luther, have you even listened to Driscoll's sermons, or have you just read his critics?
His statements speak for themselves. . .
I have listened to a few minutes of his sermons before I was throughly angry at him and decided to stop watching.
Quote of Mark Driscoll
Video games are not sinful, they’re just stupid. And they’re stupid in this way: Young, particularly men, and now women are joining it, they want to get on a team, be part of a kingdom, conquer a foe, and win a great, epic battle. So they do it with their thumbs and it doesn’t even count. Nobody’s really liberated. The Taliban is not really conquered. Women are not really freed from oppression. Generations are not really changed. It’s all fake. It doesn’t count.
You want to do something? Get off the couch, unplug the electronics, give your life to Jesus, find some other guys, and do something that actually matters. Leave a legacy for women, children, generations, not just the high score on some stupid game. It’s amazing. A whole world filled with guys who want to be on a team, go to a war, defeat an enemy, and save a princess.
I don't play video games because I want to leave a legacy, be on a team, go to a war, defeat and enemy, or save a non existent princesses. (Women arn't princesses just because they are women, in fact unless you are a real princess, you really shouldn't call yourself that because I find it rather insulting.)
I play video games because its something for me that I enjoy. Its a non serious way to excersise my mind, and its far more entertaining then doing something like doing math problems for the fun of it. Just like Mark Driscoll apparently enjoys ulimate fighting. The only difference is in my hobby. . . no one gets hurt. In his someone always gets hurt.
I don't cheer for violence, I don't like to see people get beat up. . . Mark apparently does.
That’s the story of this book, the Bible.
No the bible is about God's relationship for humanity and his ultimate saving act redeeming them to himself. Not fighting, not rescuing a princess, not defeating an enemy, not going to war. The only real enemy that is defeated is sin, death, and Satan and all 3 of those are defeated by Christ alone, not us.
The wars that are in the bible arn't the main point of it at all.
I think Mark Driscoll could have clarified a little better. I would have said it like this; playing video games to the EXCUSION of building your spiritual life is stupid. If you can do both I see no real problem with playing video games. My guess would be that Mark is talking about people that play video games and EXCLUDE their spiritual life.
No no Mark Driscoll said video games are stupid period. . . He doesn't say "don't get addicted". . . because you know that could be said about a lot of things. . . gambling, alcohol, sex, just about anything you could get addicted to and its clearly bad.
No Mark ment what he said, the fact that its inconvient for you has no point in the matter.
Instead of trying to make up what you would like to think Mark ment, why don't you address the comments as he stated them.
Even the person (Drew Dixon) that criticized Driscoll loves Mark's main points
In what I have read so far, Driscoll’s main points are good but his method of promoting the good seems to offend some people.
What are his main points? Too many effeminate preachers out there? Not enough guys want to get into a mixed martial arts steel cage match? His main point is that the only real men in this world are Mark Driscoll and people who act and think like Mark Driscoll. Maybe thats why there is a shortage of "real men".
When Mark Driscoll was confronted by the opposition, Mark pledged to change his language and tone. Even Mark’s opposition group, People Against Fundamentalist, stated that Mark was sincere and pledged to change his language and tone. That sounds like Mark is man enough to apologize and change; that I can admire!
Or Christian enough. Apologizing and attempting to change is a Christian practice. . . not a man practice.
I think that Mark let his dramatic personality and style speak before thinking it out. If Mark really promoted real violence then he would have a history and record of violence. My guess is that Mark is a hyperbole type speaker.
He does promite violence. . . he promotes Mixed Martial Arts, which is a very violent "sport" of almost no holds bar fighting in which the objective is to injure your opponent until he quits due to injury sustained or is knocked out. That is very violent. And Driscoll has admitted he's a big fan.
People who often speak without thinking should not be pastors.
I would take into consideration Mark’s personality and his way of trying to do what he feels God is leading him to do so that you can get an over all picture of Mark Driscoll.
At this point I would have to agree that Mark’s main goal of “ follow Jesus and seek to do something that counts” is a very good one! If Mark’s style, language, and tone gets a littletoo strong and offensive on some minor issues; well for me that is not too high of a price to pay to help people to “ follow Jesus and seek to do something that counts”
Yet another instance of "lets not worry about what he says. . . if he gets itching ears who like what he says then he's good.
Not only do people like him and understand him but his ministry is being blessed by God. He is reaching people in one of the most unchurched areas of our country that is amazing and God driven.
Just because someone can call himself Christian and attract a lot of itching ears, doesn't mean it's God driven.
Pat Robertson had a lot of itching ears listening to him and he's a false prophet.
You seem to be stuck on this "real man" thing and it is true he has a passion for the fact that boys are refusing to grow up in this country. They are staying boys for way to long and it is hurting the future of Christianity.
Actually I don't think thats the problem at all...
I think the problem is that most men do not have the ability by themselves to make enough of an income to give all these "wonderful Christian women" everything that they want. And maybe its also because these Christian women really arn't as wonderful as they are painted to be. They are caught up in commercialism and want to be treated "like a princess".
Word is they arn't actually really princesses though, but just ordinary women who think they are princesses. I'm waiting for Driscoll to inform them of this.
**For the record it took me some time but I did find a Christian wife who does not have delusions of granduer in thinking she's a princess or deserves to be treated like one.**
It is a real problem that he preaches on and sheds light on. We have boys who want to act like men but yet they are afraid to commit to a wife yet will sleep with whoever whenever that they want.
And their behavior, much like the nominally Christian women who sleep around is counter to the Christian faith. Since when is this a new thing? People seem to think that behavior outside of the Christian faith is some new thing. . . its as old as the hills.
And since when do men who are addicted to video games sleep with any real woman anyways? Seriously, if video game addiction is such a big problem, that tends to prevent men from sleeping with any woman. . . not just getting a wife.
So essentially you paint a picture of a man who a phenom of nature. He doesn't do anything but live in his parent's basement and play video games but somehow manages to get out and gets random women to sleep with him. That is truely impressive.
For the record secular women arn't terribly impressed by video game addictions either.
They are still living at home with their parents with no responsibility.
How do you know they have no responsibilty? Our economy is rough, especially on single people. Both my wife and I lived at home til we where 27 (and we married). Its not because we had no responsibility. . . its not because we didn't have jobs. . . Its because we didn't get paid enough to live on our own. . . And personally I'd take my parents over a roommate any day. I had enough of the roommate thing in college. . . it wasn't horrible, but life is a lot more stable at home.
We have a nation of wanna be men who are really little boys. Driscoll speaks on this because it is an issue in churches and in our society. These boys can not lead in churches when they are refusing to step up to the plate and grow up.
And what to you is grown up?
See here is the problem. . . Driscoll tells people they are boys because they live at home. But the reason they live at home is because they don't make enough money. Then he tells them to grow up and support a Christian wife. . . who is suppose to stay at home all of the time. Well if they can't live on their own, how can they support a wife by themselves?
Especially a wife who wants things. Lots of things.
And besides perhaps these men are taking their time about marriage because these Christian women are statistically speaking just as likely to divorce them and take half of their things on top of child support and alimony as secular women. (75% of divorce filings come from women.)
You posted his apology of all things he said sorry for what was said he is still a sinner just like we are none are perfect only Jesus. He at least had the guts to come out and say he was sorry many public figures would have just went on about their business. He did something wrong he admitted it and asked for forgiveness that is what a Christian should do.
Yes its what they should do. . . however how many times does someone have to shoot their mouth off without thinking? If it was one or 2 times it wouldn't be a big deal. But every day Mark is out shooting his mouth off about people manning up.
On top of that since when is people "manning up" the domain of a Christian preacher? See as I remember it a Christian preacher is suppose to preach law and gospel and administer the sacraments. Not wine about things like video games when they arn't sinful.
You see its not the domain of a Christian preacher to decide what hobbies are stupid, and what hobbies are good. It's only their job to teach what is sinful and what is not. See in real churchs you are allowed to have different hobbies from the preacher.
Oh and has Driscoll apologized and welcomed back into membership those people that he kicked out for disagreeing with him about the direction he was taking the church??
For the record that single incident alone is a good enough reason to not listen to Driscoll. Because real pastors deal with dissent, I know I've talked with them. Mark Driscoll throws it out.