Quotes and Excerpts
Merging Religion and Mystical"Science"
The Templeton Foundation
http://www.wnrf.org
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Rick Warren
| Fuller Seminary
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The Lilly Endowment |
Pew Trust & Rick Warren
John Templeton dies in Bahamas:
"Templeton... graduated from Yale University and became a Rhodes scholar, earning a master's degree in law at Oxford University.... Templeton was influenced by the
Unity School of Christianity,
which takes a
non-literal view of heaven and hell....
The philanthropist also was a member of the
Presbyterian
Church and a board member of the Princeton Theological Seminary.
In 1987, he established the John Templeton Foundation to fund
projects that could
reconcile religion and science.
The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit has an estimated endowment of
US$1.5 billion....Grants have been awarded to studies ranging
from
evolutionary biology
and
cosmology
to love and forgiveness. Templeton was knighted in 1987 for his
philanthropic accomplishments."
Unity School of Christianity:
"The Unity School of Christianity is a classic new age cult. It has the appearance of being Christian; however, it holds
pantheistic or new age beliefs at its core. Unity was founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1889, and was later incorporated as a church in 1903 by the Unity Society of Practical Christianity.... The Unity School of Christianity began as a quest for
physical healing by its co-founder... Even before their marriage in March of 1881 Myrtle had already developed an eclectic theology. Charles had a background in Hinduism, Buddhism,
Rosicrucianism, and
Theosophy."
Grants to Association of Unity Churches from John Templeton Foundation:
"$3,509,971 for [1999-2004]."
Sir John Templeton,
founder of the Templeton Prize, dies aged 95:
"Templeton
was known for starting mutual funds' annual meetings with a prayer.
He explained that the devotional words were not pleas for financial
gain... but rather meditations to calm and clear the minds
of managers and stockholders.
"The annual Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion grew
out of the philanthropist's belief that honors equivalent to Nobel
Prizes should be bestowed on living innovators in religious action
and thought. Mother Teresa of Calcutta received the first prize
in 1973. Other winners include evangelist Billy Graham.... Hindus,
Jews, Buddhists and Muslims have been on the panel of judges
and have been recipients. The multi-faith framework of the prize
calls for 'a clearer acceptance of the diversity of gifts within
the major religions of the world,' Templeton said in 1972...
'Alive today are other persons to whom God is revealing further
holy truths.' ...
"In 1968, Templeton renounced his American citizenship to avoid
taxes.... Templeton contributed a sizable amount of his fortune
to his foundation, the
Templeton Foundation. In 1972, the Templeton Foundation began
awarding the Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or
Discoveries about Spiritual Realities."
A Bridge over other
Waters : "Few have done as much to promote a sense of
unity among the world's religions
than John Marks Templeton....
"The Council for a Parliament of World Religions promotes inter-religious
dialogue and plans for the world's 'spiritual future by having government
institutionalize a global ethic.' Sir John Templeton serves on the
Parliament of World Religions board of trustees. ...
"Christianity Today introduced Templeton’s book, Discovering The
Laws of Life, to a Christian audience in 1994. They assigned the
entire back cover of its April 24, 1994 issue with an ad promoting
it.... The ad contained the endorsements of Norman Vincent Peale
(who also wrote the foreword), Robert Schuller, Billy Graham...
and J. Peter Grace (head of the Knights of Malta). Templeton's beliefs
are clearly expressed in his numerous writings: He is an evolutionist,
pantheist, universalist, and has occultic views. His writings display
a rejection of the God of the Bible, Christ as the only way to God.
He claims that heaven and hell are states of mind we create here
on earth that truth is relative, and that Christianity is no longer
relevant today as it was in Christ’s day."
See
Templeton: Merging Religion & Science
Patrons of the Evangelical
Mind: "Other major foundations with mainline Protestant
roots, though not specifically targeting evangelicals, have funded
the work of evangelical scholars. One is the John Templeton Foundation.
Born in 1912 in Tennessee, Templeton was raised a Cumberland
Presbyterian. But he was also influenced by the Unity
School of Christianity, which teaches that all great religions
embody part of ultimate truth and move toward the same goal.
He made his fortune as a Wall Street financier, but his deeper interest
was trying to get Science and Religion to sit in the same room without
throwing things at each other.
[See
Indigo
Children and Conversations with "God"]
"He
set up the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1972.
The $1 million-plus prize—by design, always more than the
Nobel Prize—has been religiously evenhanded. In good Unity fashion,
it has been awarded to preachers, activists, and scholars
of many religions, including evangelicals. ...
"Then
in 1987 Templeton set out to focus on establishing connections
between religion and science, but also to explore the relationship
between religion and health and promote
character development."
Rick
Warren & Templeton's Power of Purpose
The next five excerpts describe
a global contest judged by five authorities -- including Rick
Warren -- on the "Power of Purpose." All the links were changed,
and the obsolete links have been replaced with functional ones.
The Power of Purpose Awards - A worldwide Essay Competition:
"Many religious traditions, both Eastern and Western, subscribe
to the idea that there is something of God’s presence in each of
us. Even for the growing number of people who describe themselves
as spiritual, but not necessarily religious, there is a certain
attachment to this concept of the divine spark....
"...if
purpose in its purest form is something greater than individual
human beings or even groups of people, then surely purpose can be
found elsewhere in the world. The 19th Century Romantics looked
at nature itself and found this 'divine spark.
"...it
could be said that part of man’s purpose is to learn nature’s purpose.
Finding evidence of purpose in our fellow human beings as well as
in nature and the cosmos can help us to see the benefits of purpose,
understand its origins and, perhaps, even broaden its reach."
Notice that the emphasis is on the power or motivating force of
purpose, not the actual purpose. As long as facilitators can design
a strategic vision or purpose statement, they can manipulate the
feelings and behavior of the group they lead. And their subjects
won't even know that they are being controlled.
This is a global strategy, conceived by devious men in the early
1900s, and developed by psycho-social visionaries at Tavistock Institute,
Frankfurt Institute, SRI, MIT, Columbia University and Educational
Laboratories across America. Now the churches have caught their
vision of power, rewrapped the manipulative strategies in misleading
Biblical terms, and are distributing the "tools" and "teachings"
to churches around the world.
See
Deception
and
Steps toward
Global Mind Control
The Power of Purpose Awards - The Judges:
"The award-winning essays in this competition will be selected by
this distinguished panel of judges, all of whom have exemplified
throughout their lives and careers a strong and unmistakable understanding
of The Power of Purpose. ... Nancy Brinker... Hugh Delehanty Editor
in Chief, AARP Publications, Rick Warren... Paul Davies...
Hugh Delehanty... Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President,
Children's Defense Fund."
(To learn more about
Marian Wright Edelman,
see
Character Training
For Global Citizenship)."
Meet
the winner they selected:
August Turak:
"Working toward this miraculous transformation, re-birth,
or inner alchemy is the true purpose of life. This transformation
is what the West calls 'conversion' and the East 'enlightenment,'
and is the fruit of our commitment to the authentically purposeful
life."
What is Purpose?
"In day-to-day life, we encounter men and women who seem driven
by something outside of themselves, whose commitment to their profession
or volunteer activities, their community, or their cause seems to
rise above the necessary, above the possible, above even the human.
Indeed, we say that in such people we see 'the divine spark.'
"Many
religious traditions, both Eastern and Western, subscribe to the
idea that there is something of God’s presence in each of us.
Even for the growing number of people who describe themselves as
spiritual, but not necessarily religious, there is a certain attachment
to this concept of the divine spark. It is the sense that our lives
can be guided from within by something more important than our simple
survival, something not merely intellectual either, something in
our souls." http://www.powerofpurpose.org/about.html
Rick Warren
(as introduced on
Templeton's Power of Purpose website):
"Rick Warren is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller
The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 13 million copies
and has ignited a spiritual movement in countless communities
around the world. He is also the founding pastor of Saddleback Church
in Lake Forest, California, one of America’s largest and best-known
churches....
"Rick
is also the author of The Purpose Driven Church, which has
sold over one million copies in 21 languages. Winner of the Gold
Medallion Ministry Book of the Year in 1996, it is used as a textbook
in many universities and seminaries and was selected as one of the
100 Christian Books that changed the twentieth century. ...
"Rick
is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community
that serves and mentors those in ministry. Currently 110,000 pastors
subscribe to Rick’s Ministry Toolbox, a weekly email newsletter,
and Pastors.com attracts between 60,000 to 100,000 pastors daily
with news, chat forums, sermons, and other resources. ...Rick was
born in San Jose, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree
from California Baptist College, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern
Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller
Theological Seminary."
The Templeton
Foundation & Fuller Seminary
John Templeton Foundation:
"Twenty distinguished neuroscientists, psychologists, biblical scholars,
theologians, and educators will gather at The Lee Edward Travis
Institute for Biopsycho-social Research, at Fuller Theological
Seminary in Pasadena, California, on October 5 and 6 for a research
symposium on the Science of Wisdom and the Laws of Life.
"'It is our hope this symposium will help to stimulate increased
international interest and research on the study of wisdom and
'laws of life', stated John M. Templeton Jr., M.D., President
of the Foundation....
"'The Travis Institute and the Foundation are bringing together
an international group of senior scholars to examine, discuss, and
explore three distinct areas of wisdom research: the source,
the science, and the learning of wisdom." Fuller
Seminary President Richard J. Mouw, Ph.D., will give the keynote
address on Monday evening, October 5. ... Keynote speaker on Tuesday
evening will be Mr. Dennis Prager....
"Travis Institute at Fuller Seminary... fosters interdisciplinary
research into the relationships between social systems, mental and
affective states, core beliefs and religious values, neurobiological
systems, and physical and mental health....
"Previous symposia have been held on the science of forgiveness
and on the science of optimism. John Marks Templeton founded the
Foundation in 1987 to encourage progress in the moral and spiritual
dimensions of life."
Human Sciences:
"From stimulating new research to unlock the mysteries of spirituality
in the human mind using recent advances in neurobiology to generating
empirically based insights on the trends, patterns, and principles
of spiritual growth during the college years, this area of the Foundation
focuses on the human person and Sir John Templeton's unyielding
optimism that there is much to learn from
examining scientifically the
nature and benefits of such spiritual
principles as creativity, gratitude, altruism, and purpose."
Science eager to study
spiritual change
(Registration
required):
"When the Metanexus Institute on Science and Religion solicited
research proposals for studying 'spiritual
transformation,' its officials
didn't expect to be inundated with 500 applications....
Scientists proposed
examining changes in the brain during prayer
and the effect a religious CEO can
have on corporate culture....
"
Metanexus,
a scholarly organization funded by the John Templeton Foundation,will award 20 grants of between $75,000
and $150,000 to specialists to study the process of spiritual transformation
in a variety of contexts....
Spiritual transformation is a dramatic change in world and self views, purposes, religious
beliefs, attitudes and behavior....
"'Traditionally,
transformation happens because of suffering, love and beauty,'...
"The gulf between
science and religion remained until about 25 years ago. Since then,
significant research has included studies described in The Transformed
Self: The Psychology of Religious Conversion, a 1989 book by Chana
Ullman. Ullman compares 'conversion processes' across different
religious groups."
Metanexus' connection to
[New Age]
Foundation for Global Awakening
"What
Is Enlightenment? is committed to radical new ways of thinking.
Through asking the hard questions-in print, in an extensive online
audio and video library, and via an international speakers forum-WIE
engages with leading thinkers and visionaries to tackle the greatest
challenges of our time, in science, spirituality, business, politics,
social change, and more....
"To participate
in this unique forum for inquiry, take advantage of this special
Free offer now (http://www.wie.org/consciousness/).
'WIE covers what I believe to be of the utmost importance to humanity
at this time." - Alex Kochkin,
Point Reyes Station, CA, USA
Foundation for
Global Awakening (FGA) - Founders (and Directors): A
series of commentaries from the founders and friends concerning
crucial questions for a global awakening. ... Tish Van Camp
and Alex Kochkin (Quotes
Teilhard de Chardin)
Positive Future
Consulting -- The Authors: "Alexander S. Kochkin
& Patricia M. Van Camp – social architects, innovators, and philanthropists....
sought to provide a scientifically viable instrument that would
highlight the commonalities among Americans."
The next link shows
the book they wrote:
A New America: An
Awakened Future on Our Horizon:
"...new concepts are put forward – such
as 'discernment with compassion' – to bridge the illusory gulf
between people. This book is dedicated to everyone who is an
agent of higher purpose and positive change ... and to everyone
who has ever wondered about their own true nature....
"...a
publication by Global Awakening Press and released for distribution
in April 2005."
MetaNexus to Host Science
& Religion Conference: "Spiritual
Capital: Global Perspectives on Economics and Religion....
June 3. ... This interdisciplinary forum will explore the
economic and societal consequences
of religion and spirituality as part of the emerging social
science of 'spiritual capital.'
Featured speakers include Theodore Malloch (the Roosevelt Group),
Timur Kuran, (University of Southern California), and Robert Putnam
(Harvard University; the author of Bowling Alone).
“'We live at an extraordinary moment in the natural history of our
planet and the cultural evolution
of our species,' said William Grassie, Ph.D., Executive Director
of the Metanexus Institute.
'The domains of science and the domains of
religion,
however understood, stand
at the center of our hopes for a healthier and safer future. This
is a moment for integrating the best
of religion and the best of science in service of humanity
and the world. This conference is an important opportunity to pursue
this multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and multifaith challenge.'...
"Metanexus
Institute is an international organization based in Philadelphia
that advances research, education, and outreach on the constructive
engagement of science and religion through a variety of projects
and opportunities for dialogue. Metanexus supports nearly 300 projects
in 37 countries. The annual conference is, in part, a gathering
of representatives of Metanexus’ Local Societies Initiative (LSI)
members, who have established science-and-religion
dialogues in their communities,
networked with the global programs."
Believers go on rack
to prove God relieves pain:
"People are to be tortured in laboratories at Oxford University
... to determine whether belief in God is effective in relieving
pain. Top neurologists, pharmacologists, anatomists, ethicists and
theologians are to examine the scientific basis of religious belief
and whether it is anything more than a placebo. ...
"A
central aspect of the two-year study, which has $2 million (£1.06
million) funding from the John Templeton Foundation, the
US philanthropic body, will involve dozens of people being subjected
to painful experiments in laboratory conditions. .... The aim is
to develop new and practical approaches 'for promoting wellbeing
and ultimately maximising individual human potential'.... 'We will
simulate a burn sensation to see how people, through distraction
or by accessing different strategies, can modulate and reduce
the levels of pain.”
Religious New Summary, April 11, 1997
(no link): "The power of prayer will be tested in
an experiment carried out at three American hospitals over two years.
Out of three groups of 600 patients awaiting heart surgery, two
groups will be told they may be prayed for; one will be prayed for,
and the other will not. A third group will be aware they are being
prayed for, and will be used to determine if that knowledge has
an effect on their symptoms. The research is funded by the John
Templeton Foundation, a charitable organization whose goal is
to promote progress in religion. Results could be skewed by the
patients themselves, or by others praying, a researcher said. In
addition, God might 'decide not to cooperate,' the researcher said.”
John Templeton Foundation
- Character: "Recognizing the importance of character
and virtue in a free society, the Foundation supports a broad spectrum
of programs, publications, and studies that promote character education
from childhood through young adulthood. The goal is to encourage
schools and colleges to reinforce such positive values as honesty,
compassion, self-discipline, and respect, and to foster widespread
conversations about character development and values."
Understanding Wisdom:
"Evidence of wisdom can be seen in both perception and performance,
in sacred scriptures and in brain images. An eminent group of scholars
from fields as diverse as theology, philosophy, medicine, biology,
psychology, and linguistics were brought together by the John
Templeton Foundation to bring focus to this understudied area
of scientific research."
Lilly Endowment
Rick Warren's Ministry
Toolbox: "The
American Religion Data Archive
(ARDA) is a project funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and
acts to preserve quantitative data on American religion, to improve
access to this data, to increase the use of the data, and to allow
comparisons across data files. The ARDA collection includes data
on churches and church membership, religious professionals, and
religious groups (individuals, congregations and denominations)."
The Lilly
Endowment: "Gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company remain
the financial bedrock of the Endowment.... In keeping with the wishes
of the three founders, Lilly Endowment exists to support the
causes of religion, education and community development. The
Endowment affords special emphasis to projects that benefit young
people and promote leadership education and financial self-sufficiency
in the nonprofit, charitable sector."
Patrons of the Evangelical Mind
-- Why has evangelical scholarship soared in the last few decades?
"...several academic fields—most notably, sociology of religion,
history of Christianity, and several areas of philosophy—are well-developed
because of top-drawer scholarship by evangelicals. ...
"Eli the younger also became the family philanthropist,
and in 1936 pushed for creation of the family foundation called
the Lilly Endowment. He was serious about Christianity but
mainly for its utilitarian role in helping form better character.
He was fond of books that repackaged the ethical teachings of
Jesus in the psychological ideas of the day....
"Today, the Lilly Endowment's wealth depends
largely on the fortunes of the pharmaceutical company. These soared
after 1988 when its biochemists invented Prozac.... By 1997 Lilly
supplanted Ford as the richest foundation in the nation (...passed
by the Gates Foundation in 2002). ... In order to fulfill their
mandate to marshal religious resources to make society more humane,
directors Robert Lynn and Craig Dykstra developed a strategy of
underwriting scholarship, mainly in theology and in the sociology
and history of American religion....
"In 1979 Lynn arranged a Lilly grant of $15,000 to
Noll and Hatch for a conference on the Bible in American
history at Wheaton College.... Harold Lindsell... a Wheaton trustee,
objected that some of the invited scholars weren't true evangelicals....
But Wheaton vice president Dave Johnston told Lindsell that scholarship
did not demand ideological purity.... Lynn was pleased with the
outcome and followed up with $200,000 that launched the Institute
for the Study of American Evangelicals (ISAE). ... Since then,
Lilly has spent over $2 million on the work of the ISAE."
Lilly Endowment - religion:
"The Endowment has focused on supporting programs and projects that
address four broad questions: How do we identify, recruit and call
forth a new generation of talented Christian pastors? How do we
best prepare and train new ministers for effective and faithful
pastoral leadership?... When well-prepared, thoughtful, imaginative,
able and caring pastors lead congregations, these communities of
faith tend to thrive....
"In summary, the Endowment supports efforts ... to support scholars
and educators who seek to help the American people better understand
contemporary religion and the role it plays in our public
and personal lives; and to strengthen the contributions that religious
ideas, practices, values and institutions make to the common
good of our society."
Note:
The
Lilly
Endowment
has also
helped fund the Drucker Foundation. But more recently, it has
shown its support for Baptist leadership and pastoral training.
Strangely enough, the two -- Druckers communitarian vision for
the "social sector" and seminary training in community-building
-- fit together. The article, "Golden
Gate Seminary Receives $300,000 Lilly Endowment Grant
tells us
that the funds would provide "hardware, software, renovations
and training needed to fully integrate up-to-date technology"
with the seminary's training program.
This grant makes
all the more sense in light of a new partnership between
Golden Gate Seminary and Saddleback Church.
The Baptist seminary will build a new branch on the Saddleback
campus to train church leaders to use the digital data tracking
technology needed to meet and monitor community needs around
the world.
["Saddleback,
Golden Gate Launch Partnership for Educating Laity"]
To clarify the connection between Lilly Endowment and
the Purpose-Driven movement, go to
Social Change and Communitarian
Systems.
Programs for the Theological
Exploration of Vocation: "Discuss how the projects shape
vocational imagination and impact student lives;
Make connections between young adults who are leaders, oriented
toward service, and attuned to faith and the church.... Model
collaborative conversation as a tool for continued leadership
development...."
See
Reinventing the World Part 2: The Mind-Changing
Process
Readings and Resources
for Lilly Faculty Seminar: "Readings.... Paulo Freire,
Pedagogy of the Oppressed.... Inter-religious
Dialogue on Meaning and Vocation Readings Diana Eck, Encountering
God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banarus (Chapter 7).
Beacon Press, 1993. Rita Gross, Meditating on Jesus
(pages 32-51). Continuum, 2000. Steve Hagen, Buddhism
Plain and Simple (Introduction & Chapter 1). Broadway Books,
1997. Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan, The Raft Is
Not the Shore (Foreword & Chapters 1, 7-8). Orbis Books, 2001.
"Writing
assignment: Narrate one of your encounters with religious difference...
then reflect on the following questions: Is Eck’s approach to religious
diversity compelling? Is it realistic? That is, is it humanly possible
to remain 'distinctly ourselves' while positively embracing religious
others? Which of the following is most threatening to you?
... The Buddhisppalachia? Religiously conservative students?"
What is the Lilly project?
"EMU received a five-year, $2million grant from the Lilly Endowment,
a private family foundation that supports many Christian endeavors.
This grant provides funding for the theological exploration of vocation.
...
"EMU defines vocation as an invitation or call to partner with
God in God’s creative, liberating, sustaining work in the world.
Following one’s vocation involves more than just choosing the right
career; it involves placing one’s total life into the service
of God and our neighbors. ...
"The
third focus of the Lilly Project challenges students to consider
pastoral ministry as a career. We provide resources that allow more
students to participate in our Ministry Inquiry Program next summer."
Church of God Ministries
Receives Lilly Endowment Grant to "Sustain Pastoral Excellence":
"Has your home congregation encouraged you to consider pastoral
ministry? Have you experienced that setting as a safe place to tests
your gifts? Have others tapped you on the shoulder for possible
church vocation involvement?....Our congregations and fellowships
need gifted pastoral leaders to serve with passion, integrity and
expertise. Creating a Culture of Call places congregational encouragement
and discernment at the heart of the call as it partners with conferences
to discern and equip our future church leadership."
The History of 'Faith
at Work':
"Smaller groups allowed greater openness and emotional intimacy.
In that environment new procedures developed. These procedures were
partly the outgrowth of the
Human Potential movement
and related behavioral principles and processes. Transactional
Analysis with its emphasis on personal O.K.ness, the National
Training Laboratories with their interest in honest and open
encounter....
"...the concept of Christian wholeness was made central
to the relational life style.... Under the leadership of
Faith at Work, and with some funding assistance from the Lilly
Endowment, a series of clergy conferences was held in
the spring of 1970 in six American centers.... The result was the
Leadership Training (Development) Program which was launched
with another grant from the Lilly Endowment.... The objectives
of self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-delight, of group building,
and of discerning gifts governed the institute program. Here as
elsewhere there was an effort to fuse Biblical faith with insights
from the behavioral sciences.
"The Seminarian Program was a further effort to share
the relational life style and the Faith at Work witness with
denominations and local churches.
...
"The matter of 'change' itself had changed. When
Sam Shoemaker talked about 'getting changed,' he meant originally
being converted.... Faith at Work... now saw conversion as
initiating a series of changes in all areas of personhood: the conceptual,
confessional volitional, physical, emotional and relational....
"The newer order certainly deplored arrogance and
egotism but saw these behaviors and attitudes as consequences of
a lack of healthy self-love. Hence the emphasis was less
on inducing guilt than on recovering the fact of God's awareness
and acceptance of us in Christ."
See
Romans 12:2
Pew trusts
Patrons of the Evangelical
Mind: "The
Pew trusts were founded between 1948 and 1979 by the wealthy
children of J.N. Pew, who made his money in oil. The son who succeeded
J.N. as head of Sun Oil Company was J. Howard Pew, a lifelong mainline
Presbyterian. J. Howard's main philanthropic interests were supporting
free enterprise against big government and supporting America's free-enterprise form of Christianity, evangelicalism.
He gave a lot of money to parachurch groups like the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, World Vision, and Young Life.
He also helped launch a couple of evangelical intellectual enterprises—Christianity
Today in 1956 and Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary
in 1969....
"...the
influence that the Pew programs have had can be seen in the discipline
of philosophy, specifically metaphysics. Inspired by
the pioneers of this movement.... a new generation of exceptionally
talented Christians has now moved to the top of the field. One
of these is Dean Zimmerman, who ... was diverted from literature
when the local InterVarsity chapter brought philosopher Keith
Yandell to campus. Yandell's powerful defense of Christianity, and
the commotion it caused on campus, convinced Zimmerman that philosophy
was an effective language for the Christian faith. Seeking to
focus some of the new metaphysical energy, Zimmerman launched annual
Metaphysical Mayhem conferences.
Rick Warren, 'America's
Pastor':
"Appearing before a small group of journalists at a Pew Forum
conference in May, bestselling preacher Rick Warren (The Purpose-Driven
Life) presents himself as a working pastor with no aspirations to
be a celebrity, who just happened to write a historic book: 'When
you write the best-selling book in the world for the last three
years, that changes your life,' he confides in passing.... He has
chosen to address our small group 'because I only speak to influencers....
I read all of your stuff all the time,' he says in a hyperbolic
appeal to our vanity....
"Ten
percent of America's churches have engaged in '40 Days of Purpose'
programs, Warren notes, which have 'spread' to secular organizations,
including sports teams and major corporations such as Ford, Wal-Mart
and Coca-Cola, not to mention the military."
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