Conference
woman does in front of a pole at a strip club,” said Driscoll, who has courted controversy in the past. “That man then ascended — See, our God is not arrogant. He is humble and he descends. And then, he swallowed a sword and Jesus cried.”
James River Church’s pastor John Lindell could then be heard saying, “Out of line, Mark,” at which point Driscoll acknowledged Lindell and left the stage.
In the video, the crowd booed as Lindell stepped on stage and shouts of “You’re not in charge” could be heard as he began to speak.
“Let me just say this: If Mark (Driscoll) wanted to say that, he should have said it to me first,” Lindell said. “Matthew 18: ‘If your brother offends you, go to him privately.’ I talked to Mark (Driscoll) for a half hour; there was not one word of that. He’s out of line.”
In the past, conference performances have included BMX/motocross, professional bull riding, monster trucks and a car-crushing tank.
In a video posted by an attendee, Driscoll and Lindell said they talked in private and reaffirmed their friendship before Driscoll gave his planned sermon alongside Lindell.
“I honor, respect, love and admire you as the father of this house. This is the greatest men’s event, I believe, in the country right now,” Driscoll said on stage, in what he said was a “model of how brothers can work through their” differences. He expressed remorse for not speaking to Lindell directly before speaking to the crowd.
“I apologize to you for not going that route, which would have lead us from the most awkward moment in the history of any men’s event,” Driscoll said.
Lindell said while people can have different opinions, he and Driscoll agree on the things that mattered.
“People are going to make mistakes, they make misjudgments, but if we are going to penalize people and kill friendships over that, then we’ve damaged the body of Christ,” Lindell said.
The day after the conference, Driscoll tweeted about the conference.
As of publication, neither Driscoll nor James River Church have responded to requests for comment.
Who is Mark Driscoll?
Driscoll is an Evangelical pastor who co-founded Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, in 1996.
He was ousted from the church in 2014, following “accusations that he bullied members, threatened opponents, lied and oversaw mismanagement of church funds,” according to an article in the Seattle Times. The departure was spurred by a 2013 radio interview where he was accused of plagiarizing another pastor’s work for his book. That interview led to a Christian magazine uncovering that Mars Hill paid a company $25,000 to buy up and distribute Driscoll’s book so it would make best-seller lists.
In 2016, he founded Real Faith with his wife and daughter in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its website says it is a family ministry “created for real people with real questions about real life with Jesus.”
Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.