Paul Proctor, as previously noted in Paul Proctor: Destructive, Delusional, Deceptive, is neither a professional journalist, nor a professionally-trained apologist. He is a former country musician who writes exclusively for privately maintained websites and Internet tabloids.

With the recklessness and relentlessness of a paid reporter for The National Enquirer, Proctor has delivered a caustic stream of hate articles against Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, and Warren's Purpose Driven philosophy of church health (see What is the Purpose-Driven Church?). Even a cursory look at Proctor's writings will show that he basically believes Warren is very likely not a Christian, and that most/many (if not all) of those who attend Saddleback Church (and other purpose driven churches) are either:


The following responses represents my presentation of factual evidence that would contradict Proctor's skewed perspective of Rick Warren, Saddleback church, and the faithful Christians who attend Saddleback and other purpose driven churches.

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PROCTOR #1: "[J]ust because someone is numbered among Warren's many followers, it does not mean his or her name is in the Book of Life. If someone has received a false gospel and a false Christ from a false prophet, they have received a false salvation, as well. . . . 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven'" (Sweet Lies).
RESPONSE: The Gospel, according to Warren, is rooted and grounded in the simple truth that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). He has always preached, and continues to preach, that a person can only be saved (i.e., delivered from the bondage of sin and death) solely by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's death on the cross for our sins and by his subsequent resurrection from the dead. He adheres to standard, classic, Southern Baptist teachings (see my two articles Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell and The Doctrinal Essentials of Christianity—and Rick Warren"). The "Christ" that Warren follows and preaches is the Christ of the Bible: i.e, God the Son, second Person of the Holy Trinity, 100% God and 100% man, who lived a sinless life and who, in fulfillment of prophecy, did many miracles as proof of his divine nature. And this, of course, is the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5).



PROCTOR #2: "Rick's purpose driven method doesn't "simplify Christianity"—it distorts it into something it's not—and in a very duplicitous, disingenuous and unscriptural manner" (The ABCs of Rick Warren).
RESPONSE: Rick's purpose driven method for church organizational health as well as personal spiritual health has nothing to do with the simplification of Christianity! A comment like this indicates that Proctor does not even know what Warren teaches. Neither The Purpose Driven Church, nor The Purpose Driven Life even discusses changing Christianity. Indeed, that could not be accomplished by anyone since Christianity cannot be changed or be simplified. It is, what it is. Christianity as a religion was formally expressed long ago by the creeds of Christendom.

What Rick Warren has done is offered a way to keep churches balanced in various areas associated with church structure/organization (see What is the Purpose Driven Church?) and help people understand their purpose for existing (i.e., to serve God, see What is the Purpose Driven Life?).

If anyone wants to say that Warren has simplified Christianity, they would only be accurate in doing so if they were to limit their observation to how Warren delivers the unchanged Gospel message. The Gospel, according to Warren, must never change, as he explains in The Purpose Driven Church:


Warren was even more forceful on this point during my now-published interview with him from 2005: "Let me tell you what I do believe. The message must never change, but the methods must change. If you change the message you are a heretic YOU ARE A HERETIC IF YOU CHANGE THE MESSAGE. THE BIBLE SAYS IN JUDE, IT IS THE FAITH 'ONCE FOR ALL DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS.' IT CANNOT BE TAMPERED WITH."

Warren has held true to these words, as has Saddleback (see my two articles Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell and The Doctrinal Essentials of Christianity—and Rick Warren"). Moreover, the core biblical doctrines of the Bible are taught in the maturity series of classes called FOUNDATIONS, which is not only taught to members of the church, but also presented to EVERY staff member (as a requirement of them being on staff).



PROCTOR #3: "[Warren] concluded his interview by saying: 'Fundamentally, my role in life is to get people into heaven.' Well, I would love to know just how he does that without addressing the issue of sin and one's need to repent. . . . Pastor Warren and his supporters may claim that repentance is a part of his Purpose Driven program, but, as his statements above reveal, that part couldn't be any smaller or more insignificant" (Salt-Free Saints).
RESPONSE: Of course, the answer to Proctor's accusatory question—"Well, I would love to know just how he does that without addressing the issue of sin and one's need to repent—is painfully simple: HE DOESN'T! Warren preaches on both sine and repentance (see my article Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell). And as for repentance, that is an absolutely indispensable part of Saddleback Church's teachings. Repentance is essential to walking a godly life: initial repentance, which marks a change of attitude toward God and sin when one becomes a Christian; and ongoing repentance as Christians seek to live godly lives, but in their weakness of the flesh, sometimes sin (for Saddleback/Warren references to sin, sins, sinning, and repentance, see the "Opening the Floodgates" section in Paul Proctor: Destructive, Delusional, and Deceptive and also my article Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell).



PROCTOR #4: "Stephen might just as easily say to Rick Warren and others like him: 'Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears . . who have received the Gospel, but have not proclaimed it'" (Heretics and Hypocrites).
RESPONSE: Here we have a classic example of Paul Proctor writing from within a world of his own imagination. As previously noted, Warren has always preached, and continues to preach, that a person can only be saved (i.e., delivered from the bondage of sin and death) solely by grace alone through faith alone in Christ's death on the cross for our sins and by his subsequent resurrection from the dead. He adheres to standard, classic, Southern Baptist teachings (see my two articles Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell and The Doctrinal Essentials of Christianity—and Rick Warren). The "Christ" that Warren follows and preaches is the Christ of the Bible: i.e, God the Son, second Person of the Holy Trinity, 100% God and 100% man, who lived a sinless life and who, in fulfillment of prophecy, did many miracles as proof of his divine nature. And this, of course, is the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5).



PROCTOR #5: "Those in the Christian community with little or no discernment or regard for Biblical absolutes see Warren as brilliant; and because the church at large long ago acquired a taste for men of "smooth words," he was generously rewarded with record-breaking book sales and empowered with celebrity status" (What Rick Warren Wants)
RESPONSE: This is a terrifically broad comment that draws down condemnation on virtually everyone who would disagree with Proctor and see Warren as an orthodox, Bible-believing Christian whose methods and message are perfectly acceptable within Christianity. Proctor has denounced literally hundreds, if not thousands of pastors/teachers as having "little or no discernment or regard for Biblical absolutes" (not to mention how many tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lay Christians).

And what is the solid evidence on which Proctor has based his opinion? Basically, not much more than his own subjective opinion and dislike for Rick Warren. The truth is that there are plenty of scripturally-grounded, mature, committed Christians who embrace biblical absolutes, yet also support Warren.  

For example, the widely respected defender of the faith James K. Walker (Watchman Fellowship) has stated, "Warren has a strong commitment to the core doctrines of the Christian faith and an unmistakable passion for reaching the lost, equipping pastors, and strengthening local churches. 'Purpose-driven' is not New Age, it's New Testament."

There is also James Bjornstad—president, Evangelical Ministries to New Religions; and philosophy professor, Cedarville University—who in support of my stand on Rick Warren has stated: "[I]t is refreshing to see someone step forward and defend a ministry and a leader who has contributed as much to the cause of Christ and His church as Rick Warren has."

The late Luke P. Wilson, executive director, Institute for Religious Research, has likewise stated: "The Purpose-Driven Life is more theologically and missiologically balanced than some of its harsher detractors are themselves."

Other supporters of Rick Warren include: Christian apologist Lee Strobel, Ron Rhodes, evangelists Franklin Graham and Billy Graham,  the Christian Research Institute, and many other godly men/women devoted to God, scripture, and the purity of the faith.

And yet Proctor is claiming that all of these people and countless others, simply because they don't view Warren as heretical, have "little or no discernment or regard for Biblical absolutes."



PROCTOR #6: "'Hypocrites,' which is another word for 'actor,' meaning, they only pretended to keep the law. And THAT, my friends, is what today's Purpose Driven Pastor is—an actor—a hypocrite and a pretender, because he CLAIMS the Word of God but does not actually believe it nor proclaim it. If he did, he would preach the Bible and nothing else; verse by verse, for the rest of his ministry; not The Purpose Driven Life, chapter by chapter for 40 days" (Heretics and Hypocrites).
RESPONSE: This is a frighteningly narrow-minded, legalistic, intolerant, and judgmental. Proctor is basically saying that anyone who does not preach the Bible using a verse-by-verse method (as opposed to the topical study method used by Warren) is a hypocrite who neither believes in, nor proclaims, the Bible!

First, where is that in the Bible? Where does it say in scripture that God's ordained way of teaching scripture is verse-by-verse rather than topical? Proctor, interestingly, gives no verses to back up his assertion. And that is because no such verses exist. It is merely his personal opinion. Nothing in the Bible, however, demands that scripture be taught using a verse-by-verse style.

Second, when one examines the greatest preacher of all—Jesus Christ—it is apparent that he rarely (if ever) taught verse-by verse (he may have done so in the temple). The sermons by Christ recorded in the Gospels are topical/life-application sermons filled with parables, figures of speech, and life illustrations.

As for Warren's use of The Purpose Driven Life, this book is simply a teaching tool, a witnessing aid, a devotional guide, a daily reading plan, a helping hand. That is all. There are thousands of such books/tools in print. It is not a replacement for the Bible, which is the impression that Proctor seems to be under for some inexplicable reason.

Is Proctor advocating the burning or banning all books except the Bible? Or is he saying that books are fine as long as they are not used for a lengthy course of teaching (e.g., approximately 40 days). Or is Proctor just saying that we should simply read nothing but the Bible? If so, then why is Proctor himself bothering to write anything for the Internet? Don't we just need to read the Bible and nothing else? As is often the case, Proctor is actually making little sense here.



PROCTOR #7: "And, when you set your Bible aside for some other book or teacher or preacher, you are neither loving, nor following, nor obeying the One you claim as your Lord and Savior. Oh, you might be Purpose Driven or Seeker Sensitive; but more than anything else, you're a hypocrite" (Heretics and Hypocrites).
RESPONSE: Here we have Proctor inventing (yet again) a warped reality using whatever bits of information he may have floating around in the dark recesses of his own fertile imagination. He is essentially alleging that those who read (or appreciate) Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life are actually setting aside the Bible in favor of Warren's book. But what is his proof of this? Who has ever stated that Warren's book is a replacement for the Bible? Where are the the sermons wherein Warren has instructed church members to no longer read scripture? The very opposite is true. Warren and Saddleback Church constantly urge Christians (and non-Christians) to read scripture, and that no one can know, love, serve, or grow spiritually without God's Word. Consider just this small sampling of statements from Warren's various web sites:

"C.L.A.S.S. 201: Four habits that will transform your congregation. . . . Habit of spending time with God's Word: The discipleship process begins with biblical truth. When you are reaching the unchurched with the Gospel, your new believers will need to know how to get the most out of their Bible study. C.L.A.S.S. 201 starts by helping your church members assimilate God's Word into their life. In the class, attendees will learn to read, hear, study, and memorize the Bible" (C.L.A.S.S. 201: Four habits that will transform your congregation).

Apparently, no one at Saddleback, least of all Rick Warren, is seeking to substitute The Purpose Driven Life or purpose driven teachings for the Bible.



PROCTOR #8: "Loving God is not having a hand-raising, hip-hopping, wave-making, emotional experience in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals before a rock band in some downtown arena full of shrieking Seekers, Creekers, Promise Keepers and Passionate Purposeites. The only true act of love, worship and service to God is obedience to His Word. Everything else is distortion, distraction, deception, delusion and destruction" (Heretics and Hypocrites).
RESPONSE: A couple of things need to be noted here.

First, and most obvious, is the fact that Paul Proctor does not seem to like anybody if they are not looking at things as he is looking at them. And such persons are not merely wrong or looking at things differently, they are false prophets, preachers of demonic doctrines, and forerunners of the anti-Christ's false religion.

Second, it seems that Proctor is actually saying that "hand-raising, hip-hopping, wave-making, emotional experience in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals before a rock band" are not (and cannot be) true acts of love, worship, and service! And the parallel assertion is that participation in "hand-raising, hip-hopping, wave-making, emotional experience in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals before a rock band" is not being obedient to God's Word. These are incredible claims that amount to Proctor imposing his own personal likes/dislikes as the measuring rod of what is (and what is not) love, worship and service to God (and obedience to God).

Where are his biblical verses that condemn "wave-making" in the stands of a stadium as an expression of joy in the Lord that is shared among believers who are celebrating Christi's power, love, and miraculous works? Where does scripture teach hand-raising  or certain styles of movement or clothing is mutually exclusive to true worship? 



PROCTOR #9: "[Warren] had a rare opportunity before a nationally televised audience, that few Christians are given, to proclaim the much needed message of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ to the world; but he didn't take it. He could have looked into that camera and called millions of people, destined for an eternity in Hell, to turn from their worldly ways to the only One who could save them: Jesus Christ. But he wouldn't do it. Why? Because it goes against the seeker-sensitive/purpose driven etiquette of not offending anyone at any time for any reason—even with the gospel" (Salt Free Saints).
RESPONSE: We are again seeing Proctor's tendency to measure everything by his own personal likes/dislikes: i.e, what he feels should be said in various situations; what he thinks is the best way to tell people about God; what he believes is the mark of true witnessing and worshiping; what he finds acceptable to read and not read.  In this particular case, we see Proctor criticizing Warren for not answering a question on TV the way Proctor thinks he should have answered it. In the previous criticism (see #8), we had Proctor decrying everything from "hand-raising" and "hip-hopping" to "wave-making, emotional experience in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals before a rock band."

What we are seeing here from Paul Proctor is Fundamentalism—and not the good/positive kind (see this article on Fundamentalism).



PROCTOR #10:"When is the dumbed down church of horizontal worship and service going to wake up from this Purpose Driven delusion and realize that our good deeds and human relationships mean nothing without a knowledge of, belief in, and obedience to, the Word of God?" (The Purpose Driven Hostage).
RESPONSE: Unfortunately for Proctor, but fortunately for the rest of the world, Warren does not teach "that our good deeds and human relationships" are in any way a substitution for "knowledge of, belief in, and obedience to, the Word of God." As previously noted, He adheres to standard, classic, Southern Baptist teachings (see my two articles Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell and The Doctrinal Essentials of Christianity—and Rick Warren"). Good deeds, according to Rick Warren, are consistent with loving thy neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40) as well as necessary if one is going to be obedient to James 1:27 and James 2:14-17.



PROCTOR #11: "[Warren] reduces the gospel message to little more than 'God loves you, so get over it and move on with your life.' How theologically lame and self-serving is that? Nevertheless, such a message plays well in almost any religious setting today. No wonder the Purpose Driven movement has become so popular; there's not enough truth in it to offend anyone!" (Salt Free Saints).
RESPONSE: Warren does not teach "God loves you, so get over it and move on with your life" (see my article Saddleback Church: The Cross, Sin, and Hell for what Rick Warren teaches on these issues).

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• INTRO ARTICLE - Paul Proctor: Destructive, Delusional, Deceptive

• Paul Proctor: Accuser of the Brethren

• Paul Proctor: Hate-Talk and Heresy Hunting

• Paul Proctor: No P.E.A.C.E. For You

• Paul Proctor: Words to Wound By