Make A Fist

Further reflections on Mark Driscoll's session at ReFocus

I really resonated with Mark's introduction and his conclusion:
Liberalism leads to vague spirituality which is actually spiritism (aka demonism). Fundamentalism leads to religion because it is about what we can do to please God. This leades to despair because we can't measure up or pride because we're doing a better job than the people around us. Both are reactions to pluralism - Liberalism embraces it and says that all are religions are basically equal; Fundamentalism is threatened by it and retreats to the plains and the trenches. (BTW - I heard a great take on fundamentalism - not enough fun, too much damn and too little mental).
This makes a lot of sense to me. I guess the issue is that in the end, I felt like Mark was more of a fundamentalist than he maybe wants us to think. The truth is that most people (especially liberals) would look at me and define me as a fundamentalist. I wonder if the the best place to be is when liberals call me a fundamentalist and fundamentalists call me a liberal. I just think that even fundamentalists are going to label Mark as one of them. And this leads me to my thoughts on his conclusion...
I really like the image of the closed fist and open hand and the idea that there are somethings that we need to hold in a closed fist and defend with our lives and there are other things we need to hold with an open hand. I just don't agree that the role of men in ministry belongs in the closed fist along with the divinity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, the resurrection, the Trinity, the innerrancy and authourity of Scripture, etc.
The danger is that we will use the closed fist to beat people. Just because I place something in my closed fist doesn't mean it can't be talked about and debated.