Conservative, Evangelical Christianity: Seattle-Style
photo courtesy of poptheology.com
If you were raised in the kind of religion that involves an old man chanting in an ancient language, or no religion at all, the idea of a "campus" as a religious building might not be a familiar one. Anyone who attends a Mars Hill church sees Mark Driscoll speak, those in the "main church" see him onstage, live and in person. His sermons are played on video to audiences in the satellite campuses, which also have their own pastors and staff who can provide personalized services to the congregants. Thousands see Driscoll speak every Sunday, even more find his sermons online.
Obviously, this model makes the institution and the man difficult to separate, and Driscoll has proved a magnet for controversy. Mark Driscoll's loose, modern, not-your-grandaddy's-church style has attracted thousands in one of the nation's most irreligious cities, but the group's theological underpinnings are anything but modern, and possibly even less liberal than your grandaddy's church. Mars Hill is firmly on the bandwagon with the entire constellation of right-wing culture war causes, from the laughable, like Harry Potter turning our children into satanists, to the dangerous, like gays choose their orientation, and shouldn't be tolerated by society. Retrograde theology on abortion, marriage, the role of women in society, and sexuality are also frequently on display. Driscoll isn't shy about expressing these kinds of views from the pulpit, and he doesn't have a problem with using his church to try to influence public policy. Of course, none of it is presented without being couched in the non-threatening tone of "hey bro, let's just rap about Jesus," which has been so successful in winning over Seattle's non-believers.
A stereotypical Southern, evangelical preacher wouldn't stand a chance in Seattle. We may like to believe that's because our city's enlightened attitudes on social issues wouldn't tolerate that kind of harsh, judgmental doctrine, but Mars Hill differs only in style from those bigoted, histrionic Dixie baptists. Driscoll's career continues to prove that cultural distance from the mainstream of the American evangelical movement doesn't necessarily make a population immune from evangelical theology, provided its presented in a way they find attractive. If Mars Hill can find converts in secular Seattle, there's every reason to believe the phenomenon can be duplicated in Oregon and California. The new congregants probably won't feel like they're horrifying any of their gay, feminist or secular friends and lining up on the conservative, traditionalist side of the culture wars, alongside Pat Robertson and Michele Bachmann, but if they absorb Driscoll's strident worldview, that's exactly what they'll be doing.
