Mark Driscoll
Encyclopedia
Mark A. Driscoll is an American pastor and author. He is the founder and preaching pastor of Mars Hill Church
in Seattle, Washington
, he co-founded the Acts 29 Network
and Churches Helping Churches, and has contributed to the "Faith and Values" section of the Seattle Times and the "On Faith" section of the Washington Post. He helped start The Resurgence, a repository of missional theology resources.
, North Dakota
, and was raised Roman Catholic in the Riverton Heights area of Seatac, WA, which is located just south of Seattle, WA. He is a 1989 graduate of Highline High School
in Burien, Washington
, where he served as student body president and editor of the school newspaper. He earned a Bachelor's degree in communications from Washington State University
with a minor in philosophy and holds a Master of Arts
degree in exegetical
theology from Western Seminary
.
and Mars Hill Church
. It is also associated with Desiring God (a ministry of John Piper
), The Gospel Coalition (including Tim Keller and D. A. Carson), Crossway Books and The Hub.
The Resurgence aims to train church leaders in conservative reformed theology and also in the practice of contextualizing the Gospel to different cultures and people groups. It has three main branches: Re:Lit, a publishing house; Re:Train, a missional training centre; and Re:Sound, a music arm.
, Annie Lobert
, and Carlton Pearson
in an ABC
special entitled, "Does Satan Exist?". He has also been featured on the program discussing other topics including the 10 Commandments and sex.
took a crew to Haiti
to provide prayer and relief to Haitian churches through their ministry ChurchesHelpingChurches.com.
. Driscoll preaches series like Vintage Jesus, Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions, The Peasant Princess, and Trial, focusing on a book of the Bible or topical sermons. Driscoll delivers his sermons with a Systematic Theology
approach.
Rob Wall, a professor at Seattle Pacific University, explains the success for the church in Mark Driscoll's direct answers to complicated spiritual questions: "His style of public rhetoric is very authoritative. Whether it's about the Bible, or about culture, he is very clear and definitive." In a Crosscut.com
article, his style was described this way: "Pacing the stage at the main Ballard campus, he delivered a sermon on marriage roles as he saw them set forth in the Song of Solomon
. He told stories from his own marriage, offered statistics, and dropped jokes without their feeling forced. Every few minutes he would sniff in a thoughtful, practiced sort of way. This untucked, down-to-earth demeanor was the opposite of a huckster televangelist, but polished in its own way. It makes the guy easy to listen to."
Driscoll has been widely inspired by other theologians including Augustine (especially on predestination(?)), John Calvin
(especially on city transformation), Martin Luther
(especially on the gospel), along with the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards and, Charles Spurgeon
. And he finds himself in connection with contemporary theologians including Lesslie Newbigin
, Tim Keller, Ed Stetzer
, J. I. Packer
, Francis Schaeffer
, John Stott
, Wayne Grudem
, Bruce Ware, Don Carson
, John Piper
, John MacArthur
, David Wells
and Driscoll's co-writer Gerry Breshears.
, and says that unlike John Calvin
, he believes only in single predestination.
Driscoll denies the orthodox Calvinist view of Limited Atonement
and believes instead that Jesus died for all people in some sense, and for some people (the elect) in another sense. He thinks this position was what John Calvin
believed, saying in a humorous tone: 'Calvinism came after Calvin... I will argue that the Calvinists are not very Calvin. I will argue against Calvinism with Calvin... What kind of Calvinist are you? I'm a Calvin, not a Calvinist, that came later'. Driscoll also believes that this position (or slight variations thereof) was held by men like Charles Spurgeon
, John Bunyan
, Martin Luther
, and Richard Baxter
.
Driscoll has on several occasions cited Charles Spurgeon as having a major influence on his theology
, pastoral ministry and preaching.
movement:
view of gender roles. He sometimes asks his wife to come up on stage to help him answer questions texted in from the audience, and believes that this does not clash with his understanding that preaching/teaching by women is prohibited by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12.
When the Evangelical leader Ted Haggard
left New Life Church
in Colorado, Driscoll raised an uproar with the comment on his blog: "A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs
is so frank about is not responsible for her husband's sin, but she may not be helping him either." Driscoll later apologized for his statement.
When the Episcopal Church
elected a woman as its bishop, Driscoll wrote on his blog, "If Christian males do not man up soon, the Episcopalians may vote a fluffy baby bunny rabbit as their next bishop to lead God's men."
Mars Hill Church
Mars Hill Church is a Reformed Christian megachurch located in Seattle, Washington. Services are offered at multiple locations in the city; the church podcasts content of weekend services, as well as conferences on the Internet with more than 100,000 downloads every week...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, he co-founded the Acts 29 Network
Acts 29 Network
The Acts 29 Network is a Christian organization dedicated to church planting. It derives its name from the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which has 28 chapters, making Acts 29 the "next chapter" in the history of the church...
and Churches Helping Churches, and has contributed to the "Faith and Values" section of the Seattle Times and the "On Faith" section of the Washington Post. He helped start The Resurgence, a repository of missional theology resources.
Early life
Driscoll was born in Grand ForksGrand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, and was raised Roman Catholic in the Riverton Heights area of Seatac, WA, which is located just south of Seattle, WA. He is a 1989 graduate of Highline High School
Highline High School
Highline High School is a high school in Burien, Washington, United States, located about 3.5 highway miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Highline High School, the flagship high school of the Highline School District, opened its doors in 1924 and served the cities of Burien, Des...
in Burien, Washington
Burien, Washington
Burien is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle. As of the 2010 Census, Burien's population is 33,313, which is a 2.9% increase since incorporation. Annexation in 2011 has increased the cities population to about 45,000....
, where he served as student body president and editor of the school newspaper. He earned a Bachelor's degree in communications from Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
with a minor in philosophy and holds a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in exegetical
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
theology from Western Seminary
Western Seminary
Western Seminary is an evangelical, non-denominational theological seminary with campuses in Portland, Oregon, as well as in San Jose and Sacramento in California. The seminary offers Master’s Degrees in Divinity, Counseling, Intercultural Studies, Leadership and Theology along with Doctoral...
.
The Resurgence
Driscoll founded The Resurgence, a theological cooperative whose partners include Acts 29 NetworkActs 29 Network
The Acts 29 Network is a Christian organization dedicated to church planting. It derives its name from the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which has 28 chapters, making Acts 29 the "next chapter" in the history of the church...
and Mars Hill Church
Mars Hill Church
Mars Hill Church is a Reformed Christian megachurch located in Seattle, Washington. Services are offered at multiple locations in the city; the church podcasts content of weekend services, as well as conferences on the Internet with more than 100,000 downloads every week...
. It is also associated with Desiring God (a ministry of John Piper
John Piper (theologian)
John Stephen Piper is a Christian preacher and author, currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
), The Gospel Coalition (including Tim Keller and D. A. Carson), Crossway Books and The Hub.
The Resurgence aims to train church leaders in conservative reformed theology and also in the practice of contextualizing the Gospel to different cultures and people groups. It has three main branches: Re:Lit, a publishing house; Re:Train, a missional training centre; and Re:Sound, a music arm.
ABC Nightline Special
In 2009, Driscoll was involved in a debate with Deepak ChopraDeepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor, public speaker, and writer on subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine. Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra now runs his own medical center, with a focus on...
, Annie Lobert
Annie Lobert
Annie Lobert is an American former call girl and sex industry worker, who founded the international Christian ministry Hookers for Jesus...
, and Carlton Pearson
Carlton Pearson
Carlton D'Metrius Pearson, DD is an American minister. At one time, he was the pastor of the Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center, later named it Higher Dimensions Family Church which was one of the largest churches in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During the 1990s, it grew to an average attendance of over...
in an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
special entitled, "Does Satan Exist?". He has also been featured on the program discussing other topics including the 10 Commandments and sex.
Haiti relief
In January 2010, following the 7.0-measured earthquake disaster, Driscoll and James MacDonaldJames MacDonald (pastor)
Dr. James S. MacDonald is the founding and senior pastor of meeting in six locations throughout the greater Chicago, Illinois, area. He is a popular non-denominational teacher and author.-Biography:...
took a crew to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
to provide prayer and relief to Haitian churches through their ministry ChurchesHelpingChurches.com.
Style of sermons
Driscoll's casual, but direct approach style of sermons has resonated in the Pacific Northwest, a region considered the least churched in the nation, according to the North American Religion Atlas. Driscoll's style, he says, is influenced by stand-up comedians like Chris RockChris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
. Driscoll preaches series like Vintage Jesus, Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions, The Peasant Princess, and Trial, focusing on a book of the Bible or topical sermons. Driscoll delivers his sermons with a Systematic Theology
Systematic theology
In the context of Christianity, systematic theology is a discipline of Christian theology that attempts to formulate an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the Christian faith and beliefs...
approach.
Rob Wall, a professor at Seattle Pacific University, explains the success for the church in Mark Driscoll's direct answers to complicated spiritual questions: "His style of public rhetoric is very authoritative. Whether it's about the Bible, or about culture, he is very clear and definitive." In a Crosscut.com
Crosscut.com
Crosscut.com is a nonprofit, online newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Crosscut's stated purpose is to "produce journalism in the public interest"...
article, his style was described this way: "Pacing the stage at the main Ballard campus, he delivered a sermon on marriage roles as he saw them set forth in the Song of Solomon
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
. He told stories from his own marriage, offered statistics, and dropped jokes without their feeling forced. Every few minutes he would sniff in a thoughtful, practiced sort of way. This untucked, down-to-earth demeanor was the opposite of a huckster televangelist, but polished in its own way. It makes the guy easy to listen to."
Driscoll has been widely inspired by other theologians including Augustine (especially on predestination(?)), John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
(especially on city transformation), Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
(especially on the gospel), along with the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards and, Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a large British Particular Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers"...
. And he finds himself in connection with contemporary theologians including Lesslie Newbigin
Lesslie Newbigin
Bishop James Edward Lesslie Newbigin was a Church of Scotland missionary serving in the former Madras State , India, who became a Christian theologian and bishop involved in missiology, ecumenism, and the Gospel and Our Culture Movement.-Biography:Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newbigin's schooling...
, Tim Keller, Ed Stetzer
Ed Stetzer
Ed Stetzer is an author, speaker, researcher, pastor, church planter, and Christian missiologist. Stetzer is a contributor to the North American discussion on missional church and church planting.- Background :...
, J. I. Packer
J. I. Packer
James Innell Packer is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia...
, Francis Schaeffer
Francis Schaeffer
Francis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland...
, John Stott
John Stott
John Robert Walmsley Stott CBE was an English Christian leader and Anglican cleric who was noted as a leader of the worldwide Evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974...
, Wayne Grudem
Wayne Grudem
Wayne A. Grudem is a Protestant theologian and author. He was born in 1948 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and married Margaret White on June 6, 1969 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin...
, Bruce Ware, Don Carson
Don Carson
Donald Arthur Carson is a Canadian-born evangelical theologian and professor of New Testament.-Background and education:...
, John Piper
John Piper (theologian)
John Stephen Piper is a Christian preacher and author, currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
, John MacArthur
John F. MacArthur
John Fullerton MacArthur, Jr. is a United States evangelical writer and minister noted for his internationally known and broadcast radio program titled Grace to You...
, David Wells
David F. Wells
David Falconer Wells is Distinguished Senior Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books in which his evangelical theology engages with the modern world....
and Driscoll's co-writer Gerry Breshears.
Calvinism
Driscoll distinguishes between double and single predestinationPredestination (Calvinism)
The Calvinistic doctrine of predestination is a doctrine of Calvinism which deals with the question of the control God exercises over the world...
, and says that unlike John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, he believes only in single predestination.
Driscoll denies the orthodox Calvinist view of Limited Atonement
Limited atonement
Limited atonement is a doctrine in Christian theology which is particularly associated with the Reformed tradition and is one of the five points of Calvinism...
and believes instead that Jesus died for all people in some sense, and for some people (the elect) in another sense. He thinks this position was what John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
believed, saying in a humorous tone: 'Calvinism came after Calvin... I will argue that the Calvinists are not very Calvin. I will argue against Calvinism with Calvin... What kind of Calvinist are you? I'm a Calvin, not a Calvinist, that came later'. Driscoll also believes that this position (or slight variations thereof) was held by men like Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a large British Particular Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers"...
, John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
, Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
, and Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
.
Driscoll has on several occasions cited Charles Spurgeon as having a major influence on his theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, pastoral ministry and preaching.
Emerging church
His description of his association with, and eventual distancing from the Emerging churchEmerging Church
The emerging church is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, post-evangelical, anabaptist, adventist, liberal, post-liberal, reformed, charismatic,...
movement:
In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging ChurchEmerging ChurchThe emerging church is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, post-evangelical, anabaptist, adventist, liberal, post-liberal, reformed, charismatic,...
and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLarenBrian McLarenBrian D. McLaren is a prominent, controversial evangelical pastor. He was recognized as one of Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America" in 2005, and is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland.-Biography:Born in 1956, Brian McLaren...
and Doug PagittDoug PagittDoug Pagitt is an author in the Emerging Church movement and head pastor of Solomon's Porch in South Minneapolis.Pagitt is also a Senior Fellow with Emergent Village: a generative friendship of missional church leaders around the world and a leading architect of the emergent church discussion.In...
began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake.
Gender roles
Driscoll holds to a complementarianComplementarian
Complementarianism is a theological view held by some in Christianity and other world religions, such as Islam, that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, religious leadership, and elsewhere. The word ‘'complementary’' and its cognates...
view of gender roles. He sometimes asks his wife to come up on stage to help him answer questions texted in from the audience, and believes that this does not clash with his understanding that preaching/teaching by women is prohibited by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12.
When the Evangelical leader Ted Haggard
Ted Haggard
Ted Arthur Haggard is an American evangelical pastor. Known as Pastor Ted to the congregation he served, he was the founder and former pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado; a founder of the Association of Life-Giving Churches; and was leader of the National Association of...
left New Life Church
New Life Church (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
New Life Church is a non-denominational charismatic Evangelical Christian megachurch located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. New Life Church has more than 10,000 members and is pastored by Brady Boyd.-History:...
in Colorado, Driscoll raised an uproar with the comment on his blog: "A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
is so frank about is not responsible for her husband's sin, but she may not be helping him either." Driscoll later apologized for his statement.
When the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
elected a woman as its bishop, Driscoll wrote on his blog, "If Christian males do not man up soon, the Episcopalians may vote a fluffy baby bunny rabbit as their next bishop to lead God's men."
See also
- MissiologyMissiologyMissiology is the area of practical theology that investigates the mandate, message, and mission of the Christian church, especially the nature of missionary work...
- Missional
- New CalvinismNew CalvinismThe New Calvinism is a growing perspective within conservative Evangelicalism that embraces the fundamentals of 16th century Calvinism while also trying to be relevant in the present day world. In March 2009, TIME magazine ranked it as one of the "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now." Some of...
- Missional Quotes