In 'The Purpose Driven Life', Rick Warren guides readers through a personal 42-day spiritual journey to transform their understanding of life's purpose. The book addresses three fundamental questions: Why am I alive? Does my life matter? What on Earth am I here for? Warren emphasizes that real meaning and significance come from understanding and fulfilling God’s eternal purposes for each person. The book is divided into short chapters, each designed to be read as a daily devotional, and includes God's five purposes for life: to love God, to be part of His family, to become like Christ, to serve Him, and to tell others about Him[2][4][5].
In 'The Purpose Driven Church', Rick Warren provides a framework for church growth by emphasizing the importance of balancing five New Testament purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission. The book shares insights from Warren's experience in growing Saddleback Church and offers practical strategies for church leaders to create a purpose-driven community. It emphasizes that healthy growth occurs naturally when a church is built around these biblical purposes.
The Exorcist, written by William Peter Blatty, tells the story of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old girl who becomes possessed by an evil spirit. Her mother, Chris MacNeil, a successful actress, seeks help from two priests: Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest and psychiatrist struggling with his faith, and Father Lankester Merrin, an elderly priest with experience in exorcisms. The novel explores themes of faith, redemption, and the battle between good and evil as the priests perform an exorcism to save Regan. The story is intense and graphic, delving into the psychological and supernatural aspects of the possession and the exorcism process. It was inspired by a real-life case of demonic possession in the 1940s and has become a classic in the horror genre[1][3][5].
Do you hear what I hear? Backmasking.
From the Beatles to Led Zeppelin, rumors of hidden, subversive messages in popular music sent Christians into a frenzy. Backmasking wasn’t just a recording trick—it was seen as proof that rock musicians weren’t just after album sales but after the very souls of our children. Today, we’re unpacking the hysteria around backmasking, but first let’s explore the conservative resurgence and the world events that set the stage for a full-blown moral panic.
We’ll begin at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where megachurches mobilized thousands of evangelists to the spiritual frontlines of the world games, then we’ll head south to the buried secrets within the Southern Baptist Convention. At the center of this resurgence were two men with unchecked power—Paul Pressler and Paige Patterson. Their legacy was once seen as the North Star of conservative values but would later be tainted by allegations of abuse and cover-ups that exposed the very evil they claimed to stand against.
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Resources:
- Matthew D. Taylor, scholar and author, The Violent Take it By Force
- Robert Downen, reporter, The Texas Tribune
- Sarah Pulliam Bailey, religion reporter
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a production of Christianity Today
Hosted and written by Mike Cosper
Produced by Rebekah Sebastian, with production assistance by Dawn Adams
Sound Design and Mix Engineer: TJ Hester
Sound Design, Animation, and Video: Steve Scheidler
Graphic Design: Nim Ben Reuven
Music by Dirt Poor Robins
Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper are the executive producers of CT Media Podcasts, and Matt Stevens is our senior producer.
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Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 
