“The Ethos of Mark Driscoll: A Summary of an Undergraduate Thesis”

by Benjamin Sherick | Xchanges 11.2

Ethos Cont.

Extrinsic Ethos

While intrinsic ethos is limited to the speaker’s presentation of character in the speech, extrinsic ethos widens the scope to include prior knowledge of the speaker. For Isocrates, ethos was closely related to a speaker’s moral character and reputation. Benoit (1990) asserts, “For Isocrates, ethos is the speaker’s prior reputation, developed during life. It is the most important mode of persuasion because it lends weight to all of the words of the speaker” (p. 258).

Isocrates presented two important ideas relating to extrinsic ethos. First, the goal of a speaker should be to achieve good repute with potential audiences. Isocrates stated, “Anyone who wishes to persuade others will not neglect virtue but will devote even more attention to ensuring that he achieves a most honourable reputation among his fellow citizens” (as cited in Too, 2008, p. 77). Second, reputation has a direct effect on the credibility of the speaker. Isocrates posed the question, “Who could fail to know that speeches seem truer when spoken by those of good name than by the disreputable, and that arguments acquire more authority when they come from one’s life than from mere words” (as cited in Too, 2008, p. 77).

Isocrates’ suggestion finds resonance in Christian scripture. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes to Timothy and Titus that church leaders “must be above reproach,” “respectable,” and “well thought of by outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:5-9). The church father Augustine echoes this in On Christian Doctrine: “The life of the speaker has greater weight in determining whether he is obediently heard than any grandness of eloquence” (Augustine, 426/1958, p. 164).

Mark Driscoll is a controversial figure. While he may be effective at constructing intrinsic ethos, his extrinsic ethos has the potential to overshadow a single sermon. I used the concept of extrinsic ethos to understand how reputation factored into the audience’s response to Driscoll’s message.