Resource Library Reviews
The Purpose Driven Life (Rick Warren)
Audio book version of the New York Times #1 best-selling 40-day spiritual journey. (9hrs, 8-CD set)
| * According to its author, Rick Warren, 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: what on earth am I here for?
Like many journeys, such a spiritual journey is better not travelled alone, and this was a journey I took as we looked at the book in the Wednesday Evening Fellowship Group. The plan was that we read a chapter every other day (to fit in with the group’s schedule) and shared our experiences at the meeting every fortnight. The book sets out five main purposes: You were planned for God’s pleasure, You were formed for God’s family, You were created to become like Christ, You were shaped for serving God and You were made for a mission. I found the book brilliant and flawed in equal measure. Sometimes a simple question seemed to cut to the heart of a matter, such as “Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing that I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?” On the other hand, the thousand or so Bible quotations appear in a ‘pick and mix’ way, giving me the impression that scripture was there to serve the author’s argument, rather than the other way around. This way of using the Bible can lead to a slanted Christian faith, as directed by the author. To give an example, there was no mention of our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation; presumably this is not an issue close to Rick Warren’s heart. Reading this book has helped me think about what I am doing with my life. Now, I’ll continue my journey with Christchurch and leave Rick Warren’s book behind. Lawrence Clark |
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