Mark A. Driscoll (born October 11, 1970) is an American evangelical Christian pastor and writer who serves as Senior & amp; Rev. Trinity Church Pastor in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In 1996, Driscoll founded the Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. In March 2014, Mars Hill Church has 14,000 members in five states and fifteen locations. He also founded The Resurgence (a theological cooperation) and founded other parachurch organizations, including Acts 29 Network, Churches Helping Churches, and The Gospel Coalition. He has written for the "Faith and Values" section of the Seattle Times , OnFaith , and the Fox News website. Driscoll also wrote a number of popular Christian books.
Driscoll has been described as "a bad boy evangelist, gifted orator and charismatic leader", and as "hip but hardliner". He is known for promoting "culturally conservative Christianity" but theologically conservative. He liked the aesthetics of "vintage" and "down to earth" style, but sometimes "aggressive", preaching. Controversy often accompanies its complementary view of gender roles, Calvinist theology, misogynous assumptions, plagiarism allegations, and a culture of fear allegedly supporting the authority of its ministry.
In the summer of 2014, he suffered public criticism and official complaints from Mars Hill staff members and congregations for his dominant behavior. In August 2014, the Board of Acts 29 Network removed him from his membership and urged him to withdraw from the ministry. On October 14, 2014, Driscoll resigned from the Mars Hill Church. Two weeks after Driscoll's resignation, executive pastor Dave Bruskas announced that the Mars Hill Church would disband on January 1, 2015, with individual congregations in multi-site churches given the option of becoming independent, to join other churches, or to disperse.
Pada 1 Februari 2016, Driscoll membuka The Trinity Church di Scottsdale, Arizona.
Video Mark Driscoll
Kehidupan awal
Driscoll was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota and grew up in Roman Catholicism in the Riverton Heights area of ââSeaTac, WA, which he describes as "a very rough neighborhood" where serial killer Ted Bundy has taken its toll. He is the eldest of five brothers and sons of the union drywaller. He described the history of harassment and difficult family evil, writing: "The people on my father's side included uneducated alcoholics, mental patients, and female batons.... One of the main reasons my parents moved from North Dakota to Seattle was to get away from some family members when I was very young. "
In high school, he meets his future wife, Grace Martin, daughter of Gib Martin, an evangelical minister. In 1989, he graduated from Highline High School in Burien, Washington, where he served as student body president, baseball captain, school newspaper editor, and "most likely to succeed" in his graduation class. At the age of 19, as a freshman, Driscoll turned to evangelical Christianity. In the same year, according to Driscoll, "God speaks to me... He told me to marry Grace, preach the Bible, train men, and plant churches... I began to prepare myself to dedicate my life to obey [God's] for me." He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Washington State University with a minor degree in philosophy and holds a Master of Arts degree in exegetical theology from Western Seminary.
Maps Mark Driscoll
Careers at Mars Hill Church
After graduation, Mark and Grace moved to Seattle, where they attended the Antioch Bible Church and worked with the church's college ministry as volunteers. Mark was hired as an apprentice several months later. Through his apprenticeship, Mark meets Mike Gunn, who works for Athlete services at the University of Washington, and Lief Moi, the radio host. The three men began discussing the planting of the "urban, postmodern" church in Seattle. Greg Kappas, the pastor in charge of the new church planting ministry of the Church of Antioch, guided the three of them and helped them develop their plans.
Establishing Mars Hill Church
Driscoll, Lief Moi, and Mike Gunn founded Mars Hill Church in the spring of 1995 and officially launched it in the fall of 1996. The church first met at the Driscolls family's home. In the spring of 1997, the church had been moved and expanded into two services. Driscoll then reflects that he was "not ready" when he planted Mars Hill at the age of 25 years.
Then in 1997, he was invited to speak at a conference of Leadership Network pastors in California. His speech inspired many people in the newly emerging church movement and, according to Driscoll, shifted the focus of the movement from reaching Generation X to achieve a postmodern world. As a result, the Mars Hill and Driscoll Churches were pushed into the national spotlight: he was interviewed on National Public Radio and Mother Jones magazine published a feature in the church. Mars Hill Church grew from 160 members in 1996 to 350 in 1999.
Established Acts Network 29
In 1998, Driscoll and David Nicholas founded the Acts Network 29 ("Acts 29"), a church planting network, in response to those who approached Driscoll for advice on church planting. The purpose of this parachurch organization is to plant 1000 new churches around the world "through recruitment, assessment, training, funding, and training." Acts 29 began slowly under the leadership of Driscoll, with 11 churches at the beginning and 17 in 2003. At that time, it began to grow rapidly, reaching 50 churches in 2006 and 410 churches in 2011. The majority still reside in the US, with 38 churches in 16 other countries.
According to Salon , Driscoll compiled Acts 29 to match his strict "orthodoxy and orthodox view" of theology and politics, while allowing cultural freedom. Among other specifics, Acts 29 church pioneers should be led by men.
Rebirth
In 2006, Driscoll established the Awakening, a "theological cooperative" to support Acts 29 and Mars Hill Church. The resurrection aims to train church leaders in conservative reformed theology. It has three main branches: Re: Lit , a publisher; Re: Train , missional training center; and Re: Sound , a musical arm.
Reorganization of Mars Hill Church (2006-07)
Rationale
Driscoll, the first pastor paid by Mars Hill, has been a minister and the face of his main sermon since its inception. As the church grew, he began to train elders and other deacons, mobilizing himself into a more executive role in setting vision and continuing to preach. In 2006, the church counted 4,000-5,000 participants every week on three campuses in the Seattle area. That year, Driscoll claimed that he had reached a personal crisis due to his "tremendous workload" - at present he is the chief authority on Mars Hill, president of Acts 29, president of The Resurgence, a writer, and an international traveler with lectures. She, with her own account, slept only 2-3 hours per night and began to fear that she would die earlier due to a heart attack. In the end, in 2006-2007, he began to restructure the church and claimed he would relinquish power. In Mars Hill, he publicly declared that he resigned as "the president of the law," the older council president, and the chief of staff, while retaining his role as a public face and preaching the minister.
Prior to the reorganization, Mars Hill was governed by a complete board of two dozen church elders (including Driscoll) who had the same voice authority and voted on major decisions, and the five-member board of "executive elders" (also including Driscoll) who handles day-to-day operations but suspended to full board for major decisions. According to the pastor on Mars Hill, Paul Petry, in the summer of 2007, Driscoll "replaced [the executive board] with yes-men" and started making big decisions, like buying a new building for $ 4 million without consulting the full board.
Proposed law changes
In September 2007, Driscoll proposed changes to the rules that would provide an indefinite period of provision to "executive elders". Driscoll and the proponents of change argue that the church has gone beyond the original structuring structure, while critics have argued that the change consolidates power with Driscoll and his trusted lieutenants. Paul Petry and another clergyman, Bent Meyer, both disliked the change. In response, Driscoll fired both of them from their work. In a Mars Hill forum post, the priests were not named, but they reported that one was dismissed for "displaying unhealthy distrust in senior leadership" and the other for "ignoring the elder protocols accepted for the period of legal discussion" and "verbally attacking leader of the shepherd [Driscoll]. "
The morning after Petry and Meyer were dismissed, Driscoll told his pastor and other church leaders at a conference: "Yesterday we fired two parents for the first time in Mars Hill history.... They were out of mission, so now they are unemployed. This will be a decisive issue whether you succeed or fail.I've read enough of the New Testament to know that sometimes Paul [the Apostle] puts someone in a wooden chipper. "
In addition to losing their jobs, both are placed in ecclesiastical courts to review their church membership. Petry was indicted by Driscoll and other elders with "a lack of trust and respect for spiritual authority" and "the use of false classified information", the latest allegations that Petry had discussed the regulatory changes with the deacon of Rob Smith's church, which was not part of the council but asked to join. Petry was allowed to respond to the allegations, but was not allowed to attend the full hearing. Elders come to the unanimous conclusion that Petry no longer qualifies to become an elder of the church. Driscoll urges his congregation to avoid the Petry family.
Meyer was given a "softer" ecclesiastical hearing but chose to resign. Rob Smith has written an email to elders calling for a fair trial for Petry and Meyer; Smith said that in response, Driscoll told his followers to stop giving to Agathos, an independent economic development charity run by Smith, causing donations to fall by 80 percent.
Repercussions
Within a year of change, Lief Moi, Hill Hill's founder and close friend Driscoll, left Mars Hill and started a pizza restaurant. He then explained that he was disillusioned with regulatory changes and the downfall; he feels better "stealth" than "adds to difficulties" caused by restructuring. He rejected his past actions and met with Petry and Meyer to apologize for "not doing more to defend them."
In 2014, Petry, Smith, and Moi all joined and, in some cases, organized an online protest against Driscoll. Commentators linked the 2014 summer "riot" at Mars Hill with a structural change in 2007 along with other developments in Driscoll's career.
ABC Nightline Special (2009)
In March 2009, Driscoll was involved in the ABC Nightline debates titled, "Is Satan Existing?" Driscoll and Annie Lobert, founders of Prostitutes for Christian ministry of Jesus, argue for the existence of demons against Deepak Chopra, philosopher, and Carlton Pearson, former fundamentalist minister and author of "The Gospel of Inclusion." One commentator described the debate as a "debate", with all participants taking an "uncompromising" position. Driscoll argues that belief in Satan and God is an important principle of Christianity. Driscoll has also been featured on programs that address other topics including the Ten Commandments and sex. Haiti help (2010)
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Driscoll and James MacDonald founded the Church Help Church to help the church rebuild after a terrible natural disaster. They helped rebuild dozens of churches in Haiti and Japan. Driscoll first flew to Haiti shortly after the earthquake, and established a partnership between his church and Jean F. E. St. Cyr, a Haitian pastor. Mars Hill Church donated $ 1.7 million for medical supplies.
Resignation from Acts 29 and Gospel Coalition (2012)
On March 29, 2012, Driscoll resigned as President of Acts 29 and from the Gospel Coalition Council, handed over his responsibilities to Matt Chandler. Commenting on the transition, Chandler said, "[Story Board 29] runs a network of 422 churches on six continents in the same way as 80 to 100 churches on a single continent." Chandler also plans to describe Acts 29 of Mars Hill Church; before Driscoll's departure, Acts 29 was mainly funded by Mars Hill. By mid-2014, Driscoll was no longer on the chalkboard of Acts 29.
Driscoll is a founding member of the Gospel Coalition, an alliance of reformed evangelical churches. On his departure, he writes he has no "relational conflict with anyone and no theological dispute"; instead, he explained that he was rearranging his priorities and could not fulfill all of his commitments. Driscoll indicated that he intended to devote more of his efforts to Mars Hill Church, more time for his family, and less time to travel.
Formal allegations filed by former elder Dave Kraft (2013)
In May 2013, now former Mars Hill elder Dave Kraft presented the official indictment (under Mars Hill Church's legal regulation) of "persecution" against Mark Driscoll and other leaders on Mars Hill. He specifically accused Driscoll of being "dominant, rude, arrogant, and quick-tempered." Kraft further states that this "established... behavioral pattern" disqualifies Driscoll from church leadership. Advisory Council and Responsibility Mars Hill Church responded, saying that they sent a hundred letters to the elders and previous staff in an effort to justify Kraft's allegations. They received eighteen responses, which they reviewed, and assigned them "no disqualification" with respect to Driscoll's leadership position. However, the Council did initiate a "reconciliation process" to address "many unresolved violations and pains." Dave Kraft worked on Mars Hill from 2005 to 2013 and became Driscoll's personal "trainer" during that time.
Former leaders and members protest Driscoll (2014)
Michael Paulson, writing for The New York Times, writes that while Driscoll has been criticized from leftist and liberal Christian politics for years, the last few years before and including 2014 saw the emergence of criticism from conservative Christians, including Driscoll's former "allies and supporters". According to the Seattle Times , Janet Mefferd's plagiarism allegations are an "important turning point" that attracts external interest in Mars Hill's internal affairs, and encourages questions from new criticisms about the church and how to handle its finances. After hearing the allegations of Mefferd plagiarism, Evangelical Christian and Grove City College professor Warren Throckmorton became interested and became a prominent critic of Driscoll and Mars Hill, documenting other examples of perceived plagiarism, harassment reported by former Mars Hill members, and the use of churches in question. finance.
"The Converting Shepherd"
On March 29, 2014, four former Mars Hill elders (Kyle Firstenberg, Dave Kraft, Scott Mitchell, and co-founder Lief Moi) created a blog entitled "Pastor Repentant" and posted online "confessions and apologies" related to their leadership role in Mars Hill. In a joint statement, they wrote, "we recognize and admit that Mars Hill has hurt many people in the Mars Hill community, as well as people outside the community." Salon summarizes the statement, writing that the former leader emphasized their failure to "control Driscoll in" and their involvement with "autocratic" management style Driscoll. Firstenberg writes that as the church appears to evolve, employees live in constant pressure, and "success must be achieved regardless of human and moral costs." Firstenberg added:
Driscoll's reputation for being a cursed priest because he uses the harsh language of the pulpit is nothing compared to the swearing and rough language he uses daily with staff. When people ask me how I like to work on Mars Hill, I'll just say, "This is a great church to go to, but I do not recommend working here." It was well known to the staff that what was reported on Sunday was not served on Monday morning with the staff.
Lief Moi describes his own behavior on Mars Hill as "driven by narcissism and anti-social tendencies."
Driscoll discusses former member complaints â â¬
In a message recording shown to church members on July 27, 2014, Driscoll discussed the controversies of 2014. He said that he could "not overcome some members' dissatisfaction... because the complaint was anonymous." According to Rob Smith, former program director at church, the statement of anonymity "really touches the nerve" with former members. In response, dissidents organized a Facebook group called "Dear Pastor Mark & ââMars Hill: We Are Not Anonymous."
Public demonstration at Mars Hill Church
The following Sunday, "dozens of demonstrators" organized and tracked the Mars Hill Church Bellevue campus (where Driscoll preached directly), calling for Driscoll's resignation. Demonstrators carry placards bearing the words "We Are Not Anonymous" and "Question Marks", and accuse Driscoll of intimidating, hateful of women, inadequate transparency in church finances, and harsh discipline from members. Driscoll is away for his annual summer vacation. An elder of the church, Anthony Iannicielo, responded that criticism of Driscoll and Mars Hill was "in line with the territory" running a large church with a long history. In a previously recorded message, Driscoll said that he was deliberately "somewhat silent" during the criticism, that he found it "a bit confusing and slightly confusing", and indicated that he had no intention of resigning.
Removal from Acts 29 Network
On August 8, 2014, the council of Acts 29 revoked Driscoll and Mars Hill Churches from membership. Chairman Matt Chandler wrote, "It is our belief that the nature of the accusations against Mark, most of which has been confirmed by him, makes it untenable and unhelpful to keep Mark [Driscoll] and Mars Hill [the Church] in our network." Acts 29 board of directors expressed gratitude for Driscoll's work with Network as founder and former President, but stated his recent actions "inappropriate behavior and disqualify." To Driscoll, they wrote, "our boards and networks have become recipients... tens of fires directly linked to you... we are naturally related to you and feel that this association discredited the network and is a major diversion." They further advised him to "step down from service for a long time and seek help."
Acts 29 has strived to "rely on" Mars Hill's Advisory and Accountability Board (BOAA) to discipline Driscoll, but losing confidence in the council. BOAA has been established by Driscoll as its board of accountability, not church elders. (BOAA members are for most professional pastors and employers who are not members of the church and quoted by Driscoll.) The previous month, evangelical leaders and Acts 29 colleagues Paul Tripp and James MacDonald resigned from BOAA. Religious correspondent Sarah Pulliam Bailey described Acts 29's decision as "unusual" because "ministries usually leave issues of church discipline to local churches."
BOAA chairman Michael Van Skaik replied, "Men, I told the main priests... that we are making real progress in dealing with serious reconciliation and unhealthy cultural issues that have been part of the Mars Hill Church for too long. we... "He further added that the leaders of Acts 29 did not contact Mars Hill before acting, and that Driscoll had" changed his course, "and described Acts 29 as" divisive. "Van Skaik also raised the allegations officially filed against Driscoll under Mars Hill's constitution, writes "seriously filed serious demands, taken seriously, and not easily dismissed by the council."
Hiatus from ministry
On August 24, 2014, Driscoll announced he would take a six-week "break off" from his pastor while charges against him were investigated. Later that week, a letter signed by nine Mars Hill priests at this time who strongly condemned Driscoll leaked to the public. The letter, written several days before Driscoll resigned, urged him to retreat from all aspects of service. This includes excerpts from internationally acclaimed writers, pastors and former BOAA member Paul Tripp who says, "This is undoubtedly, the most cruel and most compulsive service culture I have ever attended." One of the pastors who signed the letter was dismissed five days later for "a revolt against the church." On September 9, eight of the nine priests who signed the letter resigned or were dismissed, including Dustin Kensrue's worship director. The last of the nine priests is passed down from the pastor to the elders of the ancestors. Driscoll did not return at the end of the planned six weeks; after seven weeks, he announced his resignation.
Staff firing and closing church branches
On September 7, 2014 (the second week of Driscoll's hiatus), Mars Hill officials, citing "financial pressure amid recent negative media attention", announced layoffs and the closing of several branches of the church. The weekly attendance at the beginning of the year for all branches is 12,000-13,000, but has dropped to 8,000-9,000. Donations also experienced a "sharp decline." In response, the church plans to lay off "30 to 40 percent" of its 100 paid staff members, and shut down their downtown branch in Seattle and the University District branch, merging the two hearings to the Ballard location. Two other branches outside of Washington state are marked for possible closures if their finances do not improve. Mars Hill also announced the resignation of Sutton Turner, the executive elder since 2011, effective at the end of September 2014.
More reps
LifeWay Christian Resources, Christian bookseller and Southern Baptist Convention publishing division, announced on August 10, 2014 that they stopped selling Driscoll's books. Marty King, communications director for LifeWay, said, "[we] did not sell Mark Driscoll's book while we assessed the situation regarding his ministry." King identified Acts 29's call for Driscoll to withdraw as a "definite part" of their decision, along with a "cumulative effect" of other charges against Driscoll.
Driscoll was removed from the list of speakers from some planned conference of Act Like Men, which included other Acts 29 speakers and Driscoll's past colleagues, including James MacDonald and Matt Chandler. He was also removed as a concluding speaker at the Conference of the Gate Church, an annual gathering of thousands of evangelical pastors. Mars Hill Church also canceled their own 2014 Resurgence conference, which is planned for October 2014, as some of the planned speakers have severed ties with Driscoll.
Resignation from Mars Hill Church
In the fall of 2014, a group of elders released a report on an investigation into allegations of oppression and intimidating behavior by Driscoll made by 21 former church elders. The investigation involved "about 1,000 hours of research, interviewing more than 50 people and preparing 200 pages of information." The report concludes that Driscoll was never charged with "immorality, illegality or heresy," and considers "some of the charges against Pastor Mark are utterly unjust or untrue." In addition, the report found that many of the other previous accusations had been handled by Father Mark, personally and publicly, indeed, he publicly admitted and apologized for numerous allegations against him, some of which occurred for 14 years. "However, the elders did find" bullying "and" persistent patterns of sinful behavior "by Driscoll. The Council also concluded that Driscoll had been "guilty of arrogance, responding to conflicts with fast temperament and harsh speech, and leading staff and parents in a dominating manner", but was not accused of doing anything immoral or illegal. Driscoll argues that he does not disqualify himself from the ministry.
The church leaders made a "recovery plan" to help Driscoll and save the church. Instead, Driscoll rejected the recovery plan and resigned on October 14, 2014, citing concerns about his health and safety. His resignation came as a "surprise" to the Church Watchdog Board, who said in a statement that they did not ask Driscoll for his resignation.
Journalist Ruth Graham writes that "there is not a single disgrace or crime that brings Driscoll down, instead it is a series of accusations: plagiarism, rudeness, intimidation management style, improper power consolidation, and slick book promotion ethics, to name a few. "Theological Professor Anthony Bradley says that while denominational churches have continuity after the departure of leading leaders, the Mars Hill Church is not side by side and is largely built on Driscoll's personal charisma.
On October 20, 2014, six days after his resignation, Driscoll, at the invitation of church mega-leader Robert Morris, speaking at the Gateway Conference Morris said that, on the eve of his resignation, he and his family were harassed and he had received death threats. Driscoll then appeared at conferences and other churches.
Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona
On July 27, 2015, Driscoll announced that his new ministry had purchased the Mars Hill Church mailing list and assets of The Resurgence and that he and his family had moved to the Phoenix area. On February 1, 2016, Driscolls announced the opening of their new church: The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. Commentators including Warren Throckmorton observed that the new church website does not refer to Driscoll's "controversial" history on Mars Hill, while staff lists include two former Mars Hill employees. The big Texas lawyers Robert Morris and Jimmy Evans are on the council.
Public image
According to the Seattle Times , "preaching and communicating a lie in the heart of Driscoll's draw." According to Mars Hill, at its peak online audience, it generates 15 million impressions of sermons a year. In another Seattle Times article, Driscoll is described as a "hipster preacher" who uses "charisma and combat power."
Driscoll has been described as a "gifted orator" and a "charismatic leader." People call him a very interesting speaker, "talented" and "dynamic and funny, with a mixture of strong respect for Jesus and irreverence for others." The public speaking style, he said, was influenced by stand-up comedians like Chris Rock. Crosscut.com describes his style of presentation as follows: "Going on stage at the main Ballard campus, he delivered a sermon on the role of marriage when he saw them poured into the Song of Songs, telling stories from his own marriage, offering statistics, and dropping jokes without being forced, Every few minutes he will sniff in a wise and practiced way. This unmanned striving is the opposite of a teledor evangelist, but polished in his own way, the man is easily listened to. "
Rob Wall, a professor at Seattle Pacific University, attributes the success of Mars Hill Church to Mark Driscoll's direct answer to complex spiritual questions: "His public rhetoric style is very authoritative, whether it's about the Bible, or about culture, he's very clear and definitive. "
In 2009, The New York Times Magazine called Driscoll "one of the most admired and reviled figures among national evangelicals". In 2011, the magazine Preaching named it one of 25 most influential [English speaking] pastors in the last 25 years. By 2014, Forbes calls Driscoll "one of the most prominent and world renowned priests."
Driscoll is depicted in profile 2014 by Salon as a center of personality cult, and uses controversy to increase his visibility. Salon also describes "[sex] conversations that are attached to God's talk, or broader titillation, [as] a key component of the Driscoll brand," added: "Driscoll stage personnel have occasionally incorporated tight jeans. and an extra button open on the shirt. He once greeted the audience at the University of Washington by reporting that he had his genitals stuck in his zipper before the show and that he would stop on time because his wife was waiting at home with cream pie.
Controversy
See also: Mark Driscoll Ã,ç Sexuality
Comments on Ted Haggard
When evangelical evangelist Ted Haggard resigned from church leadership after a sex scandal involving a male companion, Driscoll provoked a stir by posting the following comment on his blog: "A wife who allows herself to go and is not sexually available to her husband in a way that the Song of Songs is very candid about not being responsible for the sins of her husband, but she may not be helping her either. "Driscoll later apologized for his statement, stating that he did not intend for his comment to reflect Haggard's wife in private. After the incident, the Seattle Times stopped Driscoll as one of the religious columns.
Speak from 2000
On July 30, 2014, dissidents released a satire "controversial, vulgar" written by Driscoll under the pseudonym "William Wallace II" in 2000, nicknamed the "Pussified Nation" rant. The harsh words contain "crude and emotional comments critical of feminism, homosexual behavior, and" sensitive men ", and called for" real men "to rise in the spirit of Scottish soldier William Wallace as depicted in film Braveheart. Mars Hill Church has long since erased their un-moderated "Midrash" discussion board where the forum postings occurred.Driscoll refers to the incident in his 2006 Confessions of the Reformation Rev. ; He wrote in 2006, "I have a good mission, but some of my tactics are born out of anger and exhaustion, and I do a lot of damage and damage while attracting a lot of attention. "Driscoll responded to the release of harsh words in a letter to his congregation, writing that" the content of my post to the discussion board does not reflect how my feelings or how I will do myself today. "On September 8, 2014, Libby Anne blogger reprinted other material examples written by" William Wallace II "in 2001, and said that he" rarely sees an evangelist stating male superiority and these advantages directly. " Plagiarism allegations at Call to Survive (2013)
On November 21, 2013, radio host Janet Mefferd accused Driscoll of plagiarism. Mefferd claims that 14 pages of Driscoll's Book of Resurgence are quoted "extensively and without quotes" from Peter Jones's 1999 book, The Gospel of Truth/Pagan Lies: Can You Tell the Difference? and Jones 2010 book One or Two: Seeing the World of Differences. Driscoll publishers, Tyndale House stated that they are doing a "thorough review at home" and disagree that this is a case of plagiarism. Neil Holdway, a plagiarism expert from the American Copy Editors Society, concluded that "Driscoll did not adequately indicate the extent to which he borrowed Jones' work."
More plagiarism allegations in other Driscoll works soon appeared, including parts of the sermon text of the sermon series, Trial: 8 Witnesses From 1 & amp; 2 Peter , copied verbatim from excerpts written by David Wheaton in New Bible Commentary . InterVarsity Press, publisher of the New Bible Commentary , states that Driscoll failed to provide any citations or attribution to the material. Relevant parts are posted online. The charge was immediately extended to include claims that Driscoll used ghost authors and researchers without giving them proper attribution. In December 2013, both Peter Jones, D.A. Carson, or Janet Mefferd has made a further statement on the case.
Salem Radio Syndicator then deleted both the broadcast interview with Driscoll and related material from the Mefferd program website and apologized for raising the issue in a broadcast interview. Attempts to conclude the story led to the resignation of producer Mefferd, Ingrid Schlueter. In explaining his resignation, Schlueter wrote the following about himself and Mefferd:
"I was a part-time producer, the topic for Janet Mefferd until [December 3, 2013] when I resigned over this situation.I can share is that there is an evangelical celebrity machine that is stronger than anyone realizes.You may not go to the machine Mark Driscoll is plagiarized and those who can underscore the seriousness and demand no accountability are the realities of the evangelical industry complex. "
Driscoll apologized for "mistakes" related to the allegations in a statement released for The Christian Post on December 18, 2013. Mefferd eventually left Salem Radio in April 2015.
New York Times List of Bestsellers and Driscoll Real Wedding (2014)
On March 5, 2014, the evangelical magazine World published an article claiming that the Mars Hill Church paid $ 25,000 to a ResultSource marketing company, to manipulate the sales figures of Mark Driscoll's book Real Marriage â ⬠< â ⬠and thus get a place on the New York Times bestseller list . ResultSource completes this goal - the book briefly reaches # 1 in the "Suggestions" category - by purchasing 11,000 copies of the book, using $ 210,000 of Hill Hill Mars money, from various online sources and payment methods.
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability states that buying a place on the bestseller list violates its ethical standards, but that's because it happened before the Mars Hill Church joined, they could not take action. Christianity Today describes its arrangement as "ethically questionable", and Carl Trueman religious journal First Things denounces revelation, writes, "the whole picture is one disaster" and " It has raised questions not only about personal integrity but also the culture of American Evangelicalism. "
Driscoll has used the real success of True Marriage to negotiate a multi-book deal with Christian publisher Tyndale House. The first book under Driscoll's "Resurgence" is A Call to Resurgence with plans to publish five to seven books per year. Tyndale House defends Driscoll's plagiarism in A Call to Resurgence, and confirms their ongoing relationship with Driscoll.
The Mars Hill Church responded with a statement, writing, "though unusual or illegal, this unwise strategy is not what we have used before or since, and nothing else we will use again." Mars Hill also claimed that the "true cost" of the effort was less than "what has been reported."
On March 17, 2014, Driscoll posted an open letter of apology in response to this controversy and another, writing that he would no longer claim to be the best-selling author of the New York Times , and that he is now viewing the ResultSource marketing campaign as "manipulating the book sales reporting system, which is wrong." He wrote that he gave up his status as a "celebrity priest", that he considered the day of "angry young prophet" to come to an end, and that he reduced his public presence in lectures and social media.
On March 28, 2015, Sutton Turner, a former church elder who signed a Source of Results contract, explained that he did not approve a marketing plan to use the Source of Results, but the decision to use it was made before he started working on Mars Hill, so he signed his contract.
Display planned at Hillsong Conference 2015
Driscoll is scheduled to perform at Hillsong Church conference 2015 Australia and UK. A petition opposing Driscoll's appearance at the conference garnered 3,000 signatures, prompting Hillsong Church Senior Pastor Brian Houston to cancel the talk show planned by Driscoll. Instead, Hillsong's conference presented a 30-minute recorded interview Mark and Grace Driscoll were interviewed by Houston at the conference.
Confidence
Driscoll is an evangelical Christian. In that broad movement, he is theologically and socially conservative. In the Bible, he is a literalist and an inerrantist. Driscoll's theology drew inspiration from historical theologians, including St. Augustine, John Calvin, and Martin Luther, along with the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon. He also honors evangelical leaders such as Billy Graham, J. I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, and John Stott. His contemporary influences include Lesslie Newbigin and the group he calls "Missional Reformal Evangelicals": Don Carson and John Piper for theology, and Tim Keller and Ed Stetzer for missiology. Driscoll's combination of theological conservatism and his "missional" coverage of contemporary culture contribute to the controversy. Molly Worthen writes: "Conservatives call Driscoll the 'cursing priest' and hope that he will trade his fashionable jeans and taste for indie rock for a tattoo suit and tie and a quiet choir.Great wince at the theology and the insistence of his hell that women submit to their husbands. "
Regarding spiritual gifts, Driscoll is a successor. Regarding creation, he is the "Historical Creation". In his book Doctrine: What to Believe Christian , Driscoll expressed his respect for John Sailhamer's book Genesis Unbound ; Driscoll is skeptical of evolution as part of creationism. Driscoll believes that homosexual behavior is a sin, and that marriage is between one man and a woman. In church administration, Driscoll prefers a parent-led approach.
Calvinism
Driscoll embraces Reformed or Calvinist theology, although he characterizes his position specifically as New Calvinism to distinguish himself from the more disappearing and non-missional aspects historically associated with Calvinism. Driscoll denies the orthodox Calvinist view of the limited atonement and believes otherwise that Jesus died for everyone in some sense, and for some people (the elect) in another sense. He thinks this position is what John Calvin believes, saying humorously: 'Calvinism comes after Calvin... I would argue that Calvinism is not very Calvin. I will argue against Calvinism with Calvin... What kind of Calvinist are you? I am a Calvin, not a Calvinist, coming later '. Driscoll also believes that this position (or a slight variation of it) is held by the likes of Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, and Richard Baxter.
Driscoll distinguishes between double and single predestination, and says that unlike John Calvin, he believed only in a single predestination.
Emerging Church
Driscoll is associated with emerging church movements. He described the movement as follows:
The emerging church is a loosely-connected and loosely-connected movement of young pastors especially those who delight in seeing the end of modernity and strive to function as missionaries who carry the gospel of Jesus Christ into a newly emerging and postmodern culture. The emerging Church welcomes the tension of holding in one hand the unchanged truth of evangelical Christian theology ( Judas 3 ) and holding in one hand an open cultural way to show and speak Christian truth as a missionary to America ( 1 Cor 9: 19-23 ). Since the movement, if it can be called, is young and still defines its theological center, I do not want to describe the movement as a unified ideology as I myself swim in the conservative theological stream of the risen church.
Driscoll then distance himself from the movement:
In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as a rising church and spent some time traveling around the country talking about churches emerging in the emerging culture of a team united by a Leadership Network called the Young Leaders Network. However, I finally had to distance myself from the stream of networks that came up because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt started pushing the theological agenda that really bothered me. Examples include mentioning God as a girl, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, rejection of substitution at the cross, low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one of the greatest mistakes.
Gender roles
In gender roles, Driscoll is a complement, believing that men and women are of equal value, but have different roles in family and church. He supports male leadership at home and church. According to Driscoll's Mrs. Jones profile, she may have held an egalitarian view at one time. He offers a church course in "evangelical feminism" and is quoted as saying "The Bible is clear that men and women are equally created by God in His image and likeness and utterly in all things." In 2003, Driscoll said he hoped he could change parts of Scripture that he believed restricted women to become pastors.
The male leadership of the church is very important, according to Driscoll, who believes that God calls him specifically to "train men." He traces many modern spiritual and social problems for the acceptance of women's leadership. Driscoll describes Eve's temptations by snakes in the Garden of Eden as "the first invitation to independent feminism." For Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, according to Driscoll, "the first exercise of women's role in home and church leadership in world history is not going well."
Driscoll believes that Christianity has been "feminine." In a 2006 interview with Desiring God, he said, "The problem with the church today, it's just a bunch of nice, gentle, soft, 'chickified' [ sic Sixty percent of Christians are chicks, and forty percent are dudes still like chicks... The whole architecture and overall aesthetics [church buildings and services] are really feminine. "By contrast, Driscoll emphasizes what he feels as a macho behavior in the actions of the biblical protagonist: he describes Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and King David saying: "... these men are dudes.Heterosexual, win-a-fight, blow-you-in- the-nose, dudes. "He believes that to be innovative, the church needs to involve young male entrepreneurs, who will" create a culture of the future. "
Driscoll interprets the Apostle Paul as writing that women are encouraged to be an active part of life and ministry in the church, but only men can teach others or become "elders" (identical terms). Because Paul's prohibition on older women priests appeals to the creation story of Genesis (1 Timothy 2:14) for the reason, Driscoll argues that the restrictions are permanent and can not be adapted for cultural change.
When the Episcopal Church chose Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first female Pioneer Bishop, Driscoll wrote on her blog that "if a Christian man does not wake up soon, Episcopal can choose a baby bunny rabbit rabbit as the next bishop to lead the people of God."
Sexuality
According to Salon.com, "Driscoll has been a major supporter for an honest conversation about sexuality among conservative Christians".
Mark and Grace Driscoll publish their first book together, entitled True Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & amp; Life Together, in January 2012. This includes a chapter titled "Can WeÃ, ___?", Discussing biblical reasons for certain sexual acts that evangelical ministers are considered reluctant to discuss. Driscoll says that the book was written because "only two [Christian] books discuss sexuality in depth... many Christian teachings about sex answer questions from previous generations." The Driscolls and Mars Hill Church greatly promote the book, taking an interview with The View , Fox & amp; Friends , and Piers Morgan Tonight.
The Daily Beast described the book as controversial, writing that "evangelicals of all lines are angry... from conservatives who are shocked by the description of sex pictures for liberals who hate their fall from women." According to The Daily Mail , the book "gives the go-ahead for various sexual taboos such as anal sex and uses sex toys", thus aiming for conservative religious views of sexual acts. The Christian writer and blogger Rachel Held Evans wrote, "Grace [Driscoll] often plays a broken and sinful wife who withholds sex from her worthy husband, Marks a justified hero who leaves his wife but instead comes to save her." Driscoll responded to criticism in a post to CNN's Belief Blog, writing: "You are trying to write a book about marriage and sex with your wife and the next thing you know there are many ants crashing into your picnic." She writes that she and Grace anticipates criticism "from all sides" but feels it would be beneficial, because "we want to help marriage and single people aspire to marry...."
Source of the article : Wikipedia