The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
False Teachings, False Teachers, and Contradictions in Rick Warren's
Purpose Driven Life Book and Program
Subtitle: Your Virus Protection & Firewall for Purpose Driven Life Theology
by James Sundquist
Part 1
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren has become a number-one best seller in both Christian as well as secular bookstores, and has been distributed to over 180,000 pastors worldwide according Rick Warren's own website, http://www.purposedriven.com. Rick Warren's theology and book have infiltrated almost every Christian denomination, including private label versions or disguises such as “We Build People.” Because of this, I believe it is more imperative than ever to test the spirits of his teachings to see if they be of God. Let me first say that it is absolutely critical to present that facts of Rick Warren's teachings by using his exact quotes and compare them to Scripture, as the Lord considers it an abomination to bear false witness against a brother in Christ. I also run my articles by several fellow Biblical discernment scholars, as iron sharpens iron, to help ensure the integrity of this document. There are a number of excellent documentaries, book reviews, and articles exposing Rick Warren's teaching by other very capable discernment ministries throughout the world whom I list as resources for you in this document as well as at the end. But finally, it is not my review of his teachings that you should ultimately test, though you should test mine as well, but more critically, that you be a good Berean and compare each quote and translation to Scripture, as the Apostle Paul commended the Bereans and commands us to do.
And though I have spent years researching Rick Warren's teachings and the teachers he promotes and endorses, I have not included every error in his book. Some of the errors that I reveal have also been exposed by other scholars, and many problems and errors have been documented by them that I have not listed. After reading The Purpose Driven Life, I could not help but wonder how it ever made it past the editors at Zondervan, his publisher, because there were so many colossal biblical blunders in the book. Then upon reviewing which translations he used, I discovered none other than Zondervan itself was the publisher of two of them (The Amplified Bible and The Revised Standard).
But no translation could be blamed for Rick Warren's error regarding the purposes of the 40 Days in each of the Old and New Testament characters he cites. These are purely blunders on his own part for falsely representing the accounts in those periods...i.e., factual errors, easily detectable! I have endeavored to document what I perceive to be the most glaring errors in his teaching and theology. In a manner similar to Martin Luther's 95 Theses, I would simply like to list the problems by page numbers that I discovered in his book. I address the errors in 113 pages of his 334 page book under each of the numbered 40 Days of Purpose according to Rick Warren. In addition to the other resources I would like to equip you with, I invite you to read my chart comparing the Purpose Driven Church and Church Growth Movement to Scripture located at:
http://www.christianunplugged.com/cgm_chart.htm
Finally, for those who might believe that Rick Warren is above or exempt from criticism (“Don't criticize what God has blessed”), or that I am a heresy hunter....as though it were an indictment, I exhort you to consider the following Scripture:
1Ti 4:1,6 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;.....If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
I also would like to affirm that EVERY Christian should be a heretic hunter because heretic literally means dividing or depart from sound doctrine. So to be a good Berean as the Apostle Paul commended the Berean Church for, we must diligently search the Scriptures daily to see if any teaching is Scriptural. We must all be vigilant to test every spirit to see if it be of God. And those in eldership position are all the more required to guard the flock against false teaching. And Jesus Christ himself warned us to not be deceived. And how we would we even know deception without comparing a teaching to Scripture? And the Lord has brought to the Church another Gift of the Holy Spirit which is called: “Discerner of Spirits”. So are we to call a person with this gift a heretic hunter...in its negative connotation? A little leaven does not leaven just part of the lump, but if left unpurged, will leaven the ENTIRE lump. One of the most precious doctrines and resources of Christianity is TRUTH! If we compromise truth, we will have lost the savor in our salt and will eventually and rightfully be trodden under foot. So in this sense if that is what it is to be a heresy hunter, then I am guilty as charged. But there remains one other problem with the negative connotation of heresy hunter, at least in the case of Rick Warren. The term implies that his teaching is obscure or hidden from obvious view like a hidden treasure or that we are going on an unwarranted search and destroy mission. But the fact is there is NOTHING obscure or hidden about Warren's teaching. I did not go out looking for it, it has come like a flood into a city...in which no house is left untouched with water in their basements or worse. The flood waters of his teachings and books have permeated virtually every city and denomination in the country. We did not ask for this! But it is here nevertheless.
PAGES 9-10:
Rick Warren states:
“Don't you think it would be a wise use of time to set aside 40 of those days to figure out what God wants you to do with the rest of them”? “Whenever God wanted to prepare for someone for his purposes, he took 40 days.”
Response:
Who determined, and by what authority, is 40 days required to determine your purpose in life? All who heard the message of repentance throughout both the Old and New Testaments and responded found out IMMEDIATELY God's purpose for their life. Those who heard the message of the Gospel in the New Testament became saved instantly upon hearing it. Paul received his calling and knew immediately what he was supposed to do the rest of his life. So Rick Warren's whole premise of purpose is fatally flawed. The events Rick Warren describes in the Bible transpired in 40 days. But that does not mean transformation took the entire 40 days. I was most eager to determine what Rick Warren really meant by the term “transformed.” So it is safe to assume that he means what he quotes in Romans 12:2 NLT and attempts to then apply to various characters in the Old and New Testament:
“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do.” Romans 12:2 NLT
Now let's see what that verse really says:
Rom 12:2: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” KJV
Verse 1 of this chapter Paul states unequivocally whom he is addressing when he says: “brethren.” So the transforming can only apply to those who were already saved and at that point had already determined their purpose in life. So the renewing of the mind Paul is talking about is the renewing of the minds of Christians or believers. Rick Warren applies the term “transformed” to BOTH believers and non-believers in the Biblical examples he gives. Secondly, he presumes that at the beginning of 40 days, each of his examples were still in a state of being conformed to this world...i.e., not yet transformed. In which case the examples he cites:
1. Was Noah still conformed to this world at the beginning the 40 days of rain? NO! See Genesis Chapter 7 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth!
2. Was Moses still conformed to this world at the beginning of 40 days at Mount Sinai? NO! See Exodus Chapter 24 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth
3. Was David still conformed to this world at the beginning of Goliath's 40 day challenge? NO! See I Samuel 17 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth.
4. Was Elijah still conformed to this world the beginning 40 days he receive a single meal to strengthen him for for 40 days? NO! See I Kings Chapter 19 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth!
5. Were Jesus' Disciples still conformed to this world at the beginning of the 40 days commencing with Christ's Resurrection? NO! See Acts 1:3 to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth. Finally, if at any time the Disciples were transformed it was at Pentecost, which even Christ told them to wait for! Pentecost is 50 days not 40 Days. That is when they received power, not before.
Now Rick Warren's in example of Nineveh being conformed to this world at the beginning of the 40 days would be true. But there is no evidence it took 40 days for them to be transformed. In fact, the evidence in Jonah points to immediate repentance and the wearing of sackcloth. There is no text to support 40 days of a process of transforming, assuming that this term can even apply to someone who was not a believer at the beginning or even during the 40 days. The text in Jonah simply states that the city would be destroyed in 40 days if it did not repent. See the Book of Jonah to see if Rick Warren is telling the truth!
In Romans 12:2, Paul addresses those who were already brethren, so his command to be transformed did not mean they became a new person. And certainly in none of Rick Warren's examples, except in Nineveh, did they become new persons.
Probably the most glaring error is Rick Warren's statement:
“Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the wilderness” is the most egregious. Jesus was not empowered for 40 days in the wilderness, he was tempted. He was all powerful already. If anything, at least in the flesh, he was weakened, then strengthened only at the very end of the 40 days with food brought to him by angels. There is no process of 40 days required to get Jesus “empowered!” At any point during even Christ's earthly ministry he had the power to even call down a battalion of angels.
So I invite you to do a 40 day word search for each of the above Biblical passages in a Blue Letter Bible or other great search engine. Type in “40 days.” Read the entire text and context for Noah, Moses, Elijah, Nineveh, and Jesus Christ. You will see that nothing like the process of going from being conformed to this world to being transformed that Rick Warren describes even takes place at all, let alone a requirement of 40 days.
So his book will transform our life? What if we are already a new person and we already have our purpose and we just need our minds renewed, which what Romans 12:2 is really saying? The reason people aren't transformed is not because of impatience to read the next chapter, as Rick Warren alleges, but because they didn't read THE book (the Bible), and because they weren't convicted. Rick Warren's quote of Romans 12:2 implies that you will not know what God wants you to do until 40 days. But the fact is that in all of the Old and New Testament passages he cites, these men ALREADY knew what God wanted them to do BEFORE the 40 days, not during, and not at the end! This is not a matter of opinion. The facts are not in dispute, as the Scriptures will easily verify, and you can verify yourself by simply examining the passages for yourselves.
PAGE 11:
Rick Warren:
“Real spiritual growth is never isolated.”
RESPONSE:
I thought Rick Warren just got done saying that Jesus was empowered in the Wilderness. He was alone the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus himself commands us to go in to our prayer closet when we pray. Do we now have company in our closet in order to achieve “real spiritual growth”? What about Paul being isolated for three years to prepare to begin his ministry. He was isolated for seven years and did not experience “real spiritual growth”? (Remember, Paul did not need the three years to find out his purpose...that is to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, he was given that upon being commissioned by Christ himself). The Apostle John was exiled in Patmos whereby he would have been quite isolated. Are you going to say that John did not have real spiritual growth because he was isolated during which time he wrote the Book of Revelation? And what an insult to all of the redeemed of the earth, Fox's Book of Martyrs, and people like Richard Wurmbrandt who was persecuted and put in solitary confinement because of his faith? Are we to say they did not grow spiritually because they were in isolation? And what about the countless persecuted and martyred saints that could not even assemble throughout the ages in many cases, were imprisoned IN ISOLATION? So Rick Warren's generalization is not only Biblical incorrect, it is an insult to all of those saints who suffered separation (isolation) for the cause of Christ, the very assurance Paul gives in Romans:
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So, in all of these examples, separation (isolation) often took place, yet Rick Warren tells his readers that “no real spiritual growth” can take place in isolation.
PAGE 13: (RICK WARREN COVENANT)
Rick Warren: “With God's help, I commit the net 40 days of my life to discovering God's purpose for my life”
RESPONSE:
Even if Christ had not warned us to not take pledges and oaths, and that indeed even if they were acceptable, why would anyone sign an oath before reading the book, without knowing anything about who Rick Warren is? What are his teachings? What teachers or false teachers does he endorses? What about testing the spirits to see if they be of God before going down this path or journey? Even if it were true that you need 40 days to discover God's purpose for you life, how do you know that it is Rick Warren's blueprint of 40 days that will take you there? Maybe it is the wrong blueprint or map. What about the millions of Christians who discovered God's purpose for their life by simply reading the Bible vs. Rick Warren's book? Since Rick Warren is directing this in great part to non-believers, they have no correct concept of even who God is. God could simply be any higher power, or the God of this world (Satan), or Allah, or “God as we understand him” as in the 12 Step Program. There is nothing in the covenant statement about the credentials of the Partner's name that you are signing a covenant with. What if this person is a non-believer? If one person is a Christian, which Rick Warren professes to be, then you would be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. Does Rick Warren have no concern about unholy alliances and treaties and their consequences as Scripture reveals over and over again? And who is holding Rick Warren accountable to hold up his part of the bargain, since he also signed this Covenant? Finally, he quotes Ecclesiastes 4:9 TEV. But this passage is about two working together or fighting together. There is nothing in the passage to back up Rick Warren's statement of how this can help you discover God's purpose for your life.
So before you sign any pledge, vow, or covenant, whether it is Rick Warren's or anyone else's, I appeal to you to consider Jesus Christ's own words:
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" Matthew 5:33-37.
“DAY 1 It all Starts with God” begins on Page 17)
“DAY 2 You Are Not an Accident” begins on Page 22)
“DAY 3 What Drive Your Life” begins on Page 27)
“WHAT AM I HERE FOR?”
PAGE 19:
Rick Warren states that he is against self help books. But the 12 Step Program is a self help book His Celebrate Recovery Program is based on this very program of self help books. It is simply adapted and called 8 Principles of Recovery.
Rick Warren then contrasts true self vs. false self. He quotes Matthew 16:25 MSG:
“Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.”
Even if the Bible taught this concept of “true self” vs. “false self”, it is still self. Besides this, asceticism (which the Apostle Paul opposed) teaches self sacrifice. Paul goes on to even call the self-sacrifice of complying with the prohibitions of diet and marriage, doctrines of demons. Islamic Terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center practiced self-sacrifice. In fact, some Buddhist monks literally self-sacrifice themselves by immolating themselves. So, let's see what the text really says:
Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
“For my sake” (for Jesus Christ's sake) is obscured in the Message Translation. And even if true, Christ is talking about losing your life (for him) not simply self-sacrifice.
PAGE 28:
Rick Warren states that after killing Abel, Cain wandered without a purpose the rest of his life. This is simply not true, as God marked him for protection. He then built a city...does that sound like someone without a purpose?
PAGE 30-31:
Rick Warren states that Job said he had no purpose and then he states: “Hope comes from having a purpose.” Does this mean Job had not hope? Rick Warren quotes Proverbs 13:7 MSG: “People who don't know their purpose try to do too much....Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.” Does this statement by Rick Warren describe Paul when he pressed on, was constrained, ran a good race? People who don't know their purpose may be the very ones who would do too much MORE often. Paul had a purpose yet his life became even more complex and busier. Even Rick Warren states: “this is how Paul almost single-handedly spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.” So this is how Paul's life was simplified, now that he knew his purpose?
PAGE 32:
Rick Warren misquotes Isaiah 26:3 TEV by stating that the Lord keeps one in perfect peace whose purpose is firm. But that is not what Isaiah said:
Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.
PAGE 34
Rick Warren: “God won't ask about your religious background or doctrinal views”
Say what? Doctrine doesn't matter? So why did the Apostle Paul spend so much time and effort warning us about doctrines of demons? What bother to even warn the Galatians who had been bewitched? More of what Paul thought about doctrinal views:
2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”
Tts 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
What the Apostle John thought of doctrinal views:
2Jo 1:10 "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:"
And God want won't ask about doctrinal views? Well Jesus Christ who is God also did not agree with Rick Warren regarding the importance of doctrine as we read his words directly to the Church in Pergamum in the Book of Revelation:
Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Doctrinal views do matter! Warren's belittling the importance of sound doctrine might explain why so few in his congregation and those who have become Rick Warren Churches, have opposed him...they took his advice of less Bible and more stories and personal testimonies, so no would would recognize heresy if it beat them over the head. And even where the Bible is taught, where they might get grounded to recognize error, they are given diluted and obscured translations which have added to, deleted, subtracted, and completely changed the meaning, to God's Word. So, from Rick Warren's own testimony and advice, we see prophecy of 2 Timothy 4:3 being fulfilled in these Last Days in his own church and in the thousands of churches who believe his statement(s).
“DAY 4 Made to Last Forever” begins on Page 36
“DAY 5 Seeing Life from God's View” begins on Page 41
PAGE 41:
Rick Warren:
“How you define life determines your destiny.” No! How God defines your life determines your destiny!
PAGE 42
Rick Warren: “The view of life you hold consciously or unconsciously, in your mind.” Sorry you don't view anything in your unconscious unless you believe in Freud or Carl Jung. If we are able to obtain our views and refine our views by renewing our mind which we obtain from Scripture, then why do we need be “conformed to this world” through psychological profiles based on Carl Jung to help you determine your SHAPE?
PAGE 43:
I agree that character is developed and revealed by tests, but these are God's tests not Psychological world-based Personality Profiles.
“DAY 6 Life is a Temporary Assignment” begins on Page 47
PAGE 48:
Rick Warren calls flirting with the world spiritual adultery. I agree, so why then does he require his members at Saddleback Church to take personality profiles which were conceived by the world? He quotes James 4:4 MSG which says” “Flirting with the world.” But the true rendering is “friendship with the world.” Secondly, it is in error when it says you “end up enemies with God.” The correct rendering is not “end up” but present tense...i.e., you “are” enemies with God. The Message translation then adds unto God's Word by adding a phrase which is not even in the original “If all you want is your own way.”
PAGE 49:
Rick Warren quotes I Peter 2:11 MSG which contains the word “ego”. This is another Freudian & Jungian psychology term. Though it is used in the Greek in the Bible, it has an entirely different meaning in the personality theory of Jung & Freud from which Rick Warren derives his Personality Profile. Ego, in terms of personality theory is used in conjunction with “id” and “super id” There is not even any such thing as id and super id.
And Freud's definition of “ego” is certainly not what is meant by the word “ego” in the Bible.
EGO: For Freud, the ego is "the representative of the outer world to the id" ("Ego and the Id" 708). In other words, the ego represents and enforces the reality-principle whereas the id is concerned only with the pleasure-principle. Whereas the ego is oriented towards perceptions in the real world, the id is oriented towards internal instincts; whereas the ego is associated with reason and sanity, the id belongs to the passions. The ego, however, is never able fully to distinguish itself from the id, of which the ego is, in fact, a part, which is why in his pictorial representation of the mind Freud does not provide a hard separation between the ego and the id. The ego could also be said to be a defense against the superego and its ability to drive the individual subject towards inaction or suicide as a result of crippling guilt. Freud sometimes represents the ego as continually struggling to defend itself from three dangers or masters: "from the external world, from the libido of the id, and from the severity of the super-ego" ("Ego and the Id" 716).
SUPER-EGO: The super-ego is the faculty that seeks to police what it deems unacceptable desires; it represents all moral restrictions and is the "advocate of a striving towards perfection" ("New Introductory Lectures" 22.67). Originally, the super-ego had the task of repressing the Oedipus complex and, so, is closely caught up in the psychodramas of the id; it is, in fact, a reaction-formation against the primitive object-choices of the id, specifically those connected with the Oedipus complex. The young heterosexual male deals with the Oedipus complex by identifying with and internalizing the father and his prohibitions: "The super-ego retains the character of the father, while the more intense the Oedipus complex was and the more rapidly it succumbed to repression (under the influence of discipline, religious teaching, schooling and reading), the more exacting later on is the domination of the super-ego over the ego—in the form of conscience or perhaps of an unconscious sense of guilt" ("Ego and the Id" 706). Given its intimate connection with the Oedipus complex, the super-ego is associated with the dread of castration. As we grow into adulthood, various other individuals or organizations will take over the place of the father and his prohibitions (the church, the law, the police, the government). Because of its connection to the id, the superego has the ability to become excessively moral and thus lead to destructive effects. The super-ego is closely connected to the "ego ideal."
ID. The id is the great reservoir of the libido, from which the ego seeks to distinguish itself through various mechanisms of repression. Because of that repression, the id seeks alternative expression for those impulses that we consider evil or excessively sexual, impulses that we often felt as perfectly natural at an earlier or archaic stage and have since repressed. The id is governed by the pleasure-principle and is oriented towards one's internal instincts and passions. Freud also argues on occasion that the id represents the inheritance of the species, which is passed on to us at birth; and yet for Freud the id is, at the same time, "the dark, inaccessible part of our personality" ("New Introductory Lectures" 22.328). See also Freud Module I on psychosexual development.
SOURCE: http://www.sla.purdue.edu/academic/engl/theory/psychoanalysis/definitions/ego.html
But these definitions is pure myth, exactly what the Apostle Paul opposed.
Here is the incorrect translation Rick Warren invokes:
“Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.” I Peter 2:11 MSG
EGO Definition from still another Psychology source:
Ego: Freud's term for the aspect of the "psyche" that processes a person's "conscious" perception of reality. In a healthy person, it also controls the "id", so that satisfaction occurs only in socially acceptable and/or personally meaningful forms, and decides when to obey or disobey the "superego". SOURCE: http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/dow/dowglos.html
Now let's see what the passage real says:
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
So, where is “ego” in this passage? And where is the war in the Message Translation?
PAGE 50
Rick Warren states “we are not supposed to be here [on earth]” [parenthesis mine]
If this is true, then why did the Apostle Paul say that by staying here on earth is would be beneficial to you? Until the Lord comes and as long as we have breath we are supposed to be here.
PAGE 51
Rick Warren states: “The greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life.” Well this is certainly true of many heroes of faith. But his statement would then have to exclude Abraham, Solomon, Esther, Job, and many others who had all three characteristics. And Now Rick Warren is today considered a great hero of the faith even the modern day Luther in launching a New Reformation. But Rick Warren is prosperous, successfully, and wields enormous power and influence in this life! So from Rick Warren's own testimony, wouldn't he then be excluded as a great hero of the faith? Many of his followers consider him a hero of the faith. Apparently Rick Warren has not read Paul's own words in which he tells us to learn how to be abased and abound.
“DAY 7 The Reason for Everything” begins on Page 53
PAGE 54
Rick Warren states: “In heaven, God's glory provides all the light needed.” This is true, but he is quoting Rev. 21:23 NIV. But this is not heaven, it is the New Jerusalem which is being described.
Rick Warren: “Jesus came to earth so we could fully understand God's Glory.” This is simply not true on two fronts. (1) Jesus came to save that which is lost and to give himself up as the perfect sacrificial Lamb for mankind. (2) We won't “fully” understand God's glory until we are glorified....but not before. Even Paul said that we still see through glass dimly, not FULLY, until we see him face to face. Other Scripture with disagrees with Rick Warren:
Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
1Cr 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
PAGE 55
Rick Warren quotes Irenaus: “The glory of God is a human fully alive!”
I hardly know where to begin refuting this blasphemous idea except to say that there are a host of Scriptures to refute it such as Isaiah's own words speaking of God:
Isa 42:8 I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
It is most unfortunate that Irenaus made such a statement because he was devout early Church Father who was a passionate opponent of Gnosticism and would certainly have opposed a number of the Catholic Mystics that Rick Warren quotes and endorses. I refer you to his several volumes entitled Against Heresies. By endorsing Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, John Ortberg, Gary Thomas, Thomas Merton, Madame Guyon, John of the Cross, and John Mains, in his book and pastors.com website, Rick Warren has undone the work of Irenaus in the eyes of his readers.
PAGE 56
Rick Warren quotes John Piper:
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
Response: Jonah, Job, and Ezekiel were not most satisfied in him and yet God
was still glorified. Lazarus wasn't even alive and hardly knew what hit him
when he was resurrected, yet Jesus said “glorify thyself” when he resurrected
him.
Rick Warren:
“Worship is enjoying God.” Was Jesus enjoying God when he sweat drops of blood to the resisting of temptation, while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane? Was he enjoying God when he said to the Father “why hast thou forsaken me”?
PAGE 58
Rick Warren quotes John 3:36 which takes away the second half of the verse. This verse is not talking about life, but life everlasting.
PURPOSE ONE SECTION: “YOU WERE PLANNED FOR GOD'S PLEASURE”
“DAY 8 Planned for God's Pleasure” begins on Page 63
PAGE 63
Rick Warren: “If you fully understand this truth” [your first purpose is “living for God's pleasure”], you will never again have a problem of feeling insignificant.” If this is true, then when did David, who was ALREADY a man after God's own heart, ask the question “who art man that God is mindful of him?” Why did Jeremiah despise the day he was born if he thought he was so significant? There are many examples throughout the Bible of men and women of faith who already understood their purpose, yet still had times of feeling insignificant, let alone NEVER AGAIN ever feeling insignificant. Besides this, our feelings are mercurial; we can't always depend on our feelings but on faith. Furthermore, there is nothing in the Bible to suggest that recognizing “living of God's pleasure” is God's 'first' purpose in your life!
Rick Warren: “The moment you were born into the world...you are a child of God born that gives God pleasure like nothing he has ever created.”
He quotes Ephesians 1:15 TEV to prove this which states: “Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.” Eph 1:15 TEV
So even in this translation, Rick Warren contradicts his own premise....that simply being born does not give God his greatest pleasure and there is not one single Scripture to support that idea. If anything it is being BORN AGAIN that gives God his greatest pleasure. This is confirmed by the angels praising the Lord when one person comes to repentance...not when one person is born. (The angels rejoice when even one person is born again, not when they are physically born, with the exception of Jesus' birth). Rick Warren's use of translations, or even paraphrasing a Scripture, completely changes and/or adds words to the meaning intended by the author. This correction rendering of this text is even clear in that we are adopted by Jesus Christ. But you can't be adopted until you are first born physically. So, let's see what Ephesians 1:5 has to say:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
PAGE 64:
Rick Warren quotes Psalm 147:11 CEV: “The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love.”
This mangled translation takes away the most important qualifier...the most important phrase “for those who fear him.” Proof:
Psa 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
Note that the CEV translation changes the word “mercy” to “love.” Now, of course the Lord is full of both love and mercy. But they are not the same concepts. It is not surprising that Rick Warren leaves out the fear of the Lord, as later on page 77 he states: “We give ourselves to him, not out of fear or duty, but in love.” But of course we give ourselves to him out of the fear of the Lord. For more documentation on the Fear of the Lord, I refer you to the article Fear of the Lord.
Rick Warren quotes John 4:23 (does not indicate translation): “The Father seeks worshipers.” But leaves out the kind of worshippers he seeks:
Jhn 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him
PAGE 65
Rick Warren: “God loves all kinds of music.” This is a most astonishing statement considering that his whole thrust in his Purpose Driven Church book is “out with the old” (music) and in with the new! Furthermore, music is not neutral, it too must be judged by its fruit. For more Scriptural proof of what the Lord thinks of music, I refer you to What is Worship, Parts I & II.
PAGE 67
Rick Warren: “falling in love with Jesus.” This is very troubling term and very misleading to non-believers who will mistake it for romantic eros love. Besides this, the term implies a helpless free fall vs. purposeful obedience, picking up the cross and denying yourself, and resisting temptation to the sweating of drops of blood. It is a concept found nowhere in Scripture. Yes we are to love Jesus with all of our hearts. But we are also to fear him.
“DAY 9 What Makes God Smile?” begins on Page 69
PAGE 70:
Rick Warren: “Noah trusted God, even when it didn't make sense.” But if you read the account of Noah in Genesis, you will see that the passage does NOT say building the Ark for the coming Global Flood did not make sense....it was simply unseen by Noah. In fact being “unseen” is a major component of faith. Just because something is unseen, doesn't mean it doesn't make any sense. Read the entire Chapter 11 in Hebrews which describes many examples of faith being exercising for things unseen. Only one of these examples implies that trusting God did not make sense, and that was Sarah being to old to conceive.
Rick Warren quotes Heb 11:7 MSG which says Noah became intimate with God.” But once again, that is not what the original text says. It says became “an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” KJV
PAGE 71
Rick Warren once again quotes Psalm 147:11 TEV. See page 64 above.
PAGE 75
Rick Warren: “There are no unspiritual abilities” If this statement is true, then you would have to say that all abilities are spiritual. But there are a host of human abilities that have nothing to do with the spirit. One has to also ask what one could easily and reasonably infer from his statement, and that is to ask the question what spiritual abilities are FORBIDDEN by Christians. Divination and Necromancy are spiritual abilities too! But they are an abomination to the Lord.
PAGE 76
Rick Warren quotes Psalm 14:2: LB “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who are wise, who want to please God.”
Is that what the text says? Let's read Psalm 14:2-3 for the complete context:
Psa 14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of
men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God.
Psa 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are [all] together
become filthy: [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rick Warren leaves out the critical qualifier in Verse 3 that says none seek after God. So the reader is left with the impression of deciding for himself if he is one of those who wants to please God. Rick Warren doesn't tell you that the Bible says there are NONE! But this is not altogether surprising because the heart of the Purpose Driven theology is to stay positive which is exactly the theme of his revered colleague, Dr. Robert Schuller.
“DAY 10 The Heart of Worship” begins on Page 77
PAGE 78
Rick Warren: “love casts out all fear.” Yes it is true that perfect love does cast out all fear of punishment and fear of man, but it NEVER casts out the fear of the Lord.
“DAY 11 Becoming Best Friends with God” begins on Page 85
PAGE 86
Rick Warren quotes Romans 5:11 NLT, II Cor. 5:18a TEV, I John 1:3, I Cor 1:9, II Cor 13:14. All of his translations use the term “friends” or “friendship” of God [Rick Warren does not even cite the source of the other translations]. Yet the word friend does not appear in ANY of the Authorized King James translations of these verses. Now if friend is the word God intended and meant, then it would appear in the text. Only once does Jesus call anyone “friends”...and that was his Disciples: John 15:15.
Rick Warren quotes Exodus 34:14 NLT “He is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.” This is nothing remotely reflective of the contents of the correct rendering of this passage:
Exd 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God:
Rick Warren mixes up passion with jealousy, then completely misses the point of of this Commandment in Exodus that we are to worship no other gods. It is not just a declarative statement about one of God's attributes (which he could have at least gotten right), but the verse is a directive to OUR response and obedience to God.
PAGE 88
Rick Warren quotes Brother Lawrence and advises us to “Practice His Presence”. What Rick Warren does not tell you is that Brother Lawrence was a lay Carmelite Order Roman Catholic which was one of the first Orders to elevate Mary to a status beyond what is written in the Bible. And there is nothing in Scripture to support the idea of “practicing His presence.” Brother Lawrence is not the only Catholic Mystic that Rick Warren endorses, or author he endorses who also promote mysticism and the Desert Fathers as you will see later.
FACTS ON BROTHER LAWRENCE:
1. His real name was: Nicholas Herman
2, He was lay Carmelite Monk. 1 The Carmelites go back to 1562 when Teresa of Avila took it to herself to reform the Carmelite Order instituted in 1154 on the Mount Carmel, Israel. The Order fell victim of a lack of discipline among its monks and nuns, Teresa resolved to revive it by restoring the primitive rule and emphasizing a contemplative life. John of the Cross joined forces with Teresa to reform the monks houses of the Order. Now besides the fact the Carmelites are a Roman Catholic order, here are some quotes from these Carmelites which are quite alarming and why New Agers just love them:
Here is what John of the Cross says about God:
“*'My
beloved [God] is the high mountains, and the lovely valley forests,
unexplored islands, rushing rivers'
John of the Cross
No God is not the high mountains, he is the creator of the high mountains. Anyone worshiping the mountains, thinking they are God is a pantheist.
Here is a quote from Basil Pennington, who wrote the preface for Brother Lawrence's Practicing the Presence of God:
*'[T]he soul of the human family
is the Holy Spirit.'
Basil Pennington
PAGE 89
Rick Warren endorses “breath prayers” and invites us to pray as the Benedictine Monks do. Where did he get that concept? Not from the Bible. But I can tell you where he did get it. From none other than another Catholic mystic:
“Breath Prayers”
(Benedictine Monk John Main)
John Main promotes Universalism through his identification with The Benedictine Order. Here's a quote from John Main: "Benedict's utter faith in the divine Son of God casts into even sharper relief his insight that this divine Christ is to be found and even adored in other human beings” (RB 53.7). “His incarnate presence is not limited to Jesus of Nazareth, but remains among us in the monastic leaders, the sick, the guest, the poor, a list so inclusive as to signify Christ's presence in all whom one meets."” SOURCE
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/warren.htm &
http://www.basilica.org/meditationgrp.html
PAGE 90
Rick Warren states: “Meditation is focused thinking,” while he simultaneously endorses Richard Foster via his pastors.com resources in his Appendix 2 Resources (Page 324). Here is how Richard Foster defines meditation:
Richard Foster in his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, speaks of the practice of "breath prayer," in which a Christian-sounding word or phrase is repeated over and over again like a mantra. Foster wrote that "Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it" (Ray Yungen, Time of Departing, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2002, pg. 72). This is the very opposite of Warren's definition of meditation. For a complete expose on Richard Foster's teaching that Rick Warren promotes, please read the following documentary:
Spiritual Formation, Richard Foster, and Renovare
Renovare Analyzed for Biblical Soundness and Found Wanting
AMAZON Review: Richard Foster's Spiritual Formation is not Biblical, October 22, 2003
|
|
Reviewer: James Sundquist, President, Rock Salt Publishing |
Millions of Christians and Christian leaders do, in fact, promote and believe that Richard Foster's teaching is Biblically solid. Well other than the fact that Richard Foster endorses Carl Jung who drew his theology from a demon-spirit guide named Philemon via divination and was an enemy of Christ, believes in astral projection, summoning down a spirit and calling him Jesus, praying and meditating with vain repetitions which Jesus said not to do, supports Roman Catholicism which is responsible for the slaughter of millions of martyrs (the Pope kissing the Koran..the religion of peace), promotes Buddhist sympathizers Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen, and a host of other Eastern Meditation and New Age teachers...other than that Richard Foster is a good sound Biblical teacher!
Still not convinced that Richard Foster is a clear and present danger to the Church? Then visit these websites:
http://www.lighthousetrails.com
http://withchrist.org/MJS/renovare.htm
and
http://www.seekgod.ca/renovare.htm
and
http://www.cephasministry.com/new_age_richard_foster.html
Rick Warren promotes every one of these authors: Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton either in his book and/or on his pastors.com website.
PAGE 90
Rick Warren once again misquotes “friendship” in Psalm 25:14 LB. But Psalm 25:14 KVJ does not even contain this word:
Psa 25:14 The secret of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
Time after time readers must think that they have the wrong Biblical citation in this book, only to discover that Rick Warren really did mean that verse. Throughout the book there are statements indicating one position, only to find a contradiction somewhere else in the book. So alert readers are often left in complete confusion about what Rick Warren meant or where he really stood on an issue.
“DAY 12 Developing Your Friendship with God” begins on Page 92
PAGE 92
Rick Warren: “God does not expect you to be perfect but he does insist on complete honesty.”
Please show me chapter and verse that supports this idea. Saul was honest, too, in bringing a sacrifice to the Lord. But the Lord demanded obedience not sacrifice. In several examples in the Old Testament, Gods' people murmured and complained...but at least they were completely honest. And what did God do? Was he pleased simply because they were honest? Of course not. He opened up the earth and swallowed these “honest” people and killed the rest of them with plagues up....14,700 of them (see Numbers Chapters 16 and 26, and Deuteronomy Chapter 11)! If you think Rick Warren's theology is correct about God being insisting on complete honesty, do a word search with the word “murmur” in the Bible and see if it ever made any difference to God, simply because they were completely honest.
I Corinthians 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
Phl 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Phl 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Finally, Rick Warren's above statement that God does not want perfection collides with the Scriptures of what God really expects as the process of sanctification as Christians until we are glorified, and that is:
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Jam 1:4 But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing
PAGE 93:
Rick Warren states “Jesus is still the friend of sinners.” But read Matthew 11:19 to see if that is what Jesus said. What he said was “THEY say that I am a friend of sinners.” But the text also said they said he was a glutton. Read the text carefully:
Luk 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
Rick Warren should not be so reckless to confuse who is talking (Jesus) and who he is referring to (the Pharisees).
Rick Warren quotes Job 42:7b MSG in stating Job's friends have not been “honest” like his “friend” Job. But if Rick Warren says we should honest, how about being honest with what the text really says. It does not say honest, it says “right”; then it does not say “friend”, it says “servant”. Here's the proof:
“for ye have not spoken of me [the thing that is] right, as my servant Job [hath].” Job 42:7b KJV
PAGE 98
Rick Warren quotes Philippians 3:10 AMP:
“[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]”
Note that even in the Amplified version that Rick Warren quotes, he leaves out the entire second half of the verse which I have highlighted in bold.
Now let's read what the KJV says:
Phl 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
There is nothing in Rick Warren's quote, or even context about about his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering, and conformity to his death.
Rick Warren: “You are as close to God as you choose to be.” No, we are no closer to God than God chooses that we be. Like Paul, I choose to be in Heaven and absent from the body, but that does not mean I get my wish, as though God were a genie.
PAGE 99
Rick Warren states: “There is nothing—absolutely nothing—more important than developing a friendship with God.” Then he quotes I Timothy 6:21 LB to try to back this up: “Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don't know God.” [emphasis mine]
Well let us once again see if that is what the text really says:
1Ti 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
1Ti 6:21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace
[be] with thee. Amen.
It is unthinkable that Rick Warren would once again leave out the critical qualifier and context of this quote, and that is verse 20...really the rest of the sentence! There is nothing in the text which says “the most important thing,” let alone “the most important thing in life.” Besides, Paul is not saying these people in the church don't know God, but rather were erring in dabbling in vain babblings and science falsely so called. Rick Warren's quote is one more example of leaving me in complete disbelief that I had even had the right citation because his statements are so far off track from what the text actually says. Later in the book you will see that it is this very “science falsely so called” (i.e., Psychology) that Rick Warren himself integrates into the Church with is SHAPE Personality Profile, whose roots go back to the very Greek and Pagan ideas that Paul himself opposed. Timothy took the warning to heart. It is too bad that Rick Warren did not!
“DAY 13 Worship That Pleases God” begins on Page 100
PAGE 101
Rick Warren: “God is pleased when our worship is accurate.” [emphasis mine] This is one of the most brazen statements in the book, that Rick Warren would champion accuracy, yet use one corrupt, inaccurate, incomplete translation and paraphrase after another from the Bible, and promote and endorse false teachers throughout the book who are anything but accurate in conveying the authority of Scripture. I have already identified some of these false teachers and will document more later in this commentary.
PAGE 102
Rick Warren: “My friend Gary Thomas...in his book Sacred Pathways.” (This book Rick Warren also promotes on his pastors.com website). So what does Sacred Pathways have to teach? Rick Warren is promoting pantheism, monasticism, contemplative prayer, ascetics both in this book as well as through Gary Thomas:
"Gary Thomas Biography:
Gary L. Thomas is a writer
and the founder and director of the Center for Evangelical Spirituality, a
writing and speaking ministry that integrates Scripture, church history, and the
Christian classics. He has served as a campus pastor and is an
adjunct faculty member
at Western Seminary in
Portland,
Oregon, where he
teaches on spiritual formation." SOURCE:
http://www.garythomas.com/gary/index.html
http://www.letusreason.org/BookR12.htm
The following reviews pertaining to Gary Thomas' teaching, recommended by Rick Warren, are excerpted from Let Us Reason Ministries and PawCreek Ministries:
"Rick Warren also quotes in The Purpose Driven Life on p.103 Gary Thomas’ book Sacred Pathways. The subtitle is “Discover Your Soul’s Path to God.” Rick Warren writes, “In his book, Sacred Pathways, Gary identifies nine of the ways people draw near to God: Naturalists are most inspired to love God out-of-doors, in natural settings. Sensates love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services that involve their sight, taste, smell, and touch, not just their ears. Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols, and unchanging structures. Ascetics prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity. Activists love God through confronting evil, battling injustice, and working to make the world a better place. Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs. Enthusiasts love God through celebrations. Contemplatives love through adoration. Intellectuals love God by studying with their minds” (Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas, pp. 22-29.)
In Gary’s book Sacred Pathways, He quotes Carl Jung favorably “Carl Jung developed four profiles to describe human nature…. Combinations of these four profiles can create sixteen different personality types, and the Myers Briggs test is designed to separate these types” (Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas, p. 21.) Psychologist Carl Jung is not a good source for any Christian to turn to as he received his information from a “spirit guide” named Philemon. During Jung’s traumatic breakdown, on the brink of suicide “Philemon” became his “spirit guide, Jung says “Philemon represented a force which was not myself … It was he who taught me psychic objectivity, the reality of the psyche.”
In Sacred Pathways pp.184-5,6 Thomas where he suggests the use of “Dancing Prayer”, not bodily movements, but we are to image in our minds dancing with God and allowing Him to lead. Then He gives instructions on “Centering Prayer.” Quote: “Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing But centering prayer is a contemplative act in which you don't do anything; you're simply resting in the presence of God.”
Clearly a mystical approach not a Biblical one. This repeating words is what is called a mantra, it does not matter if one uses a Biblical name or word. We are not to be combining Eastern mysticism with our practice of Christianity. Rick Warren also mentions contemplative prayer in his book without defining it.
On his website “My wife, Kay, recommends this book! In it, Nouwen divides the life of ministry into five categories: teaching, preaching, pastoral care, organizing, and celebrating” Sabbatical Journey Creative Ministry (Doubleday, 1991)." SOURCE: http://www.letusreason.org/Popteac23.htm
"Rick Warren is clearly toying with universalism and many paths to God. This is the darkest part of his descent in liberalism. He glowingly quotes a New Age book by Gary Thomas, entitled Sacred Pathways. The subtitle is “Discover Your Soul’s Path to God.” There can be no acceptable excuse for the presence of this religious garbage. Look at this full two-paragraph quote from The Purpose Driven Life.
“In his book, Sacred Pathways, Gary identifies nine of the ways people draw near to God: Naturalists are most inspired to love God out-of-doors, in natural settings. Sensates love God with their senses and appreciate beautiful worship services that involve their sight, taste, smell, and touch, not just their ears. Traditionalists draw closer to God through rituals, liturgies, symbols, and unchanging structures. Ascetics prefer to love God in solitude and simplicity. Activists love God through confronting evil, battling injustice, and working to make the world a better place. Caregivers love God by loving others and meeting their needs. Enthusiasts love God through celebrations. Contemplatives love through adoration. Intellectuals love God by studying with their minds. (Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas, pp. 22-29.)
“There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to worship and friendship with God. One thing is certain: You don’t bring glory to God by trying to be someone he never intended you to be. God wants you to be yourself. ‘That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for; those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.’ (John 4:23, The Message.)” (The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, p. 103.)
Please note that second paragraph where Rick himself dares to suggest, “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to worship and friendship with God.” That’s raw heresy. He further states, “God wants you to be yourself.” Do you remember when Tammy Faye Bakker said, “I’ve got to be me!”? She is, but look at what the “me” is. This certainly fits the New Age psychological person and sells big time with the unregenerate masses. It will not end you anywhere but eternal hell. If the church world buys this, it are on its way to destruction in a hurry.
Gary Thomas freely establishes where the inspiration for his book was derived. It came from a “spirit guide” named Philemon that gave it to Carl Jung, a noted humanistic psychologist. Here is the quote from Gary’s book,
“Carl Jung developed four profiles to describe human nature. (These profiles have been formulated by Isabel Briggs Myers in the popular Myers Briggs test.) First, we approach reality either as an extrovert, who is most at home in the social world, or as an introvert, who prefers to dwell in the inner world. Second, we register input as either a sensing person, using the five senses, or an intuitive person, using the imagination. Third, we organize and arrange date either as a thinking person, who uses logic and the intellect, or as a feeling person who arranges data according to how it affects people and relates to human values. Finally, we arrange our outer reality as either a judging person, who is orderly, controlling and managing, or a perceptive person, who is spontaneous and flexible. Combinations of these four profiles can create sixteen different personality types, and the Myers Briggs test is designed to separate these types.” (Transcend, by Martin Kelsey, p. 122. As printed in Sacred Pathways, by Gary Thomas, p. 21.) "[Source]:http://www.pawcreek.org/articles/endtimes/ThePurposeDrivenLifeGoldenCalf.htm
PAGE 103
Rick Warren: “Jesus called thoughtless worship vain repetitions.” Well let's examine Matthew 6:7 to see if this is precisely what Jesus said:
Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Wait a minute, I thought Rick Warren said they didn't think (isn't that what “thoughtless” means?). Jesus is clearly stating that these heathens were thinking that they would be heard. Furthermore, if vain repetitions is the problem Rick Warren is having with the prayers, why does he endorse teacher after teacher who promotes Roman Catholic vain repetitions in their form of meditation as well as in the Rosary? Rick Warren champions accuracy on Page 103, yet is very inaccurate in his reference to Matthew 6:7 as well as being inaccurate with his accounts of his 40 Day examples throughout Scripture.
PAGE 104
Rick Warren: “Try praising God without using the word “hallelujah, thanks or amen.” Try telling this to Frederick Handel who penned the Hallelujah Chorus which ONLY uses that word over and over, yet this choral piece is considered one of the most inspired works ever written. And how about the Four Creatures in Revelation 4:8 who NEVER STOP saying one phrase:
“Rev 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Following Rick Warren's instructions of trying to praise God without using the word “thanks” is a big problem if someone want to obey Paul's command in ALL things give thanks, for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus:
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
As for not using the word Amen, are we now being asked to try not ending a prayer with the word Jesus used when giving us instructions how to pray when he gave us the Lord's Prayer? Even in the Old Testament fourteen times we read: “And all the people shall say, Amen.”
PAGE 105
Rick Warren: “You have heard people say, 'I can't make it to the meeting tonight, but I'll be with you in spirit.' Do you know what that means? Nothing. It's worthless!”
We spend most of our time NOT in fellowship with other believers. We are therefore usually not physically with them when we pray for them. Paul was constantly praying for all of the churches he set up that up where he could not physically be present. To be present in body is certainly valuable. But if a believer can't be there physically, but is praying, don't call it “worthless!”
Copyright © Eastern Regional Watch Inc. 2003. All Rights Reserved.