I'd like to go back and revisit a post I made a few days ago. In my entry titled Faith, Emerging Church, and Real Life I was reacting to some things. To the emerging church. To articles and blog posts by respected church leaders. Some of the things I read last week made me cringe. Some of them made me smirk. Some of them just made me shake my head a little. And I reacted to a few of those.
But since Sunday I think the Holy Spirit has been convicting my heart about one of my paragraphs in that post. I took some pretty good shots at someone I do not have a relationship with. I've never really even met him personally, although I'd like to. I have only known him by listening to his sermons on the internet, reading his books and published articles, and most recently his web blog and a few posts he's made elsewhere. He has made some bold statements, and some of his first posts he has made public on his web blog gave me a bad impression. I therefore insinuated some things about his ego and his character, saying it appears he is obsessed with numbers. Although all I have to go on is what he has publicly stated on web sites, that's just the point. All I have to go on is what he has typed on web sites. I have not read his new book (I actually loved his first one, Radical Reformission. And I am sure this one will be just as insightful). I have not met or spoken directly with Driscoll. So basically, last week I did to him the very thing I hate when people do it to me--make judgments on character without relationship.
So, even though I doubt Mark Driscoll will ever read my post or even knows this site exists, I still need to say these words. I am sorry Mark. I should not have spoken of you the way I did without ever having spoken with you. I do not know your heart. I only know how you appeared to be coming across in some of your recent posts. In trying to point that out I feel I may have crossed a line that I am uncomfortable with, thanks to the Holy Spirit that is. I would never have noticed it on my own.
By the way, I know a lot of people would expect me to go back and delete what I said if I were truly apologetic. But I won't do that. I am truly apologetic. But what was said was said. I can't take it back as simply as hitting a delete button on a keyboard. All I can do is make it right by repenting.
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