Who Would Jesus Smack Down?

Here are excerpts of an article in today's New York Times Magazine. It profiles "New Calvinist" Mark Driscoll, the "cussing pastor", who disdains "prohibitions of traditional evanglical Christianity. Taboos on alcohol, smoking, swearing and violent movies have done much to shape American Protestant culture-- a culture that he has called the domain of "chicks and some chickified dudes with limp wrists." Moreover, the Bible tells him that to seek salvation by self-righteous clean living is to behave like a Pharisee."

It appears that to Driscoll's way of thinking, it doesn't matter what you do, so long as you believe the right things. Among those right things is contempt for women and gays.

It wouldn't surprise me if Driscoll turns out to be flaming gay. It wouldn't be the first time that a fanatical authoritarian turns out to be a homosexual.

For all their cutting edge, I must say that their church has the ugliest splash page I've seen anywhere. Here is my advice on how to re-tool their site.