Graceful Critique

Matthew Weston came to some of my seminars at New Word Alive and didn't agree with everything I said. His comments on his blog are really worth reading as an excellent example of how to disagree and question with humility, kindness and grace. we need more of this kind of response to evangelical brothers and sisters with whom we disagree. Nice One, Matthew.

Check it out here: http://audienceofone.org.uk/2009/04/terminology/page/3

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.