Month: July 2014

Ex-Mars Hill Group Plans Demonstration at the Church on August 3

Calling it a “We Are Not Anonymous Protest,” a group of ex-Mars Hill members plans to assemble outside of Mars Hill Church next Sunday. Created by Rob Smith, the event is intended to respond to Mark Driscoll’s claim that many ex-Mars Hill members have been complaining anonymously. Recently, a Facebook group dedicated to countering Driscoll’s claim has grown to over 400 members.
The group has launched a crowdfunding page at GoFundMe.com with the following description:

This campaign is to be able to purchase placards, moving billboards and other expenses related to a peaceful protest on Sunday, August 3rd.  Any monies left over will go to Bent Meyer and Paul Petry as a beginning token of affection to them and the first fruits of restitution for the ordeal that they were put through in 2007.

Given the statements of Mark Driscoll that he wants reconciliation, it is astounding that Mars Hill leaders have not reached out to Petry and Meyer.

Michael Peroutka: I Wish I Was in Dixie is the National Anthem

At the 2012 League of the South conference, Michael Peroutka encouraged the League members to use his Institute on the Constitution course as a foundation for building their membership and preparing the way for secession (or some other form of destruction of the United States regime).

At the end of the speech, he sang a song about the “American view.” Then, after asking the audience to stand for the national anthem, he led them in “I Wish I Was in Dixie.”

Watch:

Here is the entire video.

If this doesn’t work, just go here.

Jul 30, 2012 Former Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka speaks at the 2012 League of the South national conference in Wallsboro, Alabama.

What Does Michael Peroutka Really Believe About Secession?

According to the Baltimore Sun, GOP nominee for the Anne Arundel County Council Michael Peroutka told Steve Schuh, a GOP candidate running for Anne Arundel County executive, that he does not believe in Southern secession from the union. However, in a 2012 speech (starting at 26 minutes) to the white separatist group, League of the South, Peroutka spoke favorably about secession:

I don’t disagree with Dr. Hill [League of the South president] at all that this regime is beyond reform, and I think that’s an obvious fact, and I agree with him. However, I agree that when you secede, or however the destruction of the rubble of this regime takes place and how it plays out, you’re going to need to take a biblical world view, and apply it to civil law and government. That’s what you’re still going to need to do. We’re going to have to have this foundational information in the hearts and minds of the people or else liberty won’t survive the secession either. You see what I’m saying? I’m saying that because I don’t want people from League of the South that for one minute that I am about reforming the current regime, and that studying the Constitution is about reforming the current regime. (emphasis added)

Watch:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/vc99QKjjq80[/youtube]
In 2013, Peroutka joined the board of the League and pledged the resources of his family and the Institute on the Constitution to the League’s efforts.
Watch:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/vze4fPPkgxY[/youtube]
One of the prime objectives of the League is secession. It is difficult to understand why one would join, speak to and help run an organization if one did not support the prime objectives of the organization. In 2012, he was quite candid in his agreement with the president of the organization that the United States is beyond reform and that a “biblical world view” was necessary for secession.

One Day, Two Views of Mars Hill Church

Yesterday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and World magazine posted articles about Mars Hill Church. To me, the articles do not seem to be about the same church.

The Seattle PI piece addressed the newest development among former Mars Hill Church members and leaders: the Facebook group which alerts the public that many ex-Mars Hill members are not and have not been anonymous in their complaints about the church. Mark Driscoll claimed in a speech to the church just over a week ago that leaders at the church could not reconcile with ex-members because they were anonymous. The Facebook group now has over 260 member and features many very visible ex-members and their stories.

The World article painted a much nicer picture of the church, failing to include voices of ex-members or evidence to counter the favorable comments of Mars Hill Public Relation deacon, Justin Dean, or the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability which apparently is not going to require adherence to the organization’s guidelines. Surprising to me was the lack of challenge from World to this explanation of Mars Hill Global from the church:

However, it is difficult to determine where the money went, though it is now clear some of the money went not to international efforts but to domestic church plants, including some in the Seattle area. When WORLD asked via email for an itemized accounting of those funds, Dean wrote, “Since donations given by the Mars Hill Global family were never intended to be designated solely for international efforts, we don’t provide an itemized accounting of those funds.”

“Some of the money”? The church has already admitted that the preponderance of donations when to domestic church plants. Justin Dean’s statement is a dodge of World’s question which went unchallenged. There is plenty of evidence that Mars Hill created a Global Fund in 2012. Members and pastors of the church alike were under the impression those donations were being solicited for international missions. In spite of all the evidence that after 2012 the Global Fund was pitched as a ministry of Mars Hill Church to support international missions (not a group of non-members), Mars Hill spun the situation with no challenge from World. There was no mention of the fact that Mars Hill has issued two takedown orders to You Tube to keep video evidence about Mars Hill Global out of the public view.

At last, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability speaks. However, even this group ignores the clear evidence. Worse yet, apparently ECFA will not require the church to reveal how much they spent on international missions and how much was spent on domestic efforts.

Finally, I have no problem with the interviews of current pastors at Mars Hill, but to then give ex-pastor Dave Kraft only a brief blurb at the end was not nearly enough to report on the level of distress and conflict there is currently among former members (Mars Hill in exile). Usually World is more balanced and demonstrates a better ability to investigate the crux of a matter. I hope World will revisit this issue and report on the extraordinary distress that is taking place daily among those who want to see reform at the Seattle megachurch.