Will the real Mars Hill please stand up?
Posted on June 4 2010
Posted by:
Arthur Davis
The Ridley students' association, 'Logs', organises occasional debates for the college community, and on 27 May, we asked, 'Will the real Mars Hill please stand up?' Mark Driscoll leads Mars Hill Church (Seattle) and Rob Bell leads Mars Hill Bible Church (Grand Rapids). Both churches are named after Paul's visit to Mars Hill in Acts 17, a pioneering moment in mission and cultural engagement. Yet the two churches, not to mention Driscoll and Bell, have quite different approaches—so which one might best represent 'the Mars Hill moment'? The debate's aim was to open up issues for the Ridley community rather than passing judgment on which church is more successful or theologically robust.
'Team Driscoll' included students Pete Greenwood and Bei-En Zou and lecturer Rhys Bezzant. They argued that Driscoll specifically addresses the whole gamut of non-Christian culture by communicating 'timeless truths through timely methods'. Driscoll's emphasis on doctrine forms the lifeblood of a dynamic expression of faith that appeals in a postmodern world. Acts 17 is not just about Athens, but about taking the gospel to all peoples, which Driscoll is pursuing through the Acts 29 church planting network.
'Team Bell' was made up of students Joel Kettleton and Dave Hughes (a church starter at Tribe) and lecturer Lisa Brown. While affirming the effectiveness of both churches, they argued that Acts 17 reflects one particular approach to gospel ministry. They explored the Athenians' yearning for spiritual truth, which Paul dealt with by addressing rather than rejecting their core values, in order to connect the gospel with their existing situation. This is also the approach taken by Mars Hill Grand Rapids and Rob Bell: 'God is not far from us' (Acts 17:27), in which case we need to help others see those connections.
Tim Foster, who adjudicated, noted that the debate was engaging and useful, before awarding the debate to 'Team Bell', whom he found most closely addressed the topic. The debate was organised by students Arthur and Tamie Davis, and Arthur concluded by recommending the book Deep Church as a means of continuing to explore these issues in Western Christianity.
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