Bishop Jakes, 2nd Decisions and Coming Home
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 I chose to establish friendship with a view to future conversations as well. 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 with David Platt and others 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. Read More
First Blush Thoughts: From Elephant Room 2
Jan 26 2012Hey:
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
From Twitter
- Big God - Small Me: Studies in the life of Paul - todays message, Bigger than My Religion - Philippians 3-1-11 come on Harvest! #
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James Macdonald
James MacDonald is fired up about God’s Word and God’s Son. He has been a pastor for almost 30 years and revels in the hope that others in ministry can learn from his mistakes. James is down on cranky, cheerless Christians, but good with everyone who is still listening and learning and loving the Savior, whose glory is our passion and whose Word is enough.
To learn more about the ministries he leads, go to:
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The Persevering Preacher
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Things I Would Change If I Could
Jan 03 2012
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Jesus Christ Is Our Peace
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The Conversations—Elephant Room Round 2
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God Is Doing Something Awesome
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2 Things a Multi-Site Pastor Can’t Do
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