{"id":1180,"date":"2009-09-09T18:21:38","date_gmt":"2009-09-09T22:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/?p=1180"},"modified":"2026-07-19T14:57:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:57:28","slug":"why-is-rick-warren-included-in-a-book-that-is-exposing-new-age-interspirituality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/why-is-rick-warren-included-in-a-book-that-is-exposing-new-age-interspirituality\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Rick Warren Included in a Book That is Exposing New Age Interspirituality?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Ray Yungen
\n(from A Time of Departing<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the fall of 2002, at the same time the first edition of A Time of Departing<\/em> was released, another book came on the scene. This second book gained almost overnight fame, and before too long, The Purpose Driven Life<\/em> had become a household name. Rick Warren captured the heart and soul of millions of Americans (the majority in evangelical Christianity) like no one else had ever done. His books are seen as blueprints of the Christian life not just for millions but tens of millions worldwide. In fact, The Purpose Driven Life<\/em> has sold nearly thirty million copies, and that number continues to climb. This means that practically every Christian family in America has at least one copy in their home.<\/p>\n

The question you may be asking right now is, “Why is Rick Warren included in a book that is covering New Age interspirituality and exposing the dangers of contemplative prayer? Are you saying that Rick Warren is heading in that direction too? Not America’s pastor! Surely not.” If that were the case, we’d hear about it from Christian leaders. Right?<\/p>\n

On the contrary, some of the leaders I have trusted over the past many years have wholeheartedly endorsed Warren’s Purpose Driven teachings. The late Pastor Adrian Rogers was just such a leader. Rogers wrote of The Purpose Driven Church <\/em>(Warren’s first book) in the most vibrant terms. Of it he said, “This book is on the must-read list for every pastor.”1<\/p>\n

And Adrian Rogers isn’t the only one. In fact, it appears that most Christian leaders support Warren, with only a small number who do not. And this support has cut across nearly every denominational and religious partition. From Southern Baptist (Warren’s own denomination) to Pentecostal to Lutheran to Jewish to Catholic, countless leaders and pastors have given their unwavering support and endorsement to Warren and his Purpose Driven program.<\/p>\n

In my book, I have tried to lay out a concise and well-documented explanation of contemplative prayer–its history, its make-up, and its technique. I have also illustrated with one example after another just how widespread and pervasive contemplative spirituality really is. If indeed Rick Warren is promoting contemplative prayer, as I believe he is, this guarantees that contemplative prayer will be promoted on an enormous scale. Through Rick Warren, Richard Foster’s vision could enter fully into mainstream evangelicalism both in North America and around the world; and with the unprecedented following and support Warren has gained, we could be heading towards a crisis in the church that might possibly lead to the falling away that the Apostle Paul warns about. (To read this entire chapter from A Time of Departing<\/em>, and for endnotes, click here<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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