"A sea change of transitions and transformations is birthing a whole new world," wrote Dr. Leonard Sweet, whose books are often quoted in Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox. "God is birthing the greatest spiritual awakening in the history of the church.... Are you going to show up."[4]

If you love truth, you may want to say no! For in his book "Soul Tsunami," Dr. Sweet, a popular leader of the Emerging Church, tells us to flow with the currents of change and leave God's unchanging gospel behind. "Postmodern culture is a change-or-be changed world," he continues. "Reinvent yourself for the 21st century or die. Some would rather die than change."[4]

Would Rick Warren agree? Probably, since he wrote this glowing endorsement for the front cover of Sweet's book: "'Soul Tsunami' shows us why these are the greatest days for evangelism since the first century!"

What kind of evangelism does Warren envision? Would it be based on God's Word or on "good" works? Apparently, the latter. In a world that has traded Biblical absolutes for changing values and feel-good experiences, God's "divisive" truths face a rising tide of hostility. But few will argue against helping the poor and sick. Perhaps that's why Pastor Warren keeps repeating this statement: “The first Reformation was about belief; this one’s going to be about behavior.”[5]

The new focus is on unity -- a worldwide oneness reflected in the growing union between the East and West. Leonard Sweet's online book, "Quantum Spirituality," sheds some revealing light of the envisioned global "church" for the 21st century. In his view, the offense of the cross has been replaced with a passion for interfaith peace and possibility thinking. To illustrate this point, Dr. Sweet quotes Thomas Merton, the popular Catholic author who popularized mysticism and died in Asia searching the depths of Tibetan Buddhism: "We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity.'"[6]

Seeking that illusive solidarity, today's success-driven church leaders are rushing into the postmodern age of flexible "truth" and relational pleasures. Unbounded by any solid anchor in God's unchanging Word, they dash forward -- hand in hand with the world -- toward an imagined future attainable through practices long hidden in secret societies and Eastern religions. These include meditative rituals, dialectical synthesis and systems thinking. Add service learning to the last two and you have the transformational strategies first tested by Communist leaders, then incorporated into the UN - U.S. education system, which intentionally undermined factual learning and established the postmodern ways of thinking.[7]

We need to understand this amazing worldwide revolution -- and the subtle compromises caused by today's pragmatic "Christian" alliances. Therefore, the next three articles in this series will look more closely at the social manipulation behind "community service," team building, leadership training, and "lifelong learning" -- four of the countless processes driven by continual assessments and remediation.

But first, let's examine Rick Warren's celebrated P.E.A.C.E. Plan and its links to the United Nations.

Like most other UN documents, its Millennium Goals sound kind and compassionate. They are designed to appeal to noble instincts and caring hearts -- and they do! That's why nations, corporations, organizations and churches have joined the global campaign. Who would disagree with these eight lofty goals?

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development.[8]

Of course, there's more to this list than nice-sounding words. The motivational vision of a worldwide welfare system may have captured hearts around the world, but it actually serves the grandiose aims of socialist change agents who have little concern for human suffering. Just look how government leaders are treating the victims of hurricane Katrina! Yet, no other program has more effectively linked the evangelical church to the UN management system, which, from its birth, declared war on Biblical truth and values.[9] And no other program has more effectively drawn Christians into a process designed to manipulate the masses, undermine traditional values, silence resisters, synthesize beliefs, trade individual thinking for collective thinking, and train global citizens to serve the "greater whole."[10]

An interview titled, "Pastor [Warren] lays out a global vision," summarizes parts of that plan:

Compare this celebrated P.E.A.C.E. Plan with the United Nation's Millennial Goals. Keep in mind that both purpose-driven churches and their strategic leadership programs require training in mind-changing processes and assessment technologies that support the UN vision for "human resource development" around the world.[12]

Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan:

P. PLANT CHURCHES. (Complements UN goal #8: Develop a global partnership for development. The leadership training for purpose-driven churches parallels the dialectic process, Systems Thinking and team development prescribed by various UN agencies involved in human resource development.)

E. EQUIP SERVANT LEADERS. (This, too, matches UN goal #8: Develop a global partnership for development.)

A. ASSIST THE POOR. (Matches UN goal #1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.)

C. CARE FOR THE SICK. (Matches UN goals #4: Reduce child mortality, #5: Improve maternal health, and #6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.)

E. EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION. (Matches UN goal #2: Achieve universal primary education.)

The implied aims of UN Millennium Goals #3 and #7 are certain to be included in each of Warren’s five programs – especially in P, E, A and E.

Now, let's look more closely at each P.E.A.C.E. Plan objective.

1. PLANT CHURCHES. The first point sounds good. But what will those church plants look like? Will they be clones of Saddleback Church in California -- or of thousands of other churches that follow the purpose-driven model?

Not exactly. Today's change agents will carefully adapt their transformational strategies to each new cultural setting. But at the heart of this global revolution we see the same key elements: Total Quality Management, psycho-social leadership training, promotion of a positive (compromised) gospel and a permissive (feel-good, non-judging) "God," continual high-tech assessments and remediation, and the dialectic process operating through facilitated small groups.

The mission field is the entire world. As Pastor Warren says,

"'Billions of people suffer each day from problems so big no government can solve them.... 'The only thing big enough to solve the problems of spiritual emptiness, selfish leadership, poverty, disease, and ignorance is the network of millions of churches all around the world....

'The Scripture shows us that Jesus shared the Good News, trained leaders, helped the poor, cared for the sick, and taught the children... 'Our P.E.A.C.E. Plan will just do the five things Jesus did while he was here on earth.'"[13]

But Pastor Warren's comparison with Jesus couldn't be more misleading. Jesus never used the psycho-social strategies or manipulative management systems that drive today's social and spiritual transformation!

Warren's initial thrust is into Africa, where the P.E.A.C.E. Plan will fit well. It already has a foothold in Rwanda, where President Paul Kagame has welcomed the purpose-driven campaign:

"Kagame has committed his government to cooperation in a five-to-seven-year self-sufficiency project staffed by Rwandan volunteers but initiated, advised and at least partly funded by Warren's network of 'purpose-driven churches.' Warren talks of turning Rwanda into 'the first purpose-driven nation.'"[14]

Do you wonder why an African president with little fondness for Christianity would enter into such an agreement? Kagame answered that question when he spoke at Saddleback Church in April:

"...they also told us about the vision of the PEACE plan.... It is a vision with a big goal, which is to confront the world's major problems; but it is practical and simple in strategy because it is built on using average people rather than just the elite. Rick and I agree that each partner – the church, the government and businesses have a role to play and we are better together and more effective when we cooperate."[15]

"More effective" in what? In planting Biblical churches -- or in "Capacity Building" and "developing" people who think collectively and fit the UN vision? Will cooperation with "government and businesses" actually help establish Christ-centered churches with faithful "born again" Christians who -- by God's grace -- love and follow His Word? Or will it spread compromise and deception? Will it please God or man?

Will it fulfill what Warren presents as God's five main purposes for the Church? Or might those purposes all be redefined under the banner of church growth, church health, and success-driven service through church/world alliances?[16] Partnerships face problems when one partner controls the money or political power. The controlling member will be in a position to set the rules and define the terms, forcing the other member(s) to submit or leave.

Actually, Rick Warren's five purposes have already been compromised. "Warren presents some basic teaching regarding Gods purpose to glorify Himself and what man should do in relation to God," wrote Richard Bennett in an article titled "The Purpose Driven Life: Demeaning the Very Nature of God." "The fact that none of these purposes is presented in a biblically accurate way makes Warren's work all the more dangerous to the true understanding of Who God is and His Gospel in Christ."[17]

Consider Warren's five main purposes from a Biblical perspective:

Worship: We cannot worship God unless we know and love the God we worship! We cannot know Him, if we don't know the Scriptures that reveals Him to us! Postmodern worship forms are designed to stir happy feelings and human excitement, not worship inspired by the Holy Spirit. They point to a positive and permissive God who -- like our human team members -- will cheer our self-centered nature and excuse our unholy ways. Such celebrations clash with genuine expressions of a Spirit-filled heart that freely praises our wonderful holy God without emotion-raising, man-centered programs. (See Spirit-Led or Purpose-Driven)

Fellowship: Purpose-driven "fellowship" tends to follow today's dialectical guidelines. These push group members toward unbiblical tolerance, feeling-based rather than fact-based "sharing," and silence with regard to Biblical absolutes. In contrast, Biblical fellowship happens when we come together with common delight in His Word, His will and His ways -- loving and encouraging each other with His Word and by His Spirit.

Discipleship: The new church management systems call for training in submission and loyalty to "the group" and to the new social ethics -- not to God and His Word. It requires participation in collective thinking and "service learning" -- which is not simply serving God by serving His people. It shuns God's narrow ways and divisive truths, and twists God's call for Biblical oneness into an invitation to join the world on its highway to corruption.

Ministry: The shape and structure of purpose-driven ministries are increasingly defined by new management gurus, personality assessments, community surveys, and group appeal, not by Biblical teaching nor God's actual purposes. But the Bible shows us that our main focus should be on building up believers by preaching and teaching His Word, and by exhorting and serving one another. We are called to live and work together by His Spirit -- not by group thinking and politically correct tolerance.

Evangelism: Today's soft, non-offensive gospel focuses on God's supposed "passionate" love for people who supposedly are naturally lovable, not on His loving mercy for sinners. When "Christian" change agents train the masses to "think outside the box" of God's unchanging Word, they are spreading a false gospel and blinding people to the only truth that can set us free.

The pragmatic assumption that "the ends justify the means" has already blinded a critical mass of "Christian" leaders. Many don't realize that the "end" they are promised is merely an illusion. Trained to accept a compromised gospel, they spread it to a world that wants to share in God's blessings without conviction of sin or genuine repentance. Since the postmodern gospel neither demands such responses nor offends unbelievers, it's easy to persuade the masses to join the movement.

This radical reformation becomes all the more concerning when church leaders like Rick Warren link hands with Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, and other UN supporters in their evangelistic crusade and war on poverty. Since these noble aims fit right into the United Nations' efforts to "develop" nations, train human resources, build "human capital", and establish its global management system, we cannot ignore its basic philosophy.

What's more, today's social "gospel" conforms easily to UNESCO's guidelines for religion in the new world order. Remember Pastor Warren's words, "The first [Reformation] was about belief. This one will be about deeds."[11]

It all makes sense. The true gospel offends people. In contrast, humanitarian deeds will win the world's applause. So will a whitewashed gospel, cleansed of offensive truths. This new gospel fits the vision of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as summarized in its Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace. That declaration uses the evils committed by false or "cultural christianity" to justify its criticisms of genuine Christianity and to pressure all religions into accepting its new standards for service as well as spirituality.

Whether consciously or simply out of success-oriented pragmatism, the purpose-driven church movement has answered the call. With management guru Peter Drucker as his mentor, Rick Warren's quest for reformation and transformation serves the UN vision very well. In fact, the two seem to march to the same drumbeat.

A small group of faithful missionaries, working quietly among the African poor, might by God's grace, be able to share the whole gospel beyond the watchful eyes of our new global managers. But the publicity-hungry PD movement will be carefully scrutinized for compliance with the UN ideals. To succeed within this global framework of control, it must conform, comply and ultimately serve the global agenda. And its fury may well be focused on those uncompromising Christians that would rather suffer persecution at the hands of intolerant "peace-makers" than betray their beloved Lord.

Two Scriptures would be worth remembering in the challenging times ahead:

"...the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me." John 16:2-3

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.“ Acts 20:24