“For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:5-8)
The quote below is taken from an article in Slate. You can find the article here.
“She (Janet Mefferd) says she wasn’t expecting the original radio interview to become so hostile. “I was really hoping for some honest repentance,” she said. “I was hoping that if I pointed out that he didn’t properly cite Jones in the book, he’d say something like, ‘You’re right. I should have done a better job of footnoting those sections. You know what? I’m going to go back to my publisher and make sure that gets fixed.’ Instead, he said he’d apologize to Peter Jones ‘if’ he made a mistake and stressed how many times he’d had dinner with him. But a personal apology isn’t a sufficient response when you’ve appropriated someone else’s ideas and insights without proper citation; you also have to make things right.””
Josh Harris, pastor at Covenant Life Church, formerly the flagship church in the Sovereign Grace denomination (the church has since withdrawn from the denomination due to the sexual abuse scandal/cover-up involving C.J. Mahaney) said the following in an article titled “Learning from Mark Driscoll.” (Keep in mind this article appeared several years ago, prior to the Mahaney scandal and prior to Mark Driscoll’s plagiarism being revealed.) The article can be found here.
“he (Mark Driscoll) was kind enough to invite me to speak. That was my first trip to Mars Hill Church in Seattle. While I was there I got to meet a group of Acts 29 pastors at Mark’s house. These were gospel-centered, mission-minded men who were passionate about building local churches and reaching lost people. They reminded me of the pastors I know and love from our Sovereign Grace family of churches (the main difference being that Acts 29 guys dress a lot better.)…
In the past year or so I’ve been encouraged to see a friendship develop between Mark and C.J. Mahaney. I’ve benefited so much from C.J.’s investment in me; I knew only good things could come from their interaction with each other. So this past week when I heard that Mark had preached on humility during his series in Philippians and referenced C.J.’s influence, I wanted to hear it for myself. I wasn’t surprised by the kind words Mark had for C.J. but what caught me off guard was the very humble and specific confession that Mark made to his church…
Mark goes on to talk about the influence his example has had on his church and the way that C.J.’s friendship has touched his life….
Mark Driscoll is good at a lot of things. I take notes from his example in a number of areas. He’s good at leading. He’s good at casting vision. He’s good at taking a bold stand. He’s good at challenging men to be men. He’s good at preaching clear, biblical, culturally relevant sermons.
But what this latest sermon confirms for me is probably the most encouraging trait that I’ve observed in his life: Mark Driscoll is good at repenting. There are few skills more important for a follower of Christ to possess. Few things more vital in the pursuit of humility.”
In retrospect, it appears that Josh Harris may not be such a good judge of character. Mark Driscoll may talk a good game, but like his mentor, C.J. Mahaney, these words seem to rarely be backed up by his actions.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHRMFsOUYBY&w=853&h=480]
I found this song at “Fighting For The Faith, A Pirate Christian Radio Production” and had to share it! The speaker in the song is Mark Driscoll. He is doing some leadership coaching for his underlings in the Acts 29 denomination. You can read about some of the fruit from these coaching sessions on the Wartburg Watch blog here, here and here.
Folks, it should be obvious to any Christian with a pulse that there are some major problems with not just Mark Driscoll, but within the whole celebrity culture of Christianity characterized by those speaking at Together 4 the Gospel, The Gospel Coalition, and The Cross Conference. Let the buyer beware!
“Alas, if it be true that, “That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15), it is equally true that what is of great price in His sight is despised by men-by none more so than by modern Pharisees, who now hold nearly all the positions of prominence in Christendom. Almost all of the so-called “ministry” of this generation feeds pride, instead of starving the flesh; puffs up, rather than abases; and anything which is calculated to search and strip is frowned upon by the pulpit and is unpopular with the pew.”
A.W. Pink “The Sermon on the Mount” page 8
Going to church, right down the street.
Don’t hear God’s Word no more.
The Pastor says we don’t feed no sheep
So Get busy and amuse those goats.
Don’t be lazy, you’re here to satisfy
the leader’s god given vision supreme.
If you dare to question him
Then there’d certainly be a scene LOOK OUT!
(Chorus)
Another one’s off the bus
Another one’s off the bus
And another one’s off
And another one’s off
Another one’s off the bus
Hey, he’s gonna get you too
Another one’s off the bus
One by one, people disappeared
Never to be seen again
Thought this whole darn thing, was all a joke
But I changed my mind when
Saw the pastor, jump on the bus
Tear out screeching down the street.
People were getting squashed like bugs
and piled up like dead meat. LOOK OUT
(Chorus)
Another one’s off the bus
Another one’s off the bus
And another one’s off
And another one’s off
Another one’s off the bus
Hey, they don’t care ‘bout you
Another one’s off the bus
The pile behind, Mark Driscoll’s church,
Grew higher by the day
Some truly tried to follow his plan
And were thrown under anyway
Well his vision was not complete,
He was enraged at all of us,
I told Mark to stop playing God,
And now I’m under the bus!
(Chorus)
Another one’s off the bus
Another one’s off the bus
And another one’s off
And another one’s off
Another one’s off the bus
Hey, he’s gonna throw you too
Another one’s off the bus
Lyrics written by Joshua, Christina and Chris Rosebrough
wpDiscuz