Facing Ire, Mark Driscoll Says He Will Take a Leave

[cbayer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/us/facing-ire-mark-driscoll-says-he-will-take-a-leave.html?_r=0

By MICHAEL PAULSON
AUG. 24, 2014

Mark Driscoll, the conservative evangelical leader, said Sunday that he would take a leave from running his megachurch in response to a parade of complaints that he has been a bully and abusive to staff members.

Mr. Driscoll, whose Mars Hill Church has its headquarters in Bellevue, Wash., made the announcement in remarks to his church after he returned from a vacation that was overshadowed by rising objections to his leadership from former aides and congregants. In recent months he has been accused of plagiarism, misusing church funds and creating a culture of fear at his church, which has 15 campuses in five Western states and says it has a weekly attendance of 15,000.

“I am very sorry for the times I have been angry, short or insensitive,” Mr. Driscoll said, according to text of his remarks posted on the church’s website. “I am very sorry for anything I have done to distract from our mission by inviting criticism, controversy or negative media attention.”

“Storm clouds seem to be whirling around me more than ever in recent months,” he said.

more at link

[freshwest]

1. A lot more on this beast here. Follow the links out. Disgusting:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025439296

to Liberal_in_LA

More frightening is that his sex manual is in the top 50 on Amazon.

[cbayer]

2. Nicely put together by Liberal_in_LA

I'm enjoying watching him squirm in the public spotlight.

He's going to think about what to do next and we shouldn't let him worm his way back into the public sphere.

[freshwest]

3. Except... It's not 'the public sphere' he is in, it's the private one. And 500 applauded this pig.

No doubt there were no red flags for them, those who knew him best.

This is one of the faces of modern Xtianity, the cult following of a guy who mentally abuses all or part of his congregation. It's telling that he only regrets not being at peace with all men.

Don't worry, I know the verse this came from. But he means just the men, the ones who were in opposition to him. I say that because it's apparent from his ravings that he considers women unable to exercise free will.

From that point of view, it all goes downhill like a huge boulder with many victims on the way. This is not new, it's part of some evangelical circles, where the pastor teaches about sex from the pulpit at the same time he will exhort women to jump hoops sexually, and then accuse them of not being in their right minds if they don't act like a porn star.

There is no freedom of the mind in coercing people this way. Some equate GOP, LP, DNC as the same animal but it's no more true than the false equivalency of conservatives and liberals being just a choice on issues that don't matter. It makes a huge difference to women caught in this kind of thinking by family or community, and it time it will affect us all.

It's why a larger vision of human rights with more diversity should always be nurtured, and not disdained.

I consider this guy to be no different than ISIS or the Taliban in his gross intolerance for the rights of others to choose how to live their lives. All hid under color of religion to those who don't take a few moments to think of many personal lives are going to be hurt as they force their conformity on them.

[cbayer]

5. YOu are preaching to the choir here.

I post about him because I think it's important to shine a light on charlatans like this and to take them out of their private spheres and put them in the public spotlight.

While I don't agree that he is not different than ISIS or the Taliban, I do think he is sociopathic and will take advantage of others every opportunity he gets.

If it's not religion, it will be something else, but religion is where a lot of these charlatans find the most vulnerable victims.

[AtheistCrusader]

4. I almost want to read the book. Curious if it has more or less sexist baggage than 50 shades of grey

[cbayer]

6. I'm guessing it has a whole lot more sexist baggage, but may

approach the same subject (submission) just from a different angle.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Yeah, I just read the other thread.

Vile.