Hi Pastor Roger,

Thanks for the welcome to the forum.

Curious as to where you might base your decision that he leads an extravagant lifestyle?  Is this from personal experience?  From what someone has told you?  Or the media?

Pastor Warren lives in the same home he purchased 25 years ago.  He added a spa and a pool since he bought it.  He has one vehicle he drives as a primary vehicle and his wife has a vehicle as well.  To me as a resident of Orange County, this is not considered extravagant.

The church itself has many people who donate to help build his resources there at the church for the community.  But this does not reflect his personal lifestyle.  There are lots of television evangelists who do have many homes, live a lifestyle well above the norm and reap in the benefits of their flock.  Rick Warren is not one of them.  He pays his staff well (I used to be on staff), as well as the pastors that work for him.  But I certainly wouldn't call it extravagant by any means, and certainly not by Orange County standards.

As for the "works" comment, I see your point.  However, this post was about his book.  If you want to get into what he believes and teaches each week,  go onto the website of Saddleback Church and browse around.  Listen to one of his messages online.  Watch a Sunday service.  He follows Biblical scripture, teaches it in daily life and is never afraid to talk about the real subjects that affect people on a daily basis.  A lot of people feel he is "fake" and isn't "traditional."  If you have sat in the front few rows of the church you will realize he certainly is not traditional, but this is his teaching style and how he has grown his church.

You can start another post and say "What does Rick Warren teach" or "What does Rick Warren say about the Bible" and see what people might say.  As for this one, we focused on what people said about book sales and what his book is talking about, getting involved and having a purpose in life beyond sitting in a pew.  The beauty of this is also that many people are not open to the Word, so by presenting it in a book about being involved and giving of yourself, it opens up a conversation to discuss your beliefs.  I have done the purpose driven life and 40 days of purpose.  I have gone on missions, locally and within the US and while doing your "purpose" based on his book, it opens up an opportunity for the Word of God to be presented based on what I was doing to help others.  People asked why I was there helping (Hurricane Katrina) and why I would give my time freely.  To me, to be able to SHOW how God has used me to be able to help others is a great way to talk about the gospel and what I believed.  It works beautifully together.

Thanks again for the welcome and the good conversation.

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, it is important to be mindful of people who want to bash a pastor, especially one who is as known as Rick Warren.  I have been a member of Saddleback Church for 10 years and Rick is anything BUT a fraud.  I worked at the church for two years, WITH Pastor Warren and got to know him personally.  First of all, know that 100% (yes that is CORRECT) of his book profits go to helping churches, AIDS, research, Bible printing and many other sources.  He takes a salary, but has lived in the same home, with the same car for years.  While many of the pastors of the church are WELL paid (I know this personally), he doesn't take profits or salary from the congregation.   

Sometimes Rick is hard to take.  He expects people to get out and do something more than working day in and day out, living life in a bubble of what most of us normally do.  He expects you to get involved in the community, get involved in the tough areas of life and will never lie down and accept a non-substantial life.  When he says you are made with a purpose, what part of that is difficult to understand or take as being fraudulent.  Unless you have sat in his church, or known him, worked with him or his people, you may not get the full effect of what his dreams and visions are.  He is a visionary with an amazing heart and love of people. 

Sure there are lots of "big" pastors who are frauds.  There are many things people often say about Rick Warren to bring down the amazing church he has grown for 30 years, starting with 2 people in a school auditorium.  But the stories don't lie and the way God has truly blessed his church is proof of his amazing commitment to God and people. 

My church rallies everytime there is a tragedy (we gave 4 million to Hurricane Katrina victims), sent over 5,000 people who donated time from their small groups to help rebuild New Orleans, and each time something happens in our country, this church steps in.  He doesn't "wait" for the government which in many ways has let us all down.

He is a large pastor, well know and certainly not perfect by his own admission, but never ONCE in the 10 years have I seen him to be anything but a man of God whose heart is in the right place.  He is beyond his "worth in salt" and beyond what the "media" portrays and what other pastors, good or negative hearted, say of him.  Knowing him personally lends to his credibility as a man who truly has found his purpose in life.