A disturbance in the pulpit at the annual Christian “Stronger Men’s Conference” has thrust megachurch founder Pastor Mark Driscoll back into the spotlight of controversy.
The former Mars Hills Church leader caused an uproar when he spoke at the two-day conference held at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri, on April 12.
The embattled organized religion figure took issue with the conference enlisting a performance of acrobatic stunts from Alex Magala, a professional martial artist whose sword swallowing has been placed on stages like NBC’s “Got Talent” and as part of the opening ceremony at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
He also has a past as a Las Vegas stripper. His presence, according to Driscoll, was more of an abomination than a stupefying showcase of his dangerous act. “There’s sexuality shifts on a spectrum. There are transgender. Demons want you to be like them, not like you,” he first stated before getting into the crux of his concerns.
“In the next session, if I’m allowed to come back…we’re gonna talk about how to deal with the average Jezebel,” said Driscoll as he removed his ball cap from his head and kneeled before the crowd.
“I’ve been up since 1 o’clock in the morning. The reason I’m hoarse is I’ve been praying for you, and my heart is very burdened for you. And I want to be very careful with this, and it’s not what I want to say, but the Jezebel spirit has already been here.”
The author of “Pray Like Jesus” continued, “The Jezebel spirit opened our event. This is a rebuke and correction of none; this is an observation. Before the world of God was opened, there was a platform; it was a high place. On it was a pole, an Asherah. The same thing used in the strip club for women who have the Jezebel spirit to seduce men.”
I’ve never been a @PastorMark fan but good for him. The 🤡 show in many ⛪️ needs to be called out. #MarkDriscoll pic.twitter.com/iIJ24bplie
— Summer Lee Steele (@summerLsteele) April 15, 2024
“In front of that was a man who ripped his shirt off like a woman does in front of a pole at a strip club,” Driscoll railed. “That man then ascended —s ee, our God is not arrogant… (inaudible) — and then he swallowed a sword and Jesus cried,” before being cut off by James River Church Pastor John Lindell, who yelled, “You’re out of line, Mark.”
With Driscoll off the stage, the audience erupted into boos and yells as the event organizer declared that “Mark is out of line. If Mark wanted to say that, he should have said it to me first. He didn’t.”
Despite male attendees demanding that the speaker be brought back, Lindell insisted that the guest should have followed the instruction of Matthew 18:16, which states in part that “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.”
“I talked to Mark for a half hour. There was not one word of that. He’s out of line. If he wants to say it, he can say it to me. You may not agree with me, you may not agree with him, but we are brothers in Christ, and there’s a right way to handle this,” said Lindell.
A range of reactions have sprouted up across social media. One comment read, “Now that’s the type of Pastor I can get behind! I respect him 1000%” regarding Driscoll. A second perspective read, “I don’t see how a male stripper performing at a men’s conference even correlates. Am I missing some context here? This is crazy!”
Mark Driscoll Claims Mars Hills Elders Tried to Oust Him From Church Using False Allegations of Adultery. See More at https://t.co/l42EBJdFWF pic.twitter.com/KBBYF8Bi9a
— Protestia (@Protestia) October 26, 2022
Though on Twitter, where Driscoll’s past alleged transgressions have influenced the opinion of some, a user wrote, “If Mark Driscoll had only faced the discipline from the elders at Mars Hill with the same fortitude he showed in criticizing a half-naked man with a fake sword – the conversation about him today would be very different.”
Another person slamming the embattled paster said, “This wack ‘Hard Men’s Conference’ hired a male stripper and sword swallower to open the event. It was WILD and disturbing. MARK DRISCOLL was the sane guy who said it was wrong, but he also spent a bunch of time referencing seductive women so he evened out his decency w misogyny.”
Driscoll resigned from his role as pastor at Mars Hill Church amid an investigation into claims he abused his power and had been adulterous. He vehemently denied the allegations.
