Rick Warren-Watch: Some Resources

There are a few broken links which we left here. 

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/213-rick-warren-research

Articles
Contra
The Adulation of Man in the The Purpose Driven Life by Richard Bennett.
Discerning a Christian Flip-Flopper: Why Rick Warren Has Critics by Chris Carmichael.

[I]t should come as no surprise that Rick Warren has cultivated many critics within Christianity who are coming to see that his inconsistent teachings are an indication of a double-minded man. Truly the Saddleback pastor has exhibited strong signs of being a Christian flip-flopper on many occasions, and this has made many discerning Christians rightfully wary of him, especially considering the prominence and influence of his ministry.

Purpose Drive Life - Church by Robert Wise.

I have studied this subject extensively and I can without reserve say that Rick Warren and his newest “purpose” are deceiving churches and preachers. There are numerous Scriptural errors in this book. I believe that most people who read it will ascertain that the book seems to be a good read and a practical book giving decent advice, while not Discerning that the book is filled with dangerous errors and is loaded with tons of "New Age" philosophies. The book does cover a lot of basic teachings for new Christians in a sense, but the biggest problem is that there is no conviction, repentance, or actual absolute reliance on the Master for our life sustaining needs. There is a lot of fluff . . . milk instead of meat of the word.

Rick Warren Connections "Especially to the Ecumenical Third Wave New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and "Positive Thinking" Movement ". Compiled by Sandy Simpson.
Rick Warren's Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan vs. Scriptural Teachings on Peace by James Sundquist. For some background information, see The Purpose-driven Pastor.

Dedicated to the churches of Jesus Christ our Savior in the 67 countries in which Rick Warren has tested his pilot P.E.A.C.E. Plan in 2005, the 131 countries[1] he has been working on for the last two years, to those who speak the 56 languages in which Purpose Driven Life has already been translated, and to rest of the nations throughout the uttermost parts of the earth that he has targeted to consummate the roll-out for his plan in 2006. This is also dedicated to the tens of thousands of churches which have already been stolen by Rick Warren's teachings and to the saints who were purpose-driven from those churches for opposing his teachings and covenants, many of whom now have no church and to all of those pastors and church members still on the fence about Rick Warren's teachings.. We hope this will help alert you to the magnitude and scope of this religion and movement and sound an alarm to those Christians who have never heard of Rick Warren.

Rick Warren: Jesus Would Not Have Approved By Matt Hutaff, on The Simon (blog): "Rick Warren is no innovator. He's just another pastor who treats Christianity like big business... and business is good."
Pro
Living with purpose "A philosophy of faith and service moves hearts and minds." Chicago Tribune, Apr. 25, 2004. (Posted at the web site of Saddleback Church, which is pastored by Rick Warren).
The Man With The Purpose "Rick Warren’s plan for spiritual fulfillment is making him America's most influential spiritual leader." TIME magazine, Mar. 29, 2004. (Posted at the web site of Saddleback Church, which is pastored by Rick Warren).

Books

Contra
Deceived on Purpose By Warren Smith. Mountain Stream Press (December 12, 2004).
Redefining Christianity: Understanding the Purpose Driven Life Movement by Bob DeWaay. 21st Century Press (January 22, 2006).

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 claims, his use of scripture, his integration of human wisdom with scripture, and his ability to get thousands of pastors to convert from expository Bible preaching to being Purpose Driven. In the end he compares Rick Warren’s version of "church health" with that of Jesus Christ. The reader will see how Rick Warren has indeed redefined Christianity. [...] Bob DeWaay is the senior pastor of Twin City Fellowship in Minneapolis, Minnesota.- Source: Amazon.com reviews

Who's Driving the Purpose Driven Church? A Documentary on the Teachings of Rick Warren by James Sundquist. Bible Belt Publishing (November 2004).
Pro
The Purpose-Driven Church by Rick Warren. Nelson Books (November 27, 1995).

The thesis of The Purpose Driven Church is that when churches think first about their health, growth is sure to follow. "If your church is healthy," writes Rick Warren, "growth will occur naturally. Healthy, consistent growth is the result of balancing the five biblical purposes of the church." These five purposes are to "Love the Lord with all your heart," "Love your neighbor as yourself," "Go and make disciples," "[Baptize] them," and "[Teach] them to obey." And those purposes can only be accomplished, argues Warren, when church leaders stop thinking about church-building programs and shift their focus to a "people-building process" involving fellowship, discipleship, worship, and evangelism. Warren, the founder of the fastest-growing Baptist church in American history, has taught seminars to thousands of pastors from all over the world, many of whom have successfully implemented his techniques.- Source: Amazon.com reviews

The Purpose-driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren. Zondervan (October 1, 2002).

The spiritual premise in The Purpose-Driven Life is that there are no accidents---God planned everything and everyone. Therefore, every human has a divine purpose, according to God's master plan. Like a twist on John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural address, this book could be summed up like this: "So my fellow Christians, ask not what God can do for your life plan, ask what your life can do for God's plan." Those who are looking for advice on finding one's calling through career choice, creative expression, or any form of self-discovery should go elsewhere. This is not about self-exploration; it is about purposeful devotion to a Christian God. The book is set up to be a 40-day immersion plan, recognizing that the Bible favors the number 40 as a "spiritually significant time," according to author Rick Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, touted as one of the nation largest congregations. Warren's hope is that readers will "interact" with the 40 chapters, reading them one day at a time, with extensive underlining and writing in the margins. As an inspirational manifesto for creating a more worshipful, church-driven life, this book delivers. Every page is laden with references to scripture or dogma. But it does not do much to address the challenges of modern Christian living, with its competing material, professional, and financial distractions. Nonetheless, this is probably an excellent resource for devout Christians who crave a jumpstart back to worshipfulness.- Source: Gail Hudson, Amazon.com reviews

Rick Warren And The Purpose That Drives Him: An Insider Looks At The Phenomenal Bestseller by Richard Abanes. Harvest House Publishers (July 2005).

Books / Study Guides Online

A Berean's Discernment Tool for the Purpose Driven Life

One frustration experienced by readers of The Purpose Driven Life is that most of the Biblical citations fail to designate which translation is cited in a specific text of the book. The reader must go to the footnotes for the particular chapter to find out which passage is referenced and in which translation. The other problem is that Rick Warren often employs partial citations of verses rather than the whole verse. These problems make it difficult to discern whether the Bible actually support the point he is making. We have created a series of files that resolves this problem -- one for each day of the 40 days of purpose. In the left column on each page we show the passages that Warren cites just as he cites them; and in the right column next to Warren's verse we show the full verse from the New American Standard Version of the Bible. [...] It is up to you to determine whether Warren has made valid use of the passage.

Multimedia

Commentary: Rick Warren's View of Revival [Audio] by Dr. Alan Cairns, Pastor of Faith Free Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC.
Spirit-Led or Purpose-Driven? [Audio] by Mark Franklin, pastor of Hardingville Bible Church in Hardingville, NJ.

News and News Archive

Rick Warren news tracker, provided by Religion News Blog
Additional news items that include the term Rick Warren

Web Sites

Purpose Driven Official web site for the purpose driven programs
Saddleback Church Official web site of Saddleback Church, pastored by Rick Warren

Rick Warren Videos