Experience from Inside Mars Hill

Another couple links on this last day of Link Junction January:

http://twocleareyes.blogspot.com/2012/01/mars-hill-altar-of-doctrine-and-occult.html#!/2012/01/mars-hill-altar-of-doctrine-and-occult.html

http://marshillrefuge.blogspot.com/2012/01/questions.html#comment-form

I added the above, Mars Hill Refuge, to my blog list.

(No guarantee that I will stop my linking frenzy just because we are running out of January.)

Steamrolled by Driscoll Back in 2007

Bent Meyer was. He was a part of Driscoll's church, saw some things that concerned him, and was fired, excommunicated, and spoken badly about by Driscoll.

He has shown up over at The Wartburg Watch and has added his voice to the voices of concern that are sounding the alarm over there.

But I don't want you to take my word for it. I want you to hear it better from WTH, my friend who is trying to stay as objective a possible while he also raises concerns over Driscoll.

http://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2012/01/bent-meyer-posts-on-wartburg-watch.html

(Hits are still coming concerning Grace, her blog, her affair, her lie, etc. I find it to be very interesting.)

Edited to add some other good news:

http://freedom4captives.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/48-a-bit-troubling/

Abuse at Mars Hill

As the hits keep coming here looking for Grace Driscoll's blog, Mars Hill is dealing with a lot of accusations of abuse.

I know the doctrine is abusive on more levels than I can talk about.

Here's a few links concerning it.

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/01/26/run-baby-run-personal-insights-on-mars-hill-and-mark-driscoll/

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/01/27/mars-hill-and-mark-driscoll-under-scrutiny-while-another-painful-story-emerges/

And here is some good insight from my friend Shirley:

http://bwebaptistwomenforequality.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/look-whos-doing-the-exploitation/

Link Junction January is almost over, but we'll see how many more links I can get in before the month is up.

Womanhood Confusion and 12 Step Recovery

Just call me the blog link junction this month.

All I seem able to do is link other people's blog posts. And I'm okay with that. I hope you are too, and I hope any new visitors will be as delighted over some of the things I'm finding in the blogsphere.

The two I have today aren't as related as the title of this post makes them look. I'm not linking a 12 step recovery for Womanhood Confusion, I just have two unrelated posts that, for women, might have a bit of a connection, but I leave that for the individual to decide.

Certain sectors of American Evangelicalism seem to be over wrought and wringing their hands concerning "Gender Confusion". As a result, Herculean measures are being taken to heal our generation of this horrid monster of Gender Confusion. Unfortunately, these Herculean measures are only confusing the issue far worse than what it was to begin with because, apparently, American Evangelicals are the most confused on what Womanhood is of any other group on the face of the planet.

Karen, over at "That Mom" discusses some of the mixed and confusing messages coming out of the American Evangelical Gender Confusion Hand Wringing Fest:
http://www.thatmom.com/2012/01/25/purity-balls-christian-princess-syndrome-and-mom-haircuts-evangelicalisms-mixed-messages-for-women/

On a different note, Cindy, over at Under Much Grace, is very concerned about the damage that is being done to all people by many of the excesses going on in American Evangelicalism of which Womanhood Confusion is only one. Cindy is all about healing and being truly set free in Jesus Christ. It is good that Cindy put up:

Finding Healing Through the Twelve Steps: Recovery from the Emotional Wounds of Childhood (and from Spiritual Abuse)

http://undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/2012/01/finding-healing-through-twelve-steps.html

Neither of these ladies are in my blog role yet. Both ladies belong there. Better yet, I'm toying with the idea of making a links page here. I really don't mind being a link junction. I believe in the Wisdom of as Iron sharpens Iron so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17 NAS).

Beaten Down Men at Driscoll's Church

I do focus a lot on how bad Drisconian doctrine is for women. It is oppressive and destructive.

But I'm becoming increasingly aware of how bad his misguided doctrine is for men too, on many, many levels. WTH has made me aware of a few things. And now the blog post at this link shows me another side of the devastation that goes on at Mars Hill.

http://matthewpaulturner.net/jesus-needs-new-pr/mark-driscolls-church-discipline-contract-looking-for-true-repentance-at-mars-hill-church-sign-on-the-dotted-line/

http://matthewpaulturner.net/jesus-needs-new-pr/mark-driscolls-gospel-shame-the-truth-about-discipline-excommunication-and-cult-like-control-at-mars-hill/

And here's freebie link. I won't charge you extra for this one at all, even though it's pretty good.

http://www.wadeburleson.org/2012/01/fatal-flaw-within-together-for-gospel.html

Is It Grace Driscoll's Blog or Affair?

Dear everyone using Google and other search engines to find either Grace Driscoll's blog or juicy gossip on Grace Driscoll's supposed affair...

I apologize that your search has brought you here, because, you see, you will not find anything you are looking for here.

If you are looking for Grace Driscoll's blog, you will be highly disappointed in my blog because my blog is written by a Christian woman who has been there and done that in the Christian community. And what I mean is, I have danced to the tune that men have played for women calling that tune, "The Gospel" when really it has little to do with The True Gospel according to Jesus Christ. I didn't dance to it very long. I found it exhausting and it produced nothing but bondage and heartache.

There is a gender gospel, a false gospel, being pushed by Driscoll, Piper, Dever, Mahaney, Mohler, CBMW and other such groups. It is being pushed hard and strong by modern day pharisees that love the best seats in homes and churches and who want to rule and control and to be able to say that God has given them the divine right to rule over women.

I am no longer subject to the false gospel of hierarchy and shame that these men pushed. But Grace Driscoll is. And if you are also subject to this false teaching, you will absolutely hate what I have to say because I consider it important to expose the gender gospel for what it is. Fake and the commandments of men.

If you are looking for juicy tidbits on Grace's affair, I got nothing. I don't know anything about it, nor do I want to know anything about it if such a thing were even true. That's between her and Mark. Personally, I wouldn't put up with the crap that Mark dishes out. But an affair is never the answer. It just distracts from the real issues in their relationship.

So, anyway, again, so sorry to those of you looking for words of wisdom from Grace's blog or gossip concerning her. You won't find it here. And if you stick around, you will just be frustrated with me.

I wish you well in your search and hope you find what you are looking for.

Mara Reid,

Owner of "From Bitter Waters to Sweet"

A Few British Responses to Driscoll

http://sarahfegredo.blogspot.com/2012/01/martin-luther-king-and-mark-driscoll.html

http://richardlittledale.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/dear-pastor-mark/

http://thechurchsofa.co.uk/2012/01/dear-markdriscoll/

No, I haven't forgotten how to write my own posts. I've just been busy. Plus, watching more and more people tear up Driscoll gives me hope that his stronghold of manly men idolatry may yet tumble down.

Oh, and this one isn't a British response, but it still needs to be mentioned:

http://pastorjonathanmartin.com/uncategorized/why-mark-driscoll-is-wrong-about-women-in-church-leadership/

Feminization?

I'm not the only one who sees the trouble with the feminization accusation thrown around by some preachers. He's a couple other gals that don't care for it to much either:

http://moonchild11.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/effeminate-christianity/

http://sarahfegredo.blogspot.com/2012/01/feminisation-of-church.html

Driscoll, a Step Up?

Well, yeah. to some people. I've been negligent to link my friend Lewis's post on Christian halfway houses for people who come from more legalistic and restrictive Christian movements than Driscoll. Lewis makes some excellent points and I appreciate the fact that he is going after Patriarchy and Quiverfull, yet has a moment to spare to take a jab at Driscoll, Piper, Mahaney, Dever, and SGM.

http://thecommandmentsofmen.blogspot.com/2012/01/halfway-houses.html

Retha on Purity Balls

Excellent post by my South African friend and 30 year old virgin, Retha on the deep error and dangers of Purity Balls.

http://biblicalpersonhood.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/whats-wrong-with-purity-balls-one-virgins-perspective/

Links to a Couple More Posts on Driscoll

There is a lot being said and a lot of great insight concerning Driscoll and his position..

http://benirwin.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/shock-jock-pasto-meets-the-full-but-not-so-manly-might-of-the-british-empire/#comment-540

http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/the-mark-driscoll-fiasco-what-the-latest-flap-teaches-us-about-the-neo-reformed-movement/

There are also sad stories with the way Driscoll treats other Christians that he disagrees with. If you would like to protest Driscoll, one way is to support a mission work in Haiti that he dumped like a hot potato, because, horror upon horrors, it was a husband and wife team where the wife held equal authority with her husband:

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/01/20/mark-driscoll-acts-29-haiti-relief-denied-because-of-a-woman-preacher/

Song of Solomon as Actual Poetry of the Divine

The forcing of the Song of Solomon into our modern age of tech manuals, instruction books, text books, and trouble shooting guides by shock jock preachers (like Driscoll) has ripped the beauty and poetic far and away from this poem.

Both Gem/Charis and WTH have recommended this link and I'm going to post it here for two reasons. One, for anyone visiting to look over. And two, for me to be able to find again easily without having to cut and paste.

http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/01/the-poetry-of-sex