For People Who Hate Church

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."   -JESUS  John  13:34

In front of the Muslim Affairs Council, March 2013, Rick Warren reminisced about how he started his church. He recalls:

"We were driving to this little condo, and I said, Don, do you go to church anywhere?"

He said," No, I hate church."

I said, "Great. You're my first member.. I'm starting a church for people who hate church." ~ Rick Warren 

Spoken to the Muslim Affairs Council, March 7,  2013, C-Span.org, Video and Transript.

People who hate church?
He recalls the story offten over the years:

"So then I asked myself, what kind of church are we going to be? And I decided, why don’t we be a church for people who hate church? There are plenty of good churches around here. Why don’t we have church for people who hate church? "  ~ Rick Warren

Rick Warren, Pew Forum, Myth of the Modern Megachurch , 2005, 

Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life.

See also, Prophet of Purpose by Jeffery L. Sheller, book cover (click "read more")

Or read the book free;

and 

 In the Name of Purpose by Tamara Hertzell, quoting Rick warren Chapter 10, pg 135.

and read, 

News with Views,Hating Church, by Paul Proctor, June 19, 2005

And how does Rick do this?  

First you abandon thinking and speaking in a godly fashion and learn how to think and speak differently than "Christians" do:

"If you look at most church advertising, it’s obvious that it was written from a believer’s viewpoint -- not from the mind-set of the unchurched. When you see a church ad that announces, “Preaching the inerrant Word of God!” who do you think that ad appeals to? Certainly not to unbelievers! Personally, I consider the inerrancy of Scripture as a non-negotiable belief but the unchurched don’t even understand the term. If you’re going to advertise your church you must learn to think and speak like unbelievers. The spiritual terminology that Christians are familiar with is just gibberish to the unchurched." ~ Rick Warren

Rick Warren, "We Must Learn To Think Like Unbelievers" originally posted at Pastors.com, Ministry Toolbox 

You do not, according to Rick, start with scripture texts, (ever though Paul said to preach the word both in and out of season.) Instead he recommends you ... um.... basically trick people with something they, (in their unregenerate state of being) like, and then you can give them what they don't like, the Bible:

"The ground we have in common with unbelievers is not the Bible, but our common needs, hurts, and interests as human beings. You cannot start with a text expecting the unchurched to be fascinated by it. You must first capture their attention, and then move them to the truth of God's Word. By starting with a topic that interests the unchurched and then showing what the Bible says about it, you can grab their attention, disarm prejudices, and create an interest in the Bible that wasn't there before."

  ~ Rick Warren

, Purpose Driven Church, p. 295

He also recommends that  churches, during the worship service, ditch the traditional "Christian music"  they are using for music that unregenerate people want to hear:

"Although music is usually the most controversial element of a seeker service it is a critical element that cannot be ignored. We need to understand the incredible power of music, and harness that power by being willing to set aside our own personal preferences and use the music that will best reach the unchurched for Christ."                                                                                         ~ Rick Warren

Rick Warren, Selecting Worship Music, July 29, 2002

This is odd, because if you look in the Bible, taking Daniel as an example, we see how diespite the commands of the king, Daniel worshipped God, He kept on doing exactly what   he had always done, praying and worshiping and obeying God as a believer in Him, and not trying to please or perform for man, even the king. It got him put in a firey furnace.

Rick also tells the church that they must " be sensitive to the hang-ups of unbelievers" when it comes to the worship of God:

"We must be willing to adjust our worship practices when unbelievers are present. God tells us to be sensitive to the hang ups of unbelievers in our services."   ~ Rick Warren

The Purpose Driven Church  by Rick Warren, pg 243

And did you know, few people can think?  Rick says people cannot be converted on intellectual grounds,and this, while the Bible says, "Come, let us reason together,"

 Rick teaches pastors and leaders that you want to forget about actually reasoning with people.  Forget communicating in words that can reach their intellect.... instead,  use the music most appealing to them, (see above) for this will help them feel the presence of God.
Then of course, you help them feel better about themselves and provide for their felt needs."
Telling people that mmusic is the important part of service, not prreaching or teaching is antithetical to Hebrews 4:12 that teaches us, 

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. "

Meanwhile, Rick says, 

"Worship is a powerful witness to unbelievers – if God's presence is felt, and if the message is understandable. God's presence must be sensed in the service. More people are won to Christ by feeling God's presence than by all our apologetic arguments combined. Few people, if any, are converted to Christ on purely intellectual grounds. It is the sense of God's presence that melts the heart and explodes mental barriers."   

                                                                                                                                       ~ Rick Warren

Pastors.com, Ministry Toolbox article, quoted in "Church Growth Gone Mad,"by Clay Miller, Associate Pastor, 

Outreach Ministries, Grace Community Church

Faith comes by hearing.... the word of God, not music of anykinds that one just happens to prefer.

And what is Rick warren's goal with the writing of his book?

"The goal of 'The Purpose Driven Life' is to help people develop a heart for the world." ~ Rick Warren

The Purpose Driven Life helps readers determine the focus of their lives, by Rick Warren; pastors.com)

It is rather unfortunate, for Rick and some of his friends, that the stated goal of what they are doing in the purpose Driven movement is not to help people develop a heart for God. Nope, there is evidently, and according to Rick himself, something completely different in mind. 

His statements are telling.... if you have ears to hear what the spirit is saying to the churches, (Revelation 2:7 and other places.)  Rick's goal is to "help people develop a heart for the world," and this via.... a congregation of people who "hate church,"  

1 John 2:15-17

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.   For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.