Tag: Mars Hill Church

Hillsong Protest Planned Over Mark Driscoll's Conference Interview

Even the last protest was small, it garnered wide coverage in Australia. Given the fact that most Australian reporters seemed to think Brian Houston had agreed not to feature Mark Driscoll during the recent conference in Sydney, the media may turn out for this event in a similar manner.  Here is the event description:

Please bring protest signs. We will be protesting peacefully! 

Under enormous pressure from pro women groups and others, Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston was very deceptive about cancelling an interview with misogynist and abuser Mark Driscoll at Hillsong Conference. We demand that Brian Houston publicly fully admit his intentional deceit and publicly apologise both for his deceit as well as for giving a gigantic platform to abusive power monger Mark Driscoll.

The event will take place at Hillsong Melbourne on Sunday (in Australia, Saturday here).
In October, Brian Houston is coming to Seattle.
 
 

Will the Former Executive Elders of Mars Hill Church Face a RICO Lawsuit?

If Bob Sluys has his way, the necessary funds will be raised and a group of plaintiffs will bring the RICO lawsuit. For  more on the suit’s logic see this prior post (here also). Sluys created a video outlining the reasons he believes make the suit necessary. Watch:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/iX9ccY-uJ54[/youtube]
About half of what is needed has been raised.
The church is apparently still disposing of assets without a public accounting of the Global Fund and where the disposed assets have gone.
The plaintiffs offered (and presumably still would pursue) mediation without success.
It appears that the basic question is: Did any church leaders use church funds to personally enrich themselves?

Something I Don't Understand About Mark Driscoll's Resignation

In his interview with Brian Houston, Mark Driscoll said he had decided to go along with the restoration plan that the Mars Hill elders wanted to implement. He told Houston that he had given the go ahead for the plan which would have him returning to the pulpit on January 4, 2015.  However, then on the Monday night after he said he would follow the elders’ plan, God told him and his wife that they were released from ministry. Then he resigned.
First of all, no one at the time said anything about special revelation being given to Mark Driscoll. Driscoll didn’t include that seemingly important detail in his resignation letter. The governing board of Mars Hill Church did not disclose this. The elders who explained the situation to the remaining Mars Hill members didn’t mention it either. When Driscoll showed up at Gateway Church just a few days later, Gateway pastor Robert Morris told the congregation that he and Driscoll together decided that Driscoll should step out of ministry for a season to get some healing. Watch at 25 seconds into this clip:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/2ZVtuOIrrDg?t=25s[/youtube]
Now, the revelation from God is the core of their resignation narrative.
So as the situation has been described at the time by his elders and by Driscoll now, we have the elders exercising biblical oversight and God telling Driscoll not to follow it.
I don’t understand that.

Hillsong's Brian Houston Interviewed Mark and Grace Driscoll After All (VIDEO) (AUDIO)

Update: Campaigners against Driscoll’s appearance have expressed betrayal via statements about the interview.
Just a little while ago, Brian Houston showed a taped interview of Mark and Grace Driscoll at the conference in Australia. I have some video below. The source of the video stalled out near the end, so this is not the complete interview.
Despite the fact that Houston told the world Driscoll would not attend the conference, he brought him to the conference via video anyway. At that time, Houston said:

However, I do not want unnecessary distractions during our conference, particularly as this 30 minute interview was only a small part of this five day event.

I couldn’t understand all of it (update: there is better quality audio available below) but it seems Driscoll strikes many of the same themes of persecution but also at times seemed more contrite than in past public appearances.
At one point, Driscoll said those who have reached out in love have been those outside of his tribe. This seems like a real slap at his elders who reached out to him with a plan of restoration. However, as we now know, Driscoll resigned rather than respond favorably to his elders.
Houston asked the Driscolls when they were converted and Driscoll described his call to the ministry saying God told him to marry Grace and plant churches.
He said he wouldn’t now advise any 25 year old to do what he did then. He said he wasn’t ready.
Driscoll again spoke of the problems his family has experienced.
Driscoll said he hoped not to be a divisive figure in the future. He acknowledged anger. However, as far as I can tell, he did not indicate any plans to meet with anyone specifically.
The problem with this is that Driscoll said he wants not to be a divisive figure but he hasn’t reached out to the people where there is division. If one wants to be a person of peace, that person should try to make peace.
Houston has given Driscoll quite a PR gift with this interview.
My understanding is that Driscoll’s plans will soon come into focus. After initially signaling a move to Phoenix, it appears there might be a new plan. He said in the interview that he doesn’t know what he is going to do next.
Houston urged the Driscolls to heal and make amends with others.
This video is difficult to hear but some of it can be understood. I suspect Hillsong will post it soon. I have now received audio of the interview which is much better.


Those campaigning against Driscoll’s appearance at the conference have issued statements. See those here.

Part Two of Sutton Turner's Thoughts on Forgiveness

Today, former Mars Hill Church executive pastor Sutton Turner extends his Mars Hill reflections in part two of his series on repentance and forgiveness.
I appreciate Turner’s efforts here. These are not brief posts, but rather indicate that he has thought about these matters. He seems to want to make amends in a public sense with his detractors, not by criticizing them but by acknowledging his mistakes. For instance, he tweeted:


I don’t want to quarrel much with Mr. Turner as he is taking time to reflect but I will note one area which may generate some additional discussion. To begin point seven, Turner says:

It is very disheartening when you want to sit down with someone and practice Jesus’ instructions given in Matthew 18, but they do not believe they have sinned against you and refuse to meet. What should you do? Forgive them.

This does not seem consistent with Matt. 18 where a different trajectory is envisioned when someone refuses to meet. The Matt. 18 progression is from a private conversation to involving some others to involving the ekklesia. Translated church, my view is that the word should be translated as it was at the time — assembly, particularly an assembly of citizens. The church had not been established when Jesus spoke these words and the context sounds more civic or legal. Two of three witnesses were to establish the truth of the offense as a precursor to presenting the case to the assembly. In practice, the way we do church today can accommodate this teaching but not every offense is a Matt. 18 matter, as I see it.
In any case, this is a matter for honest discussion. There are psychological benefits of letting go of resentment and, if this is what Turner is referring to, I can see benefit in it. Rumination and resentment are not good physically or psychologically. However, when unfinished business is involved, as in the case at Mars Hill Church, one can let go of resentment and still seek justice.
It is hard not to compare Turner and Driscoll on this topic since they are both plowing that ground. Driscoll talks a lot about forgiveness but doesn’t seem to ask for much. Turner, at least, seems to understand that repentance and forgiveness go together.