More Than a Purpose, an Evangelical Response to Rick Warren and the Megachurch Movement

by Marshall Davis

Are you dissatisfied with The Purpose Driven® Life? Have you read Rick Warren's bestseller and wondered, "Is that all there is?" If you feel like something is missing from Rick Warren's best-selling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1414106637
• ISBN13: 9781414106632
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Pleasant Word
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Refreshing

While I normally do not like books written by Christians to criticize other Christians, I have to admit that reading some of the reviews of the other commentators here and the preview of this book helped me decide and kept me from buying "The Purpose Driven Life". I was looking for a good Christian book to give as a present to one of my friend who isn't a Christian and was considering buying "The Purpose Driven Life". I had read a portion of it before. While I wasn't able to determine exactly what was missing in this "best selling" book, I felt that it seemed kind of plain. I wrote it off to the author coming from a Baptist background, while my background was more a charismatic / pentecostal one (no offense, fellow Baptist Christians!). I know that eventually it does not matter, as I believe that true Christians can be found in all denominations. I think that the fact that "The Purpose Driven Life" has become so popular in itself seems to be a warning sign, since the Bible tells us that the way that leads to life is narrow and there are few who choose it.

Oustanding Work

This book is an excellent source on the true nature of the purpose driven church. This movement is not entirely bad, but it falls way short of the true nature and purpose of what the bride of Christ should be and the message it is to proclaim. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know why the megachurch is so successful in creating members but not as successful in creating disciples. This book answered a lot of my questions about why I was not satisifed after visiting a couple of megachurches. These churches are great self-help seminaries and training grounds for people who want to buils their self-esteem. As for myself and a lot of other believers, we want to go to church to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached from the pulpit. We want to hear about the birth, life, death, burial and ressurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is the foremost reason for going to church and the rest is just icing on the cake. Respectfully Submitted, Glenn E. Rogers

On the mark

For those of us who have read Warren's books and come away with the feeling that we had just encountered "Gospel lite: tastes great, less filling," but couldn't pin down exactly why, this book hits the mark exactly. It won't, however, convince the Warrenites, who have so embraced the Warren brand that they are unwilling to open themselves to the real message of Jesus Christ - which includes suffering, confession, repentance, and atonement, none of which you'll find in Warren's ad campaigns.

A must read response to the PDL.

I have grown up in a solid Christian environment and I knew after reading "The Purpose Driven Life" was that something was not right. "More Than a Purpose" answered a lot of my questions. It shows how Rick Warren has been influenced by the Norman Vincent Peale/Schuller brand of Christianity. It shows how/why biblical teaching isn't a big part of the mega-churches. I also understand a little bit of why many of my friends liked PDL - it is a Christian flavored self help book. It also described how spiritual consumerism and personalization has affected the megachurch and evangelicalism. In showing the deficiencies of the PDL and the megachurch movement, "More Than a Purpose" also clearly presents the gospel and a true picture of Christianity. This book is an excellent critique of The Purpose Driven model, the megachurch movement as a whole, and the state of modern "evangelical" Christianity in these United States. It also provides direction as to how the church can get back on track. It is straight forward, easy to read and not beyond the average lay person.

Davis vs. Goliath

Rick Warren is pastor of the largest Baptist church in the United States and author of the international best sellers The Purpose-Driven Life and The Purpose-Driven Church. Marshall Davis is pastor of a small Baptist church near Pittsburgh and this is his first book, setting up a "Davis vs. Goliath" confrontation. Mr. Davis contends that the Gospel presented by Mr. Warren is deficient. "In Warrenism there is no genuine commitment to Christ because the genuine Christ has not been preached and the way of salvation has not been explained." The teaching of Rick Warren, Mr. Davis asserts, is "Gospel lite: tastes great, less filling." Such assertions might draw a debate, especially from the millions worldwide who testify to the positive effect of reading the Warren books, but this next observation will be met with a chorus of amens: "The American Christian has gone from being a disciple to being a customer, from being a follower of the Lord Jesus to being a consumer of a spiritual commodity." In this new marketplace, Mr. Davis says, entertainment has replaced worship in the public gatherings of Christians. The antidote, he contends, is a fresh attention to evangelism, worship, theology and ethics. It's a good read on a timely subject. - Book Review, Dallas Morning News