One of America’s best known pastors, Rick Warren of The Purpose Driven Life, has teamed up with publishing powerhouse Reader’s Digest Association Inc. to develop a multi-platform network that will serve to train and connect millions of people worldwide who have found the best-selling book helpful and want more biblically-based advice on life.
“Since the book was published, we’ve received hundreds of thousands of requests from readers asking for more help,” said Warren, founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and the 162-nation Purpose Driven network of churches, in a statement this week.
To respond to the requests, Warren reached out to Reader’s Digest Association, which publishes in 79 countries, and asked if it could help publish the content of his new network, the Purpose Driven Connection, in a variety of high-tech and high-touch formats worldwide.
“We stopped several successful projects a couple of years ago to start preparing for this,” Warren said Monday, noting that planning and preparation took three years. “We’re thrilled to finally get to talk about it prior to the launch early next year. It is unlike anything else and has the potential to change hundreds of millions of lives.”
Three formats for the Purpose Driven Connection have been announced so far, and are slated to be introduced early 2009. They include a quarterly magazine titled, “Purpose Driven Connection,” small group multimedia materials for a national “40 Days of Love” emphasis, and a state-of-the-art Purpose Driven Connection social networking Web site.
Warren, who will be at the helm of all the platforms serving as editor-in-chief, anticipates more than a dozen formats emerging as the community grows and connects. Yet despite his large investment of time and effort into the project, Warren will not receive any money for his work.
“This is a labor of love,” Warren explains. “We want to help pastors help everyone else.”
The “Purpose Driven Connection” magazine will serve as the main platform in which all the other formats will connect. The magazine will feature stories of everyday people living out God’s purpose and making a difference with their lives.
For its premier issue, the magazine will feature some of the best-known Christian authors, including Tim Keller, Max Lucado, Bill Hybels, Anne Graham Lotz, Chip Ingram, Lee Strobel, Kay Warren and others.
Also included in the first issue are excerpts from Warren’s personal interview with now president-elect Barack Obama at the Saddleback Civil Forum in August.
Practical steps for growth and opportunities for service and mission will also accompany the articles and encourage readers to participate in opportunities using the related Web site.
"It is rare indeed to be able to call something 'revolutionary' in our highly-developed world," said Mark Affleck, executive director of Purpose Driven Connection. "This is just that - an entirely new and never-before-seen model for how people can not only discover their purpose in life, but to also interact with others through the online community, small group network and the global PEACE initiative."
Saddleback Church’s PEACE Plan, developed by Warren, is an initiative to mobilize millions of Christians to fight the five global giants: spiritual emptiness, self-centered leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy/education. Continue >>
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CP, I too am not comfortable with many of the seeker sensitive concepts, especially the watering down of the Gospel to keep from offending seekers. Plus I too saw where he stretched Bible verses to fit his point, but unfortunately too many preachers do that and the sad thing is often times their point is valid but they feel the need to justify it with scripture and when they can't find any they go to stretching rather than simply saying that even though I don't have a specific scripture to support this I have come to believe it is a valid point none the less. I felt the same way with several of the points made in the Purpose Driven Life, that they were valid but there was no specific scripture to support them and yet at the same time there was no specific scripture to invalidate the point either. Plus, I believe as Pastors and preachers we must always keep the words of Paul in mind when he said that the preaching of the Gospel will be an offense to some and I have come to believe that in our day the preaching of the Gospel has become an offense to not just some but many.
CP and Kone, I do agree that I'm not very comfortable with some of the things I have seen and heard from Rick Warren but I have also noticed even the SBC which I am a part of has somewhat distanced themselves from him as well. But at the same time I saw many new believers truly grow and mature as a result of doing the Purpose Driven Life and I've seen some churches truly come to life as a result of doing the Purpose Driven Community. Do I agree with everything they had to say no, but I truly believe that God has effectively used both in the life of the individual believer and the ministry of the local church. But as I said recently I have become very concerned by what I'm seeing and hearing from Warren.
I think the Church needs to do some serious rethinking about Rick Warren and his Purpose Driven gospel.
Will the gospel he presented in The Ladies Home Journal and elsewhere be the same gospel he presents in Readers Digest?
The Gospel According to Warren
http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/articles/read_articles.asp?ID=112
Will Rick Warren preach the same message this Christmas as he did last year?
A Mediocre Merry Christmas Message
http://letusreason.org/Current95.htm
Does Rick Warren twist and distort God's holy word in his latest book as he has clearly done elsewhere, especially in "The Purpose Driven Life" book and does this latest book of his obscure the full biblical Gospel and all it entails?
The Purpose of Christmas
http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/the-purpose-of-christmas.php
Who Is Rick Warren's "Lord"?
Nov 24, 1008
Warren's "next big thing" just announced:
He is partnering with Reader's Digest to launch quarterly digest and DVD for the "Purpose Driven Connection."
http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/church_issues/rick_warrens_lord.htm
Has Rick Warren redefined Christianity?
Redefining Christianity Radio Broadcasts
http://cicministry.org/radio_series.php?series=redefining
If all of this is true and I for one believe it is, every Christian should be proclaiming a loud warning, shouting even, from the roof tops. How many millions of people have being and are being deceived by Rick Warren and his Purpose Driven Movement? Should this cause all of us to tremble before the holy and awesome God?