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Biblicist Wary of Author-Influenced 'Seeker-Sensitive' Church Movement

by Jim Brown
January 7, 2005

(AgapePress) - A Christian author claims best-selling author and church growth guru Rick Warren is inadvertently leading people away from God's Word.

Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life continues to fly off bookshelves, selling a million copies a month and receiving a large following in thousands of churches. According to the website PurposeDrivenLife.com, the book "helps readers understand God's incredible plan for their lives" and "enables them to see the big picture of what life is all about and begin to live the life God created them to live."

But author Dave Hunt with the Oregon-based Berean Call ministry says the book presents a "weak" gospel. Hunt believes Warren is sincere and really loves the Lord, yet uses perversions of the Bible to support his thesis. He points out, for example, that Warren quotes The Message in his book. Written by Eugene H. Peterson, The Message claims to "preserve the authentic, earthy flavor and the expressive nature of the Bible's best-loved books" using "easy-to-read modern language." Hunt takes issue with that.

"There's a man who shook his fist at God," Hunt says, speaking of Peterson. "He takes the Word of God, shoves it aside, puts his own words in, calls it the Bible, and literally changes the meaning. And we're getting many of these paraphrases now."

Hunt also believes the growth of the "seeker sensitive" movement within Christianity can be attributed in large part to Warren and the best-selling book. The Berean Call spokesman contends the movement is a precursor to the one-world religion under anti-Christ. Warren's book, he says, offers readers successful managing techniques -- "that's probably all that most people get out of it," he says -- but not the biblical gospel.

According to Hunt, Warren's book includes no mention of Christ being crucified and resurrected for sinful men. Instead, he says, it enables people to "pick their venue" when they go to church -- choosing "what kind of music they want, what kind of worship they want, and so forth," and a place where they feel comfortable -- "even though they haven't really come to Christ" or repented of their sins.

"So this is what people want," Hunt laments, "and I think it's a prelude to the false religion that will be headed up by the anti-Christ actually. I think a lot of these people will be left behind at the Rapture."

Warren's ministry says it is aware of Hunt's criticisms of The Purpose Driven Life, but does not wish to comment on them at this time.

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