Dear Pacific Union Adventist:
I continue to receive questions about the study of The Purpose-Driven Life and The Purpose-Driven Church in many of our Adventist churches. Is this something positive for our members, or are there things included in these books that might be detrimental to our mission? Is this a safe plan for growing Adventist churches?
The press now refers to Purpose-Driven as a movement. These two books have sold more than 24 million copies; the most in history for any non-fiction hardback book. The advertising promises: “Rick Warren [the book’s author] will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God's purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity. The Purpose-Driven™ Life is a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century.”
Anything professing to be a “blueprint for living” needs to be looked at carefully. And given the popularity of these two books and their author, even in Adventist churches, it is time to take a closer look.
In January of this year one of you e-mailed me and wondered if the Purpose-Driven movement had any similarity to what is described in The Great Controversy, page 558: “It is true that Spiritualism is now changing its form, and, veiling some of its more objectionable features, it is assuming a Christian guise. … The Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and vital truths are made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism making little distinction between good and evil. God's justice, His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are all kept out of sight.”
That question led me to a detailed study of Purpose-Driven and similar concepts where I found some dangers I had not seen before. As I continued to explore the subject, especially in light of inspired counsel, I discovered the seeds of veiled spiritualism imbedded in many of the evangelical churches. When I shared this study with my fellow Pacific Union leaders and the conference presidents, we decided we needed to alert our members and pastors.
Pacific Press volunteered to print this study and has just released it in a paper back book under the title, Hidden Heresy: Is spiritualism invading Adventist churches today? It is available from your Adventist Book Center or online from adventistbookcenter.com (By the way, no one is receiving royalties on this book.) From the title, you can guess there are some major concerns Adventists need to be aware of and avoid when adopting various “blueprints for living.”
We already know this discussion is controversial. But some church leaders have added to the tension by suggesting to concerned members that they should join another Adventist church if they don’t like the new direction of their own church. Such an approach has the potential to become quite divisive. So I urge you to become aware of the issues and decide for yourself just what can be accepted and what needs to be left behind.
It is important we enter this debate in a spirit of Christian love and calmness as we think through our direction for the future. Many churches are stagnant and spiritually lifeless. Too many of our own lives are similar. So don’t just take a position of saying that nothing needs to change. But be aware at the same time that change can also move us away from our unique Adventist mission. To pursue a course not in harmony with our mission becomes heresy.
May God guide us as we seek His will for our individual lives and churches.
Sincerely your friend,
Tom Mostert, President
Pacific Union Conference
P.O. Box 5005
Westlake Village, CA 91361
