I have been listening to Mark Driscoll's "take" on the emergent movement which he has separated from for doctrinal reasons. He conceptualizes four streams of emergent-friendly groups. One is made up of evangelicals trying to be relevant. Another takes a strongly Calvinist approach. In his mind, three of these streams are "acceptable," albeit even two of those are in error in his judgment. His stream, Reformation emerging, is strongly Calvinist in orientation.

The Blue Like Jazz book he sees as blowing up in the face of its author, a friend of his. You get the impression that Driscoll thought he was trying too hard to be cool and edgy as well.

Driscoll has NO patience for McLaren, Pagitt, Jones, Bell, and gang any more. He recounts dinner meetings with these guys "back in the day" as reminiscent of Genesis 3. "Do we really believe that people actualy go to hell?" "Do we really think that you can't be gay and Christian?" "Do we really think that you have to believe in the virgin birth?" You can almost hear the cadance of the serpent, "Has God really said?" Driscoll complains that they keep asking questions that pastors shouldn't be asking, and they think it is cool to refuse to answer them. Specifically, he names Bell as throwing out the baby with the bath by tossing out the virgin birth as unnecessary baggage.

In his mind, guys like Kimball are evangelicals trying to be relevant. Driscoll would differentiate himself in that he argues in favor of full Calvinism. He also delivered a sermon recently on the RPW. I can't imagine that he approves of it (haven't listened to the MP3 yet), but you've got to hand it to a guy coming from where he does for even addressing it in a morning sermon.

Incidentally, somebody might be using Google alerts to see when their name gets used (including here on PB - word to the wise, don't ever write anything on the web you don't want Googled). Yesterday I received an e-mail from Dan Kimball saying that he head I was asking questions about his theology and graciously offered to answer any questions. In a follow up e-mail, he wrote:

[I have more or moved away from some of the "emergent" people and] "have become more divided as my interest and passion is still evangelism, not getting into all the revisionist discussions . . . I may push things in terms of methodology . . . - but not straying from Scripture."

__________________
Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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