Mark Driscoll’s Fall from the Doctrines of Grace

Mark Driscoll was once a respected pastor in Seattle where he commanded a massive church with his charismatic and calvinistic appeal. He once referred to himself as a five-point Calvinist and was often associated with Calvinists of every variety like John Piper, Matt Chandler, Doug Wilson and a host of others. His network of churches, Acts 29, was known for its grace emphasis drawn from the Canons of Dort as the five points of Calvinism.

Driscoll’s success was great and so also was his fall. Charges of plagiarism and abusive behavior took the bold Mark Driscoll to a sea of despair in a short period. Driscoll’s labors drew heavy criticism from many evangelical pastors but his unique skills in communicating to a largely pagan culture in Seattle provided him an invisibility cloak for some time. But that didn’t last forever. Driscoll fell from grace.

It took him some time to put himself together, and the ideal scenario, in my estimation, would have been for Driscoll to set his eyes upon Jesus, repent fully and find restoration to a local church to serve as a faithful layman and perhaps some form of role that would use his gifts under strong and capable leadership. But as in most cases, a man of Driscoll’s caliber are rarely content with regular church life unless they are in the spotlight of the church.

Driscoll re-grouped and founded The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. His influence has diminished, but he continues to preach without any ecclesiastical accountability. For the readers and observers of Driscoll’s journey, many were shocked to see his recent comments on a podcast where he dismissed the five points of Calvinism with tremendous ease. He notes in the interview that Time Magazine named him one of the thought leaders of the Young, Restless and Reformed movement, which led him to this conclusion:

I don’t hold to the five points of Calvinism. I think it’s garbage, so blog about that, but anyways, because it’s not biblical.

 You can watch his comments here:

He paints an image of Calvinism where God is distant and cold. Driscoll’s description, however, is foreign not only to Calvin himself but to all those who came through the doors of the Reformation. Calvin once observed in a sermon that “there is nothing compared to that special love which God reserves… his flock. This is not due to any merit to be found in them, but rather because it has pleased him to make them his own.” In a sermon on Psalm 92, Calvin says that “God embraces them in his fatherly love.” John Owen,^a Baxter, Edwards, Kuyper and the whole stream of the Reformational heritage stressed the love of God in tender terms, and not cold, mechanical assertions about love. It may be true that there are Calvinists–as in any tradition–who act and think this way, but the breadth of Reformed writing does not grant them justification. One cannot read the Puritans, especially John Owen’s Communion with God and not leave overwhelmed by his poetic descriptions of God’s fatherly care.

Driscoll’s attempt to distance himself from Calvinism is an attempt to re-brand himself.^b After sinning against his own congregation and leadership, Mark Driscoll lost his place at the safety of his Calvinian kingdom. This entire approach re-brands him to a new market; not the old market that was deeply interested in Calvin’s God-centered interpretations, but a new market that sees the doctrines of grace as “garbage.” Driscoll’s recent tirade seems clearly an attempt to destroy the validity and beauty of his old theological paradigm. By providing the worse caricature of Calvinism, Driscoll opens himself up to a new audience and by posing himself as the Calvinist antagonist he will rebuild a new image. But separating himself from the theology of grace and painting it as a cold expression of the Christian God only diminishes the message of the new Mark Driscoll who is no longer as young, whose theology is continually restless and who forsook the Reformed.

1. But if the heart be once much taken up with this the eminency of the Father’s love, it cannot choose but be overpowered, conquered, and endeared unto Him. This, if anything, will work upon us to make our abode with Him.   (back)
2. I use the term “re-brand” not only as a platform but that any time someone emerges from the ashes of sin, he/she will attempt to re-brand himself whether for good or ill  (back)

calvinism, driscoll, five points