. That says nothing at all about your's or anyone else's ability to determine what is of value and what is not . . I could share some experiences about books that have helped but were dangerous . . one in particular . . God can use anything to speak to us . .


Peace in Him!

 

[Preachers12]

Brethren in Christ, God give you Peace.

Michael, I agree with you. I don't at all think that we, as Catholics, should limit our reading to that containing the Imprimatur! In fact, we need to be humble enough to recognize that we could be taught lessons from anyone, including those whom we least expect. The children in my sacramental preparation course have taught me wonderful things!

For me, I asked this here because as the Spiritual head of my home (don't read anything into that - my wife is very much the boss) I have a responsibility to do so. Besides, I like to hear what others think about some things and see what else they might suggest.

God Bless,
P12