I grew up in a religious tradition that I now disagree with many, if not most, of its theological positions. Still, I spent 25 of my 30 years being shaped by this tradition. Today I’m still very much Christian, but firmly on the opposite side of the theological coin.
The results of this is that I often find it difficult to sift my old thoughts and beliefs up against the truth of Gods word. For the past five years I’ve had to check these old belief patterns, informed by bad theology, and try my best to determine which of my old understandings are still true. I don’t dismiss or discredit everything I grew up in, there is plenty that still serves to help me as God continually sanctifies (sorry for using big churchy words) my mind and heart. I am very grateful for my upbringing. However, as often is the case, poison is mixed with the wine, and we lack the discernment to know how to separate the two of them apart.
I couldn’t be more in awe of God’s sovereignty over where the past five years of re-shaping has taken me. My wife and I are leading our family better than ever, our relationship is the best its ever been, we go to a great bible adhering church, and next month we are beginning a new journey becoming community group leaders. We have strong healthy Christ exalting relationships, and we are more aware than ever of the Gospel, and its implications to all we say and do. This shifting, this new gospel wakefulness, is due, in large part to Mark Driscoll. A man I admire, who now finds himself in a situation that also requires us to do some sifting.
Now I don’t really know who reads my blog stuff, therefore, some of you may not even know or care who Mark Driscoll is, but I know for a fact that some do, and even weirder still, some people have asked for my thoughts on a recent “controversy” surrounding this pastor.
In short Driscoll is a reformed (look it up yourself) pastor of a Seattle based church plant, now megachurch, called Mars Hill. He’s been there leading this thing somewhere in the ballpark of 15 years…I think. Outside of his controversies, he is essentially an expository (again, look it up) preacher, who’s preaching is centered around the central message of the gospel, and the central figure of the bible, Jesus. In my opinion, he is a pretty good bible teacher, not the best, but better than most compared to much of what passes as biblical teaching now a days. (More on this latter)
Driscoll is no stranger to frequent trips of his foot to his mouth, but for many of his fans, followers, and even his friends, recently there have been a number of questionable decisions made either by Driscoll, or the executive elders at Mars Hill, or both, that cross the line of disqualification. Any one of these individual infractions could be dismissed by themselves, but compiled together, some believe, and probably rightly so, that an intervention of sorts is called for. Of the complaints and charges against Driscoll, a few are nitpicking over primary and secondary church issues, some have been publicly addressed and apologized for, and increasingly so, many are very serious. Many who have followed Driscoll see this as a very public decline into scandal. The most recent furry surrounding Pastor Mark is his removal from the Acts 29 church planting network, a network that he started. Simply google Mark Driscoll or Acts 29 and you can find all the details that I won’t repost here.
Currently, and for the foreseeable future, my wife and I attend an Acts 29 church. So here I am, yet again, sifting through the good and the bad, the wheat from the chaff, trying to discern this man’s influence over my life from his own shortcomings. In many ways its easier to sift through this time, due to what I’ve learned from Pastor Mark himself. So with a very long intro, which I could make longer, I am leaving a lot unsaid in order to get to my main thoughts concerning this issue.
1.) The Acts 29 network is putting their money where their theology is.
Being part of a church that is part of the Acts 29 network does not give me, or even my pastor, any special privileges to the goings on around this decision. We know what the internet knows.
Further more, its worth noting, that just because we are part of a network that he started, Mark Driscoll does not hold any direct influence, make decisions for, or has he ever preached at our church. People who don’t like Mark, again, some for valid reasons, some for secondary reasons, have asked me before, “How could I go to a church led by Mark Driscoll?” To which I reply, “Well Matt Chandler is actually the president of Acts 29 for sometime now, even he doesn’t directly govern our church, and our church is not ” his”, but God’s. ” I digress…
The executive board of Acts 29 is made up of men that call Driscoll a “brother”, and Driscoll has called those same men “brothers”. They have shared stages and collaborated numerous times. And all of these men, in both their preaching and leadership, have tried there best, to point people to Jesus, to make his name glorious above all names to all people in all places. Driscoll himself is know for saying “Its All about Jesus”.
The network, by removing Driscoll, is proving that this is in fact the case, ” Its all about Jesus”. Having the best teachers, biggest churches, or largest personalities isn’t the goal. Making Jesus known is. As a member of an Acts 29 church, I’m saddened, but also relieved, that someone with so much influence, even if its positive influence, can not stray without consequences. On top of that, from all that I can gather, the process for correction, repentance and reconciliation has been handled orderly and biblically. For the sake of the gospel, the purity of the church, and the name of Jesus, it doesn’t matter how much good a man has done, if he fails, he needs to be corrected. I’m particularly grateful for this aspect because the tradition I grew up in, the rule was never to speak bad about a pastor. Even if he was struggling, and about to fail, and needed friends to intervene, you never talk bad about a man of God. To which I say “Give me a break!”
What I am finding beautiful about the body of Christ is that all of the men of the Acts 29 board have expressed their grief over this decision, as well as their love for this man that they call ” brother”. Even former friends of Driscoll, some of which, he had very public fallings out with, and former members of his church that feel hurt by the Mars Hill leadership, have expressed love for Mark and hope that he will take the recommendation of the Acts 29 board seriously. Those closest to the fray hope for reconciliation and restoration.
I think the actions of the Acts 29 board speaks highly of their character and integrity. My Pastor, in a update to us as his congregation, expressed that he’s never been more confident in the integrity of the leadership, and I agree. Its bold, brave, biblical, and those men, even if you disagree, are acting in accordance to their conscience. This is exactly what the bible instructs us to do. Go with scripture, and if unsure, trust that the Holy Spirit is leading you in your gut.
For me, when I read the qualifications for eldership in scripture, I must admit that I fail at the character part. The main idea is to be “above reproach”, and when I think of myself, I conclude that I do not fit the bill. Seriously though, ” above reproach”, who, apart from Jesus, is above reproach? Which leads me to my next point…
2.) Doctrine and conduct.
When it comes to the biblical qualifications for an elder you can boil down any disqualification to these two areas. When someone fails it is either character, as we’ve already started to discuss, or theology, and sometimes both. Fortunately, Driscoll is not being criticized for any poor doctrine/theology/teaching. I know people may disagree with his specific views on certain issues, but in as much as he teaches it, his view on God and the Bible are largely orthodox. This makes it easy for me, and for you, to sift through this man’s influence over our lives through his teaching. For the most part, its good, you don’t have to throw the baby (teachings) out with the bathwater (the teacher). Sometimes this is exactly the case, but not here. Driscoll’s theology (and I will avoid any arguments on this point, because this particular point is not THE POINT of this particular blog post) is sound. I think, at least from everything I read, that most other pastors in the same theological camp as Driscoll agree, the problem is not his teaching.
However, the way that teaching plays out in the leading of the church is questionable, but I would argue that has more to do with the character aspect of the qualifications. For example, it is true that believers have “authority in Christ”. There’s nothing wrong with that teaching, but tell that to a christian who struggles with being bossy or hardheaded, and you can easily see how that idea would get distorted, or even abused. It quickly turns into ” I’m a Christian, and I have authority in Christ, so listen to me or shut up!” Which I can assure you, that is not what is meant.
Therefore, in the case of Driscoll, the issue is one of conduct and character. Early in Driscoll’s growing influence, his off color remarks, and his crassness was dismissed due to the fact that his theology was sound, and he was, and is, being used in a particularly difficult region of the country where most churches typically decline, and do not thrive. What we are seeing, as Tim Challies puts it, is that “character is king”. (I highly recommend his, and Adrian Warnock’s respective articles on this most recent issue, and their blogs in general.) Good theology is undone by poor character.
If I were to draw some conclusions from what we are learning now, it would be that Driscoll often acknowledges errors and sin, and often apologizes for them, but does not, at least not sufficiently in the eyes of the Acts 29 board and those who he has offended, seek to reconcile with those he has hurt. It almost feels as if he doesn’t go far enough, but only what he feels is far enough. The people he has hurt hear his public apology, but are still waiting for his personal phone call to hear him say specifically, that he is sorry.
This is a really big deal. However even in issues of character, Driscoll is not long gone. I think this is a large reason why those ousted by him, still have a deep love and hope for reconciliation with him.
3.) Missing the big falls, and tripping over the small steps.
Other than the fact that his teaching is largely good for instruction, one other thing that I think is worthy of celebration is that Mark Driscoll has been faithful to his wife and family. This is no small oversight. In many of the big areas, he has managed to succeed, but the devil is apparently in the details. Typically when we hear of some pastor failing it is in the area of sex, and low and behold, the couple is unable to reconcile, and heads towards divorce, but the pastor takes a break and comes back to ministry. Or we find out that they have embezzled millions and are guilty of tax fraud. Thankfully this is NOT THE CASE with the Driscolls. It may not be a big deal to you, but I believe it really is.
I know people have been hurt by Driscoll’s sin and error, and I am not trying to make light of that, nor am I trying to paint one sin as greater than the other. I’m just stating the fact. Driscoll has not turned out to be a complete hypocrite, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he’s turned out to be the exact type of guy, that if you paid attention to anything he has admitted publicly, you would expect him to be.
Given his type of personality, the types of sin he freely admits he struggles with, this current trail of accusations and charges makes sense. The fact that Driscoll would be a proud jerk, that makes stupid decisions off of the top of his hot head, alienates close relationships, and acts like an ass is really no surprise to me. Again, I don’t say this to excuse it, or make light of it, I know it has devastated many relationships, and I agree, that if these charges are true, then he has gone beyond the point of slipping up, or losing his temper from time to time, and is currently disqualified. One thing that I think is clear from this is that Driscoll and the executive elder team lack any real oversite or accountability, although that doesn’t mean that people haven’t tried.
I agree with the Acts29 leadership, he needs to step down and get some help. Driscoll has often said that if he could do it all over again he would of waited to plant Mars Hill, found some good biblical men of God to sit under, and learn from Them so that he could be a more mature Christian before he became a pastor. Well now is his chance.
I hope I’m not being insensitive to those who have been negatively affected by Driscoll’s sins. I’m just saying, that as far as I can tell, he is not using his influence to buy private jets, and increase his own kingdom, although I do understand he has a pretty nice house. Nor is he a charlatan, faking his beliefs and sincerity to take advantage of people like some televangelist or faith healers. What I am saying is that Driscoll needs grace, like all of us, but a grace that isn’t dismissive. In the bible, church discipline is always carried out with the hope of seeing that person restored, not to put them in their place.
4.) Primed for reconciliation.
Again, it is absolutely amazing. Driscoll is surrounded by people that hope to restore him. I hope Driscoll sees the position that he is in. I hope that you see that you should be praying for him, and all involved.
It is not an attack, it is an act of love. Surely if it was someone else in this place, Driscoll himself would have some concerns, and probably even some harsh words for that man. It can seem like his time has come, that this is the end of Mark Driscoll, but a chance for reconciliation is where it all starts. God, through Jesus, reconciles us to himself, and new life begins. We then, in turn, get to extend that same hope and peace to the world. God is making his appeal to the world through us. He is saying, “Look, I gave peace and salvation to this loser, he is fully reconciled to me, and this is what I want to do for you.” (The loser I’m referring to is myself, not Driscoll.)
I soooooo hope Driscoll follows the recommendation and submits to the Acts 29 board.
Not for the sake of his ministry or his name, but for the sake of Jesus name. See, no one will care at all about Mark Driscoll when we get to heaven. Jesus will not look at him and say “Good thing I had you to help me out, it was really sketchy for a while, but thank God/me for you!” It is simply not going to happen.
On the off chance that Mark “The Dris” Driscoll sees this blog, I’m going to close by taking a cue from his own book Death by Love.
Dear Mark,
It is no secret that God has used you in an unique and powerful way. With the current storm of accusations and issues surrounding you and your ministry, you will be tempted to either retreat and hide by ignoring, or lash out by confronting. Knowing you, you’re probably prone to the later, and I am actually encouraged that a few days have passed and you have yet to respond. I hope this is a sign that you are already taking things seriously, and begging the Holy Spirit to direct you through all of this. Fortunately for us, Christ offers another option beyond just hiding, and more powerful than fighting, he gives us reconciliation.
I won’t claim to know the bible better than you, or claim any authority on par with yours. Who am I to try and teach you something about anything? Maybe though, I can be a helpful reminder. I trust that you know how important reconciliation is to the Gospel message you preach, and to Christ, the Savior, that you love. I would urge you to simply stop fighting, rationalizing, or trying to do better from now on, like an addict leaving a rehabilitation facility. Reconciliation is not rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is where you stop reevaluate, and start to make better choices from now on. Reconciliation doesn’t just move on from the past, it deals with it.
I have always been grateful that you openly admit sins and faults, and I believe that there is evidence that you really have left many of them in the past. However, in the larger picture of redemption, leaving things in the past is not good enough.
As you know we will be held accountable for all of our actions, thoughts and deeds. This is why God’s offer of reconciliation is unique. Reconciliation goes back to the point of every offense and makes things new again. Some of these offenses may same trivial to you, or maybe you felt like you have sufficiently served you penance for them, but I have learned from you, that the offender does not get to determine his own penance. Like with Christ, who we have offended with our sin, we don’t get to determine how severe our offenses are, the offended person does. It is up to those you have hurt to validate your sincerity. See Mark, the question is not whether or not certain behaviors or attitudes are in your past, but whether or not you are grieved enough by them, that you truly seek to change, and are willing to go back to your past, to rebuild those burnt down bridges wherever possible?
Let me remind you that the distance between you and God was once so insurmountable that reconciliation was utterly impossible, apart from a gracious act on His part through His son. Please don’t be so prideful as to believe that the bridges you have burnt are so beyond repair that the God, who closed the gap between your sinfulness and his holiness, is not powerful enough to help you rebuild these bridges.
I don’t believe God is done with you. Even after all you by His grace have accomplished, I actually believe that he is just getting started. Just as God once uniquely placed you to preach his word in a unique and powerful way, he has now placed you to demonstrate his reconciliation in a similarly unique and powerful way. Surely you know that all eyes are on you, and your next steps will be under close scrutiny. So be wise. Choose the path of reconciliation.
See Mark, once, like you, I almost ruined something near and dear to me through my selfish and sinful pride. It wasn’t my ministry, but my marriage. As much as I knew or understood all the right things, and as pure as my intentions were, there was still too much of my own righteousness involved. So much so that my attempts to lead my wife made her fill small and unloved, all the while I was convinced that I was doing the most loving thing for her. No one could tell me that I wasn’t right. I was so blinded by my own arrogance that I failed to see all the damage I caused. She left me for another man, and for the better part of a year, I was mercifully destroyed and made low by God. Mark, the more God tore me down, the more my wife could see Jesus for who he truly is, instead of her overbearing husband who did a miserable job of reflecting Christ to her.
Eventually I stopped caring about myself, my marriage, or even reconciliation between the two of us. My prayers became very simple. My focus was only on her reconciliation with Christ. Who, as you know, is a much better husband, friend, and pastor than any of us. I would pray for her “God get your daughter, and Christ, get your bride. I don’t care what happens to me, or our marriage.”
Through all of this God showed us that reconciliation with him was possible, and if he can redeem that large of a gap, then he is more than capable to reconcile a messed up broken down husband and wife. Mark, the longer you delay reaching out and reconciling with specific people, the gospel you preach with you life is false, and contrary to the gospel you preach with your lips. Show the world that reconciliation with God is possible, be wary of council that only agrees with your side, and let Christ’s heart for peace and redemption rule over your admittedly thick skull.
Listen to your brothers in the Acts 29 leadership, listen to the men that resigned from your external accountability board, listen, listen, listen to the sheep and ex-staff that you failed to shepherd well.
Be reconciled with those you have destroyed and abused in the wake of your folly and pride, and by this, prove to the world that reconciliation with their savior is truly possible.
Grace, peace, and reconciliation to you.
Theist the Bearded 