Wednesday 13 August 2014

So What Do We Do Now With Mark Driscoll? Charisma Magazine, J Lee Grady Fire in My Bones

Mark Driscoll

Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll has thrived on controversy since he began Mars Hill Church in 1996. His tough-guy image, in-your-face style and distressed jeans made him the ultimate Cool Preacher Dude, especially for young men who regularly enjoyed his non-religious gospel on YouTube. Driscoll became an evangelical celebrity, and his congregation—which is reaching one of the most unchurched regions of the country—quickly grew to 14,000 members among 15 locations.

But Driscoll's ministry hit hard times last week when leaders of Acts 29, a church network Driscoll founded, broke ties with him and charged him with "ungodly and disqualifying behaviour." Acts 29 leader Matt Chandler said Driscoll doesn't show signs of repentance. As a result, LifeWay Stores, a large network of Christian retail outlets in the country, pulled Driscoll's books from its shelves and website.

This is a good time to remind people of the warning signs of an unhealthy church:

1. Little or no accountability. When celebrity preachers seem eager to tell everyone else what to do but aren't willing to hear correction from others, prepare for a train wreck. There is safety in the multitude of counsellors (see Prov. 11:14). There is much less safety—even danger—when a leader does not seek counsel from a diverse group of his peers.

2. Spiritual elitism. If there is a spirit of control in a church, people are usually told their group is superior. If people choose to leave, they are shunned or branded as renegades. Sometimes, in extreme cases, people are even cursed if they leave. This cultic behaviour inflicts unimaginable emotional suffering and also divides families



Comment:

I have read a number of Mark Driscoll books over the last few years,   I was shocked why someone in his position of influence and to certain degree of authority in the transatlantic evangelical sphere  would say the things he said it seems to me that an in-mature believer was pushed into Christian leadership/ministry through situations, circumstances and self-promotion and because of this error, Mark Driscoll lacks/lacked the strength of character to be a leader in His Church.

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