"It's not about you." -

Irony, according to Webster, is the incongruity of the actual and expected result of events. The word "irony" popped into my mind as soon as I picked up a book I was given for Christmas. I try very hard to be gracious when I read any work of an author with whom I know I differ on some point or another, but I'm struggling as I skim through Rick Warren's latest, widely-popular The Purpose Driven Life.

A good man should teach his children this important principle: When a Christian book is touted as a "groundbreaking manifesto," proceed cautiously and with dogged skepticism. Before I even opened Warren's book, I had determined that I would not be able to give a hearty amen to the contents. Twice on the slip cover, "groundbreaking manifesto" is a descriptive phrase for the book. Also on the slip cover, a well-known apologist for the modern seeker-sensitive madness proclaims, "If you only read one book on what life is all about - make it this one!" And I respond, "Really?!?, Is this book more powerful than the Word of God unto salvation, or is this person claiming that the topic of life purpose is just not covered in God's groundbreaking manifesto?" And the final tip that this may not be a book of sound, Biblical teaching: Over 6 Million Copies Sold. That's a lot of copies for a book which came out in 2002; if it was available on January 1, 2002 and that many copies have been sold between then and now, over 8,200 copies per day are being sold. This fact does not mean that the book cannot contain sound, Biblical teaching, but it should certainly raise a flag of caution in this modern culture.

I could go on and on about why there is already a bad taste in my mouth about this book, but I'll try to keep it simple. The first four words of the book are, "It's not about you." Yet, the title is appropriately chosen because the book is all about you and finding your purpose. The book is baptized in Christian jargon and Scripture references, but the bottom line is [my words], "You need to discover your purpose, explore your purpose, live your purpose, share your purpose, etc." And then a form of the gospel is presented as [my words], "If having a God-given purpose sounds good to you, you need Jesus."

The problem is, Warren fails miserably to communicate the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the awful majesty of the King of Kings who came to earth to be crucified as a spotless Lamb of God so that men could repent and have His blood poured over them to cleanse them and make them presentable before the one, true God. This book fails to reverence our Heavenly Father and it waters down the amazing work of the Bridegroom.

Warren says, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don't think of themselves." May I submit a more God-honoring definition? Humility is the recognition that you are unworthy to stand before God without Christ and that repentance and faith are your only hope of escaping the depths of hell; humility is that great motivator which drives you to obey God's Word even when your flesh is not willing; this includes the fulfilling of the "one another" commands in the Bible.

Take care to evaluate well the books that feed your mind.