Volume 17 Number 3

=93Where there is no vision, the people are = unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.=94 (Proverbs=20 29:18)

Biblical Vision. The process of redefining the church includes = redefining=20 terms that are found in the Bible. A key term that Rick Warren and his = followers=20 redefine is =93vision.=94 The passage cited above is often misunderstood = because of=20 this phrase in the KJV, =93Where there is no vision, the people = perish=94=20 (Proverbs 29:18a). This is taken to mean, =93a corporate idea of an = optimal future=20 for the church.=94 But as the full citation from the NASB shows, we have = an=20 example of Hebrew parallelism. The Psalms and Proverbs are full of = synonymous=20 and antithetical parallelisms. This simply means stating an idea, then = restating=20 it in synonymous terms, or stating an idea and then stating the = opposite.=20 Proverbs 29:18 is an antithetical parallelism. The contrast is between = different=20 outcomes when there is or is not =93vision.=94 In making the contrast, = the terms=20 =93vision=94 and =93law=94 are used synonymously. So the =93vision=94 = was God=92s vision which=20 is His revealed law.

Many years ago a preacher came to our church = and=20 preached on =93vision,=94 citing this passage. His point was that our = congregation=20 needed to know what our vision was for our corporate future=97how we = were going to=20 have an impact on those around us and what we would look like when that = happens.=20 His claim was that if we did not have a focused vision for our local = church, we=20 would perish. At the time, I did not understand Hebrew parallelism like = I do now=20 so I could not see the error of his Biblical interpretation. However, I = felt=20 that the teaching was somehow off base, thinking that all churches had = the same=20 vision because it had been given once for all by Christ. When I heard = that=20 message I lacked a mental image of an optimal future for this = organization. All=20 I had was the gospel to preach and the Bible to teach. Now I realize = that gospel=20 preaching and Bible teaching ARE the vision for the church, just like = the law=20 was God=92s vision for Old Covenant Israel.

Rick Warren wrote the forward to Dan = Southerland=92s book=20 entitled Transitioning; Leading Your Church Through Change.<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[i] The=20 book is designed to show pastors how to transition their traditional = church into=20 a Purpose Driven one. Rick Warren sells the book on the Purpose Driven = website.=20 Some of the chapter headings reveal how heavily it depends on the = concept of=20 vision: =93Preparing for Vision; Defining Vision; Planting the Vision; = Sharing the=20 Vision; Implementing the Vision, etc.=94 The future Purpose Driven = church is what=20 the vision is all about. The vision includes the process of removing = people who=20 oppose becoming Purpose Driven. This book is very revealing.

=93What Happened to My Church?=94 = Reading Southerland=92s book will help people = whose=20 churches have changed from gospel preaching and Bible teaching churches = to=20 =93seeker=94 churches understand what has happened to them. Southerland=20 characterizes those who resist this transition as =93leaders from = hell=94 who are of=20 the ilk of Sanballat who resisted Nehemiah.<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[ii] It=20 is clear that Pastor Southerland is convinced that he is like Nehemiah = on a=20 mission from God (i.e. to convert the church to being a Purpose Driven = seeker=20 church) and that all who resist are misguided, have evil motives, or are = just=20 unwilling to change because of their being caught in = traditions.

There is, however, another side of the story. = I have=20 heard from many of these =93evil Sanballat types=94 and they are = heart-broken over=20 what has happened to their churches. They love the gospel and hunger for = solid=20 Bible teaching. Besides being starved spiritually, they are now = chastised as=20 being evil doers. This email is an example:

We were labeled critical and divisive and = negative in=20 our Southern Baptist church for pointing out the watered-down gospel and = twisting of scripture in the book Purpose-Driven Life. Despite the = concerns we raised, our church pressed ahead with their 40 day journey = earlier=20 this year and we found it too difficult to attend church over that = period, where=20 all the ministries of the church were geared to that study over that = time. =20 We have found the lack of discernment very alarming. We are shocked at = the weak=20 teaching of scripture we are seeing, the lack of discernment, the = ignorance of=20 truth versus error, and the willingness to jump unquestioningly on every = popular=20 "Christian" bandwagon that comes along. We are very discouraged as we = know of=20 no solid, Bible-honouring, = discerning church in our area and wonder what those of us who see these = problems=20 are to do. (from Canada)

We attend a large Baptist, though in reality=20 nondenominational church in the Detroit area. It seems our = church,=20 and many, many, others have embraced what I've come to call=20 "Warrenism". . . What's disturbed us is the = secularization of=20 our church. It's become more and more worldly, while growing large = in=20 numbers. (about 6,000 members). We have felt alone in our = uneasiness=20 with the =93Warrenistic=94 culture of our church as it's grown stronger = there, but=20 we felt confused about it after some Sunday sermons in support of = it. What=20 we see now at our church is not enough evangelism without, and God's = House is=20 very worldly within. This is what breaks our hearts. = We hear=20 sermons with only vague references to scripture and have a secularized = worship=20 service many times. My wife asks me, =93shouldn't we be = getting=20 nourishment to prepare us for our battles as = Christians?=94

My question is this: =93Are the resisters = really leaders=20 from hell or are they solid Christians who know the difference between = the=20 gospel as preached by Christ and His apostles and the Purpose Driven = message=20 that is tailored to appeal to the unregenerate and carnal minded?=94 =

What most of these resistant people do not = know is that=20 their pastors have been trained in how to deal with them. Their pastors = have=20 been taught that =93traditionalists=94 who do not get on board with the = new vision=20 will have to go if they cannot be placated or converted to the new = paradigm. The=20 reason for this is that the Purpose Driven franchise cannot succeed = without=20 conformity to its protocol. That is why Rick Warren makes all members of = his=20 church sign a unity covenant.<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[iii] In=20 his case, his church never was anything but Purpose Driven. The people = who have=20 come there mostly do not know the difference between a gospel church and = a=20 Purpose Driven church. They are happy to sign unity pledges because they = are=20 already convinced the Rick Warren and his processes are from God. But = Warren=92s=20 campaign to convert existing churches to become Purpose Driven creates a = far=20 different situation. It displaces thousands of people who know what real = gospel=20 preaching and Bible teaching are. They know that the synthetic = alternative that=20 pleases the unregenerate masses is not the same message. They, who were=20 previously the stalwarts of the congregation, are now the =93problem = people=94 who=20 have to be dealt with.

This transition is similar to what happens = when one=20 franchise company buys another. The employees of the purchased company = have been=20 trained in the vision and protocol of that company. The new one has an = entirely=20 different corporate agenda. What often happens is that long time, loyal=20 employees of the old company are fired because it is easier to bring in = a new=20 =93team=94 that is sold on the new company=92s ways. This is painful = enough in=20 corporate America, but when it happens to a long-standing church that = existed to=20 preach the gospel, teach the Bible, and care for the flock, people who = are=20 mature, loving Christians find themselves removed from fellowship. They = who love=20 their Lord and His Word have, through no choice of their own, become=20 characterized as wicked =93resisters=94 who are standing in the way of = what God=20 wants to do.

The New =93Reformation=94. = Dan Southerland=92s book reveals in a step by = step process=20 describing how to convert one=92s congregation from a Bible church to a = Purpose=20 Driven church.<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[iv]=20 Rick Warren=92s endorsement in the forward of the book characterizes = what is=20 happening: =93An incredible wave of renewal and revival is taking place = in these=20 churches that are willing to change.=94<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[v] This=20 process is entirely based on the concept of =93vision=94 which includes = eight steps=20 that will convert one=92s church to a Purpose Driven church.

Before the vision process begins, pastors need = to be=20 convinced that what they are now doing is failing. Statistics are used = to prove=20 that most churches are failing and desperately need to =93transition=94 = to the new=20 paradigm. Southerland writes, =93According to recent studies, 80 percent = of=20 churches in North America are plateaued or in decline.=94<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[vi]=20 Church Growth advocates commonly cite this statistic. Southerland = further=20 asserts, =93In the twenty centuries since Jesus handed us the keys to = the kingdom,=20 we have lost our way.=94<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[vii]=20 His answer is to =93regain=94 the vision, a process which entails a = second=20 reformation: =93The second reformation is about methods. It concerns how = we should=20 relate to the world around us; how we make the gospel culturally = relevant so=20 that men and women everywhere can come to know, love and serve Jesus = Christ.=94<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[viii]=20

In these few pages, Southerland tells pastors = that they=20 need a reformation and an entirely new model of how to =93do church.=94 = He thinks=20 (probably sincerely) that this is the Biblical model. Yet he does no = exegetical=20 or theological work to prove from the Bible that the Purpose Driven = model is=20 that of Christ and His apostles. Yet he asks, =93How do we transition = the church=20 back to a purpose driven model?=94<= SPAN=20 class=3DMsoEndnoteReference>[ix]=20 This is amazingly anachronistic. The Purpose Driven model is based on = marketing=20 principles that were not articulated before the 20^th century. = Do not=20 be deceived, the Purpose Driven movement is not bringing us back to = something=20 that existed in Biblical times that was somehow lost in church history. = This is=20 a new movement that was founded by Robert Schuller in the 1960=92s. = Schuller=20 called for a similar =93reformation=94 in 1982.= [x] As=20 discussed earlier, Schuller=92s =93reformation=94 was somewhat limited = because of the=20 difficulty of replicating the Crystal Cathedral. Rick Warren has = overcome that=20 shortcoming by creating a model that can be adopted anywhere. Thus the=20 =93reformation=94 that Schuller envisioned in 1982 has been resurrected = and=20 restructured by Rick Warren in a way that might actually = =93succeed.=94= [xi]=20 What we need to decide is whether the Schuller/Warren =93reformation=94 = is Biblical=20 or whether it is actually a =93deformation.=94

To confuse this matter even more, C. Peter = Wagner is=20 calling for a =93new apostolic reformation.=94= ^{^[xii]}=20 Not to be left on the sidelines, in 1993 a group of feminists gathered = at a=20 =93re-imagining=94 conference and proposed a feminist =93second = reformation=94 that=20 would push their agenda.= [xiii]=20 That makes four =93reformations=94 going on simultaneously. Schuller=92s = reformation=20 is based on self-esteem; Warren=92s on making the church exist so as to = be=20 relevant to unbelievers (which self-esteem teaching does), Wagner=92s on = the=20 emergence of latter day apostles and prophets in the church, and the = feminists=20 on the need for a more sensual spirituality.= [xiv]=20 One thing they all have in common is the desired end which is church = growth=20 through making the church more attractive to the world. Church growth = was not an=20 issue during the real Reformation; the Catholic church was growing just = fine=20 before Luther.

During a radio debate with a pastor who = supports Rick=20 Warren, I suggested that if Warren really believes we need a = reformation, he=20 should show in detail what exactly was wrong with the teaching and = practice of=20 evangelicalism that warranted a =93reformation.=94= [xv] His=20 response cited surveys suggesting that most churches are not growing. = Apparently=20 growth is the one issue that fuels this movement. In a later chapter I = will show=20 that when Jesus Christ brought messages to 7 churches in Revelation He = never=20 considered size or growth as an important matter. We have some major = problems=20 here. First we have to make the logical jump that lack of numerical = growth=20 warrants a reformation. Second, if we make that logical jump, then we = have to=20 decide which of the four reformations is right to join. Third, having = joined one=20 of them, we have to overturn everything we have been doing, even at the = expense=20 of alienating solid Christians who love their church and the gospel, in = order to=20 make our message and practice acceptable to the world (and thus = facilitate=20 growth).

Not a single epistle in the New Testament = rebukes a=20 church for not growing! Furthermore, when it comes to the church=92s = relationship=20 to the lost, there are warnings to not give needless offense, but there = are no=20 instructions to change the nature of Christian teaching and gatherings = so that a=20 =93target audience=94 would find it appealing in their unregenerate = state.= [xvi] It=20 seems to me that too many pastors are signing up for some version of = this new=20 reformation without critically examining the claims of its proponents by = comparing them with Scripture.

The new reformation isn=92t designed to make = anything more=20 Biblical; it is designed to do two things: 1) create a =93felt need=94 = in pastors by=20 suggesting that they are failing God based on demographic studies and=20 statistics, and 2) feed the appetite for success in the eyes of their = peers (who=20 wants to =93fail?=94) by designing a system that will work to make their = churches=20 grow. Why be one of the miserable statistics of failure when you can = sign up to=20 become Purpose Driven? If you follow the protocol the way it is designed = to be=20 followed, your church is very likely to be deemed =93healthy.=94 = Southerland=20 achieved this status by using these proven techniques to grow his church = from=20 300 to 2100.= [xvii]=20 This creates a dilemma for pastors: either continue to preach the gospel = clearly=20 as preached in the New Testament in its native offensiveness to the = unregenerate=20 mind and be deemed a failure by the church growth experts, or join the = new=20 reformation and learn how to turn your =93sick=94 church into a = =93healthy=94 one as=20 defined by the church growth technocrats. If the numbers that Rick = Warren cites=20 are accurate, many pastors in America are choosing the second = option.

How Vision Is Used to Change Churches. =20 The concept =93vision=94 is = the key to=20 converting one=92s church to becoming Purpose Driven. Southerland=92s = book used the=20 term =93vision=94 continually, claiming that it is supported by the Book = of=20 Nehemiah. He presents an eight step program for pastors to follow that = will=20 transition their church to becoming Purpose Driven. The steps are all = dependent=20 on his concept of vision. I will show that the way he and other Church = Growth=20 advocates use the term vision is entirely different from how it is used = in the=20 Bible.

In order to understand this transitioning = process, we=20 need to understand what Warren and Southerland mean by the term = =93vision.=94 The=20 term =93vision=94 is never found in the Book of Nehemiah, though = Southerland uses=20 Nehemiah as a key example of someone who used the principle of vision to = achieve=20 something great for God. Nehemiah was on a mission that God endorsed to = rebuild=20 the walls of Jerusalem. But the vision for doing so was given many years = previous by authoritative prophets from God; it was not dreamed up by=20 Nehemiah.

The term vision in the Bible relates to = special=20 revelation, either true or false. True vision was God=92s authoritative = word to=20 the people (which is contained in our Scriptures), not someone having a = plan for=20 the future that they hoped to implement. In modern business jargon, the = term=20 =93vision=94 does not have the same meaning that it did in the Bible. = Southerland=20 makes a major category error when he confuses the business meaning of = vision=20 with the Biblical meaning.

False vision in the Bible was that which = originated from=20 man=92s imagination: =93Then the Lord said to me, =91The prophets are = prophesying=20 falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor = spoken to=20 them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility = and the=20 deception of their own minds.=92=94 (Jeremiah 14:14). Later = in Jeremiah=20 we find the same idea: =93Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Do not listen = to the=20 words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you = into=20 futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from = the=20 mouth of the Lord=94 (Jeremiah 23:16). The use of the term = =93vision=94 in=20 modern business lingo concerns a visionary person seeing the marketing = of a=20 product all the way from research and development to marketing and = support. This=20 =93vision=94 begins in the mind of a capable businessperson. Executing = the vision=20 follows the plan that Southerland lays out in his book: conducting = market=20 surveys of potential religious consumers; defining the business; selling = the=20 power brokers on it; selling the business team, selling the key workers = and the=20 common people on the concept; and dealing with opposition. This is a = business=20 marketing plan pure and simple. It starts with man=92s imagination, not = God=92s=20 authoritative vision contained in Scripture.

&= nbsp; =20 To show how Southerland and others who have bought into Warren=92s = Purpose Driven=20 paradigm are using the term vision, I will cite several examples. In the = following sentences, Southerland tells what vision is and is not: = =93Vision is not=20 just a destination, it is a journey. Vision is not just a product; it is = a=20 process. Vision is not just the finish line; it is the whole race.=94= [xviii]=20 These ideas have nothing to do with the Biblical concept of vision as=20 authoritative revelation from God given to His authoritative = spokespersons.=20 Southerland goes on, =93Any business guru can tell you that research and = development is a major part of producing a winning product.=94= [xix]=20 Again, this has nothing to do with the Biblical term =93vision.=94 This = is a modern,=20 secular use of the term. I am convinced that the Church Growth Movement = uses the=20 term because it sounds like something from the Bible and suits their = purposes of=20 =93selling=94 a version of Christianity to the masses. To use the term = in the=20 business sense and simultaneously tell people that it came from the = Bible is a=20 blatant example of equivocation.= [xx]=20

&= nbsp; =20 Here is an example from Southerland=92s book where he confuses people by = using the=20 term =93vision=94 in an unbiblical way: =93Paul captured the essence of = vision when he=20 wrote these words: =91No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has = conceived=20 what God has prepared for those who love him.=92 1 Corinthians = 2:9.=94 This=20 passage is not the essence of what the Bible means by vision, it is the=20 opposite. There is no vision in the sense of authoritative revelation = from God=20 for what is not revealed and no one knows! What Paul is describing will = not be=20 known until the end of the age when Christ returns. We only know that = part of it=20 that is revealed in Scripture. Southerland, however, makes this = application:=20 =93For our eyes to see God=92s vision, for our ears to hear God=92s = voice, and for our=20 minds to conceive of God=92s plan, we must spend time in major = preparation.=94= [xxi]=20 Exactly what =93preparation=94 is going to give us what God has not = chosen to reveal=20 to anyone? The following shows that Southerland is using =93vision=94 in = the modern=20 business marketing sense and not the Biblical sense: =93Before we can = receive=20 God=92s vision for His church, we must prepare for vision. God=92s = vision for your=20 church is big stuff so the preparation for that vision must be big stuff = as=20 well.=94= [xxii]=20 He obviously is not speaking of what has been revealed once for all by = God=92s=20 authoritative prophets. Instead, he is speaking of what we get in our = mind now=20 from extra-biblical sources in order to conceive of a different future = for our=20 local church.

To make this equivocation process even more = confusing,=20 Southerland tells his readers that Nehemiah used this type of vision = process in=20 his ministry: =93Nehemiah understood this vital principle: vision is = best birthed=20 out of thorough knowledge.=94= [xxiii]=20 No, Nehemiah was not from the Peter Drucker school of the prophets. The = term=20 =93vision=94 does not even appear in the Book of Nehemiah. The = =93vision=94 of=20 rebuilding Jerusalem was given to the authoritative prophet Jeremiah = years=20 before: =93=91Behold, days are coming,=92 declares the Lord, =91when = the city shall=20 be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner = Gate=92=94=20 (Jeremiah 31:38). It was also spoken to Daniel: =93So you are = to know=20 and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild = Jerusalem=20 until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; = it will=20 be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress=94 = (Daniel=20 9:25). Nehemiah was carrying out the plan of God that had been = declared=20 God=92s plan by God=92s Biblical prophets. He was not using his = imagination to dream=20 big things for God; nor was he =93birthing=94 a vision by some man-made=20 process.

Southerland tells pastors how to =93birth=94 = their vision,=20 supposedly based on Nehemiah: =93First, go to school on the = unchurched people=20 in your community.=94= [xxiv]=20 Nehemiah knew from Jeremiah and Daniel that God intended to restore = Jerusalem.=20 In our day, we do not have authoritative scripture telling us that our = churches=20 should exist to meet the needs and expectations of the unregenerate. = Nehemiah=20 surveying the situation in Jerusalem to see what would be needed to = rebuild is=20 not analogous to pastors doing marketing surveys of potential religious=20 consumers so as to design a church that suits their fancy. This is a = huge=20 category disconnect.

Yet Pastor Southerland is so absolutely = convinced that=20 the Purpose Driven paradigm is God=92s vision for the church, that he is = willing=20 to take criticism for not preaching the gospel in order to fulfill this = vision.=20 When criticized for not preaching the gospel, He gathered his leaders, = stood his=20 ground, and said this: =93This is where I have to go. I must do church = for the=20 unchurched; I can=92t go back to doing church for the already convinced. = If you=20 want to go with me, please do.=94= [xxv]=20 His vision of creating a Purpose Driven church is more important than = anything=20 else and he willingly suffered the loss of 300 former members to create = a church=20 that appeals to the =93unchurched=94 (which is code for the = =93unregenerate=94). Why=20 feed Jesus=92 little flock when you could have a huge group of happy = religious=20 consumers instead? He made a poor choice.

Biblical vision is from God, it is spoken=20 authoritatively once for all Christians for all ages and it always = applies in=20 all situations. Vision that helps a pastor transition his church from a = gospel=20 preaching church to a Purpose Driven church comes from the imagination = of men,=20 is fueled by the wisdom of marketing gurus, and changes as often as the = target=20 group takes on different cultural characteristics. The modern business = term has=20 nothing to do with the Biblical one. Do not be fooled. The possibility = thinker=20 Robert Schuler and the =93exponential=94 thinker Rick Warren have = visions alright,=20 but they did not come from the authoritative prophets of the = Bible.

Why Christians are only Important if They Join = the=20 Vision Team. The goal = of the=20 transition from a Bible church to a Purpose Driven church is to get = everyone to=20 buy the vision and agree to work to implement it. If this is happening = in your=20 church your pastor has probably already bought into the Purpose Driven = franchise=20 and is convinced that he is on a serious mission from God. He thinks = that=20 everyone who resists being Purpose Driven either has bad motives, is a = slave of=20 religious traditions, or is a tool of Satan. Such people will only = hinder the=20 implementation of the vision. In a chapter on dealing with opposition,=20 Southerland admits that he was accused of not preaching the gospel.= [xxvi]=20 So his =93evil=94 opponents want the gospel preached, much like the many = people who=20 have emailed me after their churches were hijacked by Rick Warren=92s=20 movement.

If you believe that the church should preach = the law and=20 gospel and feed the flock solid food through expository Bible preaching, = you=20 likely have enemy status in the eyes of the pastor and leaders of your=20 church=97especially if the decision to transition has already been made. = Your=20 church, once the transition is implemented, will no longer exist to feed = God=92s=20 flock and preach the gospel to the lost, but will exist to meet the = =93felt needs=94=20 of religious consumers (the target market niche).

Southerland makes it clear that the vision is = about=20 reaching a target group. He says, =93The question in business jargon = would be =91Who=20 is our primary customer?=92=94= [xxvii]=20 Determining this requires market research that will reveal who the = church is=20 targeting. Southerland writes, =93We must determine who is in the center = of the=20 bull=92s-eye on the target.=94= [xxviii]=20 For Rick Warren, the target was =93Saddleback Sam,=94 a composite, = typical person=20 that Warren designed his church services to please.= [xxix]=20 We must be clear about something. The market research that determines = the target=20 audience that these pastors want to reach is used to design a church = service,=20 not gospel preaching outside the church. The church is no longer to be a = gathering of Christians around the means of grace; it is to be a place = to=20 attract the target audience by feeding their religious appetites, = whatever they=20 may be. Marketing is ultimately about satisfied customers.

Once this vision is established and refined to = reach the=20 market niche that seems most likely to respond favorably, all =93team = members=94=20 must get on board with the vision. This means that the long standing = church=20 members=92 needs=97being fed God=92s Word, prayer, fellowship, and = opportunities to=20 minister to one another=97are no long important. The =93felt needs=94 of = the target=20 audience are what define the vision of the Purpose Driven church. Those = who long=20 to be fed God=92s Word are made to look selfish and unwilling to reach = the=20 lost.

Perhaps expanding on an analogy from earlier = will help=20 clarify this. The Purpose Driven church is a church that has adopted a = business=20 marketing strategy. As we stated, the previous members are like = employees of a=20 company that was bought out by another. The new company has a different = target=20 audience with different appetites. Imagine you were an employee of a = fried=20 chicken restaurant and it was bought out by a pizza franchise. The new = corporate=20 vision will target people with an appetite for pizza. You will either = have to=20 work to follow company protocol so that the target group becomes = satisfied=20 customers, or you will have to give up your job. Pizza customers are = never going=20 to expect chicken at that location again.

If you were a member of a Bible church that = consisted of=20 people with a hunger for the whole counsel of God, the gospel preached = without=20 compromise, and worship designed to bring glory to God, and that church = becomes=20 Purpose Driven, you now have a different purpose. The church will no = longer=20 exist to satisfy the appetites of those who love God=92s Word and hunger = for the=20 truth. It now exists to feed the appetites of religious consumers of the = target=20 market group. These have no appetite for what the church used to = provide, AND=20 THEY NEVER WILL! People do not go to a pizza place if their appetite is = for=20 chicken and they do not go to a Purpose Driven church if their appetite = is for=20 solid, unsullied Bible teaching. Whatever the church offers that = satisfies their=20 targeted religious consumers will have to continue to be offered. If = this=20 targeted market group had an appetite for the gospel and expository = Bible=20 preaching, the church would never have changed, they could have reached = this=20 group the way they were. Having changed, the church will now be a = different=20 entity, permanently.

If you were a member before the change, your = only=20 choices are to join the new vision and work to meet the felt needs of = the=20 targeted market group (religious consumers)=97or leave. If you stay, you = will have=20 to spend your time helping the pastor achieve his vision (marketing = plan). You=20 will have to do this knowing that never again will God=92s Word be = preached with=20 authority and power from the pulpit (which religious consumers have no = appetite=20 for), because to do so would be to give up the vision which your pastor = is=20 trained to never do at any cost. If you loved chicken and chose to work = in a=20 chicken place because of that, once the pizza company buys your store, = your=20 chicken days are over. So it is when a Bible church becomes Purpose = Driven. This=20 is true because of one simple fact: =93Saddleback Sam=94 has no hunger = for the=20 things of God. The old way was preaching the gospel to the lost. If they = were=20 converted they got a hunger for the things of God and then they joined a = Bible=20 church where they were fed. The new way is to make the church appealing = to those=20 who are not converted. This means it can never become a Bible church. As = soon as=20 it did, it would quit attracting the target market group.

Can you imagine what would happen if John = MacArthur=20 preached the gospel, week after week in the Crystal Cathedral? I can. = Some=20 people would be converted and their lives permanently changed by the = power of=20 God. The majority would be outraged, offended and leave the church. They = come to=20 get a self-esteem boost, not be told they are wretched sinners facing = God=92s=20 wrath. Of course this will never happen as long as Robert Schuller has = anything=20 to say about it. It cannot happen because the Crystal Cathedral exists = for other=20 reasons than preaching the blood atonement. So does any Purpose Driven = church.=20 The differences between Schuller and Warren are merely superficial. = Warren=20 includes evangelical terminology and has a more orthodox statement of = faith. But=20 what is preached to the general public is very similar. That is the = target=20 audience. Warren says that =93Saddleback Sam=94 is =93skeptical of = =91organized=20 religion.=92=94= [xxx] So=20 are those who are attracted to the Crystal Cathedral.

Once this key change is in place, and the = church=20 leadership has bought the vision package, the members either become team = players=20 helping to make the new marketing plan work, or they are disloyal = traitors who=20 have to go. If you long for solid Bible teaching you are in the wrong = place if=20 yours is a Purpose Driven church. That you will leave is a cost your = pastor has=20 already calculated and decided he is willing to pay. Reading the=20 Transitioning book that Rick Warren promotes makes that crystal = clear.=20 Southerland tells pastors, =93You will be criticized. It might as well = be for=20 doing the right thing.=94= [xxxi]=20 From what he writes, one must conclude that he really believes that = making the=20 church a community gathering place for religious consumers rather than a = gathering of the =93called out ones=94 is the right thing. He really = believes he is=20 like Nehemiah sent by God to rebuild Jerusalem. He really believes that = people=20 who hunger for gospel preaching and Bible teaching are the enemies of = God=92s=20 vision. If your church has bought the Purpose Driven franchise, your = pastor=20 probably does too. It is a sad, harsh reality, but you have lost your = church.=20 It=92s very unlikely that it will ever again be a gospel-centric church. =

[i] Dan Southerland, Transitioning; Leading = Your Church=20 Through Change (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2000).

[ii] Ibid. 115.

[iii] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, = (Zondervan:=20 Grand Rapids, 2002) 167.

[iv] Southerland never admits that the church used = to be a=20 Bible church, previous churches are called =93program driven=94 by Rick = Warren in=20 the foreword, Transitioning, 9.

[v] Ibid.

[vi] Ibid. 13.

[vii] Ibid. 14.

[viii] Ibid. 14, 15.

[ix] Ibid. 15.

[x] Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New = Reformation,=20 (Waco, Word Books, 1982).

[xi] Warren lately is distancing himself from = Schuller and=20 likely would object to being linked to Schuller=92s reformation. = However, the=20 rational that Schuller offers is very much the same as Warren=92s. Says = Schuller,=20 =93However, I have seen my calling as one that communicates spiritual = reality to=20 the unchurched who may not be ready to believe in God. . . . As a = missionary, I=20 find hope of respectful contact is based on a =91human-need=92 approach = rather than=20 a theological attack.=94 Schuller, Self-Esteem, 12. Schuller, = like Warren,=20 uses the apparent lack of growth of the church as justification for a = new=20 reformation: =93For decades now we have watched the church in Western = Europe and=20 in America decline in power, membership, and influence. I believe that = this=20 decline is the result of our placing theocentric communications [gospel=20 preaching and Bible teaching] above the meeting of the deeper emotional = and=20 spiritual needs of humanity.=94 Ibid. Unless Rick Warren somehow shows = how his=20 =93reformation=94 is different than Schuller=92s, I must assume that = Warren is of the=20 same ilk as Schuller.

[xii] http://www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=3Dapostolic= =20

[xiii] Martha Sawyer Allen, The Divine Redefined = =96 From=20 female theologians come the stirrings of a new Reformation; in = Minneapolis=20 Star Tribune, November 3, 1993.

[xiv] The article says, =93They are exploring the sensual and sexual side = of the=20 divine, rooting around in contemplative and introspective interplay with = God,=20 and talking about women=92s daily experiences of the divine in every = culture as=20 central to theology today,=94 Ibid.

[xv] Ironically, if these =93reformations=94 = actually succeed,=20 there will be so much wrong with the church that we will need a = reformation to=20 get back to the principles of the first Reformation.

[xvi] This passage is cited as proof that the = service should=20 be designed for unbelievers: =93If therefore the whole church = should=20 assemble together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or = unbelievers=20 enter, will they not say that you are mad?=94 (1Corinthians 14:23) This = passage,=20 however, falls into the category of not giving needless offense, not = designing a=20 service to appeal to the sensibilities of the unregenerate. It describes = the=20 undesirable results of a hypothetical situation, not a meeting designed = to=20 appeal to the typical unsaved Corinthian.

[xvii] Southerland, Transitioning, = 12.

[xviii] Ibid. 20.

[xix] Ibid. 21.

[xx] The Definition of equivocation is, =93The same = word used=20 with two different meanings.=94 http://www.datanat= ion.com/fallacies/equiv.htm;=20 This example is given: Criminal actions are illegal, and all murder = trials are=20 criminal actions, thus all murder trials are illegal. (Here the term = "criminal=20 actions" is used with two different meanings). Here is another use of = the term=20 equivocation: =93falsification by means of vague or ambiguous = language.=94 http://www.hyperdictionary.com/search.aspx?define=3Dequivocation&nbs= p;=20

[xxi] Southerland, Transitioning, = 21.

[xxii] Ibid.

[xxiii] Ibid. 26.

[xxiv] Ibid. italics in original.

[xxv] Ibid. 117.

[xxvi] Ibid. 117.

[xxvii] Ibid. 49.

[xxviii] Ibid. 51.

[xxix] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, = (Grand=20 Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) 170.

[xxx] Ibid.

[xxxi] Southerland, Transitioning, = 118.

Order = Now!

Redefining=20 Christianity

Understanding the = Purpose=20 Driven Movement

By Bob DeWaay

Available for $13.00=20

Letter=20 from a prisoner in South Africa:

. . . As=20 you see the above address, I am one of concerned born-again Christian = believers=20 who have been visited by Christ Jesus through hearing the Gospel of = Salvation=20 right here in prison since 1998. I and other faithful brothers = have been=20 connected with your ministries of Discernment from 2001 while Hester was = in=20 charge of your branch at Krugersdorp, South Africa, before sister Helen = Gevers=20 took over. We are a group of dedicated believers in Christ Jesus = as now=20 Lord and Saviour and desire only to hear and receive whatever He = says. =20 Your ministry of discernment has contributed much, not less in our = Christian=20 spiritual life as an eye opener, in a profound way. God has used = you to=20 teach us the doctrines of true Christianity and differentiate what is = secularly=20 called Christianity from the real and biblical Christianity of the first = century=20 church and leadership of Jesus Christ.

Every=20 pastor, reverend bishop and preachers who come here in our prison have = =91trouble=20 =96 40 days purpose driven mentality=92, and always talk about it, plus = this=20 confusing positive confession. These =91gospels=92 is all over the = church and=20 the majority of Christians believe them without looking it against the = Bible,=20 because it works, they says =96 ignorant of knowing that Satan can do = miracles,=20 signs and lying wonders through his servants (Matt. 7:21-22) who claimed = to=20 follow Jesus Christ but being exposed by their fruit =91gospels=92 that = contradict=20 the Word of God =96 the Bible.

We really=20 thank God for such people like you who have counted the cost and follow = Jesus in=20 season and out of season. We were so deeply into Copeland and = Hagan=20 ministries before we met your alert ministries and we used to wonder = because=20 though we used to believe them, we never came to satisfaction in their=20 =91theology=92 and since the Lord was aware of our predicament, He made = sure that we=20 met your ministries of Discernment Newsletter and =93the Berean Call=94 = . . . .=20 there has been a biblical transformation in our life and I can = personally tell=20 you my sister that I am not in the place I used to be, I am becoming = what God=20 intended me to be and through Christ, not to confess things into = existence as if=20 I am God =96 I trust Him in every circumstance. And He sustains = me. I depend=20 in Him, not in what I say =96 speak out either in my =91faith=92 but in = Him =96=20 only. I Him love so much that, what you have brought through = Discernment=20 newsletter to be what is in accordance with His Word =96 after I have = checked it=20 against the Bible, I took it and put it in practice by the Holy Spirit = of=20 God.

However,=20 there is much to be done in our growing group since one of our inmate = brothers=20 have Christian relatives, parents and brothers who are deep in the = =91Purpose=20 Driven Church=92 and Purpose Driven life outside and they keep sending = these books=20 to our prison, being sincerely wrong, by helping their brethren. = Many=20 brothers have come to us, asking why we do not speak about these books = of Rick=20 Warren, and we have told them that like positive confession, we are = studying=20 these books to check whether must we recommend or not. Brothers = are=20 interested to hear from us our side and we do not have he = resources. We=20 think it will help us too=85..AM

Note: It is=20 a joy to be able to send materials to those like this brother who are = taking a=20 stand and being faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ =96 even behind = bars. =20 We never cease to marvel at the grace and mercy of our Lord towards = those who=20 are truly hungry and seeking for Him.