Rating: 
Summary: Christian Fundamentaliism at it's finest.
Review: This book represents to me the scary black and white thinking that occurs in half of this country that in my opinion does nothing but divide and diminish the USA. It was given to me by a friend who belongs to an evangelical Christian church. I believe the gift was out of friendship yet was also coming from a place of, "You should be living your life like I live my life."This is the problem I have with Evangelical Christions like the author.... how dare you judge how I live my life! Living ones life with purpose is a noble goal yet to state that the ONLY way to live ones life with purpose is to folloow Jesus Christ or the modern understanding of his message is ridiculous. I couldn't stand this book and I lump it with others that have bastardized the true teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. I am certain that if Jesus was alive today, he would certainly not be a Republican, he would certainly not be a fundamentalist and he would give this book 2 stars. JESUS WAS A LIBERAL! Your time would be better spent reading "The Gospel According to Jesus"
Rating: 
Summary: VERY inspiring & thought-provoking
Review: For any of you that have wondered WHY you are here or WHAT is your purpose, this book will definitely assist you in answering that question. Rick Warren gives great definition on worhip and what it means to actually love God and serve Him.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, But Not Great
Review: I had high hopes for this book. So many of us struggle with issues of why we are here and what is our purpose in life. And when my church recently began a 40 days of purpose campaign (which involves reading a chapter a day and meeting once a week with a small group to view a video of Warren and discuss that week's reading), I was pumped to get started. Unfortunately, if you've read much previously on the subject of "why we are here" there's not a whole lot of new ground covered. The book simply has not been the revelation for me that, for example, "Wild at Heart" was. It is well organized and well written, and clearly designed to appeal to today's average reader who doesn't want to devote more than 5-10 minutes reading anything. I can see where it would be a wonderful starting point for someone new to Christianity or a Christian who has not previously explored any of the wealth of similarly-themed literature, but with few exceptions, I haven't really come across anything new. And this opinion is echoed by others I've spoken with. That being said, the book is well organized and Rick Warren has a lively, enviting writing style. The book won't bore you and even if you have read similar books extensively there is still some good advice in the book. I give Rick Warren credit for writing an entertaining and informative book. No doubt it will have a profound effect on a large number of people. I just wish it had covered more new ground along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Hogwash
Review: This collection of tripe is unbelieveable. It was given to me as a gift by an evangelical Christian co-worker. This particular person gives this book to everyone, and I did take the time to read it. I'm a person open to exploring new ideas but the nonsense in this book could only appeal to the person existing in the negative range of the self-esteem meter. I can see why some people would feel comfort in the idea that there is a greater force than themselves looking out for them. I can also accept that there are people who refuse to analyze things and take responsibility and would rather assign blame to an unseen entity for the things that go wrong in their lives. If you lost a job, it must be because God wanted it to happen, rather than the fact that you showed up late three mornings a week. Warren takes his theory to an extreme reminicent of greek mythology where the gods sit up in Mount Olympus influencing the actions of the mortals for their own amusement. Ultimately there is no personal choice or responsiblity because it is out of our hands as mere mortals. Instead of wasting your money on this book go out and take control of your life. If you hate your job, find another! Get rid of your poisonous SUV and buy a cleaner car. Plant a tree to create clean air. Send money to Amnesty International to help fight human rights violations. Clean your nearest beach. There are thousands of things you can do to help yourself and others. Yes, some things are out of your hands, but most things are not. Humans are powerful individuals, but the first step is recognizing our power.
Rating:
Summary: What happened to the five star reviews?
Review: It appears that since last Friday, MARCH 12 a dozen or so five star reviews have been deleted from this book website. As far as I know, only the publisher or an Amazon employee has the ability to delete a review. Obviously, Mr. Warren would not have 5 star reviews deleted. Heck he doesn't have the scandalous reviews deleted so why would he have a five star review deleted? Obviously he wouldn't. Which brings us to the question, why is Amazon having five star reviews deleted from one of the most popular and productive books available today? Doesn't make any sense. Another thing, The Purpose Driven lIfe is rated as the #2 best selling book in America today except at Amazon. Again, it appears as though something is seriously wrong with Amazon or the people that they let in control. Easy to see why Barron's wrote such a negative article on Amazon in their current issue, why more and more people are taking their business elsewhere and why AMZN stock is sinking like a rock in water. Amazon, I hope you get your act together before it is too late! The Purpose Driven LIfe is an OUTSTANDING book and a must read by anyone who wants more out of life. Er, more than just writing negative reviews and trying to become a "Top whatever" at Amazon. Perhaps Amazon should change that to "Top Loser" at Amazon (doesn't apply to all Amazon readers who have honestly earned a "top ranking at Amazon just one individual who is way off course) Amazon: Is it really worth it?
Rating: 
Summary: Not sure what all the fuss is about
Review: I got this book as a gift and I really liked the first half of the book, when I got to the second half it seemed like all the themes were revisited and watered down... almost like the author was stretching to having something for all of the days in the book. It is thought provoking to some extent. My advice is to check it out of your local library and save yourself the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Everyone including the author seems to have missed the point
Review: Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life appears by design to be aimed at those unversed in theology, probably even unchurched which is a noble goal and the critics who castigate him for his failure to be scholary are off base. Rick Warren has achived the goal of reaching those with little or no knowledge of funtional Christianity the problem is that it appears the majority of them are in the churches claiming to be Christians already. This has lead to these churches responding to the members interest by incorporating the book into study groups etc. which is hardly what it was designed for and of couse when used this way it garners criticism some of it quite just. Warren is to be commended or at least his publisher is to be commended for gathering public interest. The problem is that once such interest is gathered there are only gleams here and there of the gospel in his writing and these mostly removed from the logical and practical Biblical basis that would really enable the reader to gain the value of a purpose driven life. Yes there are a few glaring blunders of inconsistent theology which are concerning; mostly though, the author tries to present an overly simply gospel message. There are times when the author stand so close to vital information that you are sure he is going to talk about it in the next sentence or the next page, but it never quite happens. Some how Christ combined simplicity easy enough for children to understand, with deeply challenging personal truths which forced His hearers to make life altering choices while never robbing them of the freedom to choose for themselves. If the Purpose Driven Life had delievered a message worthy of it's title I would have heartily recomended it. In short - a much misused book which might have been a great deal better, but which is now going to have a place in publishing history not so much because of its message, but its popularity.
Rating:
Summary: The Foundation of Christian Faith
Review: I find this book to be a very practical guide to living your Christian faith in this world. Some reviews stated it was oversimplified or referring to Chrisitianity too much. This is a book about living a Christian life!! One of its gifts is breaking down our Christian faith into five purposes which we can assimilate into our daily lives. And in light of this, why would it reference other religions, especially mythology? I have found new meaning in life through my Chrisitian faith. I was proud to keep an open mind and integrate other religions into my life, but now I see the greater benefit in focusing on my Christian faith while respecting other religions and seeking similarities between them. This is a wonderful book for both old and young, and those new to the faith and those who have been practicing their faith for years. It is a refreshing look at all we believe in and it brings our faith to life. A MUST read for those seeking guidance and a deeper Christian faith in their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Too many references to Christianity
Review: The author seems to rely very heavily on the Christian scriptures, which are faulty in many ways. This would be a much better book if he had drawn on a variety of religious teachings, not just those of Christianity. For example, in the Hindu bible, written more than three thousand years ago, the Saviour Krishna 'went down to hell to preach to the inmates of that dark and dreary prison, with the view of reforming them, and getting them back to heaven, and was willing himself to suffer to abridge the period of their torment.' Krishna lived at the conclusion of the bronze age, which is about eleven hundred or twelve hundred years before Christ. And then there's Thulis - After suffering a violent death, he was buried, but rose again, ascended into heaven, and there became the judge of the dead, or of souls in a future state. He came down from heaven to benefit mankind. Rick Warren could have done a lot with this guy. And of course Dionysus - In some tales it is simply said that shortly after his burial he rose from the dead and ascended up to heaven; or that Zeus raised him up as he lay mortally wounded. While Christians believe Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, the Koran says that Jesus only appeared to have died. These are some of the other religious ideas that could have benefited this book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Pablum
Review: I am a Christian and had high hopes when I purchased this book, but have been quite disappointed. I was hoping for more insightful and inspired discussion about the ways Christ's teachings can change our lives. What we get is simplistic and superficial. The underlying logic is often contradictory. Also, it seems that every other paragraph has a sentence that starts "The Bible says.....". Then these biblical passages are ruined by the use of a variety of new age tranlations that try oh-so-hard to sound "hip" and relevant to our times. And the author even admits he takes artistic liberty with THESE translations to get his point across. No substance. Son of Oprah. Then the last part of the book is him trying to sell you stuff. I'm all for wanting to see Christian books succeed, but if a non-Christian would pick up this book out of curiosity, he would walk away thinking "they're non-thinking lemmings".
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