Mark Driscoll has written these words:
I grew more chauvinistic.
This refers not to a time before he was a Christian, but to a period when he was already pastoring Mars Hill Church in Seattle. This was a period when he was having marriage difficulties. I’m not sure if he says he has now become less chauvinistic again.
The quote is taken from Driscoll and his wife Grace’s book Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship, and Life Together
Rachel’s review is by no means completely negative. She writes that
In places where Mark has been insensitive in the past, he seems to have softened a bit.
And Mark and Grace’s surprising candour about their sexual and marital problems reveals the background to that past insensitivity, explaining it although not excusing it. Mark writes of his own “bitterness” as he counselled couples enjoying very different sexual experiences to his and his wife’s. He also admits that this situation
affected my tone in preaching for a season, something I will always regret.
This leads Rachel to question not only Driscoll’s fitness for pastoring and counselling but also the whole celebrity-pastor culture, so prominent in the USA and growing here in the UK:
Meanwhile, evangelicals in particular need to do something about our celebrity-pastor culture. Mark Driscoll is simply not qualified to serve as a sex therapist—most pastors aren’t!
True maturity is marked not by how much a person knows but by the wisdom he or she shows in discerning when to speak with authority and when to hold back. And when it comes to maturity, I’m afraid that Pastor Mark still has a long way to go.
Yes, Rachel, I agree with you.
Meanwhile Mark Driscoll needs to examine himself more carefully, to look for any ways in which he might still be even a little bit “chauvinistic”. Then he should examine his teaching and particularly his complementarian position, to see how much of it is based on the Bible and how much on his past chauvinism. This book seems to show signs of him moving in the right direction. Let’s hope and pray that he will continue this journey, and that before long we will see a new Driscoll whose teaching undermines chauvinistic stereotypes and exalts women as well as men, as equally made in the image of God.
Mark & Grace are either pretty bold and humble via this book or they are cashing in on his celeb, status yet again. Sad but true. Either way if it is true humility and love directing Mark then may the Lord refresh him and guide him.
Good comment, Jan. I’m sure the Driscolls will earn quite a lot of money from this book, as well as gain more notoriety. But they could do that without opening up their personal lives and confessing to past errors in the way that they have done. So I don’t think they are doing it just for the money and the fame. Personally I feel that Driscoll is genuine, even though often misguided.
Yes you are right Peter in one way, but nothing sells as well as a touch of scandal – you have only to look at the Dan Brown ‘Da Vinci Code’ fiasco to see that.
We are all mostly genuine in our belief and actions – genuinly wrong at times as well. As I said, if the love is real, between Mark and his wife, then the Lord will refresh him and guide him and his wife.
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Please don’t link Mark and Grace Driscoll with Christians. They are promoting a fake JESUS who is unloving and buys Grace her designer shoes and outfits she wears to promote herself. Just look on Mark’s Facebook page which is not promoting Jesus, but himself and his wife’s new hairstyles and designer shoes. What a joke! Please remember that the REAL JESUS was loving and did NOT sell books, conferences or have a wife who is addicted to fame, fortune and manipulating her pastor husband who is a sex addict. Is sex so important to Mark, that he would let if effect his preaching? Wow! Perhaps he needs to obstain so he can heal this addiction. It seems that his addiction/obession with sex is still effecting his preaching, Facebook page and his addiction is making he and Grace rich and famous. What’s wrong with this picture? He is not only being enabled by Grace (his wife), but by every person who buys his book and puts more money in his wallet. Rewarding Mark for his addiction, is sin and is not loving.
Leidani, I take your point, but I wouldn’t put it quite so strongly myself. Rather than “fake Jesus”, I would prefer “distorted picture of Jesus”.
As for his Facebook page, at least the first one which comes up on the search for “Mark Driscoll”, I don’t see anything about his wife’s shoes. If you have managed to find his personal Facebook page (I haven’t), then I think he has the right to mention personal matters there – although I would expect him to restrict access to only his friends.