Dirty Laundry
A few months ago I was looking at Bible software and got on the email list of one of the more popular (and pricey) brands. The emails usually announce various add-ons and modules, but the latest one really irritated me.
It featured “the Mark Driscoll Sermon Archive”… without any “rating”, warning, or fine print.
This is the man whose rise to fame was not on the orthodoxy of his teachings but on his filthy mouth and filthier mind. His sex-saturated, expletive-laced talks are what bring in the crowds and keep them coming back, even attracting the attention of the media. Oh sure, he does teach some things accurately and Biblically (but also staunchly Calvinistically). But as I’ve written before, that isn’t enough. The Christian teacher must be above reproach in everything, an example and model of both truth and purity, exhibiting the highest standards of speech and conduct.
Why is this man, and so many others for various reasons, being put on an ever-rising pedestal? The “alpha male” needs more accolades and prestige like dandelions need to be fed and watered. By accepting and promoting Driscoll, this Bible software company is showing either the poorest discernment or the most brazen rejection of all that scripture teaches. It makes me wonder what else is lurking in their modules. Are we really this hard up for teachers now? Are we willing also to accept teachings from others who have been caught doing the vile things they keep preaching against? That is, this isn’t just about Driscoll but also about the many credentialed and elite who live on a very lopsided double standard. Are these companies going to whitewash them all, just to make a buck?
That’s what I mean by dirty laundry. The Bible never whitewashes it; not even King David could escape having his great sins listed along side his great achievements. But unlike Driscoll and the rest, David repented in bitter tears when he was confronted. He did not wallow in his sin but renounced it. Yet the majority of respected Christian teachers today won’t even confront Driscoll over his ribald “teachings”; it seems that he, and they, think this is good, solid, Christ-honoring material. They see nothing to whitewash!
Needless to say, I won’t be shelling out the cash for this particular software. But I’d love to know what, if anything, will be censored out of those “sermons”. Will they present him in all his burlesque glory, mocking those who do believe that Christians, even Christian men, are to be gentle, kind, and pure? Or will they whitewash him and carefully edit out the “unpresentable parts”? Either choice is a slap in the face of the Holy Spirit. I guess we can add Bible software companies to the lament over Christian book sellers.