Kneading Bread

I have tons of respect for Mark and the church he pastors. I pray that this attention is fruitful for the Kingdom… but it is also refreshing to see it openly discussed in general. I feel that many non-religious people have such a blighted view of the Church that they can no longer see the beauty of Christ until He breaks into that world (which I believe He is always doing, He is always breaking down the walls.) Bringing this conversation into a educated, jaded, and post-modern dialogue is important, it is a blessing to have these places saying “look here, look at this pastor in Seattle, his Jesus is more than just whitewash and ritual.” While I feel the article is genuinely trying to cover this story, there is a tone of fear in it that frightens me. There seems to be a value judgement, the use of kool-aid as an adjective ties this to Jonestown an immediately extreme and negative tie.

Driscoll promises his followers they don’t have to reprogram their iTunes catalog along with their beliefs — culture from outside the Christian fold isn’t just tolerated here, it’s cherished. Hipster culture is what sweetens the proverbial Kool-Aid, which parishioners here seem to gulp by the gallon. This is a land where housewives cradle babies in tattooed arms, where young men balance responsibilities as breadwinners in their families and lead guitarists in their local rock bands, and where biblical orthodoxy rules as strictly as in Hasidism or Opus Dei.

Salon via BoingBoing.