Christian Fundamentalism & Culture

A while back, I became acquainted with Wendy Alsup while interacting on the blog, Sharper Iron.

Today, I just read her quote in the article, “Pastor Provocateur” in Christianity Today (September 2007), featuring Mark Driscoll and his church, Mars Hill in Seattle, Washington.

CT writer, Collin Hansen, highlights Wendy:

 “Still, exposure to criticism does not make church leaders immune to it.  Wendy Alsup, the Mars Hill deacon responsible for women’s theology and training, shook with emotion as we sat down in the ‘war room’ and talked about Driscoll.  She said that Mars Hill will ‘always be open to criticism, because God has grown us faster than we can handle.’  Alsup defended Driscoll with evident passion.

He asks forgiveness more than any pastor I have ever seen,” she said, “He publicly confesses sin.  He’s such a great example to young, idealistic, confident, inexperienced, immature pastors that you have to say you’re wrong when you’re wrong.  And he does it to women.  I know.  He has apologized in times when he has gotten things wrong, and I’m thankful he doesn’t apologize for the things he hasn’t said wrong” (48-49).

One thing for sure, Wendy is a passionate defender of her pastor.

But in the conclusion of the article, Collin quotes Mark,

Fundamentalism is really losing the war, and I think it is in part responsible for the rise of what we know as the more liberal end of the emerging church,” Driscoll says, “Because a lot of what is fueling the left end of the emerging church is fatigue with hardcore fundamentalism that throws rocks at culture.  But culture is the house that people live in, and it just seems really mean to keep throwing rocks at somebody’s house. (49)

Of course for me, as a Christian fundamentalist, this raises a lot of my own questions for Mark and Wendy.  First, is there a Christian movement out there winning the war for the accurate portrayal of God in American culture?  Secondly, what do Mark and Wendy think of Salt Lake & the Mormon corridor culture?  Would they consider anything within this particular culture superior to Seattle or even down south, the Portland culture?  Third, I am highly interested if Mark’s church planting umbrella has any new ministries situated within the Mormon kingdom of the intermountain West?

10 comments

  1. Are you proposing that the emerging movement is not providing an accurate portrayal of God?

    If they were to plant a church in the “Mormon kingdom of the intermountain West” … I would be the first to join.

  2. Tate, I would say yes. But then I ask you which of the emergents do you respect? The emerging movement is elastic and nuanced. Mark is providing a different story of Christianity than the emergents. His theology is rooted in the theology of historical evangelicalism.

    I don’t consider Mark or Wendy among the emergents that are favorable to liberalism. In fact, atheists and liberal emergents would peg Mark and Wendy as black and white fundamentalists.

    It is kind of humorous. A while back, I did a book review of the book: Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement (Viking, 2006) by Lauren Sandler. Jewish atheist Lauren, who is Mark’s and my age, writes unkindly.

    See here – http://www.sharperiron.org/2006/12/04/a-young-atheist%e2%80%99s-look-at-young-fundamentalists/

    But she does quote John Vaughn:

    “John Vaughn, the founder of the research organization Church Growth Today and perhaps the world’s foremost expert on growing megachurches, says Mark’s leadership in the Christian battle for cultural control depends on his great talent at converting secularists in their own vernacular. ‘Mark knows how to translate the Bible not from Hebrew into English, but from English into culture. This church is exploding because it is reaching unchurched people,’ he tells me, ‘and that is because it is both cultural and countercultural. The old church is like a museum, a fortress, not able to penetrate its culture or give voice to the culture.’ Mars Hill, says Vaugn, is the new church, connecting orthodoxy to politics to culture in a whole-life articulation of fundamentalism.”

    I would like to see how any of Mark’s church planters would connect fundamental orthodoxy to conservative politics to Mormon culture in the I-15 corridor.

    Here is where I differ from Mark . . .
    1. I think the multiplication of congregations like in Mormonism provides a better saturation of the culture than megachurches (personal opinion).

    2. I am much more outspoken and contra to some segments of pop culture. Like when walking into a Barnes and Noble, there is some of the literary genre that I would just like to burn rather than try to repackage with Christian substance, and the same with some clothing stores at the mall, etc. and etc.

  3. Todd,

    I’m not quite sure which would be worse, reading your review of Sandler’s book again, or reading the book itself.

    Admittedly, I am still reading, learning and exploring the emerg(ent)(ing) movement/conversation. While I have done a great deal of reading online (blogs, websites, blogs, etc.), I struggle with the time to get through my ever growing stack of actual books on the subject.

    One thing I know for certain: the phenomenon as a whole resonates a great deal within me.

    As for people I respect so far… The only one I can say hands down is Donald Miller. You need to read Blue Like Jazz. I’ll even let you borrow my copy.

    I have a couple more Miller books in my stack, but Brian McLaren’s “A Generous Orthodoxy” is next. To be quickly followed by the multi-author, “An Emergent Manifesto of Hope.” I’ll provide you my thoughts on each, if you wish.

    After researching Mark Driscoll today though, his books are definitely on my wishlist.

    You can email me if you’d like, I might be a little more inclined to discuss my own personal heart-issues on the topic in private forum rather than public, as it’s all pretty new skin for me…

  4. Tate, I have not read Miller’s book, though I have looked at many reviews. But I will look at it. Email me (elonwood@juno.com) what quotes impressed you the most. And I will get back with you.

    Secondly, I highly favor Mark Driscoll’s theology over Brian McLaren’s. When you explore the two mens’ heart convictions over scripture content and Christ, please email me what you have discovered. I would be very interested.

  7. Todd,

    This might sound demeaning, and I would hope I was wrong, but I don’t believe people understand “culture.” It is a way of life. I would rather throw a flame at the present way of life, which, of course, God is going to do some day, but it is an application of “be not conformed to the world,” wouldn’t you say?

    Christians represent God in the way they live, which happens to include dress, music, recreation, etc. We prove all things and hold fast to that which is good. Why? Because we are not our own, but we are bought with a price.

    If Christianity doesn’t change culture, it isn’t Christianity.

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