Bishop Jakes, 2nd Decisions and Coming Home

Jan 27 2012

 

Elephant Room 2 was a Holy Spirit day. Every member of our panel was grace-filled, gospel-motivated and God-centered—backstage and before the cameras. Looking back, I can see how the conversations took on the tonality of a first-time meeting, because some of the men were not known to Mark Driscoll and I before this event.

 

It’s like when my future son-in-law came to ask for my daughter’s hand. I pressed him to a degree, but knowing the relationship had a big future, I chose to establish friendship and continue the conversation. Why would I risk our future by front loading everything that was on my heart? The nuance of relationship is sadly lost in the world of those who believe doctrinal accuracy (which they have no corner on) is the pinnacle Christian priority.

 

But if 1 Corinthians 13 is teaching anything, it’s that even doctrine that removes all mystery (a facetious impossibility)—apart from love—is worthless. I make no apology for prioritizing relationship in these conversations. I remember specific moments with Bishop Jakes and Wayne Cordeiro and Steven Furtick and Jack Graham, where I didn’t agree entirely and wanted to press the point further. I stopped because the issue was not as essential, OR because the relationship was not ready, OR I didn’t want to be too aggressive, as I felt I was at times in the first Elephant Room.

 

I have been preaching the Word of God verse-by-verse for almost 30 years, and my teaching has gone further in every form than I ever dreamed. I don’t need to prove my orthodoxy in every conversation or press every dialogue to the breaking point, in fear of failing to evidence my own fidelity to Scripture. Those who are complaining we didn’t press some conversations far enough, or cover a comprehensive list of disagreement, evidence their own relational capacity. The goal of The Elephant Room was to help pastors around the country open their hearts to the possibility that loving interaction with the pastor down the street would advance the kingdom more than suspicious silence. I believe that was accomplished due to the incredible courage shown by each participant Read More

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First Blush Thoughts: From Elephant Room 2

Jan 26 2012 James MacDonald

Hey:
Thanks for all the interest in The Elephant Room. I was under a lot of pressure going into it, and I feel relieved that it went, not perfectly, but as well as it did. Our 70-city conference to platform grace-and-truth conversations Read More




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Why I Resigned From The Gospel Coalition

Jan 24 2012 James MacDonald

It seems like almost a decade ago that D.A. Carson came to our church offices in Rolling Meadows, IL, and shared his vision for Read More




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