There is a cardinal sin among evangelicals, and that is the sin of “judgmentalism.” You can hold a wide variety of heresies and be a lover of the world or a homosexual and continue to be accepted, but being “judgmental” is a different story. Mark Driscoll, former pastor of the Mars Hill megachurch in Seattle, was guilty of this sin. He boasted about his “cultural liberalism” with its secular rock forums and New Year’s Eve dance parties complete with champaign, and that was not a problem. He mocked the Bible’s doctrine of an imminent Rapture, and that was not a problem. What was a problem was when he judged homosexuals and feminists and even went so far as to judge some of his fellow preachers and name them by names. He even publicly criticized Joel Osteen, the smiley face pastor of America’s largest church. All is well, now, though because Mark has repented in tears and publicly apologized. Like Jack Van Impe did in the 1980s, Mark has repented of judgmentalism. He did this during his interview with Brian Houston which was broadcast during the recent Hillsong Sydney Conference (attended by youth from at least one independent Baptist church). Houston told Driscoll that he has “a huge personal problem with people ... criticizing other pastors even though we are different on some issues.” Driscoll replied that his position on publicly criticizing fellow pastors “has evolved” and he has made efforts to reconcile with a number of the pastors he “offended” in his former ministry, including Osteen (“Driscoll Says the Lord Convicted Him of ‘Sin against’ Joel Osteen,” The Christian Post, Jul. 29, 2015). Driscoll went on to say, “I appreciate this opportunity to publicly apologize to [Osteen]. When anyone dies they’re going to stand and give an account. It won’t be to Mark Driscoll.” Now that the “judgmental” issue has been dealt with, I am guessing that Driscoll will begin to get speaking invitations again and will return to some leadership position in the near future. The statements by Brian Houston and Mark Driscoll display a great misunderstanding of biblical judgment. For a preacher to warn about a heretic and compromiser is not a personal judgment; it is the judgment of God’s Word. It is not a case of a preacher taking the place of God; it is the case of a preacher obeying God by reproving and exposing error so that his flock will not be misled and devoured by wolves. Biblical judgment is the Apostle Paul warning about Phygellus, Hermogenes, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Demas and Alexander (2 Tim. 1:15; 2:16-18; 4:10, 14). This was done in an epistle to Timothy, which was an epistle that was also read in all of the churches as part of the canon of New Testament Scripture. That’s the right kind of “judgmentalism.” It is godly “judgmentalism” that cares more about obeying God than pleasing man. It is compassionate “judgmentalism” that cares more for the well-being of the flock than the feelings of the wolves. And it is a “judgmentalism” that every pastor should be engaged in and will come to deeply regret if he is not so engaged. (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
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