Purpose Driven Fallout
From where I sit there is a SCP fallout that happens when people embrace the Purpose Driven Life philosophy.
For one it is this type of sentiment expressed on the license plate frame I saw this morning that read:
My job may change, but my boss stays the same. Jesus.
Maybe this saying has nothing to do with PDL at all, maybe it does... but it still made me laugh. So see, this isn't an angry post at all. It's a happy post. I am smiling as I post it. No hatred for anyone. Just amusement at the stupid things that stupid people will put on their stupid cars.
For one it is this type of sentiment expressed on the license plate frame I saw this morning that read:
My job may change, but my boss stays the same. Jesus.
Maybe this saying has nothing to do with PDL at all, maybe it does... but it still made me laugh. So see, this isn't an angry post at all. It's a happy post. I am smiling as I post it. No hatred for anyone. Just amusement at the stupid things that stupid people will put on their stupid cars.
posted by Steve at
2/09/2007
26 Comments:
Isn't in Colossians where it says "whatever you do, do it as though you are doing it for the Lord"?
I despise these pithy religious displays, but if you're gonna have one, I suppose this is as benign as it gets.
Purpose driven fallout huh - man some people get so bent out of shape about their beliefs - maybe this site is helping them to re-examine some of the content of their character.
I don't understand why people think that their narrow interpretation of Jesus is the one and only way. In the first century B.C. there wasn't a clear "consensus" on who Jesus was like their seems now. It's like we have all these cutesy sayings about Jesus--like he is our stuffed animal or something...I don't know--no more rants sorry
What exactly is the purpose driven life philosophy?
Please don't tell me to read the book. Since none of us have, would you say it's just one man's opinion on said book and philosophy?
I only bring this up since you clearly have no personal agendas (you were smiling when you wrote this and your working at Saddleback means nothing), and these truths are all based on research from some source other than that of the book or of Rick Warren himself( we know you wouldn't speak negatively against a former employer whom you have personal knowledge of, just to push your own agendas because that would be unethical).
I guess what I am wondering is how is you are so knowledgeable about this philosophy that, by your own admittance, you have no way of actually knowing anything about?
This is really a reduction of Jesus into my own image. And we all try to do this because it is a lot safer to have Jesus as my posession! But when Jesus is unknowable, mystery, bigger than my opinions, then I am forced to grow. And I am open to the fact that God's purpose for my life is mysterious and unknown: all I can do is go on the journey with childlike curiosity...open to learn new things.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I used to have a bumper sticker that read, "WARNING! The rapture could occur at any moment. Driver will disappear!" That was many years ago though, and I wouldn't be seen dead with such a thing these days. Apart from being bad theology, it's hardly a "witness" to people who might already think we're crackpots anyway.
"driven" anything is bad. except when jesus was driven into the desert by the devil.
""driven" anything is bad."
Why?
It's becoming so clear to me now...
Christianity, by it's design-without human influence, is perfect. I defy anyone to argue this point, without using the many persons having claimed this title, but only focusing on the "idea" or "belief" itself.
It's no wonder there is so much external and internal criticism of Christianity today. The people who 'respresent' it are, for the most part, complete idiots (and yes, I include myself in that group). The Church, (all those claiming Christ as their savior) could be compared to judging a musical artists abilities, by heading out to one of your local bars on 'Tuesday Karaoke Jam Night', and allowing Tina and Jim's rendition of "Ebony and Ivory" to shape your musical opinion of Michael Jackson. That doesn't mean that those American Idol dreamers don't care a great deal for the song they're butchering, it's just that that's the best they can do...or so they think.
In other words, critics (from all sides of the fence) should focus less on the 'performer' and more on the original content, before they dismiss what I consider to be unquestioningly perfect. By the same token, those who claim His name, need to work a whole lot harder on how they're representing Him.
hi lowendaction
I like your post, but I want to know what you think Christianity would be without humans--the Bible was interpreted and translated by multitudes of people and the Bible today for all we know--is tainted Christianity. I just want to know how we would know the truth without humans to tell us--because to me, the Bible is just a human transmitted interpretation of what some people believed a long time ago...I really hope this doesn't sound snotty, I really think you made a great point.
I think that Christianity is perfect--it would have to be--but it doesn't matter if the idea is perfect, if Christianity is not true.
Christianity, by it's design-without human influence, is perfect. I defy anyone to argue this point, without using the many persons having claimed this title, but only focusing on the "idea" or "belief" itself.
When I was in college in the 1980s, there were still people saying this about Communism. Communism couldn't be judged by actual Communist countries, so they said, because no one had tried to implement True Communism, which was perfect.
Jesus is who he is... but Christianity is what we call man's attempts to build a system around him.
Bruce_almighty said,
I despise these pithy religious displays
I couldn't agree more. I hate catchphrases, random groupthink chants and praise songs, and moronic hyperbolic interpretations of parables.
Why can't preachers just stand up there and say something real?
Like, "hey guys. I really am tired today. I am chafing. My wife is pissed at me. I beat my all-time high score at tetris yesterday. My buddy is gonna be pissed because I havn't returned his beegees CD. I got new Bois speakers. amen"
marie & zeke - both your points are well made. I am mearly trying, for myself anyway, to re-focus on the original design versus the many flaws of man. Of course Christianity is nothing without it's faulty human counterpart. This is the ultimate balancing act. If we focus too much on Christ, we are unable to fullfill our very "purpose" on this earth: to spread His love. The flip side has become all to appearant due-in part-to our friends at TBN and the likes...
In my opinion, this balancing act is one of the KEY reasons why Christ emphasizes the need and function of the church (as in: fellowship of believers). We must keep one another accountable to our collective and individual focus on God's design, in love, without judging eachother.
Hey, if this was easy, everybody would be doing it, right?
Balance...Must have balance Danielson. Excellent point.
I think that many Christian believers, liberal, conservative and centrist seem to think that we're all supposed to be at the same place on our faith journeys all at the same time. What's up with that? How's that even reality-based?
People can have the privilege of being two-dimensional in their faith (e.g., Jesus is my "boss") if that's where they're at. What is that to me? I have no problem with that and we can coexist without difficulty unless they feel it is their responsibility to control me and my journey; then we have a problem.
But if not, peace to them. My opinion of them and their's of me, is quite irrelevant.
good point, kj
Who the frick cares whether another christian has that sort of bumper sticker on their car? What bearing does it have with you and your day to day lives? It doesn't. Guess what, in the family of Christianity there are ones you agree with, and ones you don't. Ones who are more mature and ones who are less. And instead of bitching and moaning about these things try doing something constructive. I was as angry as you were once. Angry at my brothers and sisters for not seeing how wrong about their faith they were. In other words. I became a pharisee.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:9-14;&version=31;
If people want to read PDL, let them. If they pray and seek God they will find out the truth in their time. If they want to follow Haggard or Olstein, let them. They'll find out the truth in their time and if there are christians around them who think they are erring then hopefully they will guide them back to his presence. I was angry once, pissed at the church for having hurt me... praise God I've put that anger behind me. And for the love of God please lighten up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1loyjm4SOa0
Hey Cubicle Reverend....
Glad to see you've put that anger behind you. It's obvious in this comment how far you've come...
Praise God!
It was a long and hard and painful road, but one I'd be glad to go through again. I am still a stupid church person. Where is my Lord's Gym t-shirt?
Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your last comment Pastor Steve????
Riding on shefrog's comments, I'd love to hear those tapes you found in your garage of the times you preached. That would be interesting!
for a complete left turn...check out this movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0759612/
"Longford"
It's on HBO right now, and it is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest non-christian christian movies (whatever that means) that I've seen.
Without the slothful use of the church-umbrella, or name-dropping on Christ, this guy displays such amazing love, as I've only read about in the bible.
enjoy...
Its people like you and Josh why I still have faith in Christianity.
Keep up the good work my friends.
shut up ron smith. steve and josh are little cool-club idiot morons that create a website for self-worship because they are PREACHERS AKA PHARISEES AKA SADDUCEES AND THEY LIKE TO HAVE THE FLOOR BECAUSE philosophical power IS power no matter the generation. (it's sad that this post will be deleted quickly. truth will remain hidden) *SIGH
P.S. Steve, how about not playing Hitler and call me out on this post instead of trashing it. Let's duke it out in rhetoric. In fact I want to take on you AND your little sidekick Josh at the same time. I want you to tell me how it is. Srsly.
First point of order...I think the above argument just made a reductio ad Hitlerium argument (aka Godwin's law.)
Second, I say fuck PDL.
Read the Bible, it's really the least pretentious, least preachy, least poorly written bit of Christian lit on the market.
I HATE THE PURPOSE DIRVEN LIFE!!!!!! Much ado about nothin' IMO. I just don't read chrisitan schlock anymore because I am not interested in the buillion of another man's thinking mixing with the water of God's wisdom anymore.
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