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.

Driscoll Insults a Country

Open mouth insert foot.

Some people get it when they do it, are sorry for it, apologize, learn from their mistakes, and move on.

Others are ignorant of their foot-in-mouth disease.

Driscoll is ignorant.

Here are only some of the things he said:
http://cognitivediscopants.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/driscoll-brierley-on-women-in-leadership/

And instead of the apology that he owes to British Christians, here is his sorry attempt at damage control:
http://pastormark.tv/2012/01/12/a-blog-for-the-brits

Someone please deliver us from this man and his ego.

Driscoll's Best Critic

When I find someone else who is better at saying and/or analyzing something than I am, I don't get jealous.

When I saw that Lewis Wells was better and more qualified at speaking out against Patriarchy and the Quiverful movement, all I wanted to do was to direct traffic to his blog so that people could read his words for themselves. His blog is in my blog role and I visit it frequently.

More recently, Wanatchee the Hatchet has come to my attention. He is a far better critic of Driscoll than I could ever be. He has written several post on Driscoll and they just keep getting better. Here is his latest concerning the way Driscoll has sucked the beauty right out of one of the best poems, a poem of poems, in the Bible, the Song of Solomon:

http://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2012/01/matthew-lee-anderson-on-real-marriage.html

Poetry has the ability to cause us to transcend our, sometimes, harsh existence.

The opening scene of Anne of Green Gables shows Anne Shirley being entranced by the beauty of a poem. The first time I saw this scene, I though of Anne, "What a fruit cake." But since then, I have been entranced by the beauty of the Song of Solomon not unlike the way Anne was by her poem. This is why it was so difficult to watch a famous, shock jock preacher drag that poem down into the mud and make it base. Here is the scene of Anne reading her poem then being forced to deal with her hard life. You don't need to watch the whole scene to get the effect. It's really only the opening moments that display what I'm talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpLi7duxob0

Talk of Hephzibah House

My friend, Joe at Incongruous Circumspection is coming to the defense of the abused again.

I just love it when he does that.

http://incongruouscircumspection.blogspot.com/2012/01/tim-dunkins-hephzibah-house-faux-pas.html

I like seeing strong men in action. He and men like Lewis Wells boost my faith in men.

http://thecommandmentsofmen.blogspot.com/2012/01/when-sycophants-spit-against-wind.html

These are true brothers to their sisters. They are not like this Tim Dunkin who defends the strong by further abusing the already down-trodden.

Infecting Ephesians 5

Women in Ministry is in my blog roll. It has been for a long time. Cheryl, the blog owner, has been busy a lot, so her blog rests dormant for periods of time. But she still posts from time to time. Whatever Cheryl writes is good. But I particularly like today's blog post, "Ephesians Five Infected with the Mindset of the World."

So, if it has been a while since you've been to Cheryl's blog, or if you have never been over there, today is a good day to go see what she has to offer.

http://strivetoenter.com/wim/2012/01/08/eph-5-infected/

(I have CBMW and Driscoll in my tags because Cheryl touches on them.)

Edited to add another blog post from Wade Burleson. He's not in my blog roll yet, but he should be: http://www.wadeburleson.org/2012/01/new-testament-equality-leads-to-healthy.html)

Driscoll on Marriage

Yes, I knew this book was coming. No, I was never planning on addressing it here. Why? There is not enough time in my day or patience in my heart for dealing with this kind of insanity.

But I did run across a few blog posts concerning it that I wanted to pass along so that people can be aware of the hubbub.

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/top-of-my-dont-read-list/comment-page-1#comment-621012

http://rachelheldevans.com/mark-driscoll-real-marriage

These I found out about today. And I'm sure there will be many more. I may add them to this post or put them in a new one.

But one of my favorite blog posts on Driscoll's book is and will always be WTH's post.

http://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-of-real-marriage-truth-about-sex.html

And as always, WTH's analysis of the big picture concerning Driscoll is always accurate, right on, and entertaining.

I especially like this quote from the following link:

Driscoll fanboys don't realize that Mark basically deserves this kind of backlash. If you're blind and groping forward and people see this they don't hold it against you if you know you're blind. If you claim to see and they can see that you don't see clearly then you stop being an object of sympathy and start being annoying.

http://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2012/01/mark-driscoll-and-his-fanboys.html

Driscoll used to really get my goat. Now he just annoys the heck out of me. Why? Because he's a loud-mouthed know-it-all who doesn't know one tenth of what he thinks he knows. Why should his book on marriage be any different?

And yet so many find him so hip, with it, and entertaining. They get what they deserve.

Keep after it WTH. Keep cutting through all the noise and focusing in on what is really wrong (and in some cases, right) with this crazy little thing called modern evangelicalism Mark Dristcoll style. May the church out grow this insanity soon. I'm tired of guys like Driscoll turning hearts away from the purity of the gospel.

A Couple of Men Weigh in on Challies

Yes, what women say about Challies is important.

But so is what men say.

Here's a couple good ones:

http://networkedblogs.com/rqtSo

http://www.wadeburleson.org/2011/12/trifling-with-subtleties-while-ignoring.html

Soft, Effeminate Christianity? ROTFLMHO!

I read this and all I could do was laugh.

The famous Tim Challies, who has caused a stir in the blog world by declaring that women cannot even read scripture out loud in the public assembly has decided to quote Horatius Bonar. In fact, he entitled and entire post "Soft, Effeminate Christianity" in order to quote Bonar. He says this about Bonar's quote that he reprints.

Tim Challies: "Bonar is warning against a kind of soft and, in his word, effeminate Christianity, that may come about when Christians are too afraid to fight for what is right and to protest against what is wrong."

http://www.challies.com/quotes/soft-effeminate-christianity

Why am I laughing at this?

Because of his hypocrisy and blatant hatred of the feminine. These pushers of gender roles force women down into a soft, submissive, subservient role THEN show hatred for such things in the church.

Well, let me tell you Tim Challies, who wants to turn women into little helpless lambs. Let me tell you this. You and your cohorts' relentless pursuit to dis-empower and bring into bondage, women, half or over half of the body of Christ... This pursuit is blowing up in you face.

More and more women are done with all the rules men keep making up for them.

I'll give you a few examples:

http://www.emergingmummy.com/2011/12/in-which-i-am-done-fighting-for-seat-at.html

http://rachelheldevans.com/daughters-will-prophesy

http://www.elizabethesther.com/2011/12/i-will-prophesy.html

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2011/11/04/tim-challies-deleting-both-scripture-and-hurting-people-a-request-from-sgm-refuge/

http://bwebaptistwomenforequality.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/industry-standards/

These are mother grizzlies and lionesses who are not afraid to fight for what is right and to protest against what is wrong. And your stance on women reading scripture in the public assembly and your support of C.J Mahaney are both dead wrong. These women are not afraid to declare it. They are very feminine. But they are strong and powerful, able to preach and teach men of their wrong. And yes, they are able to prophesy in the name of Jesus. No amount of Scripture twisting by you and others is able to take away from them the promise of Almighty God.

The real problem in all of this is your refusal to hear about the wrong that you commit against all of your sisters and many of your brothers.

The Book of Eli

While I was writing my, "Only for those who are not completely bored with..." post, I thought about linking this movie.

My son and I watch post-apocalyptic movies, and one we watched within the last year was, "The Book of Eli".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Eli

I probably liked this movie more than it was worth. But how could I help it. I enjoy the acting skill of Denzel Washington, and it covered a topic that I called one of my passions in my previous posts.

Nearly all the Bibles had been destroyed in this post-apocalyptic culture. And the villain of this movie was on the hunt to find any remaining copies of this book in order to use it to control and manipulate people. He wanted to use it to increase his power on the earth.

A true villain, indeed.

He is, of course, thwarted by our hero, Eli, well portrayed by Washington.
Hence, I like this movie because the good guys win and the Bible isn't misused by those who are corrupt.

So, anyway, if you haven't seen it, don't mind the grittiness and violence of post-apocalyptic films, and like seeing those who want to misuse the Bible thwarted, you might give this movie a once over.

Only for those who are not completely bored with...

...talking about Driscoll.

I understand that my obsession with Driscoll is not shared with most of my readers. Why the heck am I so obsessed? Well, speculating, I think it has to do with two passions of mine. And when you have two passions at work, it's hard to deny it.

Passion number one is my frustration concerning those who turn the Bible into a book for controlling others. Many branches of, so-called, Christianity do that. Driscoll does it. But he's not the worst at it, by any means.

Passion number two is my love of the book of poetry in the Bible called "The Song of Songs" or "The Song of Solomon". I love this book because of all the beauty and uplifting of the feminine contained within it's chapters.

My frustration with Driscoll, as you already know, is with how he has taken this uplifting book, stripped away all the uplifting, healing, and encouraging parts and turned it into a sex manuel to make sure that he and the men in his church get enough sex. In the past, he has even gone so far as to make claims that certains verses are commands from Jesus Christ himself, concerning what a Christian wife owes her husband in the bedroom.

So yeah, that really ticked me off.
And yeah, I'm sure I spend far to much time here on this little side issue.

Anyway, for the one, or two of my readers who don't mind following me down the road of my little Driscoll rants and comments, I have a link. Those who are bored with my rantings on Driscoll, don't bother following it. It is to WenatcheeTheHatchet's postscript on his guest series that appeared both here and The Wartburg Watch. It is interesting to those of us who are concerned with the influence of one of the most influential pastors in the U.S. I made a couple comments under his post:

http://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2011/11/lengthy-postscript-to-wartburg-watch.html

Conversation on Driscoll and SoS

I wasn't going to link this for two reasons.

It is a repeat of what Wenatchee guest posted here.
Anyone who checks out my blog roll would find it anyway.

But the conversations under these posts are interesting and I thought I should alert anyone who might be interested in the exchanges in the comment sections.

Here is what they have so far--
What hasn't been posted here:
http://thewartburgwatch.com/2011/11/11/an-insiders-perspective-on-mark-driscoll-and-the-song-of-songs-hallelujah/

And part of what has already been posted here:
http://thewartburgwatch.com/2011/11/14/alternatives-to-mark-driscolls-pornogrification-of-the-song-of-songs/

Sorry. MIA Again

My husband and I got some terrible news last week.
A man we both loved and respected committed suicide.
I could go on and on about how exceptional and wonderful this man is and about the hundreds and hundreds of people that attended his funeral, and might still do it in a later post. But instead, let me just say that I will miss him terribly and wish to God that he were still with us. In so many ways, he reflected all that is good and right in a human being. And I have to stop right now because I'll start blathering if I don't.
I keep his family in my prayers.