Quite a few of the responses to the Baptist Press article on Mark Driscoll have referenced a generation gap. See here, here, here, here and here (and don’t miss the comments) for starters.
It seems that those of us who question Driscoll’s tendency to go over the line in an apparent attempt to be cool, edgy and to titillate just don’t understand what it takes to reach people in this day and age. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Isn’t that the kind of argument that we heard from the defenders of Willow Creek and Saddleback not so long ago?
The iMonk (no fundy by any stretch of the imagination) sees the problem in this case, (calling it “a serious piece of stupid” for Driscoll to link to “that borderline porn site link”) but sadly too many in the SBC are blind to this, failing to recognize that criticism of Driscoll is not necessarily a witch hunt against Calvinism or against different ways of doing ministry. In many cases the response has simply been a simplistic knee jerk reaction, falsely accusing BP of inaccurate reporting (the link in question is still linked on the Mars Hill site) and seeking to lay blame on the messenger. (An embryonic title for this post was “Adventures in missing the point.”)
I do find it ironic that Calvinists of all people continue to excuse a man essentially because he has most of his doctrinal ducks in a row and is getting visible results. There’s more to the ministry than that.
I submit that the real issue is less of a Generation Gap than it is a Discernment Gap. Lord willing, I may soon begin a series of blog posts related to that theme, with particular reference to the Southern Baptist Convention.
[…] dust up) say that we just don’t understand what it takes to successfully reach people today: Generation Gap or Discernment Gap? One Pilgrim’s Progress __________________ Chris Poe Member, Grace Community Baptist Church, Mandeville, LA […]
Hey Chris I’m just replying to the comment you left on my blog.
Your right about it being a “Discernment Gap.” Driscoll does seem to have a tendancy to not only cross the line, but take a running start and leap over it.
I just hope to see him use more discernment in the future. Especially since he’s an elder.
Thanks for the posts here. I did not know all of this info.
CK
[…] I charged that the problem isn’t so much a Generation Gap as it is a Discernment Gap. Although it pains me greatly to say so, I don’t hesitate to say that I’d rather see […]
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