"He's happy to debate, but it's clear he thinks he has the answers."

Conservative Christians? in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine:

“Who Would Jesus Smack Down?”—Molly Worthen's profile of Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church founder and the Calvinist "frat boy" of American Evangelicalism

Driscoll on YouTube...

Masturbation, Homosexuality, and Biblical Oral Sex
To quote: “We’ve broken it down into two categories: offensive, and really offensive. This content would fall into the really offensive category … nonetheless the content is, I think, pretty fun.”

In...
Christianity Today:
"Driscoll warms up when he recounts the history of Mars Hill.
‘My first core group was single indie and punk rockers committed to anarchy,’ he says. ‘Needless to say, they didn't naturally organize themselves or give generously. If I would have said, 'Everybody tithe,' it would have been in cigarettes.’
Driscoll can't stand in front of a crowd for long without stirring things up. That's what you get from a pastor who learned how to preach by watching comedian Chris Rock.”

And The Seattle Times:
"In Driscoll's view, homosexuality is a sin, although no more so than, say, premarital sex. Women should be loved and protected, while men are definitely heads of households. And women can be church leaders, but not pastors. 'If I could change one part of the Bible,' Driscoll says wearily, 'that would be the part, just so I could be left alone.'
In any case, he's not much interested in expounding on those positions during sermons or telling people what they shouldn't do. He's happy to debate, but it's clear he thinks he has the answers. And he's convinced you'll find them, too, if you just listen."
…
“Is Driscoll ever afraid that what he's preaching could turn out to be plain wrong? ‘It is the most terrifying part of my job,’ he says. ‘I have a team of pastors — they have the ability to edit me or fire me at will. I think any religious leader that does not have a bit of fear about what they're doing, and have people who can pull rank on them, are very dangerous.’ “


From the Department of Definitions:

Calvinism (from Webster’s): The theological tenets or doctrines of John Calvin (a French
theologian and reformer of the 16th century) and his
followers, or of the so-called calvinistic churches.
Note: The distinguishing doctrines of this system, usually
termed the five points of Calvinism, are original sin
or total depravity, election or predestination,
particular redemption, effectual calling, and the
perseverance of the saints. It has been subject to many
variations and modifications in different churches and
at various times.

Evangelical (also from Webster’s): Date—1531
1: of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels
2: protestant
3: emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual
4 (when capitalized) a: of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany b: of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism : fundamentalist c: low church
5: marked by militant or crusading zeal : evangelistic


From the Department of Perspective:

Other Notable Figures in American Christianity:
Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson is a Bishop in the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A. and lives openly with his male partner.

Rev. Timothy J. Keller is the head of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and called by many “Manhattan’s leading evangelist.”

Rev. Rick Warren is the head of Saddleback Church, author of The Purpose Driven Life and will give the invocation when Barack Obama is sworn in. “The inauguration role positions the Rev. Rick Warren to succeed Billy Graham as America’s pre-eminent minister.”