http://thechristianworldview.com/tcwblog/archives/1640
<><><><><><>"Oddly enough, it was a stand-up comedian, foul-mouthed Chris Rock, whom Mark Driscoll credits with teaching him how to preach...Driscoll sets the stage for more mocking of Scripture by describing the Old Testament as “a redneck hillbilly comedy.” He finds humor in Jacob, Aaron, Moses, Job, Jeremiah, and Noah. For example, he undermines the seriousness of the messages of Jeremiah, a prophet of God, by describing him as someone “who cries like a newly crowned beauty queen all the time.” He laughs at Noah for getting drunk and ending up naked in his tent, and then compares him to “some redneck on vacation.” Why would Driscoll find amusement or pleasure in seeing Noah’s dignity reduced or undermined?
In light of Driscoll’s comments, it is interesting to recall the biblical account of the reaction of Noah’s three sons. Unlike the response of his son Ham, the other brothers “turned away and they did not see their father’s nakedness”…and surely they did not laugh. On the other hand, for Ham and his descendents,… his response came with a high price."
"To the contrary, as believers we are called to fervently contend for the faith, which includes protecting and preserving the integrity of God’s Word. Finding amusement and joking with Scripture as acceptable has a way of making sober-minded people begin to
treat serious matters less seriously. Will Mark Driscoll’s followers ever read the account of Jeremiah or Noah in the same light after hearing or reading the way Driscoll butchers these stories? Is the serious message of Ezekiel 4 undermined when it has been reduced to “scatological humor”?"
<><><><><><>"At the expense of the reputation of Christ, Driscoll flippantly joked regarding those who differ with him on the interpretation of this book. Driscoll asserted, “Now what happens is some say ‘Well, we do believe in the book, and we will teach it, but we’re gonna teach it allegorically.’ And there’s a literal and an allegorical interpretation. They’ll say, ‘Well the allegorical interpretation, it’s not between a husband and a wife, Song of Solomon, love and romance and intimacy; what it is, it’s about us and Jesus.’ Really?… I hope not…If I get to heaven and this goes down, I don’t know what I’m gonna do…. I mean it’s gonna be a bad day. Right? I mean seriously…’You dudes know what I’m talking about… You’re like, “No, I’m not doing that… You know I’m not doing that… I love Him [Jesus] but not like that.” What was the response of the congregants? They laughed...A similar account is given in The Radical Reformission, stating Jesus “has a mom whom everyone thinks is a slut, a dad whom they think has the brilliance of a five-watt light bulb for believing the ‘virgin birth line, and brothers who likely pummel him frequently, because even God would have to get at least one wedgie from his brothers if he were to be fully human.” How can he talk like this without cringing?
Other reckless descriptions about the life of Christ surface in Mark’s book stating that by the time Jesus was thirty years old He was “a classic underachiever with no wife, kids, stable career or even much of a home.” Then he plants a less than honest idea about the ministry and character of Christ saying, “….God came to earth and he kicks things off as a bartender….”...But, Jesus is not a dude, He is a King. In the words of A.W. Tozer, Christ is being “courted with a familiarity that reveals a total ignorance of who He is. It is not the reverent intimacy of the adoring saint but the impudent familiarity of a carnal lover.” Mark Driscoll may think these images and descriptions of Christ play well in edgy Seattle, but they are a figment of his imagination, not the Word of God. “If then I am the Father,Where is my honor?And if I am the master,‘Where is My reverence?’ says the Lord of Host.” (Malachi 1:6)."
<><><><><><>"The mind is the battleground, but in the case of Mark Driscoll, instead of protecting the mind against the crudity and vulgarity of the world, he intentionally uses it. For example, Driscoll appears to have discovered early on that sex sells and that he could use it to draw a crowd. He writes, “I assumed the students and singles were all pretty horny, so I went out on a limb and preached through the Song of Songs. ….Each week I extolled the virtues of marriage, foreplay, oral sex, sacred stripping, and sex outdoors, just as the book teaches…This helped us a lot because apparently a pastor using words like ‘penis’ and ‘oral sex’ is unusual, and before you could say “aluminum pole in the bedroom,” attendance began to climb steadily to more than two hundred people a week.” Even the title of his new book, Porn-Again Christian, is case in point of distorting the words of Christ in order to grab the attention of guys to read it..."
<><><><><><>MacArthur says, "I just think there is a dignity, there’s a maturity, there’s a holiness, a virtue, a fear of God that belongs with the pastorate, …there’s a refinement that belongs in the ministry. The Bible talks about that ; being ’sober-minded’ - the pursuit of godliness,…Speech that comes out of your mouth, no filthy communication, only that which ministers grace to the hearer ….you can’t put one thought in their mind and then try to transition them to something holy…it’s a new kind of thing that I never, ever, imagined would happen…”
“Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.” (Titus 2:6)."
I disagree very strongly with this critic. I've met Mark Driscoll and heard him speak very insightfully and powerfully on different topics. I feel that he is very much misrepresented by that article. They took a large number of those quotations out of context and it also must be noted that he has admitted that he began his ministry lacking a large measure of maturity, but is in the process of working on it. In short: I like him and he has had nothing but a positive impact on me personally regardless of the critics he has.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paul. This doesn't sound like the Mark Driscoll I've heard either.
ReplyDeleteWell...I really have no way of personally judging this critic or Mark Driscoll since I have never heard him speak...or heard OF him until a few weeks ago. It sounds like he has a passion for reaching youth but is going about it in an inappropriate way. Even if these things are taken out of context there seems to be enough of them that he might need to tone it down.
ReplyDeleteBut I did laugh at the part that was like,"If I get to heaven and that' what's going down..." Yeah, I would pretty much be horrified too.
You guys are great...
ReplyDeletePeople have pointed out that Driscoll's church is 'different' (it's mostly younger adults) and therefore his methods are more appropriate and justifiable. I would then contend that the difference in his church is unBiblical--Biblical churches offered fellowship and mentoring between older and younger.
I'd agree with Anananana...God works through everything and everyone to accomplish His purposes, and some good does come from Driscoll's ministry. However, although Dricoll's entire ministry may not be WHOLLY pervaded with such unglorfying treatment of God and His Word, there seem to be numerous and serious instances of blatant disregard for the sanctity and holiness of God/Bible. That concerns me, especially because Driscoll as a prominent Christian leader has such a large following and so many new believers in his "fold". There is a higher standard for preachers and teachers...