One of the things that I like best about Mark Driscoll is that he doesn’t speak Christianese. It is refreshing to listen to someone who is not a product of or immersed in the modern American Evangelical subculture. I suspect that that is also one of the reasons he rubs some people the wrong way.
Driscoll’s new book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, has generated some controversy on the web. (I’m admittedly late to the party in commenting on the book.) Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, a church that has become well known and influential in recent years, especially among younger, missional evangelicals. In this book, Driscoll tells the story of Mars Hill from its founding in his living room to becoming the mega-church that it is today.
I really enjoyed this book. The story is really interesting and full of practical insight. There are also many times where Driscoll chases various theological rabbits which are usually as funny as they are interesting. And I think that Driscoll is usually right on target in his analysis. There is no question that Driscoll is a funny guy – his cynical and sarcastic sense of humor is one that appeals to me but probably won’t appeal to everyone. There aren’t many books that make me laugh out loud, but this one did on numerous occassions. With that said, however, there are times where Driscoll probably too caustic crosses a line.
One danger in a book like this is that there may be those who seek to just copy Mars Hill or Mark Driscoll. There are good ideas and good principles at work here. Driscoll challenges all Christians to pursue an unapologetically biblical and missional approach to life and church. Mark Driscoll is someone we need to listen to.