The Mark Driscoll controversy rages on. The fact that he has been invited to hold a marriage conference, based on his outrageous book Real Marriage (2012), on the campus of Liberty University in Virginia, USA, has hit the blogosphere in a big way. Information provided by Pastor Peter Lumpkins (conservative theologically and decidedly Baptist by conviction) on his blog, suggests the trustees of Liberty University are not all that happy at the idea of Driscoll being given a Liberty platform to promote Real Marriage.
According to Pastor Lumpkins, ‘Liberty University trustees met on the Mountain and… they expressed strong concerns that Mark Driscoll is scheduled to not only speak in chapel April 20, but also to hold a marriage conference on campus profiling his book, Real Marriage. Sources say trustees took a vote, and the vote was unanimous indicating that Mark Driscoll is not welcome atLibertyUniversity.’ The response to Lumpkin’s revelation has been immediate and huge, with literally hundreds of comments, both for and against.
Liberty University warn Lumpkins
Liberty University have been quick to claim that Lumpkins source is not reliable, and have produced the following statement:
“On April 4, 2012, a Southern Baptist blogger, Peter Lumpkins, wrote an innacurate account of Liberty’s recent Board of Trustees meeting as it relates to the university’s invitation to Mark Driscoll to speak in Convocation. Lumpkin’s recent blog contains information that is defamatory and portrays Liberty University in a false light.
The Board of Trustees of Liberty University did not vote unanimously that Mark Driscoll is not welcome on campus, as the blog states, and, in fact, Mark Driscoll is still scheduled to speak in Convocation at Liberty University on April 20, 2012.
Liberty University’s legal counsel has demanded the immediate removal of the post. Liberty University is also posting this notification so that our community is informed as to the inaccuracy of the post, and advised that Lumpkins’ blog is clearly being used to disseminate misinformation about Liberty University and to cause strife and harm to the university.”
Peter Lumpkins responds:
On 6 April 2012, Peter Lumpkins reported on his blog:
Their website [Liberty University] further alleges “Lumpkins’ blog is clearly being used to disseminate misinformation about Liberty Universityand to cause strife and harm to the university.” Readers need to know this is simply not true. None of my posts concerning Liberty University and Mark Driscoll has been designed to cause either strife for them or harm to them. Nor is my blog used by me or anyone else to “disseminate misinformation” about LU, and Liberty should take this slanderous accusation down.
In addition, I just received an unsolicited phone call from a long-time Liberty trustee – a trustee whom I have never met, nor with whom I have ever talked, nor with whom I have ever had any direct or indirect communication before today. The trustee affirmed my post in toto. He indicated unequivocally, I have read your piece time and time again, and there is nothing in your post I can find that is inaccurate. He offered no qualifications… no reservations… no hesitation… no nothing. Rather he encouraged me beyond my expectations. Indeed I feel a sense of vindication, vindication I can only trust under God will not deteriorate to an ugly self-righteous posture. Thank you, my brother.
I will say once again:
I hereby put Liberty University on notice to take their objectionable public announcement down from their website – an announcement which they’ve admittedly and specifically stated would embarrass me in public – and instead post an official apology.
Cathy Mickels comments – see her meno to church leaders
Liberty University has brought all of this shame and controversy on themselves. They can’t blame Peter Lumpkins! How about Liberty U taking responsibility for inviting a man, who has two sides: One side that will deliver a sound sermon and “the other sides” that will distort a whole book of the Bible, mock Christ and other Old Testament prophets, introduce unhealthy sexual behavior and brags about seeing sinful, evil sex acts and more.
It has come to this point precisely because the so-called leaders in our midst looked the other way and/or covered for Mark Driscoll’s perversions. Godly men do not see the things Mark sees or says the things Mark says.
So what is up with the men at Liberty U, who seem to have no problem with all of this? We have become as sick as the world and we think we are going to clean it up? We fight against same sex marriage and homosexual behavior, but we then accept and validate a man claiming it is a-ok for a husband to perform unnatural sex acts on his wife?
God’s Word tells us to remove falsehood and lies far from us. Instead of being heartsick by the things Mark Driscoll says, such as Jesus went around telling knock knock jokes because his perfection had to include comedic timing, we hear excuse after excuse for what comes out of his irreverent mouth.
Come on men. Stand up for Truth and tell Liberty U they need to regroup and get their house in order!
Pastor Tim Guthie, graduate and former trustee of Liberty, comments:
As an LU graduate I cannot believe what I have read and heard over the events of the past few days concerning Mark Driscoll and his invite to speak at LU.
The invite: How in the world did Driscoll get an invite? His potty mouth in the pulpit and his latest book on marriage which advocates wives doing things to their husbands that are disgusting, along with other perverted things should have been enough to give the leaders that be at LU to pass on Driscoll. Johnnie Moore, please tell me this is all a mistake.
The Theology: My disgust for this scenario has nothing to do with his theology. I supported Glenn Beck speaking at Graduation. But this is Convo and Driscoll. I do not care that he is reformed. I care that he is promoting filth!
The Trustees: Where are they? There are many Godly people serving LU as Trustees. Surely they can do something. Have they read Driscoll’s book?
He concludes: “I am one graduate looking at my class ring and asking “what in the world has happened!”
Liberty claims to promote a lifestyle of Biblical morality
A significant aspect of this controversy is the fact that Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the world, declares that its code of conduct ‘teaches discipline and promotes a lifestyle of Biblical morality, but is well-balanced to allow students the freedom to enjoy their college experience’.
We are amazed that the leaders of Liberty University seem to accept that Driscoll’s teaching on sexual conduct is consistent with a lifestyle of Biblical morality. And this gives them a problem, for how do they square their invitation to Driscoll with the public statement that Liberty promotes biblical morality, without appearing to be hypocrites. The Bible’s condemnation of sexual immorality is absolute. ‘But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints’ (Ephesians 5.3). Yet Driscoll’s book is replete with sexual impurity, even asserting that the Bible does not condemn anal sex in marriage. According to Real Marriage:
“Yes, legally and biblically anal sex is permissible for a married couple, as Scripture does not forbid it” (p.187).
Does Liberty actually agree with this assertion? Is it right to tell students that anal sex is permitted in marriage? Notice the Apostle Paul’s emphasis—there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality; sexual immorality should not even be mentioned among you! In direct opposition to biblical teaching, Driscoll names every sexual perversion he can think of. Throughout his ministry Driscoll has promoted lewdness, licentiousness and sexual perversion in the church. See our webpage.
The leaders of Liberty University need to grasp the significance of their invitation to Mark Driscoll. By providing a platform, they are legitimising Driscoll’s perverted teaching in the eyes of Christian young people in the USA and in the wider world. But Scripture is clear that there must be no fellowship between light and darkness. God’s people are not to touch the unclean thing.
The Apostle Paul warns Titus that ‘there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers… they must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain’ (Titus 1.10-11). We believe that the Apostle’s warning is pertinent to Driscoll’s ministry, for he is teaching things that ought not to be taught to students at a Christian University.
How sad that the leaders of Liberty University, who profess to promote a lifestyle of Biblical morality among students, are giving Driscoll at platform to promote his licentious views of sexual conduct. How very sad!
You can learn more about Mark Driscoll’s ministry in the book, The New Calvinists (2014), published by The Wakeman Trust and Belmont House Publishing. The book is available from belmonthousebooks.com/