Chalcedon Blog

Mark Driscoll, the chest-thumping, LA-dressing, pastor of Mars Hill Church must be feeling the heat from the current of criticism that's warming his backside. Blogging about the recent Dwell Conference in New York City for urban church planting he bemoaned:

"The conference went very well and in my opinion was a gathering of pastors who are reformed by conviction and missional by contextualization. It seems to me that this tribe is growing as more and more young pastors in general, and church planters in particular, want to be both faithful to the text of Scripture and fruitful in the context of culture. Sadly, there are some more fundamental and sectarian reformed folks who are resistant to the idea that a church should adapt its practice (though not doctrine) to best fit its cultural context. Yet, I do believe that, with love and patience, more bridges of understanding and partnership are being built, which only benefits the cause of Jesus, especially through church planting."

Goodness gracious, I feel like the proverbial mosquito at the nudest colony. Where do I begin? Adapting to culture is by no means commanded by God. As any astute Reformed believer knows, culture is--as Henry Van Til stated--religion externalized. Therefore, adapting to culture equates to adapting to another religion, since most cultural expressions arise from some form of paganism or humanism.

Also, has Mark taken the time to consider WHERE some of this cultural expression came from? How about its fashion? As is often the case, much of the trendy dress for men develops first in the homosexual community before it becomes mainstream. The disco regalia of the 1970s, the leather and studs of the heavy metal 80s, and the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" look of today are all manifestations of gay culture. Driscoll sees no problem with adapting to them. In that sense, Driscoll is quite accurate to describe what he's doing as being "FRUITFUL in the context of culture."

The Scripture assumes an antagonism on man's part to living in service to God. In fact, he's quite adept at developing philosophical justification for both questioning the veracity of Christianity and justifying his alleged neutrality. Scripture says he's actually engaging in truth suppression (Rom. 1:18), and we are to see man for what he is--not a lost postmodern soul, but "filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affections, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (Rom. 1:29-32).

I grow weary of the postmodern discussion. I'm amazed Bible-believing church leaders are that consumed with it. Why dignify with serious discourse the latest "fig leaves as aprons" philosophical convolution that man is using to cover his sin? I double-dog guarantee you he's not postmodern when he runs his checkbook. No, postmodernity is only an issue when he's trying to cast off the metanarrative of God's providential history. Otherwise, he's modernist to the core.

Driscoll wants churches that conform in their praxis to pagan culture. I'm not sure what Scriptural admonition drives him in that pursuit. He claims a church should "adapt its practice (though not doctrine) to best fit its cultural context," but the obvious implication is that doctrine is somehow divorced from praxis. How far do you take that? What aspects of culture are "neutral" enough for a Christian church to practice?

I was radically saved during the early 80s from sheer atheism. I had long hair and played in a heavy metal band. I looked the part of the subculture of those days. Long story short, I gave it all to Christ on a chilly November evening and attended my Christian service in a Baptist church in Dallas, Texas. I looked like a freak. My hair was nearly to my stomach, teased out, and I had nothing but "rock" clothes to wear. Guess what? NOBODY in that Southern Baptist Church looked like me.

I got there early, and the first man that greeted me was an older deacon with a pot belly named Bennie Bell. He came right over to me, gave me a hearty greeting--which surprised me--and then guided me to the front pew of the sanctuary. I had planned to sit in the back, for obvious reasons. I was bombarded with Baptist blessings as nearly every person came to see this strange sight.

Well, after the service, I had a long talk with the pastor and several church members. I was full of questions and wrote down as much as I could on whatever I could. I wanted to know everything that day. If someone mentioned a word I didn't know--like redemption--I asked them what it meant and then wrote it down. I knew already that it was MY responsibility to conform to the community of faith, not them to me.

I was there until after 3 pm, and one precious family stayed with me as long as they could. They even walked out the front door to try and make their way to their car while I stood holding open the door of the church with one foot still in the vestibule. I told them my car was parked in the back and they suggested I cut through the sanctuary instead of walking around the campus. They said, "Chris, just close the door and pull the handle from the inside to make sure it's locked. God bless you, and we'll see you later." I was standing alone in the church. I had worn everyone out. I was the last one to leave. I've never looked back since then.

Folks, the power of God is in the faithful preaching of the gospel, not in hair gel and contemporary praise bands. I loved my first pastor. He was a Ph.D, and somewhere in his late 50s, but I hung on his every word. He looked nothing like me. Outside of Christ and His Word, we had nothing in common.

In conclusion, Driscoll and Co. could learn a great deal from leaders like Ron Paul. Here's a conservative, suit-wearing, grey-haired, wrinkled, soft-spoken politician, but he's all the rage with young people of every ilk. Dr. Paul isn't trying to conform to culture. He isn't sporting sunglasses and playing the saxophone on Late Night television. When he's not campaigning, he's in Washington taking on the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, or making his case at a freedom rally. Ron Paul lives by conviction, not conformity, and young postmoderns love him for it. Driscoll should quit whining about criticism and do likewise. Maybe, just maybe, those fundamentalist, Reformed, sectarians are God's means of trying reach him.