Worldliness & Driscoll
Driscoll’s ministry is grounded in a love for the things of the world. He encourages his congregation to set their minds on the ways of the flesh. He loves the music of the world, even asserting that God loves punk rock. He frequently teaches about about tattoos, even asserting that Jesus loves tattoos. He interprets the Song of Solomon as a sex manual.
R-rated movies
Mark Driscoll appears to love the world and its culture. Here are two examples from his books. In his Mars Hill church young people are taught theology by watching the occasional unedited R-rated pornographic movie.
‘Pastor James continues to lead our monthly film and theology class, at which attendance rises to more than two hundred people depending on the film. He continues to show an occasional unedited R-rated movie to train our people to think critically about the themes preached through film, which is the new cultural form of preaching.’ (Confessions of a Reformission Rev – hard lessons from an emerging missional church page 157)
Driscoll’s cultural immersion project
He advises young men to listen to sex talk shows. By doing so he is leading young men into temptation. The Bible says, ‘Flee sexual immorality’ (1 Corinthians 6.18). Driscoll says to listen to sexual talk shows. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ told us to pray to our Heavenly Father, ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’ (Matthew 6.13). But Driscoll knows better.
‘Middle aged plumbers could read Cosmo Girl, listening to new music (Christian pop fans would do well to tune in the hardcore station), listening to new teachers (Christian-radio fans should tune in to a sexual talk program like Tom Leykis or Howard Stern), and watching a movie you normally would not. (Radical p131-32)
Why does Driscoll encourage men to listen to Tom Leykis? Does he listen to Tom Leykis? Does he like what he hears from Tom Leykis?
According to The Seattle Times: ‘Leykis’ weekday show is carried in about 50 cities and has been described as “shock-jock” radio. He is known for his regular segments, such as “Leykis 101,” in which he tells men how to get sex with minimum effort.’
Howard Stern, according to Wikipedia:
‘A day after the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999, Stern’s comments regarding the incident drew criticism from some listeners. “There were some really good looking girls running out with their hands over their heads…Did [the suspects] try to have sex with any of the good looking girls?…At least if you are going to kill yourself and kill all the kids, why wouldn’t you have some sex?…If I was going to kill some people, I’d take them out with sex”.[56] Hundreds complained to KXPK, the show’s affiliate in Denver.[57]
Scripture is clear:
‘Abstain from the passions of the flesh, which war against your soul’ (1 Peter 2.11). ‘Abstain from every form of evil’ (1 Thes. 5.22)
‘For this is the will of God; that you abstain from sexual immorality’ (1 Thes. 4.3)
Scripture encourages us to think on the pure, the lovely, the good.
But Driscoll ignores the warning of Scripture and encourages the lusts of the flesh. Driscoll encourages his disciples to think and dwell on fleshly lusts, the perverse, the filthy and the ugly.