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Mark Driscoll Responds To Phil Johnson
After receiving a letter from Phil Johnson, Mark Driscoll responds…sort of. Is it helpful? Yes, it is, sort of. However, this video was originally posted prior to John MacArthur’s so very public rebuke, and, I might add, does not address the issues MacArthur brought up in the SoS posts.
Driscoll states regarding the language issue:
“For the young guys ["seminary students and young pastors"] who will hear this, here’s my admonition, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about Jesus. If you’ve paid attention to anything I’ve ever said, it’s about Jesus. Please don’t be yet another generation of guys who define themselves by what their against. Don’t get caught up in shooting all your brothers and arguing over secondary matters….In the end, I implore you, I beg you, talk about Jesus, think about Jesus, study about Jesus, go out and pastor for Jesus, and preach about Jesus….The worst thing in the world would be that I became the center of discussion. ”
Secondary matters? Since when did a pastor-teacher on a national platform, with less than pastoral language, making jokes of masturbation on national television become ‘secondary matter’? Am I missing something?
You will find some things mentioned helpful in this video. That is true. What you will not find, or, at least I saw nothing of, is repentance over the very type of behavior that John MacArthur has rebuked him publicly for. Speaking of which, where are the voices of Piper, Mahaney, etc?? The rebuke was publicly made, the request by MacArthur was publicly made…why the silence?
Afterthought (thanks Phil 
)
I have not read the letter Phil sent Mark. But just an afterthought here……When I say the video was helpful, I’m saying it helped me understand Driscoll more than I had previously (…wait for it…). It was helpful in confirming that Mark is adept at skirting the issues, particularly the language/behavior issues. - JT
I think if you read the actual letter I wrote him, you might answer the question “Is it helpful?” differently.
Thanks Phil. I should have been a little more clear point-wise. It seemed to me from the beginning of the video that Mark was dancing, so to speak.
Honestly guys, these ARE secondary matters. Driscoll is totally right.
The things that are primary, that we should split fellowship over, are gospel-related doctrine (divinity/humanity of Christ, grace alone by faith alone thru Christ alone, the doctrine of the Trinity, virgin birth, etc). THOSE are primary matters. That is why we break fellowship with Mormons, JWs, liberal churches, etc.
Driscoll does not deny any of these areas. That is why they are secondary. Now secondary matters can be VERY important, ie: baptism. But that is why men like Keller and Mahaney and MacArthur can teach together, because they unite around what is PRIMARY, and don’t divide over what is SECONDARY. They lovingly disagree and discuss and challenge each other over those issues, but don’t divide.
That is not what is going on here with Driscoll. After reading a ton of the posts by Phil Johnson, MacArthur, and all the comments related, people want to split fellowship with Driscoll as if he were a first-level heretic.
And frankly, the tone used against Driscoll I believe completely disobeys 1 Cor 13, Gal 6:1, to lovingly and gently rebuke a brother. The language used against Driscoll is cruel, unloving, and I am convinced Jesus is not honored by it.
I honestly pray that the MacArthur/Phil Johnson clan would repent of their pride and unloving attitudes toward a brother. This sort of stuff shames me as a Christian.
That’s nice,
But its not about shaming me or you. Or even Mark. Its about whether we are shaming Jesus/God’s name. His language and behavior isn’t honoring to God. And to quote Piper’s ‘The Greatest Thing in the World’ sermon, sin is bad because”The holiness of God is not reverenced” So I would say Mark here is in the midst of a sin. Though some may argue that the sin it isn’t that big, may I remind you that the position of teacher calls for a high standard (Tim 3). So as brothers in Christ, what we are to faithfully call each other out. The problem is that after being called out by Pastor Johnson and MacArthur, he hasn’t really acknowledge or humbled himself in this issue yet. MacArthur has asked Pastor Piper and Mahaney to join in the loving but stern rebuke.
Its like a large scale version of Church discipline(or accountability) to keep teachers accountable, something modern evangelicalism has lacked for too long. To get more/other brothers to come in and confront would be the next step. The squabbling about divide I believe is from the lack of further confronting by Piper and Company so far[Understandably, it takes a long to confront someone you are close to. a possible reason]. They(people who want to split fellowship with Driscoll) are getting impatient and trying to do it themselves, though some take it too far to quick.
Well to conclude, I will say I could be completely wrong on how I see this. I’m just a dim, and a relatively recent convert. But even as a dim that is also the chief of sinners, I know something is wrong when Mark in his “rape of Solomon’s song” sermons when he tells wives that “Jesus Christ commands you” to perform oral sex. Don’t really know how to respond to that… any amount of discernment tells me something is wrong. And if a split occurs because we called out sin, I say let it be. I rather be faithful on calling out sin and holding on to a high view of God’s Holiness than to give it up for the sake of unity.
One thing I do know for sure. That is we have to be praying like nobody’s business, for pastor Piper and Mahaney to do what is biblical, full of wisdom, love, and sternness.
And for Mark that he matures and submits himself to a greater fear over God’s holiness. Because as fallen creatures under the grace of a holy God. Our view of God’s holiness can never be high enough to match His infinite worth and holiness.
p.s. hey Phil Johnson! I had the privilege of hearing your sermon last Sunday. Thanks for preaching it. It was great, very convicting. Good luck finding coffee in Italy.
While I do not condone Mark’s sin, I am very thankful for God using Mark. Mark Driscoll’s porn-again believer has really helped me with my self deception of my porn/masturbation sin. This book has been a great encouragement as John Owen said, “Kill sin or sin will be killing you.” This was basically Driscoll’s message for the brother’s in Christ. Oh how divided our we. Folks love on Mark. I love MacArthur too. Mark needed rebuke, and he has repented. Now let’s stop trying to be selfrighteous so our inward lusts do not manifest in to sin. I would be more worried about John Piper inviting Rick Warren to his conference.
I agree, these are secondary matters. I don’t like it, but they are. Just like Phil’s making fun of people’s appearances is a secondary matter. Totally inappropriate for a pastor too.
http://www.facebook.com/philliprjohnson?v=wall&story_fbid=112780615408210
(screen cap in case that disappears)
http://web.me.com/jaes.coyle/pj/PhiljohnsonMockingMansAppearance.pdf
His taking the marriage relationship as far as he does is off base (i.e., when he wanders into describing it as a sexual relationship). Is he going to also infer a sexual relationship when Scripture talks about our union with Christ? We have a pastor who takes things to extremes as well. By talking about the marriage, is it not clear to Mr. Driscoll that this exemplifies our union with Christ, spiritually not sexually? Set your mind on the things above, not the things on the earth.