Purpose Driven & the Puritans

Posted on by Will

Rick Warren in his book the Purpose Driven Life attempts to answer the question what is the purpose of life. Warren states “We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives” (PDL 25). Would you be surprised that this sounds like the Puritans?

The Puritans in their children’s catechism asks the question “what is the chief end of man?” They answered “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

Some have critiqued Warren by stating that his book the Purpose Driven Life is not the gospel. It is not the soteriological aspect of the gospel. The Puritans and Warren in different ways have tried to explain how the gospel effects individuals and how it defines them as individuals and societies.

I am not giving a ringing endorsement of everything Warren stated but I am saying that if you are going to critique Warren perhaps you should also critique the Puritans. Warren in PDL does cherry pick scripture to support his arguments and uses translations that aren’t the best translation of the original text. Yet like the Puritans he is trying to express what it looks like when we get the gospel. Warren is trying to be like the Puritans.

Agree or disagree?

Thanks for leaving Comments & Thoughts on http://willadair.com

  • http://gayandevangelical.wordpress.com David

    Interestingly enough, I read Thomas Watson's book on The Doctrine of Repentance and took issue with much of it. He had some interesting observations, but he was incredibly legalistic with some of his comments and some statements flat out denied the our being IN Christ. One example, if you'll permit me:

    Page 88: "It is the end of our living to be useful in our generation. Better lose our lives that the end of our living. Late converts who have for many years taken pay on the devil's side are not in a capacity of doing so much work in the vineyard. The thief on the cross could not do that service for God as St. Paul did. But when we do betimes turn from sin, then we give God the first-fruits of our lives. We spend and are spent for Christ. …By late repentance, though we do not lose our crown, yet we make it lighter."

    In the margin at the top of the page, I wrote, "Purpose-Driven??" The hymn I aspire to write will have this line in it: "saved by works, but not mine own." This idea that we'll be rewarded for works apart from Christ's works on our behalf is incredibly self-focused and actually does violence to the Gospel. In the very parable he references, Watson fails to see that the people who came in at the 11th hour are rewarded IN PRECISELY THE SAME WAY as those who came at the start of the day.

    So yes. I agree. Warren and Watson both need to be held up to the Word and exposed where they err…just as I do.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/willadair WillAdair

      Really interesting point David. So does Watson see the purpose of life in the here and now focused on serving others more than a serving of Christ?