Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Voices of Experience

My long time Internet friend, Kristen commented under my last post.
She said:

"Wow. This brings back so many memories. This is just the way the church leaders acted, in the group I once belonged to.
Sometimes it's hard, when sitting under the preaching of an overwhelming arrogance like this, to see what "stardom Christianity" is really all about. You're dazzled-- because that's what you're meant to be. It's all about a man on a platform, showing off to look good. Sometimes it takes getting burned by it to see it for what it is.
I suspect that's where the young people in this guy's church are right now. Dazzled. But they'll learn. It's sad, but they will."

And I responded:

"Yeah, and it is really hard for those of us to watch what these young people are going through.
You wish that they would listen to you, that they would realize that we aren't speaking against this because we are jealous of Driscoll's popularity or coolness or great communication or teaching ability (puke icon here).
We've see this before. We've been through this kind of train wreck and everything that leads up to it. There is nothing but a horrible end in store for this situation. And we can't stop it.
And neither will we be able to say, "I told you so," on the other side because the spiritual carnage will be so overwhelming.
So we try to do what we can now to get as many as possible to jump off. And so many of them just laugh at us as they barrel on to their doom..."

Perhaps this explains my obsession with this. I can see what is coming and I can't look away just like people couldn't look away from the images from 911 of the towers being struck and collapsing. We see disaster coming. It gets more and more obvious as time moves on. And those who can't see it, those who are still on the train protecting the derelict engineer, they have to work harder to protect the reputation of the engineer and to pretend that all is well and that they are not ignoring the "Bridge out" signs along the way.

It's horrible. And I won't be able to say, "I told you so." All that I will be able to do is to look through the wreckage and search for survivors.

6 comments:

Gem said...

Mara,
The whole Driscoll thing has been very triggering for me. If I was still blogging, I would write a letter to Grace who is deeply in the grip of the blindness and fog...

BTDT with the control over my hair. BTDT sitting next to my husband and being embarrassed about how he was treating someone. BTDT making excuses for him, covering for him. BTDT taking ALL the blame for the marriage problems so that his ego remained carefully polished. BTDT as he bullied others, me, the children...

One day, I think Grace will wake up and smell the coffee and I'm not sure their marriage will survive it? It depends on whether MD will receive correction from a (contemptuous spit!) woman!

Justin Brierley is my hero this week and I grieve that my children have not had a role model like him to emulate. Instead, I had to correct my 11 yo son for bullying my 9 yo son yesterday. The apple does not fall far from the tree :(

When her children bully like daddy, how will Grace feel? I am there and it grieves my heart...

Gem said...

Jacob was a mama's boy with smooth skin who hung around the house(tent) and liked to cook. (Gen 25:27-29)

Esau was a hunter and hairy(Gen 27:11)-with a full beard?

“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Rom 9:13

I'm not reading too much into that. I think God loves his hairy, hunting sons too, but I do like how HE singles out the one the world would reject as the one HE has chosen and loves...

Gem said...

Mara,

You can delete this comment, but I wanted you to see this article on SoS:

http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/01/the-poetry-of-sex

Mara Reid said...

You could do a guest blog for me, a letter to Grace. I'd put it up. If you are interested at all, let me know. You can get my email on your old wordpress blog.

A man becoming a Christian doesn't sanctify his bullying.
He needs to be healed of his bullying.

Mara Reid said...

I think WTH also linked this SoS blog post.
Which is good. Two recommendations makes me want to read it even more.

Gem said...

Mara,
I'd be honored. I sent the letter to your e-mail.