Rating: 
Summary: A Very Helpful Book.
Review: I was introduced to the book through my pastor. He has been preaching a series called "Discovering Your Purpose" which he has besed on the principles found in this book. (You can hear these sermons online at Victorybaptist.homestead.com ).
As I read this book, I looked back on my seven years I've been a Christian and how many ways I could've (and should've) lived in light of the purpose God has me here for.
Friend, if you're a Christian (and if you're not one, you should be), and you want to know more about how to fulfill the purpose God has for you, this book is a must read. Friend, if God simply saved you for you to go to heaven, he would've taken you there right after your conversion, but instead, HE has work for you to do here.
My only real problem with this book is that Brother Warren uses some 15 different Bible translations in his text, and I think he should've stuck with the King James Version (or even using the New International Version, or New American Standard Bible would've been ok), and some of the translations used really stretch the limits of passages of scripture, but again all in all this is a really good book and can be very helpful in the life of any believer.
I hope that you will get this book and read it for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bible and the Purpose of Life
Review: This review is based on the hardcover edition.Should the Bible always speak to everyone in the same way? Rick Warren, the author of Purpose Driven Life, apparently thinks so in his latest book. Much of what he says about God, the Bible and man's relationship to God is not really new to those who have been raised up in American Protestant churches. What is new and orignal is his way of presenting his theology in an unconventional way given the fact that his approach to ministry at Saddleback Church is very unconventional (A Regular Purpose-Driven Guy, Christianity Today, November 18, 2002). He included numerous Bible quotations from many Bible translations rather than sticking with one particular translation. All Bible quotations are printed in italics and are footnoted. For example, he frequently quotes Romans 12:1 from 5 different translations: King James Version, New International Version, Today's English Version, The Message, and the Contemporary English Version. But he skillfully uses the appropriate translation which will reinforce the point that he trying to get across. My concern is that a typical reader who simply reads through the entire chapter without checking the Bible translation which he is familiar with or listens to a chapter read aloud may conclude that the Bible supports Warren's theology. The reader's success in finding the purpose of his life depends largely on how well he has understood Rick Warren's theological message. For example, on page 20 Day One, the reader discovers his identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Then on page 58 Day Seven, the reader learns how to accept Jesus as his Savior. On pages 9 - 12 of the book, Rick Warren presents his theological message as a 40 day quest to find the purpose of one's life and urges the reader to make a personal commitment. If the reader is not hooked by the time he gets to the end of page 12, it may be highly unlikely that he will finish the book in 40 days.
Rating: 
Summary: It's all about direction
Review: Pursuing the value, and virtue, of living right is what makes live worth living. An awesome book, regardless of one's personal religious beliefs. Thank you, Dr. Warren, for writing something that so deeply nurtures the spirit. Another book I'd suggest is I Wish I Never Told My Father I Didn't Like Cheesecake, by Dr. Simon Waters. Although secular, it too is profoundly inspiring.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I highly recomend this book! It is indeed the best book i have ever read hands down! i can read this book over and over, again and again, and never get tired of it at all!!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I've been studying this book, and it's been incredible. I've done one chapter a day, as the author recommends,which requires very little time and allows the reader to concentrate on one basic concept each day. It's really changing the way I think and how I interact with others and with God. I highly recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: Brings the bible into the present
Review: Before reading this book, I had always read books on purpose from a rational perspective. I found this book to be incredibly enlightening from a spiritual perspective. It made me rethink my values and I believe I have greater clarity of purpose as a result of the few hours I invested.
Rating:
Summary: Life-changing, dynamic book!
Review: If you want to be changed and challenged at the same time then read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Christians need to be Christ centered not church centered.
Review: I agree with the author that our purpose is in God and when we find Christ we find our purpose. However, in later chapters the author turns our attention to the importance of finding our place in and upholding 'the church'. This directs the attention to an institution and away from Jesus, some say it is the same thing but I beg to differ. (No doubt pastors love this book because it secures their positions more firmly but many pastors should not be elevated.) Teach Christians to follow Christ - not men.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Simplistic
Review: First off I'll say that the Holy Spirit will definitely use this book in some lives. However, over all, I feel that this book is much too simplistic. There are a LOT of both men and women who really struggle with some of these issues. In some cases Christian professional help might very well be needed in conjunction with prayer and bible study to help them get to the point of leading a purpose driven life. If an individual or a group studies through this book and no mention is made about Christian professional help along with prayer and bible study , some might neglect even considering Christian professional help and thus not get the help that they really need to lead a purpose driven life. As a result, there might be those who will tell their friends that they don't have enough faith when they might have a tremendous amount of faith, read the scripture and still suffer tremendously when the Lord could very well use a Christian professional to help them out. Like so very many Christian books out there, I see that very little to no no mention is made about Christian professionals being used by the Lord to help people with some real battles that they're facing. By not at least mentioning Christian professionals along with prayer and Bible reading the ones who are deeply hurting might not ever get the help that they need. The Lord many times uses trained Christian men and women in conjunction with prayer and the bible to heal. Also, very honestly, four to seven or eight pages per topic is not enough to adequately help.
Rating:
Summary: Appeals even to the nonreligious
Review: I'm not a very religious person but found this book to be comforting in the way it provides a framework for structuring one's life. Everyone is searching for something, and I believe Mr. Warren has led us to a simple, easy to understand set of principles to which we can direct our mental and physical energy. I do wish he wouldn't quote from the bible so much and instead tell things in his own words, though he does do a good job of explaining and interpreting the biblical passages. Overall, it was a spiritually uplifting process to read this book. I believe it's helped me with my struggle with depression, too. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".
|
