So today has inadvertently become “Rick Warren Day” here at Book ‘em Benj-O. But that’s all right. As I dredged up my thoughts on The Purpose Driven Church, I thought that I ought to do a companion review of The Purpose Driven Life. And here we are.
In The Purpose Driven Church, Warren delineates five major purposes of the church:
- Worship
- Ministry
- Evangelism
- Fellowship
- Discipleship
The follow-up book applies the same kind of appointment to personal life that has been afforded corporate life in the church. The author makes this application in the process of answering the question: What on earth am I hear for?
In correlation to the five purposes of the church, Warren finds five purposes in life:
- Worship
- Fellowship
- Growth
- Service
- Evangelism
If you look closely, you will discover that, according to Rick Warren’s ideology, the Christian’s life and the Church’s life are following the same pattern in their purpose.
What’s missing that was so great in the PD Church is the neat baseball diagram and analogy. Who wouldn’t love to approach life as a baseball game, seeing success each time they cross home plate? Instead we have the graphic picture of a tree—each purpose addresses some component of a healthy oak tree—the roots, trunk, limbs, leaves, and fruit.
If you’re a fan of Warren and the purpose-driven model, this book is for you. If you want to be inspired to become a better Christian, this book is for you. If you view all Christian Living books as so much drivel, you’ll probably be disappointed in this read. I’d offer it anyway because Warren uses the same easy style as with his preaching. You won’t be required to think any deeper than you like. That is a plus about Warren’s writing. You can enjoy the book if you just want to be inspired, or if you want to tear it apart for deep theological thinking. All sorts of readers can enjoy their own level of involvement with this book. And you wonder why it sells so many copies? Get yours today.
—Benjamin Potter, March 28, 2007
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