A few weeks ago I offered this, my viritual living room, as a place for women to tell thier stories of painful interaction with what has been described as the ‘hard complementairan’ model preached at Mars Hill Church.

Although I have been honored to hear some women’s stories about thier experience at Mars Hill Church, these stories, out of fear of verbal retribution, have been told in confidence and so I have not posted them.

I recently recieved this story from someone who wishes to remain anonymous on the blog (though she has revealed her identity to me via email conversations.) It’s a telling tale, one I feel is told in a genuine, measured, and mature manner. In order to maintain anonymity, ‘Jane D.’s’ backstory is not told in this post. Suffice it to say it is one in which her family has born much pain from the discriminatory teachings at Mars Hill, one which has divided family members, and one to which Jane has responded with forgiveness, patience, and compassion.

Every time a woman tells her story, she stands in her own God-ordained power. Story is powerful. Honesty is powerful. Truth is powerful.

I want to thank Jane D. for offering this story for us as a move towards healing, deeper understanding, and much shalom.

In an effort to provide a safe place for women to use thier voice, comments are closed on this post. If you would like to offer a comment of healing, support, and compassion, please email me at urbanabbess at monkfish-abbe dot org and I will post your message of siblinghood in the comments.

If you are a woman who needs to share her story of discrimination at the hands of the church, any church, I offer you a similar space of listening and saftey. Feel free to email me.

With Much Appreciation and Admiration,

Rachelle

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Mark Driscoll and the Words in Red

I have, for my own reasons, sat in the congregation at Mars Hill many times over the last several years. I have listened while this man regularly puts down and marginalizes both women and homosexuals.

One day, I listened as he was going on and on about women, and not in a supportive way at all. I got up to take communion, tears caught in my throat, and after taking the bread and wine, I turned and stood in the front of the church, looking at the women in the dark church. I did not see one smile. Men were smiling, to be sure.

I am a woman and a wife and a mother. I have called myself a Christian for more years than Mark Driscoll has been alive, and feel a deep, abiding strength in the words in red, the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ gave us one command, to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In the Lord’s prayer, he asks but one thing, that we forgive.

When I hear this man, week after week, mocking gay men, putting down women, especially women clergy, I am not only saddened, but angered, that this man, who carries a title of pastor, feels such a liberty to be so crass. To put down God’s creation in his dark ages view if how life should be ordered. He has wrapped up misogyny and homophobia in a hip package and flaunts it shamelessly from his stage.

I am also deeply disturbed that he is conveying a very disturbing message to the young people he shepherds. Condoning discrimination.

I do not hear this man talking about love. I do not see him demonstrating love.

I don’t see how, in the Mars Hill congregation, with its prescribed male-dominant teachings, any woman in relationship with one of these men, could even begin to speak out.

How can this man think he can make a gay man straight with his ranting?

His arrogance knows no bounds.