The Purpose Driven Life
The
Purpose Driven Life is a bible study
book written by Christian pastor Rick
Warren and published by Zondervan in 2002. The book offers readers a 40-day personal
spiritual journey and presents what Warren says are God's five purposes for
human life on Earth.
Summary
The
book is intended to be read as a daily inspiration, with each of the 40 short
chapters read on consecutive days.[1][2] Each chapter contains a personal application section at the
end with a "point to ponder," a verse to remember, and a question to
consider over the course of that day. Rick Warren described his book as an
"anti-self-help book." The first sentence of the book reads,
"It's not about you,"[3] and the remainder of the chapter goes on to explain how the
quest for personal fulfillment, satisfaction, and meaning can only be found in
understanding and doing what God placed you on Earth to do.[4] The book's 40 chapters are divided into six major sections,
with the following titles:[5]
- What on Earth Am I Here For?
- Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God's Pleasure (Christian Worship)
- Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God's Family (Christian Church)
- Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ (Discipleship)
- Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God (Christian Ministry)
- Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission (Christian mission)
In
later versions of the book, 2 additional chapters were added about the 2
biggest reasons why Christians don't live purpose driven lives, envy and
"people pleasing."
Reception
The
book topped the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as well as Publishers
Weekly charts, with over 30 million copies
sold by 2007.[6] The Purpose Driven Life was also on the New York
Times Bestseller List for over 90 weeks.[7] By 2019, 32 million copies had been sold in more than 85
languages.[8]
Biblical
scholar Robert M. Price
criticized Warren for applying eisegesis, which includes quoting
various translations of the Bible and selectively choosing whichever paraphrase or translation supports his theses.[9] Jason Harris criticized the book for providing the
scripture citations only in end notes, making it harder for readers to know the
context of the passages it cites.[10]
Background
Warren
was encouraged by Billy Graham
in his 20's after he wrote his first book: Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods.
This greatly inspired Warren when he had "little confidence" in his
writing ability:
The
Purpose Driven Life might have never been written if Billy Graham had not
believed in me.[11][12]
Influence
A
May 2005 survey of American pastors and ministers conducted by George
Barna asked Christian leaders to identify
what books were the most influential on their lives and ministries. The
Purpose Driven Life was the most frequent response. The Purpose Driven
Church, written prior to The Purpose Driven Life, was the second
most frequent response.[13] Billy Graham
described the book as one that would "guide you to greatness—through
living the Great Commandment
and the Great Commission
of Jesus."[citation needed] NFL
legend Ray Lewis
gave the book to 23 time Olympic gold medalist Michael
Phelps when he went to rehab.[14] Phelps was deeply touched by the book. He read it while in
rehab, even to other patients, earning him the nickname "Preacher
Mike".[15][16]
The
book occupies an important place in the film Captive
released in 2015.[17] This fact-based film tells the story of Ashley Smith, a
young single mom of Atlanta,
being held hostage by Brian
Nichols, in her apartment for seven hours.
Smith reported to news outlets that during this time she read chapter 32 of The
Purpose Driven Life to Nichols, which she credited as influencing his
decision to release her from captivity.[18] In 2012, Smith also stated that she had been struggling
with drug addiction at the time, and she gave Nichols drugs to calm him down.
Smith had to decide whether to do the drugs with Nichols. Smith chose not to,
and she hasn't touched drugs since.[19] Sales of The Purpose Driven Life rose greatly, with
the book becoming Amazon's second-best-selling book after news of Smith's
captivity and release was announced.[20][21]
References
· George Thomas Kurian, James D. Smith III, The
Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, Volume 2, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2010,
p. 630
· · Alex Murashko, 10th
Anniversary Edition of 'The Purpose Driven Life' Redesigned for Millennials, christianpost.com, USA, June 14, 2012
· · Warren, Rick, The
Purpose Driven Life, 2002, p17
· · Warren, Rick, The
Purpose Driven Life, 2002, p25
· · Warren, Rick, The
Purpose Driven Life, 2002, Table of Contents
· · Donadio, Rachel
(2004-11-28). "Faith-Based
Publishing". The New
York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
· · Price, Robert M. The
Reason-Driven Life pp. 307-312
·
Warren, Rick (27 February 2018). "Rick Warren: How Billy Graham Shaped My Life
and Ministry".
outreachmagizine.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December
2019.
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