That is where we find Pastor Mark Driscoll today. The Acts 29 Network, which Driscoll had founded, is playing the part of Samuel in this analogy. They are yelling stop! Enough already! We did not get to this day however by mere chance and the parallels to the story of Saul are striking to me. Mark Driscoll started out as Saul. Honored and humbled to serve God, early on there was much excitement about this young gun pastor in the great northwest. Unfortunately, as his power grew we saw the same old maxim apply. Absolute power corrupts. Within several years, Driscoll forced out the other founders of Mars Hill and consolidated his power. Rumblings started about some of the content of what he was preaching. Cursing and overly sexual topics were the chief complaints. In response we saw the same type of bravado that would lead someone to build a monument in their own honor. We started hearing things about the "Mars Hill Bus" and how Driscoll would brag about running people over with it. People who dared to ask where it was going or wanted to suggest a different direction. He is wavering at the crossroads. True repentance probably leads to across the board forgiveness and a much different path but he chooses to double down on his arrogance. More and more people are jettisoned off the Mars Hill bus as more and more of the nation catches on that something terribly wrong is going on in the great northwest. Accusations of plagiarism are met with more arrogance and disdain. Refusing to ever admit that he may have done something wrong. The monument grows higher.
Then the big story. It is revealed that Driscoll stole over $200,000 in tithe money to pay a company to cheat the NY Times Bestseller list so he could end up on the list. A scheme that potentially earned him over one million dollars personally from book sales. Immediately his first instinct is to lie. He initially claims there is no wrong doing because what he did was technically legal and his compromised "Board of Accountability" said he was allowed to use the tithe money as such. The problem this time was we could all hear the bleating of the sheep. We could all see that King Agag was spared. Realizing his misstep, Driscoll puts out a video admitting he should not have cheated to get on the best seller list but makes no attempt to repent, apologize or even mention the money he stole. He wraps up the video in transparent pseudo-piety and thinks he has duped Samuel.
Then the former Mars Hill folks decide to start a website called, welovemarshill.com; where they chronicle the abuses they suffered at the hands of Driscoll and his minions. Harrowing stories of manipulation, bullying, fear, and misogyny that makes it apparent that Mars Hill was mere moments away from being a cult. Driscoll tries to calm the noise from the bleating sheep by doing another video where he again owns nothing that he did and does not offer to repent. He casually refers to bragging about running over people as being something that could have been handled better. This second installment of pseudo-piety impresses no one and in response to Driscoll claiming that many of the hurt were anonymous, they start a Facebook page called "Dear Pastor Mark, We Are Not Anonymous." Meanwhile, the Acts 29 Network that Driscoll had founded as been getting one complaint after another and they trusted the fake "Accountability Board" to reign Driscoll in and resolve these problems. When it became apparent that they were prepared to just wait out the summer where Driscoll is off, and then whitewash everything again, they stood up like Samuel and said - stop! We praised God that they did. That finally a Christian organization would be willing to stand for Christ against a celebrity pastor. While we all called for prayer and the hopes that Driscoll would take the advice of his long time friends and spiritual colleagues to step down and repent; it appears obvious now that he has no intention of doing so. It appears that Mark Driscoll wants to continue down the path of King Saul. The Board of Accountability has now responded to the Acts 29 letter and we need to remember that this board is essentially Mark Driscoll responding. He has never had any nor appears to be willing to tolerate any accountability whatsoever. The response starts:
Men, I told the lead pastors at the recent annual retreat that we are making real progress in addressing the serious reconciliation and unhealthy culture issues that have been a part of Mars Hill Church for way too long. And we are. I also told them that more opposition would undoubtedly be coming, and it has. Friendly fire always hurts the most.
Real progress? Where? For who? The sheep or for Pastor Mark? Please. As Samuel said - stop it! Stop the covering up. Things have not gotten better; they have gotten worse. Driscoll has still not apologized or repented for anything. His actions have proven beyond a doubt that he is not eligible anymore to hold the office:
Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, - 1Timothy 3: 2 (ESV)
He has proven over and over again to not be respectful, temperate, self controlled and certainly is no longer above reproach. Friendly fire? Acts 29 should have acted a long time ago. The excuse letter starts to veer into a disagreement about whether Acts 29 actually ever talked to the Accountability Board and Driscoll. I will let them hash that out but I find it difficult to believe the entire Acts 29 network is being disingenuous, especially when put up against the deceptive track record at Mars Hill. We continue:
Be assured of this, the formal charges that were filed were serious, were taken seriously and were not dismissed by the board lightly. There is clear evidence that the attitudes and behaviors attributed to Mark in the charges are not a part and have not been a part of Mark s life for some time now.
The issue is not that the charges were dismissed lightly! It is that they were dismissed at all! This board wants us to believe that the attitudes and behaviors attributed to Mark are no longer part of Mark's life? Seriously? This isn't golf. You don't get a mulligan. King Saul cannot turn around to Samuel, "hey the behavior of me offering the sacrifice before you arrived - yeah that isn't me anymore." It doesn't work that way guys! He still has to own up to what he has done, the lives he has destroyed and bragged about, the money he has stolen, the authors he has plagiarized and repent! Not send his board out to assure us he is not like that anymore! Not to mention the last video he put out was only a month ago and he sure seemed like the exact same person. Covering up, lying, and admitting to nothing. Sorry "Accountability Board" but that dog don't hunt.
