Missing the Mark

Boy, I just spent an hour walking and listening to Mark Driscoll yelling at me through my earbuds. Well, he was not yelling at me specifically but he pretty much loudly chastised and characterized almost all men, Christian or not, as either slacker babies or abusive bullies. Not much of a spectrum, just black and while, like coal on fresh snow. Harsher than raw garlic.

The sermon is available on iTunes. The title of the sermon is "Marriage and Men" and the date is 12/13/10. It is as hour long...listen to it if you dare. I am surprised that my eardrums are not bleeding, not from the volume, but the vehemence.

There is a lot to be angry about in regards to men in our society. Much of what Driscoll said is at least somewhat true about some men, if not most men. Yet, there is a fine line between godly anger and the sin of anger and I think Driscoll pretty much obliterated it. I think he is an angry dude...not sure what his past is all about, but something is ticking back there. He attributed his wrath entirely to the Holy Spirit...sorry, I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid on this pronouncement entirely. But, I fully understand that the Holy Spirit blows where He wants, and perhaps even violently.

Driscoll does a lot of good work. His ministry is impressive and clearly is helping a lot of people. Locally, in uber-liberal Seattle of all places, nationally, and internationally. I am sure, like me as a school counselor, he hears so much of the devastation of sin in people's lives that he is weary of it at times. The problems just never stop and our society just keeps on slipping further into the abyss. In America, we super-size sin and wonder why people are dropping right and left. It is not just birds falling from the air and fish washing up on the shore. Our country is in trouble and men like Driscoll, being prophetic personalities, want to scream it back from the edge.

Paradoxically, I have learned, if you have something hard to say, most of the time it is wisest to say it softy.

Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Comments

Luke said…
Good thoughts, Eric. Thanks.
January 13, 2011 at 10:13 PM
VanTil said…
The church is responding to the devastation being inflicted on/by our culture through the behavior of "men." Locally, there is Men's Fraternity and Priority One among others. Not much screaming going on there, but the truth with the love of Jesus meeting our sins.
January 14, 2011 at 5:06 AM
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