Veneration Gap (09/11/06 - 41 Comments)
A week ago Suzanne Sataline published an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "Veneration Gap: A Popular Strategy For Church Growth Splits Congregants." The article examines several examples of churches that have experienced great trial and turmoil as a result of attempting to become Purpose Driven. The article does not seem to be an attempt to prove that Purpose Driven principles are inherently evil or that they always cause conflict. Rather, it seems that...
Rick Warren Must Have A Great Editor (07/31/05 - 0 Comments)
This morning I received an email from Rick Warren. Yup. Rick took time out of his Sunday morning, which I assume is quite busy, to send me an email. I would have thought he'd be busy putting the final touches on his sermon or perhaps praying, but no, he emailed me to ask if I can help him with a very special project.
I noticed that his style of writing is a little bit different in this email than in his books. All I can conclude is that he must have a really good editor - one he did not consult prior to sending me this email.
Book Review - Deceived on Purpose (01/14/05 - 0 Comments)
Deceived On Purpose is probably the most important contribution in the ongoing discussion about Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life and all things Purpose Driven. It is one of only a couple of book-length treatments of the subject and the one that brings the most to the table. The author, Warren Smith, is a former New Ager who, after being saved, researched and has written extensively on the topic of spiritual deception. Having been immersed in the New Age movement for many years, he is sensitive to the inroads of New Age beliefs into Christianity. He says "Because of my New Age background, I have written this book Deceived on Purpose to specifically address some of the New Age implications of these purposes [for the church]." His discussion of the New Age implications of The Purpose Driven Life merits consideration by all concerned believers.
The author is clear from the beginning that this book is not a mix of positives and negatives. He believes that Rick Warren is leading the church astray and will mince no words in defending the Body of Christ. Leafing through the book, the reader might be surprised to see how much of the book is dedicated to a discussion of Robert Schuller. As a matter of fact, I suspect the book has more references to Schuller than to Warren. Why this apparently misplaced emphasis? Smith contends that many of Warren's ideas and beliefs were shaped by Schuller. Hence to learn about Schuller is to learn about Warren.
Book Review - Transitioning (01/14/05 - 0 Comments)
If The Purpose Driven Church is the "what" and "why" of the church growth movement and all things Purpose Driven, Transitioning represents the "how." "If the thought of switching from a traditional church to a purpose-driven church leaves you with mingled feelings of excitement and fear, good! It means that, as a pastor, you know the incalculable worth of aligning your church with God's vision...Transitioning is written for you." (From the back cover). We also learn from the cover that the book will help a pastor and congregation navigate change and attain rewards that far exceed the risk. Essentially, this book is a how-to guide for changing an existing church from program-driven to purpose-driven. It is written by Dan Southerland, but endorsed by Rick Warren who says that Southerland's church is "one of the most exciting and encouraging examples of transitioning from being program driven to purpose driven." (From the foreward)
I always take the time to read the author's bio that is generally on the back cover of a book as it usually outlines the author's credentials, providing the reader with some confidence that the author is worth learning from. As if to emphasize the concerns of those who believe that the church growth movement is driven by pragmatism, the author's bio says "Dan Southerland is the pastor/teacher at Flamingo Road Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida - a purpose-driven, contemporary congregation that has grown from 300 in 1989 to over 2,300 today and launched seventeen other churches." The author's sole credential is that he has made the Purpose Driven principles work by seeing the requisite numerical growth.
Book Review - This Little Church Went To Market (12/08/04 - 0 Comments)
Though I have never met him, Garry Gilley has had a signficant impact on my life. He was one of two people who was most influential in my decision to begin this web site and to review books. His many book reviews were very helpful to me and made me realize that if he could review books and post them on the web, I could too. I have long wanted to read his books and just recently was given a copy of This Little Church Went to Market.
This book is a damning indictment of the market-driven churches that are so popular today. Having extensively studied the issues Gilley writes about in this book, I am comfortable saying that this is the best introduction to "the church in the age of entertainment" that I have read. Gilley contends that the church has sold out to our culture so that the influences of the culture have become the influences in the church. The most significant forces pressing against the church are entertainment, market driven philosophies and psychology. These three are largely absent from the Bible, yet are startlingly prevalent in evangelical churches. The leaders and issues he concentrates on most are Rick Warren and his book The Purpose Driven Church, Bill Hybels and Lee Strobel.
Decisional Regeneration (11/24/04 - 4 Comments)
Last weekend Billy Graham preached at what may be his final crusade, preaching before up to 82,000 people at a time. A headline at Pastors.com proclaimed the crusade a great success, indicating that some 12,000 people made decisions for Christ. In a previous article I expressed concerns with Graham’s ecumenism and the fact that Roman Catholic counselors would be present at the event and any people who made decisions and indicated they were from a...
The Newly Redeemed? (11/11/04 - 0 Comments)
This morning I was reading a book by a very well-known Christian pastor and author (and no, his initials were not R.W.) which discusses Christian leadership. In one section he speaks about a friend of his who has dedicated his retirement years to helping his local church, volunteering on a continual basis and delighting in his ability to do work for God’s Kingdom. The author relates how he once watched the man looking over a...
Seeker Services (10/25/04 - 1 Comments)
Every week Rick Warren sends out his Ministry Toolbox and it seems he always gives me something to think about. As the man at the leading edge of evangelicalism these days I always pay attention to what he says, for I know it will be only a matter of weeks before many churches follow his lead. This week he addresses the topic of seeker services, saying that when he started Saddleback he immediately "decided to...
Worshipping The Seeker (09/28/04 - 3 Comments)
I believe our churches need to be seeker sensitive. There, I said it! And not just a little bit seeker sensitive either. I believe they should be wholly, entirely given over to the idea of seeker sensitivity, for this is the highest calling of a church. Hear me out. Seeker sensitivity in our day seems to be associated with shallowness in doctrine, in worship and even in Christian disciplines. We see churches packed to the...
Book Review - Who's Driving The Purpose Driven Church? (09/24/04 - 2 Comments)
While much has been written about the church growth movement and Purpose Driven principles, I believe that Who’s Driving The Purpose Driven Church is the first book-length treatment dealing specifically with this topic. The title is slightly deceptive, as this book deals particularly with Rick Warren’s best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life which has sold nearly 20 million copies in just two years. The book purports to be a “documentary on the teachings of Rick...
40 Days of Community (09/21/04 - 31 Comments)
In the past few days I have noticed a surge of interest in the 40 Days of Community program, the follow-up to the 40 Days of Purpose program some 20,000 churches have already participated in. The initial launch of 40 Days of Community is the Fall of this year, which would explain the increased interest in the program. The next launch is Spring of 2005. While the materials for the 40 Days of Community program...
Book Review - Hard To Believe (08/17/04 - 1 Comments)
“Hard to Believe” is another hard-hitting, no-holds-barred strike against the modern church. Much as he did years ago in “Ashamed of the Gospel”, MacArthur takes aim at easy-believism and a watered-down, seeker-friendly gospel. In particular, he criticizes the influence of those who preach self-esteem, a health and wealth gospel and aim to be overly seeker-friendly. This book forceful – so much so that there were several places where the force of his words and his...
