Why I Like Mark Driscoll

I haven't yet read a great deal of Mark Driscoll,and heard less. But what I hear I like a lot. What I like most is that this guy is unafraid to apply the Bible closely, relevantly and faithfully. Preachers regularly fall into one of two traps: we either say "this is how you should behave" but without showing us why from the Bible, or we show general principles from the Bible but tiptoe around specific, absolutely to the point application. Driscoll does both, very well from what I can make out. 

The first trap leads to merely moral behaviour, not discipleship. I have written at length here about the shallowness of Christian life that arises out of an appeal to moral behaviour that doesn't rest on the gospel of God's grace but out of thinking "that's just what Christians do." Its shallow, it has no foundations, there is no power over sin, no transformation of the heart. Its just plain useless. I might produce nice-looking well behaved little children in Sunday school for a bit, but they won't know God and will flee the church at the first opportunity they get later in life.

The second trap comes across as very biblical, sound and true. And it is. But its only half the story if people don't take the truth and work it through deeply in life. Helping them do it is a wonderful part of the preacher's task. Half the story is no good. In fact it is harmful, because unapplied knowledge only puffs up and isn't real knowledge of God at all.

So go listen to Driscoll and find a young preacher trying to do both and modelling it well.

Comments

[Andy Giles]

Hey Marcus,
I agree that Mark Driscoll is an absolutely great applier of God's word. It is always direct and always challenging, and always really insightful. And I think you're right on your diagnosis of the majority of application in sermons - I think both of which I have been guilty of in my short time in preaching. I was wondering how you personally go about drawing application from a passage. Do you have any practical tips about this or "techinques" you use? (Techniques used in a very loose sense, because clearly it is the work of the Holy Spirit, but are there any tips to follow when thinking through application?)
Any thoughts would be really appreciated!
Andy