W
WordUpYo
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First off, forgive me on two counts - 1) if this is the wrong forum for this discussion and 2) yes, it’s another PDL thread. Bear with me…there’s a reason for this
There is a major market blitz happening in Central Florida called "The Purpose Driven Life Experience. " It’s a coordinated effort between Rick Warren and churches of all denominations throughout Central FL to embark upon the “40 day spiritual journey.” If you’ve never heard about this before, there’s probably good reason - Orlando is the guinea pig. If it’s successful (by Rick Warren’s standards I guess…and from the looks of things it will be), you could probably expect to see this coming to your community in the next year or two. That’s one of the stated goals at least.
The program is based off of the “Small Christian Communities” model that is very popular with some of our Protestant bretheren. The idea is that small groups of 8-10 people will read the book, and meet once a week for 6 weeks in somebody’s home to discuss the book.
My parish is one of two Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Orlando to sign on to participate in the program. To say that I am not thrilled is an understatement. I share most of the opinions voiced in the other threads I’ve read on “The Puddle” as some of us have taken to reffering to it as (weak/bad theology, painful Bible translations, feel good spirituality with no depth, etc). I feel that these errors are going to be greatly exaggerated by the structure of the program.
The meetings are designed to go like this - people read the book during the week, come to the meeting and watch a DVD video for the week done by none other than Rick Warren. Following that, each group is supposed to listen to a CD done by our pastor. We have not heard these (the thought is that the CDs might be done week to week) so we have no idea on how effective they’re going to be in giving the “Catholic view” on the book. Afterwards, people discuss. I should point out that the people who are the “hosts” have no requirement for formal catechetical training. In fact, this was listed as one of the selling points - you don’t have to teach anything, you just have to be willing to open your home to others. While I have not officially confirmed this, a number of people have told me that non-Catholics have signed up to be “hosts.”
So there’s basically no preparation for this - just a rush to sign up, get in a group, watch the videos, and discuss with the questions provided by, you guessed it, Rick Warren. It’s open to everyone - in fact, they’re particularly encouraging people to invite friends and neighbors who might not go to church at all. When asked if (and how) this was designed to bring people into the Catholic Church, the answer given was that it was not a goal of this program.
Finally, we recently discovered something about the funds that are brought in from purchases of the book. Supposedly, 90% of the proceeds from the book go to a few foundations set up by Rick Warren. There is an HIV/AIDS in Africa foundation that, while placing emphasis on abstience and faithfulness, considers condom use to be a valid “last resort” option, and distributes them accordingly. There is also a foundation that trains pastors in developing countries. So the money brought in by the book goes, in some manner or another, to supporting birth control and establishing more Protestant churches around the world.
Where does this leave everything? Well, I need some help. I know this is a long rant, and I hope some took the time to go through it. I’d like to know if I’m off base in my opposition to this program. Most concerns in other threads deal with an individual reading the book. Do you think this sort of set up increases or decreases the possible problems? What problems do you see that I’m missing? Are the problems described not that big of a deal? Are the concerns about the money valid, or is that nitpicking and pointless? Most importantly, what specific errors are the most problematic about the book, particularly in an unformed Catholic setting? Finally, do you think it is possible to do this book in a group setting in a manner that properly teaches and builds up understanding of the Church’s precepts?
I apologize for the length and all the questions. Any insight that anyone could provide would be much appreciated.
There is a major market blitz happening in Central Florida called "The Purpose Driven Life Experience. " It’s a coordinated effort between Rick Warren and churches of all denominations throughout Central FL to embark upon the “40 day spiritual journey.” If you’ve never heard about this before, there’s probably good reason - Orlando is the guinea pig. If it’s successful (by Rick Warren’s standards I guess…and from the looks of things it will be), you could probably expect to see this coming to your community in the next year or two. That’s one of the stated goals at least.
The program is based off of the “Small Christian Communities” model that is very popular with some of our Protestant bretheren. The idea is that small groups of 8-10 people will read the book, and meet once a week for 6 weeks in somebody’s home to discuss the book.
My parish is one of two Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Orlando to sign on to participate in the program. To say that I am not thrilled is an understatement. I share most of the opinions voiced in the other threads I’ve read on “The Puddle” as some of us have taken to reffering to it as (weak/bad theology, painful Bible translations, feel good spirituality with no depth, etc). I feel that these errors are going to be greatly exaggerated by the structure of the program.
The meetings are designed to go like this - people read the book during the week, come to the meeting and watch a DVD video for the week done by none other than Rick Warren. Following that, each group is supposed to listen to a CD done by our pastor. We have not heard these (the thought is that the CDs might be done week to week) so we have no idea on how effective they’re going to be in giving the “Catholic view” on the book. Afterwards, people discuss. I should point out that the people who are the “hosts” have no requirement for formal catechetical training. In fact, this was listed as one of the selling points - you don’t have to teach anything, you just have to be willing to open your home to others. While I have not officially confirmed this, a number of people have told me that non-Catholics have signed up to be “hosts.”
So there’s basically no preparation for this - just a rush to sign up, get in a group, watch the videos, and discuss with the questions provided by, you guessed it, Rick Warren. It’s open to everyone - in fact, they’re particularly encouraging people to invite friends and neighbors who might not go to church at all. When asked if (and how) this was designed to bring people into the Catholic Church, the answer given was that it was not a goal of this program.
Finally, we recently discovered something about the funds that are brought in from purchases of the book. Supposedly, 90% of the proceeds from the book go to a few foundations set up by Rick Warren. There is an HIV/AIDS in Africa foundation that, while placing emphasis on abstience and faithfulness, considers condom use to be a valid “last resort” option, and distributes them accordingly. There is also a foundation that trains pastors in developing countries. So the money brought in by the book goes, in some manner or another, to supporting birth control and establishing more Protestant churches around the world.
Where does this leave everything? Well, I need some help. I know this is a long rant, and I hope some took the time to go through it. I’d like to know if I’m off base in my opposition to this program. Most concerns in other threads deal with an individual reading the book. Do you think this sort of set up increases or decreases the possible problems? What problems do you see that I’m missing? Are the problems described not that big of a deal? Are the concerns about the money valid, or is that nitpicking and pointless? Most importantly, what specific errors are the most problematic about the book, particularly in an unformed Catholic setting? Finally, do you think it is possible to do this book in a group setting in a manner that properly teaches and builds up understanding of the Church’s precepts?
I apologize for the length and all the questions. Any insight that anyone could provide would be much appreciated.
