by John Mincy

Who Is Rick Warren?

Rick Warren is the pastor of the Saddleback Church in the city of Lake Forest, Orange County, California. He grew up in a Southern Baptist preacher’s home and went to Southern Baptist schools for college and seminary. Saddleback is a supporting member of the Southern Baptist Convention. Warren looks to W. A. Criswell, Robert Schuller, and Donald McGavran as his mentors. George Mair’s biography of Warren includes Norman Vincent Peale in that group, especially in the “unification of psychology and theology.”1 Peter Drucker has been a major influence in Warren’s life for over twenty years.2 Warren’s books have sold more copies than any other hardback non-fiction book in history, except the Bible.3

There is much that is commendable in the work or Rick Warren. He has had a consistent testimony even since high school.4 Warren has many creative ideas and has been successful in building a large church. He has a gift for communicating in an interesting manner using snappy sayings, alliteration, and an authoritative and appealing style.5

An Incomplete Gospel

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

Warren’s greatest error is the communication of an incomplete gospel. He makes reference to personal salvation in Christ at least fourteen times in PDL.6 His Gospel is “Believe in Jesus Christ, pray a prayer, and you are saved and in the family of God.” He does not mention repentance, the turning away from “dead works” or “idols.”7 On March 22, 2005, Warren said told Larry King, “You know, when I repented, Larry, years ago, I basically turned from hopelessness to hope, from darkness to light, from guilt to forgiveness, from loneliness to a family of God, from purposelessness to purpose, from having no meaning in my life to having meaning. It was the most positive change in my life.”

The unsaved religious person will not get the gospel from that statement. A Roman Catholic can hear or read his message and simply become a better lost church member by serving the Lord, tithing, or serving. There is no call to forsake false religious trust in good works, baptism, or religious rites, and trust only in the finished work of Christ. Fr. Phil Bloom, a Roman Catholic priest, wrote,

“From a Catholic perspective, I find little to criticize in Pastor Warren’s approach. Ironically, my major objection so far is that he seems over-reliant on the efficacy of works for salvation. Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, like certain Catholic parishes, strikes me as admirable, but somewhat hyper-organized”8

While many are likely saved through Warren’s ministry it is also likely that just as many are confused by it. On page 34 of PDL he says: “God won’t ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him?”

Doctrine and church background do matter, for they often interpret for us what Jesus did and even who Jesus is. Because Warren’s gospel is so generic, Catholics, Mormons and others feel free to sell the books and even use the full-blown PDL program in their adult and youth ministries.9 Even George Mair, Warren’s biographer, gets the wrong message about salvation,

“As Rick says, when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, God becomes our Father, we become His children, and other believers from the past, present, and future become our brothers and sisters; the Church becomes our spiritual family. But there’s one catch; although God creates us all, we don’t immediately become a part of His spiritual family. We must have a second birth through baptism to truly become children of God. Rick says that baptism is not an option for Christians; it is a must.” 10 While this is not Rick Warren’s position, Mair’s comment does demonstrate that Warren’s generic gospel leads to and confirms a person in whatever gospel they already have from their religious experience. Even when given a golden opportunity to give a clear cut gospel presentation Warren’s answer is so soft as to be no gospel at all,11

“KING: Since you believe in God, if an agnostic or an atheist is doing good, God appreciates it, according to you, right?

WARREN: God wants us all to be loving to each other, there is no doubt about that. In fact, Jesus wouldn’t have made any distinction between someone who was of a different background. The issue was, do they love him and do they have a purpose? Are they following his purpose?”

A Misrepresentation of Scripture

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book (Revelation 22:18).

Another major problem with Warren is his abuse of scripture. In fact, there are many statements attributed to God in Warren’s books that God never said. The use of different translations is not worthy of condemnation in itself, as long as the translations are literal and accurate, but some of the paraphrases Warren uses put man’s words in God’s mouth. This is an especially serious problem when people are thinking like Mair in his biography about Warren, “By using different translations, Rick hopes to bring the reader as close as he can to God’s original words”.12 The loose paraphrases start from Day 1 in the Purpose Driven Life and continue all through the book. On the first day he quotes from The Message, “Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.” Is that anywhere near, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6)? Can you recognize this one, “God’s wisdom . . . goes deep into the interior of his purposes. . . . It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest–what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us”13 He introduces this with “the Bible says.” Certainly these are not God’s words, only a poor and erroneous paraphrase of “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory . . .” (1 Corinthians 2:7). It is not wrong to use a paraphrase to help with understanding, the paraphrase should accurately portray scripture. Introducing a paraphrase with the words “the Bible says” or “God says” rather than “a paraphrased edition of the Bible says.” (or something like it) misrepresents the Word of God.

There are literally hundreds of examples throughout the PDL. One more example, “We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God.”14 This quote is introduced with the words, “the Bible says,” but what the Bible really says is, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). The meaning has been changed, and the reader is robbed of the message because of the distortion of The Message!

An Extreme Pragmatism

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1 John 2:16).

According to Warren, “God loves all kinds of music because he invented it all – fast and slow, loud and soft, old and new. You probably don’t like it all, but God does”15 He also says, “I reject the idea that music styles can be judged as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ music.”16 At the recent 25th anniversary celebration of the Saddleback Church Warren sang Jimi Hendrix’ “Purple Haze,” number 17 on the Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time! How important is music to Warren, “The style of music you choose to use in your services will be one of the most critical (and controversial) decisions you make in the life of your church. It may also be the most influential factor in determining who your church reaches for Christ and whether or not your church grows. You must match your music to the kind of people God wants your church to reach” 17

Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

Pragmatism is the overriding theme of Warren’s ministry. He says, for example, “If I didn’t believe that pastors can change the world I would be something else.”18 God’s servants need to pursue God’s purpose for our lives, not what may seem to produce results. Some of the Lord’s servants never see the results of their work, but those who follow after do. Twice he says, “Never criticize what God is blessing.”19 But he can be quite critical of others.20 On page 164 of PDC, for example, Warren says, “God warns us over and over not to criticize, compare, or judge each other . . . . Whenever I judge another believer, four things instantly happen: I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride, I set myself to be judged by God, and I harm the fellowship of the church.” This is not the place for a discourse on judging, but there are times to judge and there are times not to judge. In order to protect his pragmatic philosophy, Warren chooses to ignore clear scripture.

A Disregard for Biblical Separatism

Warren is certainly not a separatist. He shows disdain for traditionalists [Fundamentalists] and camaraderie with those who have compromised the Christian faith.

“Warren is part of the ultra-conservative Southern Baptist Convention, and all his senior staff sign on to SBC’s doctrines, such as the literal and infallible Bible and exclusion of women as senior pastors. Yet Warren’s pastor-training programs welcome Catholics, Methodists, Mormons, Jews and ordained women. ‘I’m not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won’t try to change other denominations. Why be decisive?’ He asks, citing as his model Billy Graham, a statesman for Christ ministering across barriers” 21

To Warren true worship could include healing, miracles, ecstatic experiences, ceremonies, and candles (PDL, 64-65), appealing to Catholics and charismatics. He refers approvingly of Roman Catholics such as, Benedictine monks (89), Mother Teresa (125), and nuns (229). He refers approvingly of Bonhoeffer (163), Bill Bright (84), Billy Graham (187), Jack Hayford, Chuck Smith, Chuch Swindoll (PDC 233). The first four pages of PDC are filled with recommendations from many apostate or non-separatist denominations.

The influence of Rick Warren’s ministry is not going away. The April 16, 2005 issue of World Magazine says, “Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life resumed its place at the top of the best seller lists after a well-publicized role the hostage crisis in Atlanta involving hostage Ashley Smith and accused murderer Brian Nichols. With 22 million copies sold, Rick Warren and his The Purpose Driven Life is an issue that every fundamental leader will have to address at some point. It is important that we are all well-informed concerning the strengths and weaknesses of his ministry and writings.22


1Life With Purpose, A: The Story of Bestselling Author and America’s Most Inspiring Minister, Rick Warren, p.100.
2www.forbes.com. Dec. 13, 2004
3For the sake of brevity, we will refer to Warren’s two main works as follows: Purpose Driven Life (PDL) and Purpose Driven Church (PDC).
4George Mair’s short biography of Warren entitled, A Life With Purpose.
5Examples include: “It’s not about you. . . . If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God” (PDL 17); “Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing” (PDL 213); “Notoriety means nothing to real servants because they know the difference between prominence and significance” (PDL 263); “A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian” (PDL 306); “When you’re helping row the boat, you don’t have time to rock it!” (PDC 86); “If you focus on fishing (evangelism), God will pay your bills” (PDC 202); “Remember, people are not looking for a friendly church as much as they are looking for friends” (PDC 312); and “Too many Christians use the church, but don’t love it” (PDC 395).
6Especially pp. 37, 58, 118, and 294.
7He does address repentance in PDL on page 182, but only in the context of how to grow as a Christian.
8www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/33ordinary-b.html).
9Check out www.tarfy.org or www.holyfamilyparish.org or www.missionaryhelper.com/resources or deseretbook.com.
10p. (145).
11Larry King show on March 22, 2005
12 Mair p. 155, emphasis mine.
13quoted exactly from PDL, p. 20.
14PDL p. 283.
15PDL p. 65.
16PDC p. 281.
17PDC p. 280, emphasis his.
18PDC p. 20.
19PDC pp. 62, 156
20PDC pp. 56, 239, 299, 340, etc.
21USATODAY.com, article by Cathy Grossman July 21, 2003).
22There is a lot of material out there examining the ministry of Rick Warren. Warren Smith wrote Deceived on Purpose, the New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church, which emphasizes Warren’s indebtedness to Robert Schuller and Bruce Wilkinson. Similar is James Sundquist’s Who’s Driving the Purpose Driven Church?” T. A. McMahon (Dave Hunt’s TBC) has a lengthy critique majoring on some of Warren’s psychological buzz words (you can see this by entering “T. A. McMahon purpose driven” into your search engine). Nathan Busenitz has some good articles (enter “busenitz warren” into your search engine or see his chapter in Fool’s Gold, edited by John MacArthur – by the way, MacArthur shares some of the same problems that Warren has in the area of ecumenism). Probably one of the better critiques is written by Jim Delany. You can find this at www.salembible.org.