A letter from across the sea
Since I am over 40 and therefore no longer qualify as young, perhaps I will escape the ire you direct at young Bible teachers in the United Kingdom. They are, apparently, ‘a bunch of cowards‘. If I cannot speak as one of them, let me at least speak as one amongst them. Whenever I train young preachers here, I am struck by their zeal to be useful to God, their meticulous attention to detail, and their profound respect for the Word of God. When they lose sleep on the night before preaching a sermon it is not because they are out partying, it is because the weight of speaking for God lies heavily upon their shoulders. They want neither to run out before God and say things they might regret, nor lag behind him and regret the things they did not say. I thank God for every enriching moment I have spent amongst them.
This is only a partial response, as so far there is only a partial quote from your interview. With the full interview will come a fuller response from many, I am sure.
In the meantime, may God bless the preaching of His word on both sides of the Atlantic.
I think what saddens me about this quote from Mark Driscoll – “name for me the one young, good Bible teacher that is known across Great Britain. You don’t have one” – is the idea that we ‘need’ a ‘young british bible teacher’ that’s famous in the way he is here in the UK. This cult of celebrity in the American church really worries me and I am glad that we don’t have quite such a sub-culture in the British church. Surely the only good bible teacher we should really all know about and go on about is Jesus?!
I also think it’s dangerous when one person ends up representing a whole faith group – that is never helpful. Mark Driscoll is not famous for the things any minister of faith would like to be famous for sadly.
Such wise words. The church has no need to ‘ape’ celebrity culture
Totally agree with Richard’s post and especially vahva’s follow up analysis. We should be focussed on the Word, not the speaker. As Tony Campolo said, ““I can’t tell you much about the preacher. I was too preoccupied with thinking about Jesus.”
Love that Tony Campolo quote!
The thing is, the notion of the celebrity christian is nothing new. Just see this from 1 Corinthians 3:
“When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”
I would rather have an anonymous army of preachers declaring the gospel under the leadership of Christ than rely on one fallible person to assume control.
“God made it grow” – and all who preach are no more than the gardeners wielding a watering can!
Good post Richard and agree with replies here… Will be reading the full interview with interest and a degree of trepidation!
Thanks – likewise
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Well said, Richard
Thanks!
Richard, I agree. I’m going to wait till i read the whole piece/listen the interview…but having lived in the US before moving to Scotland 3 years ago, I feel incensed on behalf of the british church and of young preachers. Your response is measured and I appreciate it. Really i could have just said ditto to what Pete said…but i’m nothing if not wordy…. 😉
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