Tell It Like It Is, Mr. Driscoll

Update: For a much more entertaining article about Driscoll, be sure to check out Challies' reporting on the upcoming issue of Preaching Illustrated and the "theo-doping" scandal. One of the things that I really appreciate about Mark Driscoll is that you do not have to ask him to parse his words to figure out what he is saying. He is the antithesis of many voices in the postmodern culture who seem to revel in ambiguity and vagueness. In his recent article, “Now the Mainline Churches Make Sense,” Driscoll shares a scene with he and his son in conversation about dead, liberal churches. In summary, he gives ten easy steps to destroying a denomination. Here they are:

1. Have a low view of Scripture and, consequently, the deity of Jesus.
2. Deny that we were made male and female by God, equal but with distinct roles in the home and church.
3. Ordain liberal women in the name of tolerance and diversity.
4. Have those liberal women help to ordain gay men in the name of greater tolerance and diversity.
5. Accept the worship of other religions and their gods in the name of still greater tolerance and diversity.
6. Become so tolerant that you, in effect, become intolerant of people who love Jesus and read their Bible without scoffing and snickering.
7. End up with only a handful of people who are all the same kind of intolerant liberals in the name of tolerance and diversity.
8. Watch the Holy Spirit depart from your churches and take people who love Jesus with Him.
9. Fail to repent but become more committed than ever to your sinful agenda.
10. See Jesus pull rank, judge you, and send some of your pastors to hell to be tormented by Him forever because He will no longer tolerate your diversity.

God forbid that the Southern Baptist Convention go back to its liberal past of recent decades. On the other hand, I am most encouraged by many of the younger voices in the evangelical world like Driscoll, Keller, JT, and Josh Harris. May there be one, biblical, clarion, and unalterable voice among future Southern Baptist leaders for the sake of Jesus and His Church.