Unless
you just stepped off of your flying saucer from another solar system, you know
about the Purpose-Driven Life. That book is said to be the
second-highest-selling,
non-fiction
book in publishing history, right behind the Bible. The thrust of this
monumentally selling book is to convince people that they were placed
here
for a purpose by the God who created them, and to point to the fact that God’s
Word, the Bible, is the real road map to peace, peace to the soul.
Because
there is so much humanistic psychology woven throughout the book, however, many
who name the name of Christ consider The Purpose-Driven Life to
be
flawed to the point it is counter-productive to the cause of Christ.
While
many proclaim that any book that has sold so many copies is obviously blessed
of God, others point to Harry Potter and proclaim that that series has
sold
even more, and that the psychology found within both works come from the same
source.
I
will make no such conclusion here, but am extremely disturbed at author Rick
Warren’s cavalier attitude toward biblical prophecy. His statement that says
Jesus
always changed the subject when talking to His disciples whenever the topic of
prophecy yet future came up is –I don’t know how else to say it—a
lie.
To refute his claim in this regard, I point you first to his statement on pages
285-286 of The Purpose-Driven Life. Then I point you to the Olivet
Discourse
in Matthew, chapter 24, Mark, chapter 13, and Luke, chapter 21. Read those
suggested texts, then tell me if Mr. Warren is being honest with his
readers.
The
other matter involves the aforementioned problem of psychology. I have no
problem with leveling the charge that to inject psychology from Freud, Jung,
Maslow,
Rogers, or any of the other humanists, and to mix their mumbo-jumbo with the
Holy Word of God in order to advise one to direct one’s life is erroneous
teaching
at best, and dangerous instruction at worst.
Let
me explain.
Every
society, culture, or civilization that has rejected God’s purpose for mankind
has eventually come to, relatively speaking, the same end. Always, the
degeneration
that has resulted from God-rejection has ended in a certain manifestation.
I
liken such teaching from worldly sources, not to instruction that leads to a
godly, purpose-driven life, but to teaching that could be better termed
“porpoise
driven.”
Here
is a relevant passage to consider:
“Because
that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart
was
darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the
glory of the un-corruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man,
and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:21-23).
All
who have populated the planet have, it seems, ultimately come to the point they
viewed the creation as God, and worshipped that creation in one way
or
another. From the ancient days when people worshipped Dagan, the fish god, to
the Greeks, who paid homage to their great gods which they viewed as
controlling
the
various elements of earth’s geophysical activities, to the believers in
reincarnation, and the native American nature worshippers, to those who today
believe
“Mother Earth” is the sustainer of us all, mankind’s history is a continuing
downward-spiraling plunge that is more “porpoise” driven than “purpose”
driven.
A
command, followed by a question from the mind of God is one that should be
considered here: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14).
Another
way of putting it in our context: We as children of God have no business
intertwining our instructions from our Heavenly Father with the instructions
of
those whom think that porpoises are God, because those creatures are part of
the creation by evolution –humanism’s god.
We
can look to the type of worship the children of Israel engaged in, even during
the time Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law that would govern
that
chosen people. Remember? They forged an image that was in the shape of what?
That’s right, a calf. They molded a golden calf to worship. Even the
people
upon whom God chose to put His mighty Hand, as an example to all peoples that
would follow, came to the desire to worship the creature, rather than
the
creator. In modern terms, they became “porpoise driven"!
"Porpoise-driven"
people have reprobate mindset; i.e., their thinking becomes perverted, or
upside- down. Rather than striving to follow the prescription
for
life set down by the Creator-God of all things, they deliberately pull away
from His loving hand of guidance, preferring to do what is right in their
own
eyes.
The
arguments I hear through e-mail, and by listening to their sophistry, always
involve convoluted reasoning (I realize that is an oxymoron). Their thought
always
includes some degree of anger and fear that we who hold to the belief that
God’s judgment is coming are responsible for bringing the planet to ruin.
Christian
evangelicals –and pre-trib believers in the rapture in particular—are the heart
and soul of such ruination, they proclaim. And, if I’ve read
it
or heard it once, I’ve read it or heard it dozens of times –they will be glad
for the rapture so we will be off the planet. Then those left behind can
build
a world free of such encumbrances as those engendered by we who are in favor of
destroying wildlife and Earth’s ecosystem.
When
we who hold to the Bible’s words condemn things like killing babies while they
are in their mothers’ wombs, the "porpoise-driven" rant that it is
nobody’s
business
what women do with their bodies. We should cease trying to impose our view of
morality on those who want to kill babies, if and when they want
to
kill babies. Babies that are unwanted will have nothing but destitution and
abuse to face, so goes the “reasoning.”
That
mindset that says killing human children in the womb is preferable to the
inconvenience that birth would foist upon the mothers and children involved
–not
to mention society at large—twists logic and morality to the breaking point.
Yet the "porpoise driven" are always first to defend the offspring of
wildlife
such as –well, for example— porpoises.
How
many times have we heard that when porpoises or whales have beached themselves
for one reason or another, those who have this mindset have gone to wherever
the
unfortunate mammals were committing porpoicide –if that’s a word—and tried
everything –including “reasoning” with these super-intelligent animals,
to
convince them to choose life, rather than death?
Humanist
psychology, you see, like most all of humanity’s philosophies, are in diametric
opposition to the mind of God. The humanistic religion, with its
chief
dogma, evolution, makes the evolved animal at least as important as the evolved
human. People–e.g., evangelical Christians who believe in God’s coming
judgment
on incorrigibly wicked mankind—refuse to come into harmony with all of nature,
thus are nature’s individual and collective enemy, under the evolutional,
psychological,
and philosophical model. We aren’t “porpoise driven;” thus it would be better
if we were silenced –or better yet, off the planet. At least,
that’s
the message I’ve been getting, especially since the U.S. presidential election
of 2004.
The
"porpoise-driven" mindset says that human death–if that life makes
things inconvenient—is better off removed. Terri Shiavo was an inconvenience,
thus
she
was best left to starve to death. Try that with a baby seal, dolphin, porpoise,
or sea turtle, and the outcry from the "porpoise-driven" crowd would
be
cacophonous.
We,
as a caring, loving part of Mother Earth, must nurture and carefully count
every eagle egg. We shouldn’t bother to keep count of the more than 44 million
human
babies that have been murdered through abortion since Roe v. Wade in 1973,
however. It’s best to just move on from such accounting.
But,
God hasn’t forgotten, and won’t forget. His accounting system is perfect, and
each and every one of those babies will, I’m confident, stand and face
the
"porpoise-driven" crowd at precisely the right moment when the books
of eternity are opened and God’s judgment rendered.
It
is especially troubling that many who say they are Christians–thus surely have
copies of The Purpose Driven Life nearby, write accusing us of being in
favor
of destroying the planet. Almost without exception they, at the same time, say
something like “the Jesus I know would never send anyone to a place
of
eternal punishment. My Jesus taught love and respect for the environment, and
love for the poor and downtrodden.” It is we who believe in judgment,
and
who are voting for George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and thus for Halliburton and
drilling at ANWR, who are going to occupy the hot places of Hell –if such
a
place exists.
The
"porpoise-driven" mindset is really a spirit-set, I’m convinced. It
is a non-rational rationale that comes from confusion that produces totally
upside-down
thinking.
And, the Bible speaks plainly as to who is the author of confusion. The
"porpoise-driven way" is almost without exception bent toward
pro-death,
not
life.
"Porpoise-driven"
exponents almost always champion abortion and homosexual activity--both things
that lead to the eradication of human birth. Increasingly,
the
"porpoise-driven" observably demonstrate that they are for euthanasia
– the offing of those whose quality of life isn’t deemed worthy of continuance.
It
is preferable to hug a tree than to take to one’s breast a helpless woman who
can’t feed herself in today’s economy of the religion of secular humanism.
As
true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is our duty to do our part to take
care of our environment, including the animal life. But, we aren’t to
worship
the Creation. We are to worship the Creator only. His name is Jesus Christ. To
worship Him in spirit and in truth–that is our God-appointed purpose.