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Tony Jones on Mark Driscoll: What came first, the thug or the theology?
This drawing is inspired by the Ouroboros Snake... of the snake eating its own tail.
What came first? The chicken or the egg? What came first? The thug or the theology? I read Tony Jones' thoughts on Mark Driscoll.
Jones has always admired Driscoll, maybe envies him a little, wants the best for him, believes he can be redeemed, and suggests that things can be restored.
What I found most interesting though is that Jones believes the problem with Driscoll is theological.
- He titles his post is "Thoughts about Mark Driscoll"
- He talks about the "heady" days of publishing and speaking.
- He dismisses his disturbing personality traits by his use of the word "sure".
- He says it isn't a moral issue (evil) but that he is passionate.
- He says more than once that Driscoll is "extremely smart" or "brilliant".
- He suggests that he will "see" (as in "think"?) his way out of this.
- He writes that Driscoll has just embraced a toxic version of theology.
- He hopes that Driscoll will turn away from this toxic theology.
- He concludes therefore that Driscoll is not the problem, but his theology.
But my question is‚ What came first? The thug or the theology?
That is, did Driscoll become the focus of concern because of his theology? Or was it because of his behavior?
I'm concerned that Jones' post reflects the refusal of the church to understand spiritual abuse. It neglects the pathology of its abusive leaders. I don't think this is being fair to the victims or the perpetrators of spiritual abuse. People are victims of not just a bad theology, but a pathological cruelty.
I don't think Driscoll's theology made this happen. Driscoll "embraced" his toxic version of theology because it aligned with his moral compass. It fit his personality. It worked for him to achieve his goals. Then it manifested the worst in him. Then he continued to develop his toxic theology in order to make more room for his pathological behavior. Mars Hill Church too.
Jones' sentence, "It could have happened to any of us." is true, because I believe we all participate in this dynamic. Theology is our creation. It is a reflection of our drives and desires.
Then, not satisfied to only be the product of our drives and desires, it also becomes the producer of them. Theology is a vicious cycle of our desperate need to understand and control our universe.
Step into this cycle at any point and you can see that we are both the root and fruit of our theology and pathology.
And yes, it spins out of control by manifesting itself in toxic, controlling, and abusive behavior. Nothing can be done about bad theology because of free thought and speech.
But we can do something when this manifests itself in bad behavior. Cruel theology is a nuisance. Cruel behavior is unacceptable.
When Driscoll thinks bully to his people, we can say please stop. But when he actually bullies people, we can step in and say you will stop now!
I don't think this is a theological issue. I think it is a pathological one. Not just for Driscoll and Jones, but for the entire church.
If we would be healed, our theology would take care of itself.
1080 comments
I have been silenced and threatened for years. This is nothing new. This happened. It’s real and I’m being silenced for speaking the truth.
“Luckily up here in Minnesota they call the mentally ill “demon possessed”. Much harder to prove in court. :)
Although I have heard of many accused of mental illness AFTER the breakdown or leaving the abuse and speaking about it. Myself included. :(”
I advise anyone who knows this was said about them to deal with it legally—-immediately. This is nothing to fool around with and can have long term repercussions for your life and career. I am to the point that these guys have to be challenged in ways that make it clear to other gurus that road is not worth going down and they are accountable for what they say.
The problem is often it cannot be traced back to them as it is a whisper campaign their sycophants carry out . There is a time and reason to fight back. Jesus loves justice. I am not sure why so many do not understand that.
Not my lawyer.
You may want to check on laws in your state but writing about YOUR experience is not usually libelous unless there is some gag order. Yeah, had that one thrown at me from some celebrity seeker gurus.
The thing about narcissists is that they are bold and never tire. Their boldness is what helps them. People do not think they would dare proclaim the things they do if they were not true. It can take years to figure this out about them.
Another thing is that you spend all your time dealing with them. They never stop. And with the celeb Christian narcissists they have the benefit of all those other celebs around them who blurbed their books and shared stages with them who must save face at all costs. They could never admit they lacked such wisdom and discernment. Or they had been duped. Or perhaps they are narcissists too. Note how long it took some to back away from Driscoll and only after it became so obviously bad and the media was picking up on it. Now it is “Mark who”?
It is all another variation of the white coat syndrome. People tend to believe these guys because of a title, pulpit or a white coat. You guys ever ever seen the Milgram Experiment? It is on youtube. Amazing what people will believe when someone in a “position” of authority tells them something. That is why people believe them when they say someone is mentally ill.
We’re staying tuned Julie.