Rating: 
Summary: Paul Tillich it ain¿t
Review: If you're looking for ontological analysis of humanity, faith, God, Christianity -- this isn't your book. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a seemingly endless parade of bromides, encouragement and aphorisms -- this is your book. Contained within Warren's book are also several nuggets of thought, sometimes inadvertent. What follows are brief discussions of a few of them. "Without God life makes no sense" (p 21). As a post-existentialist, my response is "That's right--now what?" A major weakness of this book from my point of view is a failure to discuss premises, and the above quotation is an excellent example of this problem. A similar failure to examine premises in the existential context is Warren's statement that "There is a purpose behind every problem." The nine methods of worship, broken down by personality types, are Naturalists, Sensates, Traditionalists, Ascetics, Activists, Caregivers, Enthusiasts, Contemplatives, Intellectuals (p 103). An interesting breakdown that could be further explored. Worth thinking about. "When you are a baby Christian, God gives you lots of confirming emotions....But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies." This is a very interesting comment, and one wholly without scriptural or empirical foundation. It demonstrates a certain contempt for the role of emotion in religion, and seems particularly inappropriate for a Southern Baptist, whose bread and butter is emotion. "Peacemaking is not avoiding conflict...it is also not appeasement." (p 153). It's refreshing in these times of world conflict to know that there are sensible Christians out there who understand this. I can't tell you the number of times I have argued over John 2:15 with peacenik Christians. "Christianity is not a religion or a philosophy, but a relationship and a lifestyle" (p 183). This statement is asinine, and unworthy of any kind of pretense of intellectual honesty. The statement points out a problem I frequently have when talking to Christians, which is a tendency to engage in linguistic gymnastics instead of addressing the underlying issue. Warren brings up, then sidesteps, an important debate regarding predestination (pp 195-6). This a crucial Christian paradox, and one that deserves some discussion, even brief, if it's going to be addressed at all. In short, if you want a lightweight review of what Christians generally think you should be doing with your life, this is probably a good place to start. It's not a book for people looking for philosophical answers, or an intellectually challenging discussion of Christianity. Let me put is this way: if you read the chaprter headings and the bolded parts in each chapter, you've captured 90% of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Purpose-Driven and Market Driven
Review: In this volume, Rick Warren, founder of the famed Saddleback (mega) Church expands on some of the ideas in his previous "The Purpose-Driven Church". Warren tells us that we are created for God's purposes, those purposes being giving God pleasure, being a part of his family, becoming Christ-like, serving others, and spreading the Good News of the Gospel that Jesus has paid the price for our sins. It is pretty much Evangelical Chrstianity 101, peppered with rapid-fire Biblical quotes and memorable anecdotes. Someone who is looking for a basic primer in what the Christian life is all about could do alot worse than "The Purpose-Driven Life". I especially liked the fact that Warren doesn't assume that everyone reading this book is already signed on for the purposes he discusses. He even realizes that not all of his readers are even Christians. He hits the very basics with an exposition of the gospel and several calls for the unsaved reader to make the commitment to Christ. Another thing I particularly liked in the book was his discussion of how we can discover where we can be of most service to God's kingdom. He talks about several things here -- prayer, Bible study, spiritually discerning friends -- but it was refreshing to see someone say that what you are good at and what you enjoy are also indicators of where you can best serve God. When I was coming along twenty years ago or so, the standard line in most "fervent" evangelical camps was that what you were good at had nothing to do with what God wanted you to do, and that what you enjoyed should be avoided at all costs because it would just be a big distraction from what you really should be doing. I hope this means the Evangelical community is growing up a little. But there are a couple of problems with this book. Most egregious is Warren's insistance on quoting scripture from various "hyper-modern" translations like the CEV or the New Living Translation or even paraphrases like "The Message" or the Living Bible. (Don't tune me out here, folks. I am *not* in the "King James Only" camp!) Warren says he likes to quote from these versions because "... we often miss the full impact of familiar Bible verses, not because of poor translating, but simply because they have become so familiar! ... Therefore I have deliberately used paraphrases in order to help you see God's truth in new, fresh ways." What the reader (especially the "inexperienced" Christian reader that Warren is writing for) needs to realize is that the reason these translations and paraphrases sound so "new" and "fresh" is that they are just plain bad translations. They don't sound like the old translations because they are changing the meaning of what is being translated! Read this book with an NIV or an NASB Bible in hand and refer to it frequently! Something I find a little dangerous in this book is Warren's tendency to say things like, "The Bible tells us we are here for the following five purposes..." and "The Bible tells us God wants us to look at our lives in the following three ways ...." and so on. Why does this bother me? Think about it. If I can write a book that can reduce all the things the Bible tells us to a few short lists, then what do we need the Bible for anymore? Warren continually sends us back to the Bible, thank goodness, but it's not clear why he would feel the need to if his book really covers all the things he seems to imply that it does. Of less importance, but still worth mentioning, is Warren's style of writing. He likes short sentences and short words and lots of lists and little cute decorative pictures in the margins. He has definitely written this book for an American population that expects to see everything said through MicroSoft PowerPoint. So much for the book itself. Now, about the book in context. Like I said, if you're looking for a primer in basic Christianity, you could do alot worse. But I have a hard time understanding the curent Evangelical fascination with this book because it doesn't present anything that lots of other Evangelical books haven't been presenting (often more eloquently) for most of the past two centuries. The "Experiencing God" Bible study, which was a hit about ten years ago, comes to mind, as does J.I. Packer's classic "Knowing God". There is also Eric Liddel's "The Disciplines of the Christian Life", published posthumously in the mid eighties and John Stott's "Basic Christianity" from the late fifties. If you're new in town and aren't familiar with these older books, starting with Warren's book is just fine. But you really need to know that if you have these books already sitting on your shelf, you aren't going to learn anything new in "The Purpose-Driven Life." And then there's the marketing campaign. First, Warren, or Saddleback Church, or somebody has actually registered a copyright for the phrase "Purpose Driven". Crassness aside, isn't that a little like trying to claim that you invented the phrase "nutritious and satisfying"? And then there are all the Purpose-Driven (TM) paraphernalia you can buy: the Purpose-Driven Life Journal, Purpose-Driven scripture memory cards with mahogany wood card holder, the music CD, the videos, the t-shirt, the baseball cap, the Purpose-Driven Day Timer, the bumper sticker. (Now, half of those are real and half of them are my own invention. Can you tell which is which?) I'll end my sarcasm here and let all the paraphernalia speak for itself. End result: 4 stars for content and 2 for the horrid marketing campaign gives this book an average of 3.
Rating: 
Summary: What's It All About?
Review: Life. What's it all about? To partially answer that question, I recommend reading ----- like I have read ----- Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life", for the religious based perspective. For the rest of the story, I also recommend ----- like I have read ----- Remick's "West Point: Character Leadership .... Thomas Jefferson", for the secular/religious based perspective. Reading these two books have brought the meaning of life into clear enough focus for me so that, as a concerned parent, I can explain things to my children.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've ever read
Review: This book is a treasure. I've never read anything at all that packed as much helpful insignts into a single volume. I'm giving it to all my friends, kids, and grandkids. I just wish I'd read it years ago. It could have saved me from a lot of unnecessary problems and heartaches.
Rating: 
Summary: Prooftexting and misplaced emphasis
Review: The back cover of this book states that is a "groundbreaking manifesto on the meaning of life." The introduction states that "this is more than a book; it is a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life's most important question ...." This book did not live up to such promise. A major problem with this book is in prooftexting,selecting verses to support a given proposition. The author goes beyond prooftexting, however, by relying upon excerpts from unusual paraphrases to make his points. The back of the book contains an extensive list of scripture references, but once you start looking them up in any reliable translation will be sorely disappointed. Another major problem is a "soft", almost "gospel-lite" emphasis. Infrequent mention is made of the holiness of God, sin, our human flesh nature, the cross, absolute truth, commands of God, His sovereignty, and other concepts which are emphasized in the Bible but which might interfere with a good self image. There is an emphasis on family, on relationships, and even a section on how to be a global Christian. This is a warm, fuzzy, feel-good message, emphasizing what God can do for you. An entire chapter tells you why you should attend a church without once mentioning Hebrews 10:25. Another chapter discusses unity in the church as a primary goal,but there is no mention of standing for doctrinal purity or truth. There are parts of the book which appear to contradict each other (e.g., pp. 161, 146). In other places, doctrines which
vanished from the paraphrased scripture support pop up later in the book where they are given lesser emphasis (e.g., "its all for God's glory" gets short shrift on p. 310). The book is visually appealing, and endorsed by the right parachurch leaders, but exemplifies what is wrong with contemporary evangelicalism. The book could be used as an example of how not to use the the scriptures to support a presupposition. I could not recommend this book to any serious student of the Word.
Rating: 
Summary: Back to school
Review: Rick doesn't come up with anything we haven't heard before but pounds us with reminders of past lessons we have forgotten. I read each chapter and said to myself, yep I remember God teaching me that many moons ago. Ouch another kick in the pants! Like any good teacher, Rick draws insights from those who have gone down the narrow path before us, saints of old in this case. I was introduced to St. Theresa and Brother Lawrence.
Hey read the book. Takes 2 minutes a day. Very simple to read Take a month+ and remind yourself why we are here: to become more like Jesus and to lead others to Him. Thats it sister! Everything else is extras brother!
Chp 10 The Heart of Worship is the best. "You cannot fulfill God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. Surrendering to God is never a one-time event. There is the moment of surrender and there is the practice of surrender, which is moment by moment and lifelong"
Rating:
Summary: Purpose Defined
Review: My husband purchased this book having heard rave reviews from many sources. We began to read it together each evening after dinner. WOW what a blessing. In clear concise easy to understand language and examples, Pastor Rick Warren defines and paints a clear picture of our purpose in Christ. To realize that it is "not about me" but about God and how he desires a close,loving personal relationship in our lives. And that this closness and love needs to translate into a life of service for others. So far we have bought six, one for ourselves and given the other five away and we plan to order six more. We hope many will read and be blessed by this wonderful book!
Rating:
Summary: Great! Simple! Easy! Full of Wonderful Insight
Review: If you read only one book (beside the bible)....read this book...It will teach you so much in such a small amount of time...He wrote this book for the busy person which is why you read a chapter a day, let all the wonderful knowledge he says sink into your mind. This book is the good fruit eat it and pick the seeds out and grow another tree! I wish the bible was this simplistic...If you don't have the time to go to bible study..This book will tell you everything, or close too, everything you need to know to fulfill your purpose and take great joy in it...It does have some "pychy" to it for the person not quite full of faith yet or down in a rut, so if you want to lean on your own understanding you can but later the book will challenge you to let go of your life and then tell you what will happen if you do, why you should, and the great, great, great joy that comes from it when it tells you how and then what to do with the purpose god has for your life! Enjoy It!
Rating:
Summary: A greatness surrounds this book
Review: Some challenge the way we perceive life. Others try to force beliefs on us. This book tries to explain both, while inspiring the spirit within us. None have been this enlightening, at least not so magnificantly as this book. It changes the way we see ourselves through the light of our intuition, filtering through our spirit to a new consciousness. This book challenges all of those people who are yet to accept themselves and moves those people who have started to. This and another book called Dreams: Gateway to the True Self are among the most inspiring books I've read in the past decade. Dreams is about the transition of self from adolecence to adulthood by reflection of intuition onto the perceptions of reality by way of dreams, philosophy, and psychology. I highly recommend this book as a present or a personal gift to yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Supplement to the Bible for Direction and Purpose!
Review: Rick Warrren's new book is an excellent read for the person who desperately seeks direction and purpose for life. At the outset, Warren challenges us to believe that we were created for a far greater purpose than just the pursuit of happiness. The text is designed to be a 40-day ( a significant number in the Bible) devotion covering a particular topic and with a relevant Bible verse. Each chapter is around 10 pages and covers five major purposes: 1) You were planned for God's pleasure, 2) You were formed for God's family, 3) You were created to become like Christ, 4) You were shaped for serving God, and 5) You were made for a mission. Warren's purpose is to move the reader from a realization of being loved by God to challenging the reader to express gratitude by loving God and serving others in Jesus' name. Some of the more compelling topics covered were: developing a friendship with God (yes indeed, God wants to be your Friend!), finding a church and fellowship to belong to, dealing successfully with temptation, understanding how God shaped you, thinking like a servant, balancing your life, and living to please God and not man. "Purpose Driven Life" is helpful in that it validates what the Bible already said thousands of years ago. I am now in the process of writing what I believe to be God's purpose in my life. From now on, Lord willing, I will read this book starting January 1 of every year while expecting to learn new insights after each read. All in all, the book is highly recommended and is an excellent supplement to the Bible. Unbelievers will also be challenged to think deeply and critically about why they were created and what their purpose in life is!
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