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News...
 "Insider's take on Rick Warren: An interview with Jeff Sheler.
Acclaimed author Jeff Sheler's Prophet of Purpose is an insightful biography of Rick Warren based on three years of research. Sheler observed Warren in contexts from training pastors in Africa to conducting Saddleback Church staff meetings. Leadership Network's Warren Bird recently interviewed Sheler about his unique access to Rick Warren, Warren's staff, and Warren's family."
— Leadership Network ADVANCE, May 11, 2010
 "RICK WARREN: 'What on Earth is he here for?' New biography on the Saddleback pastor talks about his attitude for a 'stewardship of influence' —where God has opened a door for him..." (read on)
— Church Executive , May 2010
 Interview with biographer and journalist Jeffery Sheler. "When ReadTheSpirit first mentioned this upcoming book about Rick Warren — widely regarded as the most influential preacher in America at the moment — we immediately got our first complaint. At the mere mention of Warren's name, a reader shot off a note slamming him for conservative stances. More followed.
So, we want to be clear: Biographer Jeffery Sheler is not a Rick Warren staffer or backer or paid consultant. Jeff is the former religion newswriter at U.S. News & World Report..." (continue reading)
— ReadTheSpirit.com
 "Purpose-driven Donors." Rick Warren, religion's biggest newsmaker in 2009, demonstrated his prowess in fundraising on the last two days of the year.
— Theolog , blog of The Christian Century, January 6, 2010
 Watch a December 2, 2009, video webinar with Prophet of Purpose
author Jeff Sheler, hosted by Christianity Today.
 "Religion journalists vote Rick Warren top newsmaker of 2009."
— RNA.org, December 15, 2009
 "Local author draws on own journey in writing on religion."
— The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va., December 8, 2009
 "New book outlines Rick Warren's life, purpose."
— The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La., December 5, 2009
"Rick Warren's La. ties start long before Katrina."
— The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La., December 5, 2009
 "New Bio of Rick Warren is Revealing."
— The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla., December 4, 2009
 "Rick Warren Biography Uncovers Rocky Marriage, Depression."
— The Christian Post, December 3, 2009
HEAR JEFF SHELER discuss his book and Rick Warren's life on these recent radio webcasts:
● "The Paul Edwards Program" on WLQV radio, Detroit, Wednesday, November 18, 2009.
Click here to listen to the archived interview.
● "John & Kathy" on WORD-FM, Pittsburgh, Wednesday, November 18, 2009.
● "The Bob Dutko Show" on WMUZ radio, Detroit, Monday, November 16, 2009.
Reviews...
"Sheler's sober, smooth-reading life of the founder of California's Saddleback Church makes it abundantly clear why he's considered Billy Graham's successor as 'America's pastor.' Warren's an all-around straight shooter, as he puts it, a man with a purpose — God's purpose. A gift for undomineering leadership made the presidency a boyhood dream, but in high school, becoming a pastor, like his dad (though not as peripatetic as his dad), became his goal. Inspired by the church-growing movement, he matched and arguably exceeded its premier exponent, Bill Hybels of Illinois' Willow Creek Community Church. Would-be emulators among his peers prompted his first best-seller (The Purpose Driven Church, 1995) and then the all-time nonfiction best-seller, The Purpose Driven Life (2002), which enriched him enough to start PEACE Plan to encourage all churchgoers to help the world's needy, beginning with African AIDS orphans. And then Barack Obama requested him to pray at his inaugural, which became controversial in both the asking and the execution, partly because of Warren's unassuming answers to loaded questions. A creditable profile of an appealing man."
— Booklist
"Terrific Biography of Rick Warren. I don't read many books cover to cover, but Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren by former U.S. News & World Report religion editor Jeffery L. Sheler was so engaging and informative that I read every word — 336 pages, including 8 fascinating pages of photos...." (continue reading)
— Warren Bird, of Leadership Network
 “Arguably the most influential evangelical in America, Warren gets full biographical treatment by Sheler, former religion writer for U.S. News & World Report and author of Is the Bible True? Sheler leaves no rock unturned in Warren's life and uncovers much about what drives the founder and leader of the 22,000-member Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., who has trained pastors in a network of 10,000 churches in 162 countries. In offering a behind-the-scenes look into the making of a megachurch and its pastor, Sheler paints in rich detail Warren's boyhood and family life—including such personal episodes as a tragic honeymoon and his depression. The author is careful to show diverse opinions about Warren, including those who believe the pastor, initially very green in international relations, allowed himself to be used by interests that oppose U.S. foreign policy. Sheler includes the story of Billy Graham's blessing and his apparently passing the mantle of America's pastor to Warren. For Americans who believe that's an important role, this book is a vital biography to have on the shelf.”
— Publishers Weekly
 “...Sheler has thoroughly researched his story and makes every detail contribute to the portrait of a righteous preacher who lives by faith, struggles against physical,emotional, social, and political obstacles, and is determined to be a good steward of his gifts and influence. Sheler, for many years the primary religion writer at U.S. News & World Report, delivers a solid journalistic biography that is a pleasure to read.” (Read the entire review)
— Christianity Today
 “There are those who come up with an innovative idea, develop the skills necessary to realize it, and use every bit of their creative capacity to make it succeed. Then there are those who believe that human beings have no power to change the world but are mere pawns directed by a supernatural force whose decisions are arbitrary and inscrutable. Finally, there are rarities like Rick Warren who fit into both categories at the same time.
Warren is the founding pastor of Orange County's Saddleback Church and the author of The Purpose-Driven Life (2002), the best-selling hardback book of all time, according to Publishers Weekly. He is the vivid subject who Jeffery Sheler, a contributing editor of U.S. News & World Report, takes on in this engaging and fair-minded biography, Prophet of Purpose, written with Warren's cooperation. While managing to avoid hagiography, Sheler generally keeps himself in the background, allowing the reader to appreciate just how remarkable Warren's rise to prominence really is.”
(Continue reading)
— Slate
 “...I was interested to see what would happen when this veteran journalist traced the life trajectory of the man now arguably the best-known evangelical preacher in the world.
The satisfyingly encyclopedic book keeps a brisk pace. Sheler maintains a tone that is respectful but not worshipful. Warren, in all his flawed brilliance, is revealed as a man genuinely passionate about spreading God's love and about reforming evangelical Christians as people known for what they are for, not what they are against.” (Read the entire review)
— The Huntsville (AL) Times  “The modern evangelical movement arguably bubbled to the forefront of American consciousness in the fall of 1949 when thousands of Californians packed into an electrified tent to hear the 30-yearold Rev. Billy Graham. Since then, the public has judged the faith of evangelicals by the words and deeds of
their most prominent ministers, including Virginia Beach's Pat Robertson and Lynchburg's Jerry Falwell. Today, the nominal leader is Rick Warren, the California megachurch minister who led the invocation at President Barack Obama's inauguration. Warren's rise to national acclaim dates back to 2002 when he published "The Purpose Driven Life," a study-group manual for Christian spiritual fulfillment that has sold more than 30 million copies.
In "Prophet of Purpose," Portsmouth author Jeffery L. Sheler traces how a small-time pastor with outsized ambitions came to counsel world leaders and preach to a global audience." (Read on)
— The Virginian-Pilot
MORE REVIEWS: The Washington Monthly, Library Journal, Charisma Advance Praise...
“Jeffery L. Sheler writes a powerful biography of one of the greatest Christian leaders of the century. Anyone who reads Prophet of Purpose: The Life of Rick Warren will be challenged and inspired by the difference one life can make if it’s lived on purpose. Rick Warren’s vision and friendship inspired me to start Woodlands Church on God’s purposes.”
— Kerry Shook, Senior Pastor, Woodlands Church, author of One Month to Live
“This book is a wonderful gift to all of those folks who know Rick Warren only as one of our most articulate and influential religious leaders. Jeff Sheler shows us a very human husband-father-pastor whose own very personal purpose-driven life is all the better because of doubts and set-backs experienced along the way.”
— Richard J. Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary
“Jeffery Sheler illuminates the journey Pastor Warren has taken from his childhood in Ukiah to the Saddleback Church. Sheler seamlessly tells the story not just of how Warren built his church and became a bestselling author, but how he became a moral voice on global poverty, HIV/AIDS and global climate change, issues that should call everyone from the faith community to get involved. A compelling read about a man in the middle of so many of the issues of our time.”
— Senator John F. Kerry, D-Massachusetts
"Prophet of Purpose is essential for anyone who wants to understand America's most prominent pastor and the tectonic shifts on the religious landscape he represents. Sheler's detailed account of Warren's background carries great explanatory power.”
— David Neff, Editor-in-chief of Christianity Today |
