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.
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