See-Through-Church on a Hill Outside of Brussels, Belgium
AP Photo

Today we hear in the news of the demise of an evangelical megachurch founder and pastor, Mark Driscoll.  Mars Hill Church is located in Bellevue, a suburb of Seattle WA, northwest coast of the USA. The “ungodly and disqualifying behavior” he is accused of is using church money to promote his book which denigrates women. It appears that his ministry is about promoting himself rather than true gospel values.  American Evangelicals are not noted for publicly raising consciousness about the beliefs and behavior of their own church, but members of this church have come out strong, questioning Driscoll’s practices, especially his beliefs and treatment of women as second-class citizens.  I find this very encouraging and it gives me a reason to respect them.

I came across this photo of a see-through-church after having read about Driscoll, and it hit me powerfully that what we really do need is see-through places of worship.  A “What you see is what you get” policy would go a long way toward trust that furthers the ministry of every congregation.  True community does not allow a loose cannon to dominate its life.  I applaud the members of this church who stood up.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/08/08/evangelism-network-to-mark-driscoll-step-down-and-seek-help/#25601101=0