Redefining Christianity: Understanding the Purpose Driven Life Movement

By Bob DeWaay

Book Overview

The author of this book examines The Purpose Driven Church, The Purpose Driven Life, and the business system that Rick Warren has developed to promote it around the world. He looks carefully at his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977196437
• ISBN13: 9780977196432
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: 21st Century Press
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Devastating Critique of the Purpose Driven Movement

Bob DeWaay says that Rick Warren has redefined Christianity to make it more pleasing to pagans, but it is not the Christianity of the Bible. DeWaay contends that "The Purpose Driven Life" is "an unholy mixture of human wisdom, bad Bible translations, misinterpreted and misapplied scripture, approving citations of New Agers, mystics, an eroticist, a socialist, etc, combined with some of the truths of the gospel." DeWaay comes to this conclusion after two years of studying and researching the purpose driven movement. He calls into question Rick's ministry philosophy of ministering to a person's felt needs, turning the church of Jesus Christ into a business model of a franchise, and his use of Bible translations that make the point he wants to make even if the author of scripture wasn't making that particular point. The book goes through how Rick has repackaged and redefined Christianity to make it seeker friendly rather than biblically accurate. One of the most devastating chapters in the book is a discussion of Warren's many mishandlings of scripture. DeWaay shows how Warren applies Ephesians 1 to people in general when the text is speaking of Christians in particular. He also shows how Warren changes the meaning of certain texts such as Genesis 6:8, Matthew 16:25, and a number of others. He notes that if he would have taken the timeto chronicle all of Rick's Bible misinterpretations, it would have filled an entire book! Pastor DeWaay also charges that Pastor Rick is not preaching that the blood of Jesus is the only ground for salvation, and that people need to be saved from judgment. Bob also notes that in Christ's messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor, he never once criticizes them for not growing numerically, or for not being more seeker friendly. In fact, Jesus reserves some of His more poignant words for the smaller churches (Rev 3:8-13). This is a point that those in the Church Growth Movement would do well to ponder. Bob quotes from emails that people sent to him expressing their dismay that the Bible has been replaced in their parishes by copies of the Purpose Driven Life. DeWaay even points out that some pastors don't even write their own sermons anymore, they just preach the pre-packaged ones that Rick Warren wrote! I myself have scoured hundreds of Rick Warren's sermons. I have always been amazed at how well Rick applies spiritual truths to our lives, and equally amazed at how careless he is with the Bible. He frequently misunderstands what the text is saying, and more often than not quotes it to support his point rather than consulting it to see what point is being made. DeWaay also stresses that even though Rick probably believes all of the main teachings of the gospel, he doesn't emphasize them in his sermons or in his public statements, probably out of a desire to be more appealing. He calls on Rick at the end of the book to get back to preaching the Word. There are some places where I felt that Bob was being too har

Exposing the PDL franchise

Dewaay's first accomplishment is that he has written a book that is easy for lay person to understand. Redefining Christianity does not dive into deep theology but does offer two appendices (The Invisible and the Visible Church) and (The Churches of Revelation) that offer a deeper theological understanding of how the church is defined according to the gospel. Any Christian will be able to understand how Rick Warren's vision for the church is in direct opposition to the guidance described in the Bible. DeWaay takes the reader through Rick Warren's constant misuse of scripture for his own purposes. He demonstrates how Rick Warren purposely uses multiple translations to support a journey of self-discovery rather than an examination of our true sinful nature. He also heads off the criticism by Warren's supporters that Rick is actually quite orthodox in his own beliefs. Dewaay acknowledges that Warren may be orthodox in private but he fails to share that orthodoxy in public where it counts. Warren fears that such a public demonstration will hurt the numbers coming into Saddleback Church. DeWaay shares that Warren is running a church that appeals to the unregenerate by meeting their felt needs. This method does guarantee that the numbers of people coming to the church will increase. However, it will be at the expense of true gospel teaching and the bible believing Christians who will eventually be driven out. The book goes on to demonstrate that Warren has far succeeded his mentor Robert Schuller by duplicating his efforts in a form of a franchise model. DeWaay shares how pastors signing on to the Purpose Driven Church model are no different than those who sign a contract with McDonald's. The Purpose Driven Life model is one that if you follow the exact methods of Rick Warren your church attendance will grow by 20%. By signing the contract your role changes from pastor to a PDL franchise owner. Pastors who support the Purpose Driven Life will have a very difficult time with this book. They will find themselves in the uncomfortable position of opposing the gospel to justify their support for the church growth movement. However, in my opinion the best part of the book is not the refutation of Rick Warren. It is the clear explanation of what the church is supposed be according the gospel. What is the church? How is the gospel to be proclaimed? Who is the true head of the church? All these questions are answered as DeWaay puts the nail in the coffin of the watered-down gospel of Rick Warren. This is must read for those who wish protect the church, the bible and the true meaning of evangelism.

Biblical Grounds for Rejecting the PDL Movement

This book is a resourceful & painstaking effort on behalf of the author to methodically outline & expose the fundamental flaws with the Purpose Driven Movement. No stone is left unturned as chapter by chapter the problems with Rick Warren's best selling book are laid bare. The book certainly goes beyond `food for thought' as Mr. DeWaay persistently & effectively shines the light of God's holy word into many of the PDL myths... shaking it to its very foundation. When all is said & done...the verdict presented here...as is consistent with scripture...reveals a foundation which is weak & erroneous ...lacking in sound doctrine & theological accuracy. Many PDL readers believe Warren's seeker sensitive approach is harmless...inspired only by a sincerity to bring the lost into the church & see God's kingdom increased... & from the all outward appearances...that may seem to be the case. However after reading "Redefining Christianity' a sincere, genuine God seeking seeker will be hard pressed to come to that conclusion when presented with the overwhelming & abundant evidence that undoubtedly proves otherwise. The author exalts scripture over public opinion & reminds the reader to examine any Christian leader's doctrine over popularity. Chapter 10 certainly offers the `slam dunk' on the matter & ever so graciously points us back to Christ as the leader of the church, church movements or reformations... & there again Mr. DeWaay skillfully lays out the earmarks from scripture of a healthy church. If one is genuinely looking to gain a beneath the surface look into the heart of the PDL beliefs & even more importantly...whether those beliefs are biblically based...Mr. DeWaay's book will get you there from start to finish. This book has drawn a bold line in the sand...creating a well pronounced division between `easy believism' & the `hard to believe' stance. If you're searching for definitive answers...you won't be disappointed. Above all else, what is most notable about this book is that it's penned by the heart of a true shepherd, who obviously cares deeply for the spiritual well being of God's sheep.

Needed Salt To Hold Fast To Biblical Truth

The topics of the "seeker-sensitive" movement and Rick Warren's methodologies have been a major part of my life the past 3-4 years. I have devoured many books and articles about the Purpose Driven philosophy, especially after I began to have grave concerns about the changes brought into my church by my pastor after he attended a pastors conference sponsored by Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. Eventually, my wife and I were forced to leave that church (amicably) after private meetings with our pastor and a couple of deacons. In our church, Rick Warren started a slippery slope that included a softened and shortened sermon, dropping the name "baptist" from the church name, putting the hymnals in the church attic, selling the organ, needing earplugs to attend praise and worship time, watching an unicyclist parade through the sanctuary, participating in a live, interactive congregational marketing survey during church service time and starting a building program when neither attendance nor the budget supported doing so. Sound familiar? If not, these seeker-sensitive things will soon be coming to your church if Rick Warren has his say. The final straw was our discovery that our pastor was plagarizing and purchasing Rick Warren sermon series from Pastors.com and fellow church members had no clue that these sermons were not his own. Sorry, but Rick Warren has his tentacles into far too many areas and people don't recognize it. No wonder Jesus used the "sheep" analogy in describing humanity's ability to discern danger. Thanks for indulging me. I tell my story to lend some credibility to reviewing Bob DeWaay's book. In my studies and after reading this book, I quickly came to the opinion that Bob DeWaay's book is the most complete, accurate, and biblical response to the seeker-sensitive movement available. This movement has hijacked evangelical Christianity over the past decade or so and has now displaced countless bible-believing Christians from their churches. DeWaay has correctly analyzed that Rick Warren has created a franchise, similar to Ray Kroc with McDonald's restaurants. Local pastors, lacking Warren's homespunness and strength of personality, merely need to copy Warren's recipes and methods, and transplant them into their own community, directly (with some fees) from yuppie, wealthy Orange County California. By worldly standards, Warren's methodologies are wildly successful which is not surprising since the principles used are taken from modern psychology, Peter Drucker and the Harvard Business School. However in the process, the gospel of Jesus Christ (I Cor 1: 17-19) ends up being ignored in the quest to insert worldly wisdom. Warren's target audience, the infamous Saddleback Sam, does not want to hear about sin, the blood of Christ, Jesus' second coming as a judge and conquering king, and the past, present and future importance of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Warren simply gives Sam what he wants, not what he

Warren has designed a church for unbelievers

With 30 million copies of Purpose Driven sold, there are bound to be a few people looking for a second opinion - this book is exactly what they are looking for. DeWaay understands and documents the claims and gospel of Rick Warren, asking whether this is the gospel of the scriptures. Rick Warren claims to be leading a modern reformation of Christianity that will make PEACE in the world. Redefining Christianity made me wonder if what is promoted as a reformation might be something less and much more damaging to those who embrace Purpose Driven's message. The issues raised in the chapter reviewing Rick Warren's requiring members take oaths to join his church are especially disturbing. DeWaay examines requiring vows for church membership in light of scripture's commands and Luther's claim that such oaths are sinful. As I considered Purpose Driven, I read Richard Abanes' book that dealt with Warren's critics from the perspective of one who knows Rick Warren and attends his church. Rick's wife, Kay, even reviewed Abanes' book before it was released. This book was intended to silence Warren's critics and answer the unanswered questions. Instead, it simply documented the claims of Bob DeWaay. What I found most amazing in comparing these two books was that both Abanes and DeWaay agree on the basic facts and message of the Purpose Driven movement. One side believes it is a new reformation and the other documents concerns being expressed by many as their churches embrace the movement. Ultimately, we are left with the question, "Is Purpose Driven the next evolution of the gospel or has Warren redefined everything that is essential in Christianity itself?" I recommend buying the book and reaching your own conclusion.