'Prophet of Purpose'

New biography focuses on ‘America’s Pastor’

“Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren” by Jeffery L. Sheler, 2009, Doubleday, $22.99, 326 pages: In a world of constant chaos and turmoil, many people find comfort and solace in the religion of their choice.
Out of this renewed interest in religion, mega churches have emerged as part of the American landscape. Pastors such as Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Max Lucado have become almost as recognizable as movie stars and sports personalities.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable of the mega church pastors is Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, Calif. Warren has emerged as a successful pastor, public speaker, church builder and motivational speaker.
Author Jeffery L. Sheler has written an exceptional biography of Warren, who has oftentimes been referred to as “America’s Pastor.”
Warren grew up in a Southern Baptist household, immersed in the Bible practically from birth.
Throughout his youth, Warren toyed with the idea of going into politics as his chosen career. He was active in many clubs at his hometown Ukiah, Calif., high school. He soon developed the ability to unite people who had very different viewpoints.
However, Warren also learned during high school that politics can also involve making agreements and compromises that can limit someone’s creativity and potential.
Being the son of a minister, Warren felt drawn to being involved with the church. His dream was to develop a church of his own that would be for everyone who felt disillusioned or turned off by the traditional church service.
Warren felt that the area of Orange County, Calif., was busting at the seams with potential for just such a church. The huge influx of suburbanites into Orange County gave Warren the drive that he needed to plant his church there.
On Jan. 4, 1980, Warren and his wife Kay arrived in Orange County with a goal of creating a “church for those who hate church.”
Warren would name his church the Saddleback Valley Community Church, after the Saddleback Valley where the church is located.
Over the course of the next two decades, Warren would build his church into one of California’s most popular religious destinations.
The membership of Saddleback would continue to grow and grow until Warren began holding services throughout Orange County via closed circuit television. He would eventually add an Internet campus with weekly sermons. Warren would continue to increase his congregation into the 21st century, eventually reaching a mark of 22,000 early in 2009.
With the publication of Warren’s best-sellers “The Purpose Driven Church” and the “Purpose Driven Life,” Warren would become one of the most recognized religious leaders in America.
His efforts at fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa, political reconciliation and his communication with gay-rights groups would put him on the front lines of social change in the United States and would have him at the mercy of those who would question his every move.
However, Warren would prove his critics on both sides wrong, by giving an invocation at President Obama’s inauguration that urged America to come together rather than fall apart.
“Prophet of Purpose” is a candid and honest look at the life of Warren. Author Sheler combines first-person accounts from Warren’s closest family and friends with the pastor’s own perspective to paint a vivid portrait of this enigmatic religious leader.
“Prophet of Purpose” is not a partisan effort at promoting a particular agenda but is an excellent window into the heart and mind of “America’s Pastor.”
Anyone who is interested in the changing landscape of American society, religion or politics should read “Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren.”

Matthew McCarty lives in Wise with his family and teaches for the Wise County School System.