Driscoll
File this under "Larger Body of Christ Politics." And it's a little long. You don't need to read any further if that doesn't interest you or if you're bored easily!
I don't know Mark Driscoll, the embattled pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I have never spoken personally with him, nor have I ever watched more than a short YouTube clip of him preaching. I have listened to an audiobook of one of his books (read by him), and based on that experience alone I can say I didn't care much for the book, his theology (he's a "New Calvinist"), or for him.
However, I do count Mark Driscoll as a brother in Christ, and my heart and spirit are distressed to see the way the Church is currently beating up on him. Not just Mars Hill Church. The Church. The Body of Christ. The group called to love. And, as a fellow pastor, I am praying for Mark Driscoll, his family, the church...and really, for all of us. Because in his story there is a challenge to us all.
I've resisted writing about Mark Driscoll for a while now, because I kept hoping the story would work itself out. But it hasn't, and the "end result" (for now) is that Driscoll has voluntarily surrendered his pulpit after charges have been made against him. What sort of charges would force him out of his pulpit? Adultery? Theft? Embezzlement? Murder?
Nope. None of those. There are no legal charges against Mark Driscoll. The word that basically sums up the charges made against him, a word I believe he used himself, is pride. Mark Driscoll is guilty of pride. And if that's a chargeable offense, then even pastor in America probably needs to step down and surrender his or her pulpit. And every Christian should probably have similar charges filed against them.
From what I've been able to piece together, the squabble started with some church staff members and even some church members who were upset with the way Pastor Driscoll handled certain interactions or events. That led to them leaving the church, and then they decided to protest outside of this church. Signs and everything. There was a "scandal" involving the status of one of his books (in which he paid a company to make sure it became a bestseller). And there was an old, old, old post on the internet someone dug up. That has led to several "prominent" Christian leaders distancing themselves from Pastor Driscoll and to him being removed from a church planting network he started. And all of that led up to, this past Sunday, Pastor Driscoll taking a leave of absence for at least six weeks.
Again, I don't know what has gone on "behind closed doors" up to this point. And I'm not defending Mark Driscoll. From the sounds of things, he did at times say and do things that can be considered inappropriate. I was confused by the "book scandal" thing, but I'm also willing to bet he's not the only Christian author to do something like that. But I wonder if this couldn't have been handled differently. Were the instructions of Matthew 18 followed? Did people talk to him directly, personally, and if so, did he refuse to listen? Did they, then, talk with him in a small group? And then was it taken to the church? I don't read anywhere in Matthew 18 that church members are then instructed to protest, file charges, or force someone out of their ministry.
I mean, if you don't like your doctor, do you protest outside his or her office? No, you generally just find another doctor. If you don't like the Health Club you belong to, do you charge the leaders with pride? No, you generally find another Health Club to belong to. So why all this acrimony among the Body of Christ?
I have no doubt Mark Driscoll is guilty of pride, of saying things he ought not to have said, or even doing some things he shouldn't have done. But then, again, who among us is innocent of any of those sort of things? John says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Jesus told the one without sin that they could cast the first stone—and no one threw stones (John 8:1-11). But a lot of folks have picked up stones these days.
I will admit that I sympathize a lot with Mark Driscoll because of my own experience. As a pastor, I have at times said and done things I should not have done. I have also been accused of things I did not do. And I've heard tales told about me that simply were created out of the air but were shared as truth. So I refuse to believe accusations about anyone that are hurled from a distance. I also know the difficulty of "defending" yourself as a pastor. People will believe what they want to believe about you. But, as followers of Jesus, the one who said we should be forgiving first of all, do we need to stir up trouble among the Body of Christ? Doesn't that just make us look petty and small and stupid and judgmental to those who have not yet discovered the love of Christ (and who already think of Christians as judgmental)? How does the world view these "in-house" fights? Does any of this draw people closer to Jesus?
I don't know Mark Driscoll. I don't know where the truth in his story lies. But I do know this: I believe he is a brother in Christ and I am praying for him. I think that's all that Jesus asks us to do. I wonder what might happen in his life if the Church did that rather than hurl accusations. And I wonder what different image the world might have of us if that happened.
I don't know Mark Driscoll, the embattled pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I have never spoken personally with him, nor have I ever watched more than a short YouTube clip of him preaching. I have listened to an audiobook of one of his books (read by him), and based on that experience alone I can say I didn't care much for the book, his theology (he's a "New Calvinist"), or for him.
However, I do count Mark Driscoll as a brother in Christ, and my heart and spirit are distressed to see the way the Church is currently beating up on him. Not just Mars Hill Church. The Church. The Body of Christ. The group called to love. And, as a fellow pastor, I am praying for Mark Driscoll, his family, the church...and really, for all of us. Because in his story there is a challenge to us all.
I've resisted writing about Mark Driscoll for a while now, because I kept hoping the story would work itself out. But it hasn't, and the "end result" (for now) is that Driscoll has voluntarily surrendered his pulpit after charges have been made against him. What sort of charges would force him out of his pulpit? Adultery? Theft? Embezzlement? Murder?
Nope. None of those. There are no legal charges against Mark Driscoll. The word that basically sums up the charges made against him, a word I believe he used himself, is pride. Mark Driscoll is guilty of pride. And if that's a chargeable offense, then even pastor in America probably needs to step down and surrender his or her pulpit. And every Christian should probably have similar charges filed against them.
From what I've been able to piece together, the squabble started with some church staff members and even some church members who were upset with the way Pastor Driscoll handled certain interactions or events. That led to them leaving the church, and then they decided to protest outside of this church. Signs and everything. There was a "scandal" involving the status of one of his books (in which he paid a company to make sure it became a bestseller). And there was an old, old, old post on the internet someone dug up. That has led to several "prominent" Christian leaders distancing themselves from Pastor Driscoll and to him being removed from a church planting network he started. And all of that led up to, this past Sunday, Pastor Driscoll taking a leave of absence for at least six weeks.
Again, I don't know what has gone on "behind closed doors" up to this point. And I'm not defending Mark Driscoll. From the sounds of things, he did at times say and do things that can be considered inappropriate. I was confused by the "book scandal" thing, but I'm also willing to bet he's not the only Christian author to do something like that. But I wonder if this couldn't have been handled differently. Were the instructions of Matthew 18 followed? Did people talk to him directly, personally, and if so, did he refuse to listen? Did they, then, talk with him in a small group? And then was it taken to the church? I don't read anywhere in Matthew 18 that church members are then instructed to protest, file charges, or force someone out of their ministry.
I mean, if you don't like your doctor, do you protest outside his or her office? No, you generally just find another doctor. If you don't like the Health Club you belong to, do you charge the leaders with pride? No, you generally find another Health Club to belong to. So why all this acrimony among the Body of Christ?
I have no doubt Mark Driscoll is guilty of pride, of saying things he ought not to have said, or even doing some things he shouldn't have done. But then, again, who among us is innocent of any of those sort of things? John says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Jesus told the one without sin that they could cast the first stone—and no one threw stones (John 8:1-11). But a lot of folks have picked up stones these days.
I will admit that I sympathize a lot with Mark Driscoll because of my own experience. As a pastor, I have at times said and done things I should not have done. I have also been accused of things I did not do. And I've heard tales told about me that simply were created out of the air but were shared as truth. So I refuse to believe accusations about anyone that are hurled from a distance. I also know the difficulty of "defending" yourself as a pastor. People will believe what they want to believe about you. But, as followers of Jesus, the one who said we should be forgiving first of all, do we need to stir up trouble among the Body of Christ? Doesn't that just make us look petty and small and stupid and judgmental to those who have not yet discovered the love of Christ (and who already think of Christians as judgmental)? How does the world view these "in-house" fights? Does any of this draw people closer to Jesus?
I don't know Mark Driscoll. I don't know where the truth in his story lies. But I do know this: I believe he is a brother in Christ and I am praying for him. I think that's all that Jesus asks us to do. I wonder what might happen in his life if the Church did that rather than hurl accusations. And I wonder what different image the world might have of us if that happened.
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| Pastor Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church |
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