Near Emmaus

Category Archives: Mark Driscoll


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Let’s put a human face on “the other”.

I am encouraged. In fact, I choose to be. Let me tell you why.

Yesterday I mentioned the Facebook post written by Pastor Mark Driscoll that caused public outrage because his words could very easily have led to pain for those who do not fit into the macho-masculinity paradigm espoused by many in our society. One of the most read responses was that by Rachel Held Evans where she called Driscoll a “bully” and then asked for people to contact Mars Hill Church where Driscoll pastors to ask for his correction. In response to Evans there was an article written by Dr. Anthony Bradley calling Evans’ response “libel” and warning us Christians of infighting that distracts from our witness to Christ. People commented on this article either defending Evans, defending Bradley, or some nuance of these positions.

I blogged about it because I thought it gave us all an opportunity to discuss public error and rebuke. What should we do in these types of situations? Who has the right to rebuke? What kind of rebuke is helpful and healing? What kind of rebuke comes across as spiteful and divisive? There were some good responses here.

Yesterday Mark Driscoll wrote a clarification. It was titled, “Gender: Is it a socially constructed reality or a God-given identity?” I am not sure that we can call it an “apology”, per se, but it is appreciated none the less. Driscoll wrote the following stratements:

“I…put a flippant comment on Facebook, and a raging debate on gender and related issues ensued. As a man under authority, my executive elders sat me down and said I need to do better by hitting real issues with real content in a real context. And, they’re right. Praise God I have elders who keep me accountable and that I am under authority. “

“In the past, I’ve not had a regular place to work out personal commentary on social issues, and so I’ve erred in sometimes doing so in places like Facebook, Twitter, and the media, where you can have a good fight but don’t have the room to make a good case.“

While some may not be satisfied because Driscoll doesn’t say, “I was wrong for what I said” this is an important step. If the church is graceful we will accept the step, pray for further maturity, and seek reconciliation. This is exactly what Rachel Held Evans does in her blog post in response to Driscoll’s response. She writes,

“… I am grateful that the elders at Mars Hill held him accountable and asked him to “do better” in speaking about these issues with decorum and respect. That means that our messages were heard and that something was done. I know that many were hoping for an apology, but as followers of Jesus we must be willing to forgive without one. This is a step in the right direction, and I thank Mark for taking it.“

“Evangelicals appear to be at a crossroads in this debate, and Facebook is certainly not the ideal forum for productive dialog….

…Mark is my brother in Christ, and I would welcome him to such a conversation with open arms. “

This is a productive, I think, though I know it is not satisfactory for many. What it is doing to some extent is admitting wrongs (from both sides), seeking humility, and welcoming discussion rather than detached, impersonal rebukes. I think this is what happens when we put a face on “the other”. We find a way to be gracious (and again, let me applaud this recent response from Evans because I think it shows great courage in seeking graciousness when it would be easy to dismiss Driscoll’s statement as insufficient). We must see the (A) humanity in even those with which we disagree and (B) seek reconciliation, especially with those who are fellow children of God in the same household of faith.

I don’t know if we have solved this “public error and public rebuke” conundrum. I presume something like this could very well happen again and we as the body of Christ will once again face the difficult challenges involved. Yet at this point I applaud steps toward reconciliation, understanding, and most of all love.

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Is Mark really a bully? A Pastor’s Response…

It is with great interest I have followed Rachel Held Evans‘ blog posts about Mark Driscoll being a bully and her call for people to stand up to him. In my opinion Rachel is spot on. She has challenged Mark Driscoll about his online behaviour and remarks he has made in sermons which are later posted online. As one might suspect there has been a steady flow of people lining up to rebuke Rachel for what I would call “the classic theological scandal” she told the truth!

This particular issue aside (truth is we probably just need to agree to disagree) all of has caused me to rethink the way I behave online and the way I share opinions and interact with people through the blogs I write for and Facebook. I have come to the conclusion; I have at times been a bully. Not always, and not intentionally (and this may also be the case for Driscoll) but at times I have crossed the line in a way that does not reflect the Jesus way. I asked my wife this morning before I left for church. She agreed. Ouch! (Man I love my wife!)

A little background before I apologise. I am a passionate person. I hate injustice. If I believe something I defend it and proclaim it vigorously. I am rarely persuaded on the spot to change my mind. On top of this, I grew up in a blue collar union based (not my political leaning now) family who were not afraid to voice their opinions. They would constantly argue and banter about politics (Of course it was always the other sides fault). I hated it as a kid but have inadvertently taken on the same passion and penchant for arguing as my family.

Things have changed. Now, I am a pastor. A shepherd of God’s flock called upon to proclaim Christ and lead people to Jesus in the Jesus way. As a pastor, I would be horrified, disgusted even, if someone in the congregation were to view me as or experience me as a theological bully. I work extremely hard to shepherd the people in my care; to love them and treat them with dignity. However, truth is, I have not always been as diligent with these same values as a blogger. No one ever gets it right all the time and we all have moments. However, Rachel’s’ piece and the discussion about bullying has awoken me to how my own behaviour may be perceived, Maybe I have seen blogging as an escape, maybe as a place to rant. But rants can be a form of bullying.

Don’t get me wrong. There is a time and place to share passionately, to stand up for injustice and to discuss one’s opinion but I wonder where the line is. Where does one cross the line from sharing an opinion to bullying? For instance I have an opinion on the recent decision of the SBC to discourage the use of the NIV 2011. I shared my opinion. Did I bully? I hope not. What about other things I have said? It has never been my intention to bully. More than anything else I want to be a good and faithful shepherd. Not only of those in our church but those without. Perhaps the best thing to do is shut my mouth and listen. Jesus certainly did that.

I am a pastor. Every person who visits my own blog will read my opinions. Nevertheless they will, from now on, also be treated as someone with whom I am meeting face to face, the same as someone who is visiting the church for the first or the tenth time. The same goes for Facebook. Although I tend to keep FB as a personal place of interaction I must also pay close attention to how I speak with people online because the printed word can be interpreted so very many different ways (one of the reason I think we should all write in the third person giving explanation to the way something is said and the context – but I digress).

Therefore, I would like to apologise to you if you have ever felt bullied by my opinions and views. I would hate to be thought of as a pastor who bullies people. I will still share my opinions and from time to time I will get frustrated theologically, politically and even personally. But my opinions are my own and I own them. I hope they can build up and edify rather than tear down and divide.

Peace be with you,

Rev Mark Stevens


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Anthony Bradley rebukes us all (and rightly so). Yet it lacks resolve.

Mark Driscoll

The other day Mark Driscoll became the center of attention once again when he posted the following on his Facebook wall: “So what story do you have about the most effeminate anatomically male worship leader you’ve ever personally witnessed?” Almost immediately there was response after response by a variety of bloggers (I’ve already mentioned some of the responses here). The most attention probably went to Rachel Held Evans’ post titled “Mark Driscoll is a bully. Stand up to him.” She went as far as to provide the mailing address, phone number, and email address of the church so that people could protest.

While I was sympathetic to the outrage (Should a pastor really say something like this on a public forum knowing there are so many people struggling with their sexual identity in our culture today?) something about it just made me feel defeated. Carmen Andres gave me the words when she wrote on Twitter, “[T]his whole Mark Driscoll thing leaves me tired and frustrated. [I]nto your hands Lord. [I]‘m done with it.” Joel Watts shares wise words as well when he reminded us of the systemic nature of our sin that has led masculinity to be equated “with macho brevado”. Yet if most of us are honest we went with our immediate gut reaction and we lashed out at Driscoll either on the internet or elsewhere.

Dr. Anthony Bradley

Enter Anthony Bradley. In his World Magazine article titled “Libel is not Love” he says, “Evans’ way of responding cannot and should not be encouraged. What was even more disturbing was the way in which many other believers jumped on the slander bandwagon to feed on the carnage once it went viral.” Bradley equates these types of responses with slander and shows us how over and over again in Scripture this is not how we should respond to one another. At the end he points out how some atheist websites were applauding Evans’ response (and I assume the rest of us who reacted against Driscoll) and how ironic it is that we would seek their applause over and against healing and understanding within the body of Christ.

I feel rebuked, but not satisfied just yet. I see what we have done wrong, but I am not so sure that Bradley provided a solution/viable alternative either.

First, I sense that Bradley’s rebuke of Evans was a tad more calm and loving than Evans’ rebuke of Driscoll, but it seems to have been a public rebuke as well. I am not accusing Bradley of doing a one-for-one here (anyone who reads the two posts can see the difference), but we should use this as a starting point for discussing what makes a public rebuke acceptable and what makes it unacceptable.

Second, what do we do with public statements like this one other than provide a public rebuke? Could Evans have called Mars Hill Church to make a phone appointment with Pastor Driscoll or would that have been ignored (we were forced to ask this same question when John Piper flippantly rebuked Rob Bell on Twitter by writing ‘Farwell, Rob Bell’ or even of Rob Bell for publishing a book that many interpreted as pastorally insensitive)? If we do not have access to pastors because of their status do we merely leave it to local elders to privately correct something so public?

Third, if we are quiet when another Christian does something like this what are the consequences? While Bradley is right to note we shouldn’t applaud the fact that we won the approval of atheists while lashing out at one another, what do we do if a serious person interested in Christianity, wondering if s/he belongs, reads what Driscoll wrote and suddenly thinks this what all Christians think, therefore I must not fit? Is there any other way to counter a public gaff that like one other than writing something open to the public that seeks to correct it? Should the Apostle Paul have taken the Apostle Peter aside when he shamed Gentile Christians with his behavior rather than rebuking him to his face and then writing about it in a letter to another church (Gal 2.11-20)?!

So where Anthony Bradley is correct is that we must not forget that our Lord Jesus Christ said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn. 13.35) We have failed miserably here. Yet I don’t know what to do with something like this, especially since I think private discussions with someone like Mark Driscoll are impossible and not responding could mislead others to think that the church as a whole supports this kind of behavior.

Where do Christians go from here? What can we learn about public error and rebuke? How do we rebuke while making it evident to the world around us that we love one another as Christ commanded? 

See also: Derek Ouellette’s “Learning to Blog with Maturity”.