What The Church Stands To Learn From The Mark Driscoll Fiasco

   

All of the information, articles, hate mail, love mail, encouragement, discouragement, etc., etc., etc., going on surrounding the circumstances of Mars Hill Church and Mark Driscoll have really got me thinking. A LOT. Why? Because it’s emotional stuff! It’s heavy! I’ve experienced so many emotions as I’ve read the many MANY articles that have to do with Mark and his ministry.

I’ve been compassionate as I’ve read his apologies. 

I’ve been angry as I read how much hurt he caused one of his founding members and church planters (who represents so many countless others!)  

I’ve been protective as one author encouraged us all to remember his children in all of this mess. 

I’ve been surprised as he called out the “anonymous” ones who have discredited him, and then was slightly amused when the “anonymous” ones showed up to protest at the church. 

I was ashamed when I heard that he decided to raid John MacArthur’s “Strange Fire” conference, and yet secretly jealous because he did it and I didn’t, even though I see it as wrong…

I’ve been embarrassed to think that this is what people are looking at when they look at the church in America. 

This is not the church that my Jesus died for. A church blemished by men and women who fail. Yet equally blemished by men and women who, when given the opportunity to magnify Jesus in the midst of a storm, instead choose to magnify the ones who fail. 

Here’s what I stand to learn, and what I think the church stands to learn from Mark Driscoll and the mess we all find ourselves in. And I do mean all. We all are paying and will pay the price for his mistakes, just as we paid when Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, and Ted Haggard found themselves in the spotlight of the world. But there are lessons to be learned. 

1 - We need to feel compassion, even when someone deserves justice

Mark deserves justice. He’s been asked to step down, he’s been defrocked by the organization he founded (Acts 29) and he’s probably about to suffer the way that everyone he has hurt would like him to. Woohoo! We just severely punished and possibly destroyed another one of our own! Only time will tell. Good job church, the widows and orphans are still looking for pure religion, but we’ve successfully brought the hammer down on one of our brothers and sisters. The widows and orphans and the rest of the world can wait while we sort this mess out! 

Many would like to compare Mark to the priests that Jesus so vehemently opposed in the Gospels, but I’d like to present that Mark Driscoll has become the whore about to be stoned. Is he repentant? I don’t know, but I don’t actually know that the whore was either at the time. All I know is that when Jesus asked the blameless ones to throw their stones first, everyone left but Him. Why? Because He’s compassionate. And He’d like His church to follow suit. He’s the only one qualified to stone Mark Driscoll for what He’s done, and while there may be some serious consequences coming Mark’s way, Jesus is going to be standing compassionately at his side. Without a stone. 

2 - We need to feel anger about things that are wrong

We really do. I mean, I read one of the letters written to Mark by a former close friend and ministry leader and my heart broke for what the man described. And I was proud because he handled it so graciously, and was willing to take responsibility for the fact that he was complicit in many of the circumstances that took place. Well done! 

The letter made me mad. Righteously angry! 

But righteous anger that is not led by the Spirit of God will lead to demonic bitterness that will be gladly planted, watered and fertilized by the enemy. 

Have you ever been angry and stopped and asked, “Father, how should I respond to my anger?” Do you think His immediate response would be “Character assassination! Do that!” or “seek Mark’s total demise!”? 

I think the first question God would ask in return is “What does it have to do with you?” If the answer is “nothing” then the response is “pray.” 

And if it does have something to do with us, then we need to confront it with boldness and the leading of the Spirit of God. There are lots of scriptures to lead us in this. We should use them. But confrontation and accusation are two completely different approaches. 

One final word on this: I realize that a lot of the people who were hurt by Mark did not have the platform or influence to confront him. A healthy alternative is not a public forum where you can bash him on the world’s stage, and hope he sees it. I don’t think God’s going, “yeah, that makes sense, I’ll allow it.” Should you come together for support and understanding? Yes. Should you allow it to become a gossip buffet for the world to sink it’s teeth into? No. 

3 - We need to be protective of the body of Christ

David is one of the ultimate examples of protecting the kingdom when the king is a moron. Why? Because he realized that God is the one who put him in place. He was God’s man. And when Saul’s life ended tragically, having lost the kingdom and lost God’s favor, what was David’s response? “It’s about freaking time!” 

Not quite - David honored the man, because the man, at one time, had been honored by God. And by honoring the man, he was honoring the kingdom, and by honoring the kingdom, he was honoring the One True King. There will never be any good that comes from seeking the destruction of the people of God, even when they are not acting like the people of God. I was listening to Bill Johnson speak on a similar issue, and he reminded those listening of what happened when Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker fell. Peter Jennings, of ABC News Fame, held a huge interview with many of the day’s most influential Christian leaders. But before he began he said this: “when we do a story, we take the time to make many phone calls, have many interviews, and contact as many people as we possibly can to find out as much as we possibly can. But with this story, we did not have to contact a single person. You all called us.” 

That’s pretty sad, Church. We can do better for each other than that. Even when we’re wrong. 

4 - We need to quit preaching our convictions, and start living with it

Did you hear about what happened when Mark Driscoll raided John MacArthur’s conference called “Strange Fire?” You should look it up if you haven’t. 

It’s interesting, because both leaders come from opposite sides of the spectrum of Christianity. John MacArthur is a die-hard cessationist, while Mark Driscoll is a (reformed) charismatic. The problem? Both of them looked pretty dumb. 

Mark looked dumb for raiding the conference. And John looked dumb for holding a conference aimed at a sect of Christianity, his own brothers and sisters (whether he realizes it or not)!! 

Maybe I look dumb for saying they looked dumb…

I was listening to R.T. Kendall talk recently about these varying views of Christianity, and he said this: “One part of the church holds onto the Word, and values it over the Spirit. Another part values the Spirit, more than they value the Word. But when the church allows the Word and the Spirit to come together, we will see revival like this world has never seen before.” 

Time to quit attacking other Christians who don’t believe like you do, Church. The essentials will always unite us. And the non-essentials should give us opportunity for great conversation. Instead, we allow them to split us, and hold us back from, together, bringing the world to Christ. 

5 - We need to quit magnifying failure, and start magnifying Jesus

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus looks at the angels and asks, “when did this stop being about me?” 

I mean really, the world is looking at Mark Driscoll, and Jesus is absolutely the secondary issue. That is both Mark’s fault and it is our fault. In our passion for holiness, we have forsaken the One who is holy. In our desire to see justice fall on the ones who have defamed the name of Christ, we have forsaken the name of Christ. 

We will never make Christ more holy by magnifying the lack of holiness in those who fail. Yet I think there is something incredibly holy about praying for restoration and, when given the opportunity, walking next to the ones who fail. Maybe even when they don’t want it. Maybe Holy Spirit will bring them to a place of wanting it, and they will want it MORE because they know that there is someone waiting to hold their hand through the process. 

Not a lot of people make it through a process of restoration. I can’t help but wonder if that’s because everyone is willing to pass judgment, and there are few who are willing to help restore. Judgment and blame and anger are easy. Restoration is a very long, back breaking process on all who are involved. 

When we magnify the failure and not Christ, we fail the world in the same way the person failed the world. We blemish the name of Christ the way the person blemished the name of Christ - the name above all names. How? Because if we have no hope to offer each other, then we have no hope to offer the world. 

Many have given up on Mark Driscoll, and he’s one of our own. Maybe he deserves it, and maybe he’s secretly scared to death of what tomorrow looks like for him and his family. Maybe a combination of fear and pride are keeping him from fully accepting what lies in front of him. Maybe he really doesn’t care. But what hope do we have to offer those who are outside the body of Christ, if we have no hope to offer those who are inside it? 

I do know this. If we are able to turn our focus on Jesus, quiet our own voices and start listening to His, we might just hear His heart on the matter. And it might completely change our perspective.