Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

Home Archives for Mark McIntyre

On megachurch pastors and failure

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Mars Hill ChurchI have no idea what really happened with Mark Driscoll, nor do I want to. This post is not about slamming him. The only thing I will say about Mark Driscoll is that the way he is being treated in the press seems wrong and illustrates a larger problem in society and the church.

When we move away from a proper understanding of the the fall of man we lose sight of the fact that every aspect of every man (and woman) carries the taint of sin. We are all flawed and left unchecked, those flaws will cause trouble.

The problem I see in society is that we have a celebrity culture which ascribes superhuman status to the lucky (or unlucky depending on your perspective) few who have been deemed celebrities. Celebrities can do no wrong and they always seem to get the benefit of the doubt.

Perhaps I am a poor student of history,  but I cannot think of any other time and place where rock-star status in one discipline made a person an expert in all others. We have musicians and actors that make political / social pronouncements as if they have studied the subject for a lifetime. Popularity provides an ascribed authority that is not in keeping with actual knowledge.

The church has fared  little better. We have our own rock stars that seemingly can do no wrong. If he is selling lots of books, it is presumed that he must be right. All those people couldn’t be wrong could they? Yet, a great preacher might be only s0-so at pastoral ministry. A great preacher might be a poor leader. We have to remind ourselves that no-one is good at everything.

The need for a prophetic voice

David and Nathan
Nathan Confronts David

To give some perspective on this I suggest that we look for a moment at the difference between King David and King Saul in the Old Testament. Saul, had Samuel as a prophetic voice during his reign but he seldom, if ever, heeded the advice of Samuel. David, on the other hand, gave Nathan access to him and responded in repentance when Nathan confronted David on his sin. David saw the need to have a prophetic voice speak into his life and ministry.

In too many church cultures, there is a Pastor at the top with no-one around him who can function as the prophetic voice to offer restraint and correction.

I’ve been in a church where the Pastor was the ultimate (only) authority and it was a train wreck. People got hurt in the name of Christ for the sake of the Pastor’s “vision.” I do not think that this pastor did it maliciously or intentionally, but his intent does not matter, he will have to give an account for the lives he has damaged in the name of the one he claims to serve.

I want to be in a church that has a true plurality in the leadership and no one man holds most of the cards. Solo responsibility is too much power for even the best of men. Also, a plurality of leadership allows for multiple gifts and viewpoints to speak into any situation. We all have strengths and blind spots and a plurality allows for us to help others in their weak areas and be helped in ours.

I’m sure that Mark Driscoll has made mistakes in his leadership. Every leader has. But I wonder, if Mars Hill had helped Mark Driscoll avoid the pitfalls of celebrity, if things may have turned out differently. As it is, I hope that Mr. Driscoll repents in response to the accusations that he needs to own and that he can ignore the parts that are malicious and wrong.

But we all need to remember that ultimately Mark Driscoll will give his account to Jesus, not to us. This is the same Jesus who will call each of us to account and we will all be judged by the same standard.

So, I recommend that you put down that stone, you will only hurt yourself.

On forced moral reform

Posted on Written by 3 Comments

CeasarWe were out for the evening and decided to stop into a local thrift store. I found six books that were worth taking home, especially at 3 for $5.00.

One of the books I brought home was Volume III of Will Durant’s History of Civilization set. I opened the book at random and began reading about Caesar Augustus. The first paragraph I read was this.

He destroyed his own happiness by trying to make people good as well as happy; it was an imposition that Rome never forgave him. Moral reform is the most difficult and delicate branch of statesmanship; few rulers have dared to attempt it; most rulers have left it to hypocrites and saints.

By hypocrites, I assume he means those who give the appearance of moral superiority that they do not actually possess. Saints, on the other hand, are presumably those who do have the moral superiority. But either way, these are two classes of people who think that they know a better way for humanity. They seek to elevate the people around them to their own ideals.

In these postmodern times, this almost seems laughable. In 21st Century America, we look with disdain on anyone who thinks he knows a better way. We offer our disdain unless he is spouting the patent nonsense of those who preach (but do not practice) tolerance. But is not politically correct tolerance a type of moral reform? Is it not an attempt to impose the absolute belief that no absolute belief should be held as applicable to society at large.

Yet there is something in man that is drawn toward absolutes. We have seen men throw off the yoke of the church only to be caught in the yoke of hedonism or totalitarianism. I quote Muggeridge here:

“If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.”

But as Mr. Durant brings out in the quotation above, we can attempt to force people into conformity to a moral code, but when that morality bumps up against what they perceive makes them happy, that moral reform is an everlasting source of irritation and frustration. We cannot change people from the outside in. It did not work for Augustus and it has never worked for the church.

But isn’t this the whole point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? We are in need of a savior precisely because we require change from the inside out. It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, Jesus told us. The defilement is within and only the grace of God has sufficient power to make the internal change that makes the external change a lasting one. One does not read of any of the New Testament writers seeking to impose the will of the minority on the majority.

Certainly the church needs to speak out on moral issues. We are called to live and preach what Scripture commends as the right way to live. Yet, we need to do so with the understanding that to impose compliance on the outside without providing for reform on the inside will not work better for the church than it did for Caesar.

The only thing that will bring lasting change to our country is a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the form of revival. Let it begin with me.

Confessions of a man-pleaser (idol worhipper)

Posted on Written by 1 Comment

Golden Calf IdolI could blame it on the church of my youth. We Evangelicals are often big on external conformity and not-so-big on dealing with the heart.

I could blame it on personality. One of the curses of being sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of other people is that it is easy to become overly concerned about how they are responding to you.

Or, I could just face the fact that I am an idolater at heart and have made an idol out of the approval of others.

While there is some truth in the first two excuses, ultimately they are just excuses. It is possible to grow up in legalistic Evangelicalism without becoming a people pleaser. It is also possible to be sensitive to others without making their approval an idol.

Now, I’m certainly not saying that it is wrong to be sensitive to what others are thinking. Someone who takes no feedback from the people around them is by definition a sociopath. If you have ever known a sociopath, it is not pretty.

But the point is that the feedback from others has to be subjugated to a proper understanding of who God has made and called me to be. It is his voice that needs to be preeminent, not the voices of the people around me.

I find it easy to make this distinction intellectually. I find it rather difficult to put it into practice. The transition from people-pleaser to God-pleaser has not been an easy or a short one for me. In fact, comparing my progress to a drive from New York to San Francisco on I-80, I feel like I am somewhere around Stroudsburg, PA. Even now, while I am writing this blog post, I am overly concerned about what people might say about it.

The good news is that I am in a church that consistently points me to the Gospel and how the Gospel speaks into every aspect of my being, including man-pleasing. I am an idolater, but a forgiven one who has power available to him to be something better. This is the first church that I have ever attended that was successful in breaking through to me with this message.

I think that at least one other church tried to do so but I was not prepared to receive it at that time. Too many of the churches I have attended were content to give me a list of rules which did not challenge my man-pleasing but instead reinforced it. We Evangelicals are oh so good at rule keeping which dulls us to the real condition of our hearts.

So, while I value your opinion, I am learning that it must not prevent me from being what God wants me to be. I must not conform where God does not want conformity. I answer to God and God alone.

Bold words perhaps, but increasingly true in my life by the grace and power of God.

Submit a question or topic to Attempts at Honesty

Posted on Written by 2 Comments

QuestionI would enjoy hearing from you if you have a suggested topic for a post or if you have a question about the Bible or church life. You can use the contact form on this blog, or you can enter your question or suggestion in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

I don’t offer this because I am an expert, but to stimulate discussion. The goal of the discussion is to arrive at a Biblically accurate viewpoint on the topic at hand allowing for legitimate disagreement where Scripture is not absolutely clear.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you with questions and suggestions.

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama