Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Wolves In Sheep's Clothing
When an ambitious and charismatic leader consistently champions the brave unchallengeable Superman over against ‘weak’ men; insists on barring a whole group of persons from positions of authority on grounds of their birth; and creates and lampoons scapegoats to account for the woes facing the constituency to which he is appealing; it is disturbing to hear friends say, “I don’t agree with his views on XX, but I approve of how he stands up for us against the ungodly, and as for his extremism perhaps he will mellow with time.”
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Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI've had a Kairos about the whole Mr Driscoll bru-ha-ha.
The so called "quotes" on twitter really got to me.
I had to ask myself why.
because despite his lack of perfection, he challenged me.
The God who has spoken through Donkeys, spoke to me
through this his servant.
I will have more confidence in the gospel than the culture.
I will tear down the lies that have made made me less then outrageously proud of the gospel and I will not live up to the stereotypes that sideline the bride of Christ.
Mark Driscoll is not the messiah, nor the devil, nor a very naughty boy. He's a man who has my respect after listening to the whole interview.
He's obviiously got under your skin too, why?
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have decided to have more confidence in the gospel. I'm glad that God has spoken to you through the current bru-ha-ha, as you put it - though theologically I also have no problem with God being able to speak through servants who are not submitted to him.
My issue is not primarily with the current bru-ha-ha - that is merely the context in which I make the observation today - but with the consistent message and consistent character traits. My problem is that what I see is something profoundly ungodly, something which has historical parallels I would not want to see played out in full, a twisting of what the Church is - that Christians have had to choose to speak out against in the past, even if few will listen, even if it is costly. And yes, I find it disturbing and disappointing that friends laud someone, not as messiah but as good, who I see not as the devil but as extremely dangerous. For me, it really is that serious.
As a rule, I try to stay out of the mud-slinging that can go on between Christian camps. Most of the time, discretion is the better part of valour. But sometimes silence is complicity, and bullies need to be called for what they are.
I respect you, but I don't share your respect for him. I hope that you are proved right, and that I am proved wrong.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI also stand by the principle of what I have written, as something that would apply in relation to any leader who fitted the description - as I believe he does.