Issues with “The Purpose Driven Life”
So we are reading The Purpose Driven Life along with most of our church. It has some good stuff in it, but I keep getting hung up on Warren’s view of the will of God and human free-will.
Am I crazy to think that God does not create bad situations to “test” or “grow” us? According to Warren, everything is orchestrated by God. He says on p. 195, “God is pulling the strings.”
I’m already more than halfway through the book and I’m going to finish it this time (I closed it in frustration a couple years ago before getting out of the first section), but am I the only one pausing every few sentences and questioning some of the basic free-will issues in the book?
Don’t get me started on the Purpose Driven Day-Planner or the Purpose Driven Coffee Mug … 
cw
October 25th, 2005 at 10:20 am
chris, you are not crazy. i am not a real big fan of the book on a number of fronts, your issue is one of them, another is that the book doesn’t take into account the necessary conditions for spiritual growth in people other than the white middle class suburbia. Spiritual vitalit does not come from a formula or a 40 day step by step, it comes from a group of people working out their faith in their own context, wrestling with God and struggling to make heads or tails of the Gospel and the leadings of the Spirit where they are. So maybe it helps some, it isn’t a blanket fix for everyone. This is why the God tests us thing doesn’t work. It easy for me an educated middle-class white male to think of God as testing me, I have a nice home, a car, sweet stuff in my home, money to pay my bills and good food to eat. But what about others, my friend who was sexually abused by her brother? I am going to have to say God was not testing her on that one! Rather, God is more horrified by such as act than we are, he is scandalized by that, and in my mind was even being sexually abused with that little girl. This is true, if the Scripture really means that Christ faced every kind of pain and temptation here on earth, and I belive that Christ really does enter into the pain we deal with in order to struggle with us in it, help carry us through not test us. This view of a “crucified God” or “abused God” the “God who hurts with and for us” would not work well in a 40 days of purpose book, but it would be more truthful and honest for all people everywhere. Hope this is useful for you.
October 25th, 2005 at 10:30 am
I also went through the book with my church. Was not one of my favorites. Could never lay my finger on what bothered me so, but it was a forced march.
November 13th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
well, that will be my site soon.
I have the domain, just not the content up…waiting on CHad for that one. I am planning on having a forum, though and want to have one of the areas as this kind of discussion. I think it would be a lot of fun. At the same time…I want to have general talk about stuff that would not scare non-believers away at the same time! 
…maybe sports (Spurs and Colts…yes I will be biased on my team opinions there, but everyone else can be, too! Ha!), LOST, slurpees, LOTR:BFME (ohhh, I miss it!), etc. The site and idea of this all came from the John Fischer book “Finding God where You Least Expect Him.” I recommend you read it…then we can discuss it!!! IF the site is finally done and up by then! Ha! P.S. Still don’t have my camera yet. Maybe I’ll have it by Christmas. Sheesh!
smell ya later
aj