Letter to Pastor Mark Driscoll

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Darren Wiebe

Theological student Darren Wiebe actually witnessed the confrontation between Mark Driscoll and the staff of John MacArthur’s Strange Fire Conference first hand. He is the man in the striped shirt in the photographs. Following this encounter, Wiebe wrote an open letter to Pastor Mark, which tells us much about Mark Driscoll’s behavior.  Darren Wiebe, who is preparing for ministry and the pastorate, is dismayed by the example that Driscoll displayed in his brief time at the Strange Fire Conference, and also in the days following.  Wiebe expresses the view that Driscoll’s conduct “has not been the gracious, loving example that I believe should characterize a man of God. I feel like I need you to stand up and act like a man.”

Wiebe wrote: ‘I was so shocked, when you drove off campus and immediately sent out this tweet:

 Security confiscated my books. #strangefire http://t.co/mGccvXZwyK

— Mark Driscoll (@PastorMark) October 18, 2013

All of us who were present were rather horrified at the blatant lie you sent to your 428,247 twitter followers, 39,556 Instagram and 218,335 Facebook friends.’

Wiebe in particularly concerned about the way Driscoll has treated one of the security staff.  He writes:

‘However, I was not the brunt of a lie and I do hurt for my dear friend who you falsely accused in a public arena and presented in a way that is far from accurate. I cannot understand how you feel justified in presenting someone who was gracious to you, someone who offered to help you carry things, someone who treated you like a gentleman…as a villain. You threw this man under a bus as he was carrying your things.’

Wiebe concludes:

‘Please, you have an opportunity to clear his name. Pastor Mark, you are a man who claims to speak as a man of God, and as a pastor-in-training, I look for examples to follow. When a leader behaves like a child and buries his sin, the example that you set is far from what I see as godly and certainly not one that I want to emulate. Many have already alluded to the irony of the conference you were speaking being called “Act Like Men,” and questioned the authority you have to speak on such a subject, when you remind us of a boy in High School pulling a prank with little discretion and grave consequences…

You’ve not only sinned against man, but you’ve sinned against a Holy God. You are a man with lots of influence and you have a tremendous opportunity right now Pastor Mark, to confess  that you were wrong. That you made a mistake and to ask for forgiveness. I can assure you, forgiveness can and will be granted.’

Sincerely

Darren Wiebe

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/