"The Ethos of Mark Driscoll: A Summary of an Undergraduate Thesis"
Benjamin SherickBenjamin Sherick graduated from the University of Calgary in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts - Honours First Class in Communication Studies and a minor in Religious Studies. His academic interests include rhetoric, pop culture, music, and religion. He currently resides in Alberta with his wife.
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The Artifact: "What are the Scriptures?"In the fall of 2013, Mark Driscoll preached a sermon titled “What Are The Scriptures?” (Driscoll, 2014). The sermon was originally delivered at MHC’s U-District campus in Seattle, near the University of Washington. It was later posted as both an audio and video podcast to the MHC iTunes podcast page on July 27th, 2014, concurrent with the emerging controversies. In the sermon, Driscoll discusses the nature and authenticity of the Bible. He attempts to convince his congregation (and his global listeners) of the veracity of the Bible’s claims, and its relevance as a guiding authority in one’s life. I chose to analyze “What Are the Scriptures?” for a number of reasons. First, rhetorical strategies are clearly evident. Driscoll knows his audience is primarily comprised of university students, and carefully selects metaphors, anecdotes, and evidence that he believes will bridge the gap between himself and his audience. This allows for a rich analysis of his strategies as a rhetor. Second, the sermon was posted during Driscoll’s absence from the pulpit, and happened to coincide with the emerging controversy. Podcast listeners following the news out of Seattle would have heard this sermon at the same time as the controversy developed. Third, the sermon is a fair snapshot of Driscoll’s preaching. Driscoll does not say or do anything noteworthy or controversial during the sermon. His tone throughout is neutral and moderate, and he does not preach in an overly angry or affectionate style, as he does in some other sermons. Driscoll also makes use of some of his more common anecdotes, illustrations, and catchphrases. These three reasons made “What Are the Scriptures?” a worthwhile artifact to analyze. |