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Why Haven’t Piper And Mahaney Responded To John MacArthur’s Request To Address Mark Driscoll?
I’ve been spending a good deal of time trying to process all that I have heard, seen and read concerning Mark Driscoll. While I view the many videos and audio available by Mark, there is much that puzzles and disturbs me, and often, I even find myself saying ‘Amen!’ to the man’s statements. Then again, I am reminded that the Devil, demons and the enemies of the Gospel know the same truths, which give me pause yet again. So much for that comfort.
I suppose what bothers me of late more than anything regarding Mark, is this: having been given a very public rebuke by John MacArthur, and a request to all readers of “the SoS posts” of recent weeks, why does there continue to be so much silence by Piper and Mahaney?
Nothing. That’s what we’ve heard, absolutely nothing from them.
Is it not deemed important enough? Will the act of speaking out cause more harm than good? If so, in what way? Since when did the Truth before God become a hindrance, in any way??
Or is the silence due to something else?
What if, to speak out would bring harm to their ‘ministry’? Surely, that can’t be it. I mean, being called of God as a Pastor-Teacher is not ‘a career’ is it? Of course not. After all brethren, we are not professionals are we?
Maybe it’s their schedule. They’re so busy they haven’t even noticed the rebuke by MacArthur. Possibly. Perhaps they need to send the bodyguard to the other room and take 15 minutes to actually respond to such a public outcry.
One thing I know for certain, if they do respond, and, as of now, that is a huge ‘If’, it would put a lot of Christians minds to ease.
Until then, Mark Driscoll and his ministry has serious issues. Issues that require addressing, and that by those whose influence are highly felt, for the sake of those souls who follow Mark Driscoll…tattoos, Starbuck coffee, foul mouth, torn jeans and all.
Certainly, two among the most influencial men in evangelicalism today can take a small amount of time to address Mark Driscoll, another leading preacher who claims to be a ‘brother in Christ’ to Joel Osteen!
– JT
5 Pt. Salt 
There is silence because Pastor John and Pastor Mark are preaching the same gospel. It’s good to get angry when you think someone is preaching heresy but before you sin in your anger make sure it’s actually lies and not gospel truth that you are mad at.
Actually, Mark asked for the sermon which sparked MacArthur’s articles to be taken off the internet before MacArthur posted his series of articles. (See the following blog entry, posted before Easter http://theresurgence.com/spring_cleaning – in which he acknowledges criticisms that have been sent to him about the sermon and agrees with them} And CJ and Piper have met with him since the series of articles (Driscoll’s facebook said that he was having breakfast with them on the 23rd). Presumably these issues were raised then, but none of them felt the need to make a public statement about it (at least not in addition to Driscoll’s existing blog entry about this issue).
As someone who has said very stern things about Mark Driscoll over the last 2 months, my suggestion is that we be very careful in seeking to manage the activities of Dr. Piper and C.J. Mahaney.
I’m not sure I understand or agree with their public silence, but I am sure that they are not men who abide the sin of others.
I think they ought to do more than they are doing; I think they have earned the respect of the larger Christian community to take action at their own pace in and in their own way. Given Dr. Piper’s response at BASICS this last week, I think we’re going to see something substantive from this situation in the next few weeks.
Steve —
I wonder: if you got an e-mail from John MacArthur that he was going to publish a 4-part blog entry decrying something on your blog, what would you do? I think it’s disingenuous at best to suggest that MD has pangs of conscience over the SoS sermon “just in the nick of time” when the sermon had been in the MHC archive for more than a year.
Could it be that after prayerful consideration that McArthur, Piper and MaHaney are all doing what the Holy Spirit has directed them to do? Or not. Perhaps He told McArthur to speak out. Perhaps he told McArthur to keep quiet. Who knows? Who knows what the Holy Spirit has led Piper and MaHaney to do? Too many times we take it upon ourselves to handle matters the way we think they should be handled without understanding the will of God. I’m not saying these men were led to speak or keep silent. I am saying that we have no right to condemn their actions when we have no clue.
Who condemned?