Chapter 8 begins with the sad evidence of the disjunction between Warren’s private beliefs and public statements. In wanting to remove the offense of the gospel, his statements on the Christian faith become little more than feel-good platitudes. The author supplies transcripts from various public statements made by Warren and they are the typical friendly comments towards other religious beliefs which undermine the claims of exclusivity of the Christian gospel. It is completely unacceptable for any Christian to consistently profess one thing in private and another in public. As DeWaay notes:

“Many do not want to make this confession because such statements make it impossible for them to be popular with the world. Those motivated by the Spirit of God will be like Christ [and] confess the person and work of Christ publicly and forthrightly and be more than willing to suffer ridicule and scorn as the result.”

I won’t say very much about the branding of the PDL discussed in Chapter 9. It is quite disheartening to think that the PDL Church-in-a-box solution has been well-received. That pastors can choose from a series of pre-prepared sermons speaks volumes to the time and effort they pour into their “calling”. There are faithful men who commit hours to study and preparation every week so that they may feed the sheep the Lord has given them. Yet it is men like this that Warren considers failures. As DeWaay puts it:

“It is important to realize, as we ponder these questions, that according to Rick Warren’s own definitions, the pastors of most churches are failing. Moreover, by his defintion, many of the Old Testament prophets, such as Jeremiah, were also failures.

The last chapter contrasts the biblical definition of a healthy church with that espoused by Warren. To do so, DeWaay adduces the Lord’s admonitions to the seven churches in The Revelation and shows quite convincingly that Christ’s measures of a healthy church are considerably different than those of Warren.

Perhaps the most telling example DeWaay writes of is the degree of tolerance a church has for false doctrine and teaching. He notes:

“Jesus commends those who refuse to tolerate false prophets, false apostles, and false teaching. That Christ’s apostles were like this is seen in the many warnings against false teaching found in the New Testament. Local churches are responsible to stand for sound doctrine and to correct false doctrine.”

As DeWaay has shown in the previous chapters and highlighted in the first two parts of this review, not only is false doctrine tolerated in these mega-churches, but it forms the basis for the PDL paradigm. Rick Warren approvingly quotes many false teachers and unbelievers throughout the PDL. What this movement really amounts to is a variant form of liberalism. The scriptures may be upheld privately in word, yet the teachings contained therein are functionally denied.

Now, many may think that Bob DeWaay is just looking to take a shot at a big target merely for the sake of shooting. There are times when many critics do just that. I think it is quite a different thing for those who have been exposed to such an aberration; they have witnessed the dangers first-hand and want others to be warned. Besides exposing that which is unbiblical, DeWaay concludes with a passioned plea to Rick Warren himself, asking him to measure his Purpose Driven theology against the word of God. He calls him to repentance and asks him to use his powerful platform to boldly proclaim the biblical gospel based solely on the atoning work of Christ. Wouldn’t such a turnaround be a glorious testimony to the grace of God!

I have not done DeWaay’s work justice as there is much biblical exegesis, along with many citations provided from Rick Warren that could not be commented on. It is with that in mind I urge you to purchase this book if this ‘redefined Christianity’ in any way affects you or anyone you know. It can be purchased [1] here.

Darren Brooker is a friend of mine who lives in Canada, a true believer in the LORD Jesus Christ.  He has closed his personal blog, THE OLD PATHS, as the LORD had need of him to research and write valuable biographies of Horatius Bonar, Andrew Bonar and other important works for the folks at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.  Although these three articles on Rick Warren were written nearly four years ago, they are the best reviews I have read which encapsule and make clear the false teaching of the Purpose Driven movement.  Rick Warren and anything Purpose Driven connected with him are about “Church” growth, not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is the apostate Church of the days before the return of the LORD Jesus Christ.  It’s NOT about furthering the Kingdom of God.  It’s utterly false in every way.  What fellowship hath darkness with Light?