I am sorry your family has been put through difficulties.
Whether your son or the publishing house wanted controversy, it appears they received it.
I apologize if my skepticism has harmed you, I’ve amended the post to reflect your concern.

At times He did put people off when He did that it was to help the person He was speaking to to recognize their own heart. Jesus knew that they “were like sheep without a shepherd” (recognizing the needs of the target group (at this time Jewish people). The GReat Commission includes preaching (sharing the Gospel). So is preaching pursuading? Can Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, use us to pursuade others to have Faith in Christ? Paul did this in Colosians with the “unknown god”. To me it is the content of the message combined with the heart of the person giving it. I still don’t see anywhere where Christ dictates the how, except when He stated “it is not My time” in relation to His revelation of His glory to the people.

John 4:34-36
35Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are RIPE FOR THE HARVEST. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

I guess Jesus was a marketer as well. This proves my point about all of this attack just because it is marketed. To me I think the controversy just because of one thing, marketing, is unWARRENted. I just don’t see the problem as long as people are coming to Christ and more Christians are doing more for Christ as well. (It will never be fullproof because we are all humans, but at least more than otherwise and for that reason in the worse case I commend Warren)

I personally care less how something is presented to me. To me the content rather than the how is the most important. I’m not influenced by the marketing only the content. I have read Warren’s books and find them not-wanting in any way.

I don’t have much sympathy for people who reject messages of Truth just because it is marketed to them a certain way. No where in the Bible does it say the Gospel has to be told a certain way only “the Great Commission” and the “Romans Road”.

I understand Warren is affable, kind, sincere, etc.
There are good authors that will never have marketing gurus or get the opportunity to have worthy work published, through no fault of their own.
I’m not slamming Warren, I don’t know the guy.

This was hyper marketing at it’s finest, like the Left Behind series.
Stielstra has been involved with over 750 books. Warren must have been the dream client; a marketer could do use unwarrented numbers of people in unprecedented proportions to sell the product.
Captive audience ripe for the picking.

I don’t have much sympathy for adults that don’t take time to understand how things are sold to them, I guess. We lose sight of what we need and what we just thnk we want.