Ken Blanchard and Rick Warren

Ken Blanchard and Rick Warren:
The Truth Behind the Controversy

Since the popularity of Rick Warren's mega-bestseller The Purpose Driven Life, Warren has been under the spotlight, so to speak. And as a result, just about every area of his life has been scrutinized. This, in many ways, is a good thing because Christian leaders should be held accountable for their actions, especially when they are as well-known and influential as Warren. But some persons, unfortunately, in their zeal to hold Warren accountable in the area of doctrinal purity have resorted to overly-zealous (not to mention mean-spirited and false) attempts at making Warren out to be a false teacher, a heretic, or some kind of deceiver who is leading the church down a pathway of unbiblical beliefs.

One tactic being used is "guilt by association" (see my article Warren Smith: Self-Deceived On Purpose)—i.e., pronouncing one person guilty of something done/said by another person because the first person happens to associate with the second person. In this particular case the first person is Rick Warren, and the second person is Ken Blanchard (founder/CEO of Lead Like Jesus ministries), whom Warren is connected to on both a ministerial and personal basis. Both men continue to be accused of New Age beliefs because of several unfortunate decisions Blanchard made in the past when he chose to support some decidedly non-Christian individuals, publications, and organizations (see listing).

Until the whole Blanchard-Warren controversy erupted in 2005, I really had no in-depth knowledge of Blanchard, except for the fact that he was a business expert who had written the highly popular volume titled The One Minute Manager. But once I was confronted with various charges against him being a New Ager, I had to admit that he at first seemed guilty. For example, it was undeniable that Blanchard had affixed his name to numerous books that no discerning Christian would have supported. At the same time, however, once I began looking into Blanchard, it became apparent to me that he himself had made very few remarks dealing with doctrine, especially when it came to saying anything anti-Christian.

I eventually came to find out that Blanchard was no New Ager. But I needed to find out more clearly what was going on. So I immediately contacted Blanchard's Lead Like Jesus ministry to tell them of my concerns. I quickly received information that explained everything to my satisfaction. For many years Blanchard had apparently been living with a serious lack of spiritual discernment—and sadly, for all those years he had also never found someone to consistently help him grow in that particular area of Christian living. As a result, various people advocating non-Christian religious belief systems were able to convince Blanchard to endorse their products, including a vast array of extremely problematic books that advance highly unbiblical concepts. Their doctrinal views never seemed to be his focus.

Blanchard was, to be blunt, rather confused about doctrinal matters (much in the same way that new Christians, when asked to explain the Trinity, usually cannot articulate it very well; or when Christians with little or no biblical training get themselves involved in cults). One of the emails I received from very high up in the Lead Like Jesus organization, for instance, stated that Blanchard had been a "victim of lack of knowledge." A follow up phone call from this same individual who emailed me added that Blanchard is "not a theologian" and that he "has never thought about things in that way, or the problems it might cause." In other words, Blanchard was in need of some serious training and learning.

I continued to stay in contact with Lead Like Jesus for several weeks and was given assured that changes were going to be made and that steps were going to be being taken to deal with the problem. According to one spokesperson, who spoke with me on the telephone, they were "working hard to have an answer" and that they wanted to "make sure that this never comes up again, and people will have confidence in our Lead Like Jesus ministry and in our materials. It's so critical so we really want to make sure that we get it right."

One step immediately taken was a public statement issued by Blanchard wherein he talked about his discernment-linked mistakes. It read, in part:

"Recently, it was brought to my attention that some of my endorsements and book forewords are for books written by authors who espouse concepts that are contrary to Christian teachings. I did not realize that this was the case when I wrote these endorsements and forewords. But now after further study and discussions with other followers of Jesus whom I respect and admire, including the staff at Watchman Fellowship, I understand why these are problematic and I promise that I will exercise better discernment in the future."

Then, Blanchard began seeking to grow spiritually in the area of biblical doctrine and discernment through materials and counsel from Watchman Fellowship, a well-respected organization devoted to Christian doctrine and defending the Christian faith. James K. Walker, president of Watchman Fellowship, subsequently issued a statement from his organization on July 25, 2005:

"After consulting with Watchman Fellowship staff and others Blanchard readily admits that these endorsements, though made in ignorance, are problematic and should not have been made. His statement regarding this can be found on the Lead Like Jesus website . . ."

"It is regretful that any Christian leader might err, under any circumstances, by promoting New Age authors or their teachings. We are grateful that in this instance, when approached with the issues of concern, Mr. Blanchard was not only willing to admit to this error but, to also make assurances to take corrective action for the future."

"After spending time with Mr. Blanchard we are now convinced that he is, in fact, a brother in Christ and are committed to assist him as he continues to work through the issues that have arisen as a result of these past endorsements. We encourage you to pray for Ken and the Lead Like Jesus staff as they move forward."

I was then contacted by Blanchard himself, who called me to personally thank me for bringing such problems to his attention. He assured me that he was going to work very hard to learn more about doctrinal matters and grow spiritually as the years progressed, using the controversy as a wake-up call for him.

Eventually, a "Statement of Faith" was posted at the Lead Like Jesus website that is thoroughly sound from a biblical/doctrinal position:

We believe:

The Bible, inerrant as originally given, is God's verbally inspired, complete written revelation to mankind.

There is one God, who is infinitely holy and perfect, existing eternally in the Persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The virgin birth, earthly miracles, sinless life, substitutionary death on the cross, bodily resurrection, ascension, and literal second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the Divine Person sent to indwell, guide, empower, and sanctify the believer, and thus to bear witness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church consists of all those who trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the means for obtaining forgiveness of their sins and eternal life with God.

Nearly three years have passed now since the controversy, and I have heard Blanchard speak on various occasions. And by his words and deeds, I can only believe that he has truly fought, and continues to fight, to grow in the grace and knowledge of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Tragically, Blanchard's past mistakes of judgment have provided more than enough ammunition for Warren's critics to continue attacking both Blanchard and Warren (especially Lighthouse Trails Research Project, the so-called "discernment" ministry that can arguably be credited with having started the whole controversy (Lighthouse Trails: The Blanchard Bashers). Blanchard's admission of errors, his willingness to learn more about doctrinal discernment, his attempts to express regret over decisions he had made, and his ongoing work to spread the Gospel have meant nothing to such individuals. They have continued to resurrect the old controversy from 2005, declaring that Blanchard has not done enough to prove he has truly repented. As of 2008, this is basically where the Ken Blanchard controversy stands.

2008 Update

NOTE & WARNING: Concerns over Ken Blanchard's doctrinal views, spiritual discernment, and personal/professional associations with false teachers (most notably, New Agers) have continued to be voiced by many individuals. And, much to my disappointment and surprise, I have received information (c. March 24, 2008) that seems to suggest, at least at first glance, that there might indeed be an ongoing serious problem with Blanchard's ability to discern biblically sound individuals from persons who are known enemies of the cross of Christ. Therefore, in the coming months, I plan on carefully reviewing the material I have obtained. My findings will be made public after a careful examination of these documents. Until then, I would urge Christians to be extremely cautious when it comes to Blanchard's teachings, being especially mindful of any books, teaching tapes, videos, individuals, or organizations being supported by his name (either through an endorsement, foreword, or review). My hope is to complete ASAP a thorough investigation of the situation, including a look into what has transpired over the last few years between Blanchard and Watchman Fellowship (i.e., the ministry that was supposed to be overseeing his spiritual growth in the area of discernment and doctrine).