Mike Cosper at Christianity Today has been dropping an amazing weekly podcast on the history of Mars Hill Church in Seattle (1996 – 2014) and what we can learn from it. Quality is superb and it includes a lot of voices from the church and from observers.
If I can add a little correction the event at Glorieta in New Mexico that Tim Conder spoke about was actually 1998 and not 1997 as he said. I was there at both events, planning the event with the other ten Young Leaders and then again in 1998 for the big event.
Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Podcast here.
Discussion has focused on the question “Who killed Mars Hill?” – was it entirely Mark’s fault, the people who supported and platformed him, or are we all guilty?
ARTICLES
More discussion on the relationship between Reformed theology and Driscoll. Scott at Heidelblog claims Driscoll was never reformed. But I remember when Driscoll signed off on 5 point Calvinism with Spanish River Church when Acts 29 was based in Florida.
Stephen McAlpine in Australia has Thoughts on EP3 on The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.
And Seattle Times has a good summary from a few years back of what happened with The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill Church.
Also check out WenatcheeTheHatchet who is commenting now, and has been speaking into this conversation for many years.
PODCASTS
This podcast has also spurned a number of related podcasts commenting on it. I am adding more here as they turn up:
THE BEST: Zach and Dave, Veterans of Culture Wars, have a refreshingly honest podcast discussing this issue and worth listening to. They have a good handle on the wider issues and deal with some worthy questions. Podcast here. I would start with this one. I am impressed!
The Mark Driscoll podcast on The Happy Rant by Barnabas Piper is interesting and offers a little background on the book publishing side of the Driscoll brand.
Coram Deo #345 The Mars Hill Podcast admires the quality of the CT podcast, and the producers are friends of Mike Cosper, but is a little critical. Context matters they say, and timing, and how the story is being told. The blame falls on the “Christian Capitalist Complex” and its subscribers, to which Mike Cosper also plays into with his role at Christianity Today (an interesting critique). Their history is a little skewed. Mark did not “break” with Emergent Village because he was never part of it but when he was part of the Young Leaders Network, he was kicked out for his consistent misogynist offensive remarks. This team admits to loving Driscoll’s books but they seem to take his theology as “gospel” without question. Still listening to it as I write this ..
Pastors With No Answers have a pretty kick ass no-holds-barred kinda podcast and I appreciated this one also.
Warren Cole Smith at Issues, ETC on the final days of MH and the publishing scandal.
Jonathan Herron’s #58 – Mark Driscoll, Perry Noble and the Rise & Fall of Mars Hill Church is just self-promotional dribble and offers nothing except how Perry Noble was cool, Mark Driscoll wasn’t too bad either and how Barnabas Piper sucks. Really not worth listening to but I thought I should mention it as a “contrarian view”.
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Here’s a few snapshots of old posts re:Driscoll on this blog
