The Purpose Driven Life

Background

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 2002 book The Purpose Driven Life is a sequel to his 1995 book The Purpose Driven Church.

Summary

The book is intended to be read as a daily inspiration, with each of the 40 short chapters read on consecutive days. 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," 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. The book's 40 chapters are divided into six major sections, with the following titles:

• What on Earth Am I Here For?
• Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God's Pleasure (Christian Worship)
• Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God's Family (Christian Fellowship)
• Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ (Discipleship)
• Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God (Christian Ministry)
• Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission (Christian Mission) In later versions of the book, two additional chapters were added about the two biggest reasons why Christians do not live purpose driven lives: envy and "people pleasing."

Reception

Sales

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. It had sold over 18 million copies by 2008, and 32 million copies within its first decade, by 2012. According to both the author and publisher Simon & Schuster, 50 million copies had been sold in more than 85 languages by 2020.

Impact

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. Billy Graham described the book as one that would "guide you to greatness—through living the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Jesus."

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.

Criticism

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. 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.

In popular culture

In 2005 the book received notice due to the recapture of Brian Nichols, who had killed three people while escaping from the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Nichols has broken into the home of Ashley Smith, who pacified him by giving him methamphetamine and reading him portions of The Purpose Driven Life over a period of seven hours. Smith credits the book as influencing his decision to release her from captivity. Sales of The Purpose Driven Life increased following the news of Smith's captivity and release and the story formed the basis of the 2015 film Captive.

In 2009, singer Carrie Underwood was inspired by the book to write the song "Temporary Home". Filipino singer Jamie Rivera was also inspired by the book to release a studio album called The Purpose Driven Life. The album became a hit in the Philippines, receiving gold and platinum awards.

NFL legend Ray Lewis gave the book to 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps when he went to rehab. Phelps was deeply touched by the book. He read it while in rehab, even to other patients, earning him the nickname "Preacher Mike".

In NBC's comedy The Office, Angela is asked what three books she would take with her to a desert island; she chooses the Bible and A Purpose Driven Life.

References

Bibliography

References

1. Warren, Rick. (27 February 2018). "Rick Warren: How Billy Graham Shaped My Life and Ministry".
2. Dias, Elizabeth. (22 February 2018). "'Billy Was My Hero.' Pastor Rick Warren Remembers His Mentor Billy Graham".
3. George Thomas Kurian, James D. Smith III, ''The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, Volume 2'', Scarecrow Press, US, 2010, p. 630
4. Alex Murashko, [https://www.christianpost.com/news/10th-anniversary-edition-of-the-purpose-driven-life-redesigned-for-millennials.html 10th Anniversary Edition of 'The Purpose Driven Life' Redesigned for Millennials], christianpost.com, US, June 14, 2012
5. Warren, Rick, ''The Purpose Driven Life'', 2002, p. 17
6. Warren, Rick, ''The Purpose Driven Life'', 2002, p. 25
7. Warren, Rick, ''The Purpose Driven Life'', 2002, Table of Contents
8. Donadio, Rachel. (2004-11-28). "Faith-Based Publishing". The New York Times.
9. "A Review of Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life"".
10. "Purpose Driven Life Gets a 10th Anniversary Makeover: PW Talks with Rick Warren".
11. Accessed on April 18, 2020 https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Rick-Warren/39904606
12. (10 March 2009). "Rick Warren's Magazine: A Publishing Leap of Faith".
13. (12 April 2020). "Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren's Easter message during coronavirus pandemic on faith that works when life doesn't".
14. Cynthia Mcfadden, Ted Gerstein, [https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=5479972&page=1 Rick Warren's 'Long-Term Relationship' with Rwanda], abcnews.go.com, USA, July 31, 2008
15. Price, Robert M. ''The Reason-Driven Life'' pp. 307–312
16. Harris, Jason. InFocus. [http://teaminfocus.com.au/the-purpose-driven-life-by-rick-warren/ ''"The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren'']
17. Erin Curry. (September 28, 2005). "Culture Digest: Ashley Smith gave kidnapper crystal meth, she says in book". Baptist Press.
18. "Ex-hostage: 'I wanted to gain his trust'". CNN.
19. "Rick Warren: The Purpose-Driven Pastor". NPR.
20. Joe McGovern, [http://ew.com/article/2015/09/22/captive-ew-review/ 'Captive': EW review], ew.com, US, September 22, 2015
21. (Mar 17, 2005). "Purpose Driven Life sales pick up pace in Upstate". Herald-Journal.
22. Jessica Phillips, [https://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/thefrontporch/entry.asp?xid=517 Carrie Underwood's Boyfriend Inspires Song on Play On], countrystandardtime.com, USA, November 4, 2009
23. [https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2004/09/10/264182/purpose-driven-jamie-rivera] Purpose driven Jamie Rivera, philstar.com, September 10, 2004
24. "Ray Lewis tweets strange thing about Michael Phelps' medal count, deletes it". Baltimore Sun.
25. (14 August 2016). "Olympian Michael Phelps: 'This Is the Best Place I've Ever Been In My Whole Life'". CBN News.
26. (11 August 2016). "For Michael Phelps, all that gold couldn't glitter until he found God".
27. RELEVANT. (2007-05-25). "God in The Office".