Warren Throckmorton

One complaint that has arisen about Mars Hill in recent months from some of those former members who have spoken out is that Mars Hill is run more like a business than a church. Yesterday, I posted the Mars Hill approach to bringing formal charges against elders and today I want to note a policy about to go into effect at Mars Hill regarding email retention. As of this Friday, emails and church related documents may only be stored for 90 days before being deleted. Also, staff must delete any Mars Hill related documents from personal computers or other storage.  See the policy here.
Let me point out what I think will be a controversial aspect to this policy:

What exactly is the risk of storing old emails unnecessarily? I asked an IT friend who told me this looks like a move by Mars Hill to try to keep employees from maintaining documents which could harm the church. If storage was the issue then deleting materials from external hard drives, or other storage would not be necessary. Some organizations implement such policies but as risk management moves.
I imagine this will not be a popular policy. Some projects last more than three months and it is convenient to keep emails in a folder or just in an inbox for reference. I suspect this will add work without much real protection against the “risk of storing old emails.”
 

On Sunday in a blog post at Religion News Service, Jonathan Merritt summarized some personal reflections on his sexuality which are detailed in his new book Jesus is Better Than You Imagined.
Merritt, also the author of A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars which I endorsed. In that book, Merritt raises good questions and frequently illustrates the damage done to the Gospel and to people by culture war battles over social issues. In this blog post and his new book, he makes the matter personal.

The church is at a critical juncture on sensitive matters such as these. Churches need to create safe spaces where their people can be honest about what they feel and what they’ve experienced. All of our stories belong at the table. We need to listen to each other and learn to love each other and then pick up the scriptures and ask, “What does it look like to follow Jesus with our hearts, minds, and bodies?” If I shared my story for any reason, it was this one.

Merritt describes unwanted sexual contact as a child and then struggles over his sexual identity as an adult. He doesn’t label himself with a sexual orientation label and describes a fluidity that is characteristic of some people. I appreciate that he does not peg his same-sex attraction on his childhood and in fact says that it is “dangerous” to assume a connection.
Merritt’s experience is similar to so many who are same-sex or bisexually attracted but maintain loyalty to beliefs which are incongruous with same-sex sexual behavior or relationships.  The American Psychological Association’s sexual orientation task force report calls this experience, telic congruence.
I look forward to reading his new book.

On March 26, the Mars Hill Board of Advisors and Accountability referred to formal charges filed against lead preaching pastor Mark Driscoll in May 2013. According to the BOAA statement, the charges, which were filed by former pastor Dave Kraft, did not lead to Mark Driscoll’s disqualification. However, Kraft’s charges appear to have led to something else: a change in how formal charges may be filed.
In August 2013, new procedures were approved by the Board of Advisors and Accountability which made the process of bringing formal charges more difficult and actually eliminated the ability of former employees to file such charges if they failed to do so during their employment.

You can review the entire document here. I have mixed reactions to it. On one hand, I think it is right to protect people from false and frivolous allegations. On the other hand, this document places some powerful disincentives in the way of those who have legitimate concerns. My stance with this post is to provide the information and serve as a forum to discuss the role of formalized (some would argue extra-biblical) procedures in the megachurch environment.

One additional opinion I will express is that the success of this procedure will depend on the ability of the leaders to act in good faith and the willingness of the people to believe that the leaders will do so. For instance, this document requires that an accuser must submit a letter of resignation along with the complaint. If the allegation is found to be “groundless, sinful, or otherwise divisive,” the resignation could be actualized.

If the people trust that the leaders can distinguish between what is truly “divisive” and what is a legitimate problem brought with sincere intent, then people might be more likely to risk the many hurdles found in this process. If the people worry that any complaint will be viewed as “divisive” then legitimate concerns will smolder under the surface and likely lead to other problems. I’ll leave it to current and former Mars Hill members/leaders to decide what kind of climate exists there.

Two weeks ago, twenty former Mars Hill pastors, led by Dave Kraft and Kyle Firstenberg requested mediation with the Board of Advisors and Accountability of Mars Hill Church. As of this writing, no answer has come from the BOAA.
Ten days later, the BOAA issued a letter to Mars Hill leaders saying the board was “hungry for reconciliation” but did not mention the initiative by the 20 pastors. Two weeks later, the BOAA is apparently not hungry enough to address the people who are calling for a response.
There are nearly 170 members of a group calling for the exoneration of Paul Petry and Bent Meyer. There are over 50 members of a similar group calling for repentance. No members have described contacts from the BOAA. Recently, a website was launched with four former pastors including co-founder Lief Moi, expressing sorrow over their actions while at Mars Hill. These gentlemen also seem hungry for reconciliation. Many of these individuals have sought reconciliation privately with no response to their efforts. See especially, Kyle Firstenberg’s information.
I have asked Mars Hill communications director Justin Dean for MHC’s side of this matter with no response.
 

This was a pleasure to see:

Excellent Rebuttal of David Barton’s inappropriately named book, “The Jefferson Lies.”, March 12, 2014
This book saved me the trouble of rebutting David Barton’s book, “The Jefferson Lies.” The authors supply the reader with the missing words of Thomas Jefferson. They also supply information from Jefferson’s time to provide background. David Barton is so intent on making all Founders agree with his ideas of what belief in God, the Bible, and Christianity entails that he “cuts and pastes” their writings to suit his needs. It is not enough for Barton that there were Founders who believed as Barton does. He cannot accept that some Founders, like Jefferson and John Adams beliefs were unorthodox to Barton’s faith. Jefferson in an Oct. 19 letter to William short footnotes all that he disbelieves about Christianity and Jesus. These include the virgin birth, deification, miracles, resurrection, ascension, trinity, corporeal presence in the Eucharist, original sin, atonement, election (pre-destination).
Bruce Braden, Editor of “Ye Will Say I Am No Christian: The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values.”

Still wondering when Barton’s second edition of The Jefferson Lies is coming out. We’re ready when it does. For now, one can pick up Getting Jefferson Right at a bargain price at Amazon.
Not sure if the stars will ever align properly, but if they do, I would like to do a similar book on John Adams.