MERGE: Mark Driscoll in the news again/Mars Hill Hits Fan

[Howl]

Well, this is anticlimactic. My money's with Rainytown on this one. Wonder if they will release the names of the "mature Christian men" who will be meeting with Pastor Mark™. Note the phrase "meeting with" -- not that he will be receptive to their wise counsel or going through a repentance process. "Meeting with" means (essentially) NOTHING in this context.

He said the charges against him would be handled in accord with the by-laws and that a report would be created from this investigation. Call me cynical, but we all know how this played out in Gothardville.

Driscoll is taking at least six weeks off while the charges are "investigated." (patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/2014/08/24/announcement-mark-driscoll-will-take-time-off-while-charges-against-him-are-investigated/)

Like CJ Mahaney's stepping aside "for a season," this will come to nothing or, at most, MD will go elsewhere to set up a new business scam church.

ETA: there is an audio of Driscoll's message at the link above.

[neuroticcat]

Yes, but how? Pastor Mark holds all the cards and power in this situation. The Elders are accountable to him and not the other way around, it seems. Is there another larger denominational entity that Mars Hill belongs to or is it a way to bring things to a vote of the congregation?

MD is all about market, brand, image and controlling that image. I am sure all of the issues going on are being dealt with through a PR-damage control paradigm without a lot of soul searching going on. This "bring your bible Sunday: is an effort to rally the troops and forestall a negative congregational vote (if that is how this issue is to be settled).

Bingo. He's stepping down for six weeks while a PR Mark DeMoss - who has handled PR for a lot of fundies - comes in to clean up the mess.

I'm watching/listening to Driscoll's statement now. The usual narcissistic mess - with tears! I'd like to be hopeful and think that there could be real change, but him taking a short time off and more defensive "explanations" indicate that there isn't going to be real change.

[neuroticcat]

Blech. I want to be charitable, but his explanation-video sends my narcissist-radars pinging. It feels blasphemous the way he throws God in there as his "Senior Pastor" and talks about his own growth in the Gospel. Feels like cult-muddling language that avoids addressing the unhealth of his actions and his person. Yes, yes, we all sin and can grow and can extend grace to each other - that DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD BE THE SPIRITUAL LEADER OF THOUSANDS.

I also think that for those still drinking the koolaid, this will further cement him as their beleaguered, criticized-yet-gracious pastor.

I will take it all back if after six weeks he comes back with an acknowledgment of what he's done that isn't hedged in explanations or spins that put it in a positive light. But I highly doubt that will happen. PR firm will put a positive spin on everything, he will stick to scripted statements from now on and hide the dysfunction even better, and this trainwreck will continue.

[jerkit]

The audio recording sounded far more repentant than I've ever heard him in the past.

But MD is what you might call my pet fundie, so there's that.

[FJismyheadship]

Yeah, his spiritual warfare stuff is really disturbing. He has this one sermon where he talks about "the gift of discernment" and says that the Lord shows him graphic sexual scenes of congregants' sins. He describes it as a video tape playing in his head of secret knowledge that he then can confront people with: like, I saw you having an affair with so-and-so in that hotel room doing such-and-such. It's totally creepy.

Ok that's not discernment. It doesn't really fall under prophecy either (unless the congregants haven't sinned YET) nor does it fall under Word Of Knowledge. I'm going with Satan tricking him.

Well really he is a big fat creepy mccreeperson. BUT if he went to a similar church and claimed God was showing him those things, it would be an attack from the Devil.

I studied in great detail the Gifts Of The Spirit. My top three are Mercy, Discernment, and Word Of Knowledge. These things he had called discernment are not Spiritual Gifts.

[formergothardite]

The audio recording sounded far more repentant than I've ever heard him in the past.

But MD is what you might call my pet fundie, so there's that.

I have to ask, what about him makes you want to choose him as a pet fundie? I can see when people chose fundies like Kristina as a pet fundie because she was raised from childhood to be an uneducated mindless sheeple, but MD? He just comes off as an asshole who has always been an asshole and will always be an asshole.

[jerkit]

I have to ask, what about him makes you want to choose him as a pet fundie? I can see when people chose fundies like Kristina as a pet fundie because she was raised from childhood to be an uneducated mindless sheeple, but MD? He just comes off as an asshole who has always been an asshole and will always be an asshole.

Because in my more evangelical days, I followed him pretty closely and did learn a lot from him. And until William Wallace, I did not see him as an asshole.

[hoipolloi]

Just watched the apology video. It's very clear that Mark Driscoll will NOT be giving up one iota of the control & power he has, let alone leave Mars Hill or the ministry permanently.

Probably, the six weeks or whatever will actually be used to consolidate his power & erect more barriers to any complaint or criticism while reducing what transparency & accountability still exist. Clearly, he only feels responsible to those who are still in his cult. Others -- including all of his abuse victims -- can obviously go screw themselves.

He's a fucking asshole, and those who support or enable him are just as bad.

[Howl]

You got it, hoipolloi!

Wartburg Watch lays it all out for you in Mark Driscoll: 9 Pessimistic Predictions For Those Under the Bus

Worth a read, and right on target with what we're all thinking. I felt even more cynical about Pastor Mark™ (if possible) after reading this.

DeMoss is a scary guy and after reading the Wartburg Watch article, not surprising that he is the go-to guy for Mars Hill. Can only imagine how many tithes are being used to pay for this guy to do damage control.

Wrapped up in this is the "past is the past" strategy and hence, Driscoll's past will be erased or deemed irrelevant, because there will be a fresh new Pastor Mark™. Brilliant, huh? This just tells us that past vile misogynistic rants are extremely damning and damaging to his image and MUST be neutralized.

Anyway, read the WW article. Depressing but edifying.

[hoipolloi]

The WW article is very good and, sadly, probably very accurate.

[Jasmar]

You got it, hoipolloi!

Wartburg Watch lays it all out for you in Mark Driscoll: 9 Pessimistic Predictions For Those Under the Bus

Worth a read, and right on target with what we're all thinking. I felt even more cynical about Pastor Mark™ (if possible) after reading this.

DeMoss is a scary guy and after reading the Wartburg Watch article, not surprising that he is the go-to guy for Mars Hill. Can only imagine how many tithes are being used to pay for this guy to do damage control.

Wrapped up in this is the "past is the past" strategy and hence, Driscoll's past will be erased or deemed irrelevant, because there will be a fresh new Pastor Mark™. Brilliant, huh? This just tells us that past vile misogynistic rants are extremely damning and damaging to his image and MUST be neutralized.

Anyway, read the WW article. Depressing but edifying.

And that (the bolder) is such classic, textbook narcissistic abuser control tactic. Bully everyone into believing that if they don't immediately forgive and forget, meaning let him completely off gets hook cuz he has such a sad, they're bitter, sinning jerks where the problem really lies.

I'm in the process of divorcing one of these, so it's the first thing I spot about this creep.

[neuroticcat]

This is also a really good analysis:

http://mrsglw.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/ ... -driscoll/

[Reverend Ladypants]

I think I have a special kind of anger towards MD, clergy to clergy. He has caused a lot of pain that cannot be undone.

[trailmix2014]

I made it halfway through that video before I had to turn it off because it gave me the heeby-jeebies. Sadly I know someone that would defend him to the end. Thankfully she did something stupid to me on FB and I blocked her, so I don't have to hear what she says about this.

[neuroticcat]

I missed this the first time around but thought it was worth sharing because it was so incredibly manipulative.

This is the response one of the pastors made to the protest that happened a few weeks back. Also, the rumor is he is going to be the latest addition to the Board of Accountability so I imagine that will mean LOTS of unbiased evaluation. :roll:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthro ... nstration/

[Dark Matters]

Another good translation of Driscoll's speech:

cryingoutforjustice.com/2014/08/27/translating-mark-driscoll/

[Jasmar]

Dark Matters, I was thinking about posting that here too, so I'm glad you did.

If anyone has any uncertainty about the true nature of Mark Driscoll's performance apology, the link at cryingoutforjustice is brilliant. It's called "Translating Mark Driscoll" and the first line reads, "Today’s post is a brilliant decoding of ‘abuserese’ — the manipulative language that abusers use to evade responsibility for their behavior and to shape other people’s perceptions of them."

[neuroticcat]

One of the three founding pastors of Mars Hill weighs in:

http://welovemarshill.com/post/95889975 ... nouncement

Telling that he discovered his own narcissism through therapy.

[neuroticcat]

Another update:

Nine current elders are now raising questions: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthro ... old-stand/

[jerkit]

That document quotes Paul Tripp

Paul acknowledged some level of Mark acknowledging wrong and making some progress. But, he also feels that if Mark clearly saw the depths of his sin and the damage it had caused, he wouldn’t even be able to preach because he would be so overcome with life-changing grief.

Wow, that’s powerful stuff. Paul Tripp, IMO, is legit.

[nokidsmom]

Dark Matters, I was thinking about posting that here too, so I'm glad you did.

If anyone has any uncertainty about the true nature of Mark Driscoll's performance apology, the link at cryingoutforjustice is brilliant. It's called "Translating Mark Driscoll" and the first line reads, "Today’s post is a brilliant decoding of ‘abuserese’ — the manipulative language that abusers use to evade responsibility for their behavior and to shape other people’s perceptions of them."

Read the apology and it's accompanying superb translation.

If there can be an award for the "mother of all non-apologies" I think MD's nonapology speech would win.

[neuroticcat]

Another update:

Nine current elders are now raising questions: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthro ... old-stand/

And one was fired last night. Wonder how the PR folks are going to spin this.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Mars ... =video&c=y

[neuroticcat]

Also, for the those following, Bent Meyer released his correspondence with Mars Hill publicly today.

Bent Meyer was the other pastor/elder who was fired with Paul Petry back in 2007/2008 because they challenged the changes to the bylaws. Paul Petry has released their history on the website Joyful Exiles, but Bent Meyer has not until today.

It is a long read but worth it to see the media spin that was going on back then. And to see Mark's "explanation" then be reminiscent of what he said last week: so exhausted, overworked, love the church SO much, is so gifted and skilled, loves his family, etc., etc.

But I think Meyer (who is now a professional therapist) hits it on his head with his introductory letter:

"For everyone’s sake, Mark Driscoll needs to step away forever being in the post he now occupies. I say this because what ails Mark is very much like being addicted to opium or alcohol. Mark does not know how to handle communications honestly, simply because he cannot be honest with himself. Shame is too much for him to experience without employing minimization and denial. He cannot be in a position of power, since for him, it is an elixir to fuel his fantasies of grandiosity. He cannot be in a position which places him in authority, since his firm stance on entitlement will emerge again. In such an environment, everyone in his surroundings will be beneath him."

http://joyfulexiles.com/2014/08/28/new- ... ent-meyer/

[Rainytown]

And another Mars Hill pastor resigns, offering up a verrrry interesting resignation letter.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sy6xwa5wp4mhh ... n.pdf?dl=0

[jerkit]

And another Mars Hill pastor resigns, offering up a verrrry interesting resignation letter.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sy6xwa5wp4mhh ... n.pdf?dl=0

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