Our society loves the latest “buzz.” When someone who has something “new” to say has made their mark in our world, it seems as if they are propelled to the forefront societal thought. Not only does this phenomenon happen in the world but also and unfortunately, this happens within the church; however, once these individuals are placed in the “spotlight” of the Christian arena, it does not take long to discover the motivating force that exists behind their assent to the mountain top of Christian “pop-culture.” With that said, one individual in particular had indeed made his mark upon the landscape of the church in America and in many ways, he has shaped the way that church has re-defined worship.
A few years ago, I attended a church that went through Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. At the time, I thought that it was a good idea for the church to spend the forty days in a focused study that somehow might prove beneficial to the Body. Since that time, I have come to recognize that the theology of Rick Warren is anything but Biblical. How can I make such claims? After all, that book has helped so many people discover that they are valued and that they serve a purpose in the Body of Christ. What about the news story of the hostage who used The Purpose Driven Life to touch the heart of her captor? Wasn’t that a “God” thing as well? I have a good friend who ga uges the theology of a Christian writer with a very simple thermometer: if it is on the New York Times best seller list and the world “loves it” then it must not be “Christian.” According to Jesus, that makes sense as he assured us that the world would “hate us” and everything that is associated with Him.
I do not know Rick Warren personally, but I can see the fruit of his life which he has chosen to put on display. Currently, Warren is attempting to find common ground among the world’s major religions and to somehow join us together in the name of “peace.” Believe it or not, this has everything to do with the Purpose Driven Life. Central to the book’s theology is “unity.” It was designed for churches to come together by a common means and experience life together and embracing our various differences which make us unique as God’s people. Enter the spotlight on Mr. Warren, and we can discover that he sees that God’s people extend beyond the confines of Christianity. Just like his book, we can comfortably accept our differences and celebrate our unique contributions which help us to discover the “purpose” for our lives in relation to God----whoever your god may be.
I’m not writing to demean or discredit Rick Warren but I am coming against the mentality what he has advocated to the Christian faith and is now infecting the church like a killer pandemic. First and foremost, God doesn’t believe in the Purpose Driven Life! He believes in the Christ Driven Life! Because without Christ at the very center of all we do, life has no purpose! The church has become too concerned with finding a “bridge” that will connect us with the world. God never called the church to “connect” with the world on any grounds. In fact, he has called us to “Come out from among them and be separate.” Too much of what the church does is in finding ways for people to discover their “purpose” in life. The Bible from cover to cover explains that very simply---to glorify God with all of our life! In other words, our purpose is to worship Jesus Christ.
The early church did not look for “common ground” with those in the world; rather, they preached the gospel. The Gospel message is not one of common ground between the world and the church. It is a declaration that the world has no ground to stand on while the church has the only ground that will keep them from falling into a “bottomless pit.” Because we have embraced the Purpose Driven theology, we have in essence created the church to be a place that is more concerned with people finding significance, purpose, and value for their lives than for people finding that they only thing in life which has significance, purpose, and value is Jesus Christ. It has become a place where we discover ways to conform to the Gospel to our lives as opposed to our lives being conformed to the Gospel.
Perhaps the biggest problem in the Purpose Driven mentality is its position on “unity” at all costs. While unity is important to the Body of Christ, it should never compromise the Word of God for the sake of “peace.” There are certain “differences” we can embrace in the church such as our gifts, personalities, and preferences; however, there are also absolutes which cannot exist as “differences” in the church. Sin is sin and should be dealt with as being “wrong” and not dismissed as having a different view which we need to “respect.” Erroneous beliefs and false doctrine should be exposed and those whose job is to confront it should not be “afraid” of offending the wayward party. Finally, worship should be pure and not centered upon pleasing the ear of men for the sake of making people feel “comfortable” in our pews. After all, the goal of worship is not for unity or for the church to discover their purpose on this earth. It is to glorify God and in that, unity will come and purpose will be found; but to approach worship in any other way will result in another item to the long list of destructive theologies which has sought to destroy the true purpose of the church.
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