Rick Warren to Discuss Life's Purpose on Oprah Show
Pastor Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church is joining Oprah Winfrey for a second time for her show, "Oprah's Lifeclass," on Sunday night to discuss some of life's biggest questions.
Winfrey and the author of New York Times bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life, will converse about basic questions concerning life, including "What on earth am I here for?" and "What is my purpose?" according to Oprah Winfrey Network.
The two will discuss the three levels of existence – survival, success and significance – as well as how to have a life with more purpose.
"Now, I don't call it The Purpose Driven Life by accident. If you look up the word 'drive' in a dictionary, 'to drive' means 'to guide, control, or direct,'" Warren tells Winfrey in the show to be telecast at 9 p.m. ET, according to excerpts released by OWN. "Guide, control or direct. Everybody's life, Oprah, is driven by something. And this is the difference between success and significance. There are a lot of successful people whose lives are driven by guilt. There are a lot of successful people who are driven by the approval of others."
Some people are also driven by resentment or insecurity, the pastor adds. "Some people are driven by the past: 'I've always been this way!' So they can't see themselves in a new way. Some people are driven by their parents, and maybe their parents have even died, but they're still hearing that voice in their mind, 'You'll never amount to anything.'"
Winfrey will also share an update on Ashley Smith via Skype, who was held hostage by the Atlanta Spree Killer in 2005 but survived because she read Warren's book to her captor, according to The Orange County Register.
Pastor Warren, who recently re-released his book for the online generation, first appeared on the show last month when Winfrey discussed with him the five "cards" that form a person's identity: chemistry, connections, circumstances, consciousness and choices.
Winfrey has also had Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, on the show, in which she invites thought leaders to discuss guiding principles in everyday life.
Warren, pastor of one of the largest churches in the country with over 20,000 attendees on multiple campuses, holds conservative theological views and traditional evangelical views on social issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and stem-cell research.
His other book, The Purpose Driven Church, a guide to church ministry and evangelism, has spawned several conferences on Christian ministry and evangelism around the world.