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Slinging Stones At Giants (Why It’s Perfectly Fine To Celebrate The Fall Of Mark Driscoll)


Sometimes the giants fall.
Sometimes, they need to.

Over the past few weeks, the ministry of megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll began crumbling dramatically and swiftly, but to many, it was an erosion that’s been years in the making.

Driscoll’s made his bones as a self-professed “angry prophet”, and his blunt, polarizing opinions on gender roles, sex, homosexuality, marriage, and the American Church, have made him a hero to a large, vocal segment of the Christian community. His church, Mars Hill exploded in size, and over the past decade, he’s been a marquee name for conservative Christians looking for a loud, powerful, charismatic mouthpiece with which to call out a culture going south.

He’s clearly been a catalyst for many to come to faith, and millions of people have certainly been positively impacted by the ministry of Mars Hill.

Part of Driscoll’s legacy though, has been something quite dangerous, insidious, and disturbing to many; alarming stories of the horrible mistreatment and shunning of former staff members, a seemingly never-ending crusade against working women, stay-at-home dads, and “effeminate” Christian men; a series of vulgar, homophobic, anonymous online rants, and a condescending, venomous attitude toward those whose views deviate from his own.

In short, Driscoll’s been an unapologetic bully, holding one of the most powerful positions in the American Church.

He’s been a tough giant who seemed to be unstoppable.

But this month, that image has come crashing down, as he’s lost the support of his church network, Acts 29, many high-profile speaking spots, and his place on major Christian book store shelves. The reactions over the past few days have run the gamut; from those cheering on their rooftops as if on the winning side of a Super Bowl victory, to others weeping and gnashing their teeth in complete despair.

It’s been particularly interesting to see Driscoll’s most ardent supporters come out of the woodwork this week, in a grand display of feigned disgust at the way some have openly celebrated his comeuppance; chastising them for dancing on the grave of a dedicated servant of God.

In a full-on Jesus Juke, they’ve taken other Christians to task for friendly fire; for lacking compassion for the man, for not thinking of his wife and children, and in general for being unChristlike for being happy at his downfall.

Baloney.

As someone who has watched Driscoll do his destructive, tough guy preacher thing for years, and who has seen the collateral damage from his ascorbic style and his “insult-for-insults’ sake” methods, I’m perfectly fine admitting that I’m pleased.

It’s not a perverse joy at seeing yet another big profile pastor fall from grace, and it’s not in any way a celebration of another man’s personal loss of livelihood or public humiliation or family struggle.

Today I rejoice on behalf of the powerless victims.

Driscoll’s ministry has without question, hurt all kinds of people; from former staffers, to working women, to men raising their kids at home, to a generation of children and spouses who’ve been on the business end of some pretty shaky, fairly disturbing Biblical teaching. I wish more of Driscoll’s fan club would consider those walking wounded.

I totally support Mark Driscoll as a man, as a father, as a husband, and as a fellow pastor. I hate the toll this kind of thing takes on people’s perception of Jesus and His Church. For as much and as often as I disagree with him, we’re playing on the same team.

I take no great pleasure from the events of this month on him as a human being, and I do hope this time brings about a season of genuine introspection, humility, repentance, and restoration. I’ll be the first to welcome him back and celebrate that pastoral resurrection.

But moments like these are much bigger than one man.

There are moments when voiceless people get a voice; when silenced, wounded victims have a say; when for just a moment, the whole broken system gets turned ever so slightly toward True North, and it feels like there’s reason to hope that power and brute force doesn’t always rule the day.

I truly believe this is one of those moments.

Sometimes you sling stones at giants, and sometimes they fall.

When they do, it’s OK to feel relief, because you know that fear scatters at the sight, and new, better days can come for people who’ve lived afraid for far too long.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Jesus

 

 


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