Mark Driscoll A Questionable Hermeneutic

I really enjoyed Mark Driscoll this weekend, his preaching style is expository and his theology is a robust reformed Theology. However I would question his use of Jeremiah 29:4-6

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.

Mark had earlier warned about taking a passage that was descriptive and making it prescriptive, here he failed to heed his own warning. In its context Jeremiah 29 is speaking about judgement to God's nation who had abandoned him and worshipped the God's of the nations therefore God sent them into exile. Driscoll's interpretation was that we are to buy houses in the city, to become stakeholders, to be witnesses. Driscoll emphasised that Paul went from city to city because Paul understood the way to win the culture was starting upstream where all the major players are. If we are going to change culture it will be through seeing captains of industry, lawyers and university professors becoming Christians, that is why we need to work in the city.
Whilst there is plenty of truth there, Jesus sends us to the highways and byways, the gospel is as much for the broken poor widow as for the media savvy city guy. To be fair to Driscoll his church reaches both types and he emphasised the need to reach cities because God loves people and cities have lots of people. Still the passage in Jeremiah is not about cultural evangelism but judgement.

To all my American friends and family may I take this time to wish you a happy Thanksgiving, although its not a holiday here my wife and I will be having friends over for a turkey dinner and a time of thanks giving to our God.
God Bless
Stephen