Good News / MetaFaith

'The Purpose Driven Life'
by Wayne Ferguson 05.10.2005, changed 19.12.2005

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Those of us who are involved in interfaith and metafaith initiatives strive to approach all people of faith with respect and understanding. Where we fall short, at times, is with regard to fundamentalists in the Abrahamic faiths who seem— at least according to their creeds —to regard us as infidels or heretics.

In reaction to the systemic intolerance which we (rightly or wrongly) attribute to them, we tend to close our hearts and minds to the many positive elements in these decidely conservative traditions. In particular, those of us with Christian backgrounds are sometimes less than fair to those who speak from an evangelical Christian perspective, often understanding them— or, rather, misunderstanding them —in the worst possible light. A good remedy for such misunderstanding is Pastor Rick Warren's best seller, The Purpose Driven Life.

In this book, Pastor Warren describes the basic attitudes and assumptions of those who live the purpose driven life by entering into an authentic relationship with God as revealed in Christ and in the Christian scriptures. These are summarized under 5 headings or purposes as follows:

 1. You Were Planned for God's Pleasure
 2. You Were Formed for God's Family
 3. You Were Created to Become Like Christ
 4. You Were Shaped for Serving God
 5. You Were Made for a MissionAs I began to make my way through this volume, I was tempted to become preoccupied in a negative way with occasional statements that seemed to suggest the exclusivity of the Christian gospel and the special authority of the Christian scriptures. Instead, I chose to go as far as I could with the author using his terminology and to be as open as possible to learning the lessons that God wanted to teach me through this author's perspective. After all, the good news that Jesus taught must ultimately be understood as the universal message of Truth and Life—whether or not it can only be expressed in explicitly Christian terms. And insofar as the Christian scriptures communicate this universal message, they do have special authority—regardless of whether this authority belongs exclusively to them or whether the same underlying message might also be available to the practitioners of other faiths through their own scriptures and religious traditions. The questions, then, is to what extent does this book communicate that timeless message to contemporary readers?

For my part, as I proceeded through this study, I had the real sense of learning at the feet of one who truly knows the One with Whom we have to do. Moreover, I came away with a renewed sense of respect for evangelical Christians who I am coming to see once again as my brothers and sisters in the faith—whatever my disagreements with them may be theologically or politically. And despite the fact that The Purpose Driven Life occasionally employs a type of rhetoric which suggests the exclusivity of an explicitly Christian faith, it seems to me that it also gives unique expression to many aspects of the perennial philosophy using that mode of discourse that is distinctive to evangelical Christians. So whether you are searching for the Way, the Truth, and the Life or you are sincerely attempting to really understand our evangelical brothers and sisters, The Purpose Driven Life offers an excellent point of departure.

[Editor's Note: For more information on Rick Warren and on his book, The Purpose Driven Life, visit PurposeDrivenLife.Com.]