I am holding it in my girlishly delicate hands right now.Update: Tim Challies has a review.
Update: For the record I am not in agreement with Challies in his criticism of Driscoll and the book. "Knocking boots" has neither offended me and does not strike me as something we should deem so offensive that we castigate a publisher and hope they will be more discerning in the future. I am a huge fan of Tim Challies but his review of Vintage Jesus had a Pharasaical air to it. Especially in light of passages like Ezekial 16:25 which says, "At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passer-by and multiplying your whoring." The note in my ESV Literary Study Bible tells me that "offering yourself" should literally be translated "spreading your legs."
Sorry, I am not offended. Actually, being offended is just a luxury I cannot afford as a youth pastor.
Update: Some recommendations over at the Desiring God Blog.
Update: Tim Challies discusses Mark Driscoll and the comments about Vintage Jesus. And he does a fine job, which does not surprise me.
2 comments:
Matt: I think I might stop short of calling Challies "pharisaical." To me at least it seems like Tim has taken a fairly moderate stand regarding Driscoll by saying that he did not like the way Mark expressed certain things and that he might have used some better choices of words to express the same thoughts. Tim does at least acknowledge Mark's effectiveness with the flock God has entrusted to him, a far different demographic than Challies and many of his readers. That said, the people who have posted comments at his site though, that is another story. Pharisaical, yeah I'll buy that description of some of them. The indignation is ripe among some.
I posted a comment yesterday that was removed by Tim's surrogate moderator, David Kjos. Tim appologized to me by email for its removal. I thought it fairly characterized the exchanges in the comment section of Challies post. Here is what I said, since you can't read it at Challies site.
"If anyone ever wondered what the conversations might have been like
between Nicodemus and the Pharisees, surely this string must come pretty close to approximating it. On one hand the supporters, on the other, the detractors. And at the center, a man who is doing God's work, according to his calling as he understands it."
Peace!
For clarification's sake I think I ought to point out that I do not think Tim is "Pharasaical" but I stand by the characterization of his criticism.
The fact is that if you compare Driscoll's language to that of the scriptures, Driscoll really should not be all that offensive. A criticism of language will always have a "Pharisaical air" to it if is applying a standard which it does not apply to the Scriptures.
Your point (that was deleted) is genius, I must say!
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