 Cover | |
| Author | Rick Warren |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Bible study |
| Publisher | Zondervan |
Publication date | 2002 |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 9780310803065 |
| OCLC | 51813195 |
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.
Warren was encouraged by Billy Graham in his 20s 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. [1] [2]
The 2002 book Purpose Driven Life is a sequel to his 1995 book The Purpose Driven Church.
The book is intended to be read as a daily inspiration, with each of the 40 short chapters read on consecutive days. [3] [4] 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," [5] 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. [6] The book's 40 chapters are divided into six major sections, with the following titles: [7]
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."
The book topped the Wall Street Journal best seller charts as well as Publishers Weekly charts. The Purpose Driven Life was also on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 90 weeks. [8] It had sold over 18 million copies by 2008, [9] and 32 million copies within its first decade, by 2012. [10] According to both the author and publisher Simon & Schuster, 50 million copies had been sold in more than 85 languages by 2020. [11] [12] [13]
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. [14] 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 ]
In 2005, after reading the book, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, invited Warren to develop the P.E.A.C.E. Plan in the country. [15]
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. [16] 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. [17]
NFL legend Ray Lewis gave the book to 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps when he went to rehab. [18] Phelps was deeply touched by the book. He read it while in rehab, even to other patients, earning him the nickname "Preacher Mike". [19] [20]
The book occupies an important place in the film Captive released in 2015. [21] 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. [22] 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. [23] 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. [24] [25]
Michael Whitaker Smith is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 18 million albums.
Urbana is a major Christian student missions conference sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The event is designed to inform Christian students about global issues and issues around the world that missionaries face. The conference also encourages students to explore the biblical mandate for cross-cultural missions and encourages them to participate in missions.
William Franklin Graham Jr. was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christian figure, and according to a biographer, was "among the most influential Christian leaders" of the 20th century.
Richard Duane Warren is an American Southern Baptist evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical Baptist megachurch in Lake Forest, California.
Saddleback Church is an Evangelical Baptist multi-site megachurch, based in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America. The church has several campuses in California and around the world. Weekly church attendance was 23,500 people in 2020. The senior pastor is Andy Wood. It was part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) from its founding until February 21, 2023, when the denomination's executive committee voted to disfellowship the church over its appointment of women with the title of pastor. On May 16, the Southern Baptist Convention announced that Saddleback was seeking an appeal to be reinstated in fellowship.
George Barna is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture. From 2013 - 2018 he served as the executive director of the American Culture & Faith Institute, the research division of United in Purpose. In 2019 he became a professor at Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also started the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. He is also the senior research fellow for Christian ethics and Biblical worldview at Family Research Council.
Overlake Christian Church is a non-denominational megachurch in Redmond, Washington.
The P E A C E Plan is a humanitarian development program for churches and an evangelical Christian mission from Saddleback Church in Lake Forest in California in the United States.
Stewardship is a theological belief that humans are responsible for the world, humanity, and the gifts and resources that have been entrusted to us. Believers in stewardship are usually people who believe in one God who created the universe and all that is within it, also believing that they must take care of creation and look after it. Creation includes animals and the environment. Many religions and denominations have various degrees of support for environmental stewardship. It can have political implications, such as in Christian Democracy.
Wallie Amos Criswell, was an American pastor, author, and a two-term elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1968 to 1970. As senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for five decades he became widely known for expository biblical preaching at a popular level, and is regarded as a key figure in the late 1970s "Conservative Resurgence" within the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission is a 1995 book by Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, United States.
The Barna Group is an evangelical Christian polling firm based in Ventura, California.
Oswald Jeffrey Smith was a Canadian pastor, author, and missions advocate. He founded The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928.
Martin Ssempa is a Ugandan pastor, activist, and the founder of the Makerere Community Church. He referred to himself as Pastor Doctor Martin Ssempa, but now calls himself Gabriel Baaba Gwanga'mujje Eri Yesu. Ssempa first came to international prominence in 2010 after a presentation video he made at his church, which showcased his opposition to homosexuality, went viral.
Gary L. Thomas is an American evangelical minister and writer of Christian literature.
Captive is a 2015 American crime-drama thriller film directed by Jerry Jameson and written by Brian Bird and Reinhard Denke, based on the non-fiction book Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith.
What's So Amazing About Grace? is a 1997 book by Philip Yancey, an American journalist and editor-at-large for Christianity Today. The book examines grace in Christianity, contending that people crave grace and that it is central to the gospel, but that many local churches ignore grace and instead seek to exterminate immorality. What's So Amazing About Grace? includes Bible stories, anecdotes from Yancey's life, accounts of historical events and other stories. These include a modern retelling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, an account of Yancey's friendship with Mel White who came out as gay, a comparison of the teachings of early Christians Pelagius and Augustine of Hippo, and a summary of Karen Blixen's short story "Babette's Feast".
Kay Warren is an American author, international speaker, Bible teacher and mental health advocate. She is the co-founder of the sixth-largest evangelical megachurch in the United States, Saddleback Church. Her ministry is headquartered in Lake Forest, California.