US preacher Mark Driscoll has called for "regeneration' in the face of a religion he says is spiritually suffocating Aussies.
Mr Driscoll told a 2300-strong crowd of young workers at the weekend's Engage conference at Katoomba Christian Convention centre that "most Aussies don't know the difference between regeneration and religion".
As he fired statistics about Australian young adult culture at the Friday night audience, he noted that the number one "religion' among 18-to-30-year-olds in Australia was "no religion'.
Australians needed to understand regeneration " being "born again' by trusting in Jesus and being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit " rather than trying to earn their own way to heaven, as this would lead to "pride or despair", the Seattle-based speaker said.
As young workers sipped coffee and clutched weekend newspapers and water bottles in the recently insulated KCC "shed', Pastor Driscoll elaborated that the doctrine of regeneration ("what happens in our heart") has taken a backseat because of a focus on the doctrine of justification ("what happens before God").
Driscoll also called for a sober understanding of the Holy Spirit, rather than being "weirded out" by it.
"The Holy Spirit in Australia has been connected with weird doctrine and prosperity," he says.
"When you think of the Holy Spirit, think of Him as regenerating you" If you think of the Holy Spirit in that way, you won't be afraid of Him."
In further talks, Mr Driscoll challenged young workers to consider what they were worshipping in their lives, and to "not conform to the pattern of this world".
This pattern in Sydney is characterised by a general rejection of responsibility in which young Australians are “too busy breaking commandments”, Driscoll said.
In particular, young Christian men were urged to reject what Driscoll called the "immaturity" of Australian men, and take on responsibility and leadership in their relationships, careers and living arrangements.
A date with the Don
Renowned Canadian author and speaker Don Carson " whom Mark Driscoll says is "always the smartest guy in the room" - had different points to make as he taught from Matthew 11 and Psalm 40.
Through the example of John the Baptist, who was at first discouraged, and then defended and eclipsed by Jesus, Dr Carson urged young workers to stand out from the world in the way they assess themselves.
"For the Christian, what makes us great is simply not bound up first and foremost with the criteria of the parameters of the world," he said.
Instead, he said, the Christian's self-worth was concerned with Christ and "his proclamation and witness".
Dr Carson also explored the topic of suffering from Psalm 40, encouraging all who were there to exalt the Lord in suffering as well as joy, advising that God sometimes answers prayer by lifting us out of the mire, and other times by leaving us there, and "pour[ing] in more grace".
Young adult worker Sophie Kunze of St Paul’s, Emu Plains said the Driscoll-Carson combination was what drew her to Engage this year " and she was not disappointed.
"They were very different from each other " I expected Mark Driscoll to be very blunt and confronting and very practical and very heavy on application, which he was,” she said.
Don Carson then added a “depth of wisdom and experience that comes from having such a long involvement in Christian ministry”.
First-year university student Pip Stuckey of St Swithun's, Pymble says Engage gave her valuable lessons for her future career.
"Being a Christian in the workforce isn't something I know a lot about" and the talks really taught me about talking to people about the real Jesus in the workplace," she says.
Engage chairman, the Rev Andrew Nixon said the now well-known 11-minute sellout of tickets for Engage has led organisers to set aside two weekends for next year's conference, which will feature Texas pastor Matt Chandler and St Helen's Bishopsgate's William Taylor.
This year, Mr Nixon said he was thrilled with the turnout and the opportunity the weekend gave young workers to hear from the two renowned speakers.
"Mark and Don were fantastic to work with," he says.
The Driscoll effect
As the conference was introduced on Friday night, Andrew Nixon recalled that Engage had been created through a realisation that "young workers are missing from our churches".
Young adults minister at St Paul's Castle Hill, the Rev Martin Kemp has made the same observation and hopes Engage conferences will "encourage the young workers we have with us".
Mr Kemp, an older young adult himself, indicates that the content of talks this year " particularly Mark Driscoll on the doctrine of regeneration and Don Carson on suffering " are crucial words young workers need to hear.
"Young workers are still in the process of working out their identity in a new environment, and they need to be constantly reminded of who we are in Christ," he says.
In particular, he says the combination of the "novelty factor" " where Driscoll says things that shock and make people think - with reformed theology is striking a chord with young workers.
"The freshness and rawness of his style has done a lot to attract people who wouldn't ordinarily come to church" [and] He's championing an approach to the Bible that we believe is the right approach and he's doing it really well" . in a way that is compelling."
A message spoken with love and straight-shooting honesty is Driscoll's winning combination, he says.
"He managed to bring across a positive message without telling us lies or neglecting the hard things," he says.
"It's not a naïve culture and he doesn't pretend people haven't seen and experienced things" . He's in the marketplace."
For university student Pip Stuckey, Driscoll’s directness was refreshing.
"I think Mark Driscoll is really good at telling people the truth and how to live by the truth" Sometimes there are hotspots Christians don't talk about, but he was honest and" he was personal as well."
