{"id":279,"date":"2009-03-17T21:27:51","date_gmt":"2009-03-17T21:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/tonyjones\/2009\/03\/when-brad-cecil-talks-i-listen.html"},"modified":"2009-03-17T21:27:51","modified_gmt":"2009-03-17T21:27:51","slug":"when-brad-cecil-talks-i-listen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/tonyjones\/2009\/03\/when-brad-cecil-talks-i-listen.html","title":{"rendered":"When Brad Cecil Talks, I Listen (especially when he talks about Mark Driscoll)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cecil_jones.jpg\"<\/span>In my latest book, The New Christians<\/a><\/i>, I cast Brad Cecil as the unheralded protaganist of the emergent movement .  In many ways, he was.  Coming from an ultra-conservative world of youth evangelism, he volunteer-pastored at a Texas mega-Bible church.  And he read Rorty and Derrida.  He was the intellectual rudder of the Young Leaders Network from 1996 through about 2000.<\/p>\n

(That’s Brad in the pic, with me in Dallas last year.)<\/p>\n

Brad’s engaged in more private than public endeavors now, but he occasionally breaks his silence and blogs.  And when he does, it’s invariably good.<\/p>\n

Last week, he posted twice.  Once on a book he thought he’d write<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

My basic idea in the writing was this: Modern philosophical concepts
\nof “truth” have killed it, turning “truth” into this static thing that
\nis “out there” instead of a dynamic thing that is shaped by
\nparticipation. This concept of truth de-motivates us by suggesting
\nthat “truth” can not change – it can only be discovered. As the church
\nbought into the modern concept it changed the role of the church from
\nbeing a participatory truth changer in culture to being a truth
\ndispenser focused on the individual. The shift to the individual
\nprovides the framework that we are now trapped in – the framework that
\nsuggests that the individual possess “truth” (as long as they are
\nrational and informed) and does not need anyone else(except to inform).
\nEverything that exists outside the individual is just a commodity for
\nthe individual to be consumed and only valued by the “felt needs” of
\nthe individual. My conclusion – at this point in church history – we
\nhave actually elevated the individual to a “god-like” position and
\nsubsequently positioned Christ as the ultimate consumer commodity for
\nthe individual. etc etc etc.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n


\nHis other post addresses something that happened as a result of my book<\/a>.  In it, I related the time that Mark Driscoll guest-preached at Brad’s church and cussed, against Brad’s wishes.  Recently, Mark asked me for Brad’s email, which I gave him, and the two have reconciled.  Brad mentions his forgiveness of and admiration for Mark, but then he says what he really thinks about Mark’s theology:<\/p>\n

\n

My opinion is that the failure of modern philosophical\/theological
\nassumptions caused this return to “calvinism” as people grasp to the
\ncomfort of the convoluted evangelical concept of “sovereignty” that
\nexists in that circle. neo-calvinism is such a waste – classic
\ncalvinism was built on a covenant hermeneutic and, at least, held a
\n“cultural mandate”; neo-calvinism is built on a dispensational
\nhermeneutic and has no mandate at all. neo-calvinism is cheap, easy and
\ngood-for-nothing and it is not at all “true to scripture” as is often
\nclaimed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Being that the “New Calvinism” was just named one of the top ten new movements to watch in 2009 byt TIME Magazine, Brad’s criticism is all the more relevant.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my latest book, The New Christians, I cast Brad Cecil as the unheralded protaganist of the emergent movement .  In many ways, he was.  Coming from an ultra-conservative world of youth evangelism, he volunteer-pastored at a Texas mega-Bible church.  And he read Rorty and Derrida.  He was the intellectual rudder of the Young Leaders…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-emergent-church","category-theology"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Brad Cecil Talks, I Listen (especially when he talks about Mark Driscoll) - The New Christians<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/tonyjones\/2009\/03\/when-brad-cecil-talks-i-listen.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Brad Cecil Talks, I Listen (especially when he talks about Mark Driscoll) - 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