 | Theology professor Dr. Robert Price has written a chapter by chapter refutation of evangelical Christian Rick Warren's best seller The Purpose-Driven Life. Following Warren's format of 40 days of meditation, Price focuses on dissecting Warren's message by carefully examining the actual meanings of the Biblical passages Warren quotes. In effect, Price hoists Warren on his own petard and shows that no honest scholar can justifiably infer from Scripture the sort of groveling self-abnegation Warren advocates.
Unlike atheists who dismiss the Bible in toto, Price pays respect to that influential book and considers it a subject worthy of intensive study. Himself once an evangelical, he eventually left organized religion in favor of a freethought form of spirituality that draws upon many different religions and philosophies. He does confess sympathy for Nietzsche and Buddha and frequently quotes Kant as well as Spinoza and many others.
While Ayn Rand fans may find this mix disturbing, the scholarly analysis Price applies to the Bible bursts from every page. Chapter by chapter, Price shows the utter dishonesty with which Warren glibly attempts to apply the very Bible he quotes. By the end of the book, no honest reader can continue to accept on blind faith the message of Rick Warren.
Readers who live by the Objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand will find this book somewhat tedious. Price does not commit to basic, irrefutable axioms that could axe the God notion at its root. Hence, he mires the reader in long winded examinations of exactly what the word "God" means, the problem of evil, and many other issues that have vexed theologians for centuries.
On the plus side, Price shows a profound respect for Aristotle woven throughout the text. Ayn Rand herself earns a mention in Chapter 34, "Meetings with Unremarkable Men":
I was presenting a paper on postmodern theology in Unitarianism. A respondent pointed out that my paper presupposed a certain independent individualism of thinking. It did not speak to the collective community of faith, for even Unitarianism is a community of faith. [...] I knew, when I heard the respondent's words, that he was right: I was not pursuing religious thought in the interest of the mass, even that mass that falsely imagines itself to be a mass of individuals as they march lockstep. I was the more horrified to hear him say that Unitarians had thought it best to leave individualism behind in favor of interdependence. Sorry to say, Ayn Rand was right on this one: collectivity equals mediocrity and slave morality.
Readers who have Christian acquaintances not yet ready to quit religion altogether would benefit from reading this book and sharing it with others. Price finds cracks in the fundamentalist edifice and widens them enough to allow the light of reason to illuminate minds. While atheists may grow impatient with the exhaustive theological analyses, a general reader will find much material here to chew.
Price runs a discussion group called Heretics Anonymous and includes two chapters of information on how best to run such a group. Leaders of Ayn Rand discussion groups will find some of this useful, though they will also find some of his "commandments" like "Thou shalt avoid politics like the plague!" completely unacceptable. Nevertheless, I encourage such discussion leaders to give Chapters 18 and 19 of this book a close read.
While Warren divides his book into five "purpose" sections, Price does not mirror this aspect in his own book. Persons familiar with cognitive theory will justifiably score Warren a point in this respect. Dumping 40 chapters into the lap of any reader will overwhelm that reader's mind unless "chunked" into fewer, more manageable sections.
Overall, I give this book four out of five stars.
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The Reason-Driven Life by Robert Price
