Guys in dresses preaching to grandmas

What does a sex-drenched society need most of all? Another book on sex, perhaps? Some preachers think so. In Texas, Ed and Lisa Young are promoting their new book on sex from the rooftop of their house as part of a Sexperiment.

[Sounds like “Buy our book or we will do something you will regret!”]

Rooftop ed young

And on the blogosphere, Mark Driscoll is promoting the “sex manual” that he and his wife wrote by slamming the British, apparently calling their Bible teachers “a bunch of cowards who aren’t telling the truth” and suggesting that young men wont go to church so long as there are  “guys in dresses preaching to grandmas!” [Link]

It’s called PR Driscoll style, but it is quickly turing into the Battle of Superlatives.

Word to the wise: Never insult the British because they are quick-witted, more clever in their use of the Queens English than you are [they invented it], and boast the sharpest critics in the world. And even though they are a small country, they are a great one, too. Or so said Hugh Grant.

Mark driscoll

In my opinion, its better NOT to stir them up at all. But Driscoll has indeed stirred them up and they are responding.

At the center of the discussion is an interview with Justin Brierley in which Driscoll shares his perspective on the British scene and is either quoted as saying some really dumb things OR has his words taken out of context. We dont yet really know.

Driscoll calls the interview ““in my opinion, the most disrespectful, adversarial, and subjective.”

Both Christian Today and Christianity Mag will run articles on Driscoll. Christianity Mag was known as Christianity and Renewal Mag when it interviewed me back in 2004 on the emerging church and Premier Radio chatted with me the same year. That was back when the emerging church was an interesting subject. Nice people. I will watch for the interview with Justin Brierley.

[update: interview is posted here]

In the meantime, Driscoll has A Blog-Post for the Brits and it would be unfair not to read it first if you were thinking of blogging this conversation.

I, for one, do not have time for the discussion. Neither do I want to focus on the sex issue. I actually agree with Al Mohler [surprised?] that there are some things we as leaders DO NOT have to talk about. There is a place for discernment, for mystery, for some intimate secrets, things left unsaid. The bedroom is one of those places.

If you want the skinny on the controversy, and have already read Rachel Held Evans [who hasn’t?] and you dont want to stick your head in the Twitterverse, and you are waiting for Adrian Warnock to say something, then I suggest starting with Bill Kinnon who is getting a lot of blog-action. And Bill points us all to WenatcheeTheHatchet Blog and also to one of England’s finest Bible teachers, Chris Wright, who does not, repeat NOT, wear a dress! At least he didn’t when we were teaching together in Cape Town.

Some related old posts: Is the blogosphere ready for Mark Driscoll? and Mark Driscoll: The Skinny

The books: Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together [by Mark and Grace Driscoll] and Sexperiment: 7 Days to Lasting Intimacy with Your Spouse [by Ed Young]

Andrew

Andrew Jones launched his first internet space in 1997 and has been teaching on related issues for the past 20 years. He travels all the time but lives between Wellington, San Francisco and a hobbit home in Prague.

8 Comments

  • Andrew – aren’t you the one who keeps telling me to ignore it when these author/speaker hipster types seem to be trolling for attention? 🙂 Don’t forget Rachel has a book due out from Thomas Nelson – so how much of this is real honest discussion versus book buzz aka the Rob Bell biz that proved to be much ado about next to nothing when you dissected what was actually said. 🙂 🙂

  • Andrew says:

    true. so stop me if i keep mentioning it … But I do like to keep up on the Christian blogosphere and what is happening, and why its happening, whether I know the players or not.

  • This is almost as brilliant a PR move as Rob Bell’s magnificent decision to put out a cutting edge video that said just enough provocative bits to tick off the Piper people but not so outrageous that all of evangelicalism would ban the book. If you actually read the book, I went ‘eh?’ – it seemed to be trying to be an evangelical book but it kept edging toward concepts of hell used in Anglican and Orthodox settings. (like Brian’s book Naked Spirituality, it presented bits well known in Anglican circles in a much more watered down format.) But man that PR campaign was one of the best I’ve seen in recent years. Kudos to managing to get Rob listed as one of Times’ 100 people of the year and all that jazz.
    Same thing is happening here – Both Mark and Rachel’s books on biblical marriage and evangelicals are coming out by Thomas Nelson – though I don’t think either of them are going to break out and get the secular coverage Bell got, I do expect some massive PR pushes from this giant and a Xn media waiting to take in every punch so to speak. Just bear that in mind as watch the faith fur fly. You were a very good boy in that you saw through what was happening with Rob Bell and wisely checked yourself out.
    I think we’ve all critiqued Driscoll enough to the point where at this point, any additional critique only gives him ammo that he can and will use to build up his profile. I faced the same problem when critiquing Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck and yes emergent church- there comes a pointing out their obvious flawed bits allow these folks to put on the armor of faux persecution and paint themselves as the victims for standing up to truth.

  • Thanks for your insight on this, Andrew. I’d picked up something of what had happened on FB, but useful to see the broader context. I think what it’s saying to me is the need not to slam anyone online – even if we can justify is as ‘speaking the truth’. Might make blogging a little less, interesting…but perhaps is more faithful to what we’re called to be and to model to the world.
    Interestingly, I was in a seminar about E-safety the other day (I’m training to be a teacher) when the guy talked about ‘online disassociation’ – the idea of saying things online that you’d never say in person. Totally obvious, really…but really made me think about how I’m posting.
    Thanks again,
    M

  • Thanks for the link love, Andy Roo. 🙂
    Why is it that I end up depressed when a post like mine gets momentary traction. With no more actual impact than a fart in a windstorm.

  • Paul says:

    Mohler’s right. Driscoll’s dribble is wholly left unsaid.

  • Andrew says:

    Fart in a windstorm? Ah yes . . . it’s all coming back to me now!

  • Jemima Ashley says:

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