Mark Driscoll on Contextualization of the Gospel

[Pastor Keith]

Driscoll gives three categories of faulty contextualization that may misguide Christians in their search for holiness and gospel effectiveness:

1. Pharisaic separation from culture–By this he means creating laws that keep people from getting too close to sin. What’s the problem with this? First, as Driscoll adeptly identifies, the judgemental moralism confuses morality with the life-giving gospel. Second, which I wish he would have said, it doesn’t account for internal sin. Even if Christians didn’t drink or do anything outwardly immoral, their hearts would still be as rebellious against God. Remember, “the heart is deceitfully wicked.”

2. Sadducaic Syncretism–By this he means compromising externals for the sake of speaking to the culture. Driscoll rightly states, “this well-worn rut eventually leads to a universalism in which every religion leads to salvation and in which there is little, if any distinction between true and false gospels.”

3. Zealous domination–by this he means confusing political clout with the gospel. Enforcing moralistic laws does not bring anyone closer to Jesus, it may inoculate them against the gospel.

The conclusion: He concludes that each of these paths lead to man-centered righteousness, which is no righteousness at all. The results of man-centered efforts he puts into two categories–sectarians and syncretists. Sectarians separate themselves from outward worldliness and end up hiding their lights under a bushel, while Syncretists makes the gospel message like every other message thus rendering it irrelevant.

Driscoll further concludes:

Sectarians love God but fail to love their neighbor. Syncretists love their neighbor but fail to love God. Jesus expects us to love him and our neighbor (including our enemies) and says that if we fail to do so, we are no better than the godless pagans who love their drinking and strip-poker buddies (Matt. 5:43-47). To love our neighbors, we must meet them in their culture. To love our neighbors, we must call them to repent of sin and be transformed by Jesus.

Gotta Love Driscoll!

What Say Ye?