Research: Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Market Driven

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Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Church Growth, Market Driven

Rick Warren is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, spawned a series of conferences on Christian ministry and evangelism. He is perhaps best known for the subsequent devotional, The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 30 million copies.

This must-watch video represents extensive research on the teachings, activities and partnerships of Rick Warren:

Concerns:

  • Shortly before his retirement, Saddleback Church went against the clear teaching of Scripture and ordained three women pastors. (2021)
  • Joined a highly ecumenical event that did not differentiate between Christianity, Roman Catholicism, or any other sect of Christendom to bestow an award to a Coptic woman who is known as  “Coptic Mother Theresa.” (2019)
  • Protoge of Peter Drucker, to create consumer-driven mega-church model
  • Cited as the father of the Emergent Church Movement.
  • A strong advocate of contemplative prayer, and encourages pastors to use Centering and Breath Prayers.
  • Signed on to “A Common Word Between Us” that seeks common ground between Muslims and Christians.
  • Gave the invocation at the presidential inauguration in January 2009, praying to Isa of the Qur’an along with Jesus.
  • New Age proponent Leonard Sweet, who calls himself an emergent church leader, trained many of Warren’s church leaders and pastors at the 2008 Saddleback Small Groups Conference.
  • Uses The Message paraphrase of the Bible for much of his writings.
  • Promoted on the “speakers corner” of the Islamic Society of North America, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and a financier of the Hamas terror organization.
  • Supports the work of Tony Blair and his global spiritualization movement.
  • Supports the “Catholics Come Home” campaign.
  • In spite of photo evidence, denied his involvement in King’s Way, a bridge-building movement with Muslims at Saddleback.
  • Creator of the controversial P.E.A.C.E. Plan
  • As part of the P.E.A.C.E. plan, his top missions pastor was photographed teaching that Muslims don’t have to convert to Christianity to be saved.
  • Created the The Daniel Plan: God’s Prescription for Your Health to get the folks at Saddleback Church healthy.  To create his alleged biblical plan, he elicited the aid of unbelievers — Dr. Mehmet Oz., a Sufi Muslim, Dr. Mark Hyman, a secular Jew and New Ager, and Dr. Daniel Amen, a professing Christian who dabbles in Eastern mysticism.
  • Promoter of the problematic The Bible, Son of God and A.D. miniseries, and packaged church sermons and video Bible studies.
  • Gathered with the Pope at the Vatican, along with Russell Moore, Muslims and Mormons to promote unity around family issues.

Helpful Articles

Helpful Websites:

Book:

Who’s Driving the Purpose Driven Church By James Sundquist

Video:

Rick Warren’s dangerous sugar-coated easy believism teachings

James Sundquist exposes false teacher Rick Warren

What the Bible says:

“I will also choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.” ~ Isaiah 66:4

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” ~ Matthew 7:15

This White Paper was written by Amy Spreeman & Marsha West