I ran across this blog post at Spiritual Sounding Board regarding contempt in the pulpit. The post refers to work done at Futurist Guy discussing contempt as a tool used by Mark Driscoll.
I know very little about Mark Driscoll or his books, but I do know something about contempt oozing from the pulpit of my CLB’s. Nothing shuts down dissenting opinions quite like the anyone-who-disagrees-with-me-is-an-idiot technique.
I remember one meeting (boy, there were LOTS of meetings) about church loyalty/loyalty to leadership. A book -required reading- was being discussed. One of the up and coming leaders stated, “If you have any problem with this book, YOU have a problem.”
Discussion effectively over.
The post at Sounding Board is worth a read because it underlines the fact that preachers/pastors/leaders who use contempt to silence objection are doing it knowingly. It results in the submission they need to escape accountability.
For a more humorous look at the way contempt might creep into our lives, check out the video below from Messy Mondays: Five Ways to Shut Down A Healthy Debate. On this level we may all be vulnerable. Worth a self check.
the untangling 