Does Mark Driscoll go too far in presenting Jesus as a ‘tough guy’?
Mark Driscoll once translated the word “sluggard” into everyday English for his congregation. “We call them single white guys who live with their mum, in their pyjamas, sleep between Star Wars sheets and blog about how the world should be part of their ‘pyjamahideen’.” It’s comments like this that have earned Driscoll his controversial reputation. While he has his disciples, he certainly isn’t short on critics. But he defends his brash words to young men, suggesting he is tough on them for a reason. “I’m just the big brother giving them a wedgie for Jesus,” he says, “That’s my job.” Besides, according to Driscoll, the young men whom he rebukes are better represented in his church than in virtually any other church around the place. At first glance it might look like masculinity (or the lack of it) is Driscoll’s hobbyhorse. He’s often reminding people that “sixty per cent of Christians are chicks, and the forty per cent that are dudes are still sort of chicks”. He regular tells men abou
