Rick Warren is a fourth-generation preacher. His great-grandfather came to Christ in Charles Spurgeon’s church in England. Following training in Spurgeon’s college, Spurgeon sent him to America to become a circuit-riding preacher. Warren’s father was a lay-preacher who specialized in planting and (literally) building churches. Born in 1954, Warren spent most of his growing-up years in Redwood Valley, California, where during his teenage years aspired to be a guitar-playing rock star. While working at a Christian summer camp in 1970 just before beginning his junior year in high school, Warren began thinking that perhaps God wanted him to be a preacher. In 1972 he entered California Baptist University in Riverside and held many revivals and crusades throughout California during his college years.[1]
In 1973 Warren traveled to San Francisco to hear W. A. Criswell speak at a conference. Criswell was the pastor at the First Baptist Church of Dallas which at that time was the largest Baptist Church in the world. Warren met Criswell and cherishes the memory of his laying hands on Warren and praying that God would bless him.[2]
Warren married Kay Lewis in 1975, and upon graduation together in 1977, they moved to Fort Worth, Texas, to attend Southwestern Theological Seminary where he earned a doctorate in December 1979. During the summer before his final classes were to be completed in December, they had decided to plant a new church in California. They left Texas and arrived in Orange County’s Saddleback Valley on January 2, 1980.[3]
Robert Schuller and Rick Warren
Before their move, Rick and Kay Warren made one other trip to California in 1979 to attend one of Robert Schuller’s Institute for Church Growth seminars. Before going, Kay Warren was skeptical about Schuller’s non-traditional approach to ministry. But after arriving, she stated that Schuller won them over. “He (Schuller) had a profound influence on Rick. We were captivated by his positive appeal to nonbelievers. I never looked back.”[4] In later years Warren claimed the so-called “profound influence” referred only to Schuller’s creative ways in building a nontraditional church and some of Schuller’s statements about the unchurched. Warren repeatedly denies that the “profound influence” included being influenced by Schuller’s doctrinal teachings. Warren admits that he spoke at Schuller’s Institute three times. The first was to give his testimony in 1984/1985. The next two engagements dealt with church growth, but Warren stresses that he did not preach nor speak at any of the Crystal Cathedral’s weekend services. But in 1991 at the invitation of Schuller, the Warrens gave their testimony at a Sunday morning service at the Cathedral.[5]
Schuller and Warren would have other contacts over the years. In 1991, Schuller birthed the idea and helped found a coalition of major Protestant churches to provide food for the Russian people living in near-famine conditions. Schuller’s idea became the Churches United in Global Mission (CUGM) which sent eleven thousand food packages to Moscow which was followed by a second shipment in March 1992.[6] Warren served on the CUGM Council along with many other prominent church leaders.
In 1995, Schuller wrote a laudatory endorsement of The Purpose Driven Church.
I’m praying that every pastor will read this book, believe it, be prepared to stand corrected by it, and change to match its sound, scriptural wisdom. Rick Warren is one all of us should listen to and learn from.[7]
Warren breaks with Schuller
Warren’s biographer claimed that Schuller had always been supportive of Warren and that the mutual respect that each man had for the other was exhibited through numerous friendly conversations and expressions of best wishes. But on Warren’s side of the relationship, something happened to sour the friendship between Schuller’s 1995 endorsement and Warren’s open break with Schuller in 1998. Warren’s biographer described Warren’s professed reason for the break.
But by the late 1990s, Warren had begun to notice that something was amiss at Schuller’s church. As he told me, “I got a bunch of information about him, and then I also started seeing him have all kinds of nonbelievers speaking at this church.” Then, Schuller had bestselling author Stephen Covey—a Mormon—speak at his church. This shocked Warren: “I thought, This isn’t right. How am I supposed to explain to all the ex-Mormons in my congregation why in the world Schuller has a Mormon up there talking?”[8] [emphasis in original]
The 1998 break with Schuller began with Warren’s resignation from the CUGM Council. “I must resign from the CUGM Council, I am afraid that the Crystal Cathedral’s ministry is going in a very different direction than Saddleback Church”[9]
When the break came, it had been nineteen years since Warren first attended Schuller’s church growth conference in 1979. Warren had spoken at three subsequent conferences and at the Crystal Cathedral in 1991. He also served on Schuller’s CUGM Council until 1998. Warren claims that the break with Schuller occurred because he had been noticing something “amiss” at Schuller’s church, had gotten “a bunch of information” about Schuller, started seeing many non-believers speaking at his church, and finally was “shocked” to find a Mormon had spoken at Schuller’s church. Had Schuller’s doctrines, actions, and church really changed that much and had “gone in a different direction than Saddleback Church” in a short span of time between the book endorsement in 1995 and the break 1998? Either Schuller had made a remarkably fast divergence from what Warren viewed as sound doctrine or Rick Warren was exceedingly disingenuous in denying that he had an earlier understanding of Schuller’s suspect theology. In either case, Warren was guilty of being incredibly naïve or lacking in even the smallest degree of spiritual discernment as to Schuller’s doctrinal positions given their long friendship and interaction. This raises the question as to the real reason for the 1998 break.
Schuller’s connections with various New Age spokesmen and promoters were well known before the 1980s and prior to Warren’s 1979 attendance at Schuller’s Church Growth school. One example was Schuller’s widely known and publicized association with prominent psychiatrist Gerald Jampolsky, a well-known teacher and practitioner of the New Age based “A Course in Miracles.” Jampolsky appeared on Schuller’s Hour of Power television broadcast on several occasions where Schuller introduced him as a fellow Christian. Jampolsky claims that his own spiritual awakening came as the result of an encounter with Indian guru Swami Baba Muktananda.[10] It is undeniable that the foundational teachings of “A Course on Miracles” are New Age and pantheistic in origin.
• The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself.
• When God Created you He made you part of Him.
• There is no sin; it has no consequence.
• For Christ takes many forms with different names until their oneness can be recognized.
• The journey to the cross should be the last “useless” journey.[11]
In his 1982 book, Self Esteem-The New Reformation, Schuller praised Jampolsky for his “profound theology.”
I am indebted to Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, a guest on our “Hour of Power,” for helping me to see what is not only great psychology, but is profound theology. Obviously, there can be no conflict in truth—when psychology is “right on” and theology is “right on,” there will be harmony and both shall be led to higher levels of enlightenment.[12]
Also obvious is that Schuller had no problems with Jampolsky’s “A Course in Miracles” theology and its New Age-pantheistic teachings. In 1985, “A Course in Miracles” study groups were meeting in Crystal Cathedral classrooms at the same time as evangelical ministers were being taught the principles of Church Growth at Schuller’s Institute for Successful Church Leadership. It also must be remembered that Warren was first invited to speak at the Institute in 1984/1985.[13] Schuller’s involvement with Jampolsky and his New Age beliefs was a long and public association covering a quarter of a century from his first appearance on the Hour of Power before 1982 to after an appearance on October 2004.[14]
A second example of Schuller’s involvement with New Age teachers is his connection with well-known surgeon Bernie Siegel who worked with the terminally ill. In Love, Medicine, and Miracles, Siegel wrote that he had an “inner guide” named George who helped him with his work. George was a bearded, long-haired young man who Siegel claims to have met while in a session of directed meditation. Siegel was on the board of Jampolsky’s Attitudinal Healing Centers and had endorsed “A Course in Miracles.” The opening page of Schuller’s 1995 Prayer: My Soul’s Adventure With God included Siegel’s warm endorsement of the book which Siegel said “…reaches beyond religion and information to what we all need—spirituality, inspiration, and understanding.” Writing in The Purpose Driven Life in 2002, Warren also quoted and praised Siegel as “one who has found the true purpose of life.”[15]
The Ken Blanchard Episode
Rick Warren also had his own entanglements with New Age advocates. One such occurred in 2003 when Warren introduced his 5-step-Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan in which Saddleback Church would focus on “…bringing a blessing to the entire world” through Planting churches, Equipping Leaders, Assisting the poor, Curing the sick, Educating the next generation.[16] To accomplish the “E” or equipping leaders step, Warren solicited help from two well-known authors, one of whom was Ken Blanchard, famous author of The One Minute Manager and founder of Lead Like Jesus. According to Warren, Blanchard would be “helping train us in leadership and how to train others to be leaders all around the world.” Warren called Blanchard a fellow Christian, and Blanchard himself pointed to people like Norman Vincent Peale and Bill Hybels who were instrumental in helping him turn his life over to the Lord in 1987-1988.[17]
But something Warren did not tell his congregation was that Blanchard was undeniably a New Age sympathizer and had endorsed and written the forewards to many New Age books in the years following the claimed turning of his life over to the Lord. As the P.E.A.C.E. Plan was being implemented and publicized over the next two years, Blanchard’s involvement as Warren’s go-to guy for training leaders became more widely known and some in the evangelical community began questioning Warren’s involvement with Blanchard and his New Age leanings.[18] Even after being publicly made aware of Blanchard’s New Age beliefs and endorsements, Warren attempted to separate Blanchard’s past from his current efforts on behalf of Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan.
Ken is a new believer—a new creature in Christ. He should not be held accountable for statements or endorsements he made before he became a Christian. And he’s just learning now.[19]
Warren’s defense contradicts Blanchard’s own statements that were known to Warren. Two weeks after Warren had introduced his plan to the Saddleback congregation in November 2003, he appeared with Blanchard at a Lead Like Jesus celebration and listened as Blanchard described how he became a Christian fifteen years earlier.[20]
In 1998, Warren had sought to distance himself and the Purpose Driven movement from Schuller and his obvious connections to the New Age. Now, through Warren’s own decisions and efforts to advance his P.E.A.C.E. Plan, he had once again linked the Purpose Driven movement with New Age leaders and their doctrines just as Schuller had done throughout his ministry. Schuller remained unapologetic and true to his beliefs. However, for Warren it was imperative that his claimed evangelical and doctrinal credentials remain spotless and not thought of as compromising the message and mission of the church.
Before The Purpose Driven Church exploded in popularity following its publication in 1995, Rick Warren was just another Church Growth guy who had been successful at building a mega church. But now he ascended to a new level and became the mega-star spokesman for the Church Growth movement. His every word and action would be open to scrutiny. Within three years after his book’s publication, it becomes apparent that Warren’s long association with Schuller and his blatant New Age beliefs and doctrines would damage Warren and the Purpose Driven movement. Thereafter, he sought to distant himself from Schuller.
Five years later Warren’s association with Ken Blanchard was but one of a series of events and issues that called attention to a much larger threat to his Purpose Driven empire. These events were being described in several books published in 2004-2005 which forcefully and accurately described the Purpose Driven movement’s connection with the New Age. Not all of the books were critical of Warren and the Purpose Driven movement.
The Most Inspiring Pastor of Our Time
There are many stories of famous people who have had their portraits painted but wish to destroy the finished canvas because it reveals something beyond the outward likeness. Even if the likeness is astonishingly accurate, the sum total of the painter’s efforts, unconsciously perhaps, may reveal an unflattering characteristic or nature of the subject.
As an author, George Mair had this same experience but in book form. Mair is an author of numerous books, a syndicated newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, and broadcaster. While attending Saddleback Church for over two years, he wrote a highly flattering biography published in 2005 and titled A Life With Purpose – Reverend Rick Warren – The Most Inspiring Pastor of Our Time. Good biographers attempt to give perspective by placing the life of the subject in the flow of events, interaction with his contemporaries, and amidst the history of the times. Mair did this in his biography of Warren by talking about the church in America, the Church Growth movement, the influences of Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller, the New Paradigm Church, and modern religion in America.[21] Upon completion and before the book went to press, Mair claims to have contacted Saddleback’s “chief attorney.” Mair stated that he had wanted the manuscript to be made available to Warren for review. After waiting several months and receiving no response from the attorney, the book was published by Berkeley Books, a subsidiary of the Penguin Group.[22]
Shortly after Mair’s book was released, Lighthouse Trails Press picked up on the association of Warren with Ken Blanchard. On April 19th 2005, Lighthouse Trails issued a press release that raised serious questions about the wisdom of Warren’s association with Ken Blanchard and its New Age implications. On May 31, Warren emailed Lighthouse Trails and expressed his great displeasure with their April 19th email in particular and George Mair and his book in general.[23] Within a few hours, Richard Abanes, Warren’s soon-to-be new biographer and apologist, had posted Warren’s email on the Internet. What followed was a campaign by Warren and his associates to discredit his critics, and George Mair became the target of the massive Purpose Driven forces. Although Mair had attended Saddleback for two years, Warren’s now public email was a surprising and brutal blow to Mair.
George Mair, an unbeliever, evidently wanted to make a quick buck turning out a book on me, at the peak of the popularity of The Purpose Driven Life…Since he is not even born again, he certainly wouldn’t understand theology, what I believe, or even the basics of our ministry.[24]
Warren’s critics answered
Immediately, Warren turned to a former staff member of his church to write a book addressing the claims of his critics. The small 142-page Rick Warren and the Purpose that Drives Him – An Insider Looks at the Phenomenal Bestseller was written by Richard Abanes and published before the end of the year. In reality, the book was not about Warren’s best sellers but a defense of Warren and the Purpose Driven movement as shown by the single endorsement at the front of the book.
Abanes has done a great service by setting the record straight on Rick Warren and Saddleback. Warren has a strong commitment to the core doctrines of the Christian faith and an unmistakable passion for reaching the lost, equipping pastors, and strengthening local churches. “Purpose-driven” is not New Age, it’s New Testament.” James K. Walker, President, Watchman Fellowship, Inc.[25]
In his 1998, Warren supposedly learned a “bunch of information” about his long-time friend and who had been having a number of non-Christians speak at his church. Nothing was said about the New Age influences that had been evident for many years. However, the endorsement on the very first page of Abanes’ book revealed the real reason for Warren’s break with Schuller—fear that the Purpose Driven message would be associated with Schuller’s strong links to the New Age. But by 2005, those New Age influences on the doctrines and methods of the Purpose Driven movement could no longer be hidden as several books were published which documented those New Age associations.
The concerns about the teachings of the Purpose Driven movement extend far beyond infiltration of New Age and Eastern religions’ teachings and practices into evangelical churches. But the greatest threat remains the influence of the Purpose Driven movement’s humanistic worldviews on the leadership of many evangelical churches in America.
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In Chapter 3, it was noted that the enormous importance of doctrine (dogma, creed, belief, principles, and teachings) can be seen throughout the 2000 year history of the Christian church. Warren also recognizes the importance of doctrine as he keeps reminding us of his reverence for the unchanging doctrines of the Christian faith. However, Warren is highly sensitive and resentful when there is a thoughtful examination, comparison, or criticism of the teachings and methods of The Purpose Driven Church, and he and his defenders are prone to attack the character and Christianity of professed fellow Christians who attempt to do so. This is not a biblical approach because the scripture tells us that we should compare spiritual things with spiritual things [See: 1 Corinthians 2:12-13] This we shall do over the next several chapters with regard to the teachings and methods of The Purpose Driven Church.
This is not about Rick Warren but the biblical soundness of his Purpose Driven movement. It is vastly important that Christians make this examination because of Warren’s tremendous influence upon American evangelicalism and the importance and influence of those same American evangelicals on the rest of the world’s Christian churches.
Larry G. Johnson
Sources:
[1] Richard Abanes, Rick Warren and the Purpose that Drives Him, (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2005), pp. 36-38, 40, 46.
[2] Ibid., p. 40-41.
[3] Ibid., p. 41, 45-46.
[4] Warren Smith, Deceived On Purpose, Second Edition, (Magalia, California: Mountain Stream Press, 2004), pp. 103-104.
[5] Abanes, Rick Warren and the Purpose that Drives Him, pp. 100-102.
[6] Robert Schuller, My Journey, (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), p. 264.
[7] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), p. 3 (unnumbered).
[8] Ibid., p. 102.
[9] Abanes, Rick Warren and the Purpose that Drives Him, pp. 102-103.
[10] Marshall Davis, More than a Purpose, (Enumclaw, Washington: Pleasant Word, 2006), p. 154.
[11] Warren B. Smith, Deceived On Purpose, pp. 88-89.
[12] Robert H. Schuller, Self Esteem-The New Reformation, (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1982), p. 123.
[13] Warren B. Smith, A Wonderful Deception, (Magalia, California: Mountain Stream Press, 2004), p. 28.
[14] Smith, Deceived On Purpose, pp. 97-98.
[15] Davis, p. 155.
[16] George Mair, A Life With Purpose, (New York: Berkeley Books, 2005), pp. 186, 190-194.
[17] Smith, A Wonderful Deception, pp. 52-54.
[18] Ibid., p. 55.
[19] Ibid., p. 61.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Mair, p. iii (unnumbered).
[22] Smith, A Wonderful Deception, p. 68.
[23] Ibid., pp. 55, 59.
[24] Ibid., p. 60.
[25] Abanes, p. 1 (unnumbered).
