Yesterday’s post was a prelude to the testimony that will be presented today.  I apologize in advance for the graphic nature of today’s topic; however, I am merely reacting to Mark Driscoll and his highly offensive language.

                                                      A MOTHER’S LAMENT
 

God has blessed me with two wonderful daughters who are the joys of my life.  Raising godly children was so important to me that I sacrificed my professional career in order to invest in their lives.  I have poured my life into theirs for all these years.  Now they are teenagers who have such a strong commitment to Jesus Christ that they have each taken a purity pledge.  There are no words to express my joy for their decisions.
 

When my older daughter was a sophomore in high school, she wrote an essay for her Bible class.  (Yes, she attended a Christian school.)  To give you a glimpse into her heart, here’s an excerpt from that essay:

“This brings me to what I believe is the basis of all Christianity — love.  God loved us so much that He created us, and time and time again He has saved us from what we deserve.  He even loved us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son to die for us.  Jesus tells us to love one another in the same way that He loved us.  He died for us!  That is some awesome love!  Love is about being willing to sacrifice your life for another’s.
 

Christ gave us the perfect example of this, and somehow we always miss it.  We think of love as a feeling, a thing where if you love me, I’ll love you.  We think of love as something in which we can find profit. . . . I want to become a woman after God’s own heart that loves people the way that Christ loved us.  I want people to be able to see the love of God shining through me, my words, and my actions.  That really is what life is all about. 

 
My youth pastor always says that in order to find the right man here on earth, we must first have our relationship right with our number one, our dearest love, Jesus Christ.  After this step, then everything else will fall into place.  I long to be the right woman so that I may find the right man.  I want God to use me to be a vessel in which He can communicate His awesome person to all of those around me.  I want my walk with God in the future to be so close that if you were to follow behind us, you would only see one set of footprints”.

My daughter who wrote these beautiful words is now a sophomore at a large public university.  Perhaps she will find “the right man on earth” while she is there.  In order to keep her relationship right with her number one, her dearest love, Jesus Christ, she became active in one of the campus ministries when she first arrived at college.  This ministry has played a significant role in her spiritual life.  She called earlier this year to express her excitement that Mark Driscoll had accepted an invitation to address the members of this campus ministry.  I, too, was excited and told her that I would love to hear him speak in person.  We planned that I would drive to the campus, treat her to a special dinner, and attend Mark’s talk.
 

A few days after we made our arrangement, I saw the “event” invitation on Facebook announcing Mark Driscoll’s appearance at my daughter’s college.  Yes, I’m one of those annoying parents on Facebook!  In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the label Mark gave his presentation — NAKED AND UNASHAMED.  I commented on Facebook that I had planned to attend, but due to the sensitive nature of Mark’s talk, it might be embarrassing.  My daughter and I discussed whether I should attend, and she recommended against it. 
 

Needless-to-say, I did not go to hear Mark Driscoll speak.  I expected my daughter to call after Mark’s visit and share with me all the inspiring things he said.  The phone call never came.  Finally, I called my daughter a week later and offered to take her to lunch, which I did.  After we got settled at our table, I said, “So tell me about Mark’s talk.  What did he share with the students?”  She vaguely said Mark gave a lot of statistics and information, although she couldn’t remember anything specific.

 Once Mark’s message was uploaded onto the college ministry website, I listened to it and understood why nothing he said was that memorable.  He hammered them with statistics about sexual involvement, yada, yada, yada.  They’ve heard it all before!
 

What she shared with me next absolutely STUNNED me, although I tried not to display my utter shock.  My precious daughter said something to the effect, “Students were encouraged to ask questions at the end, and one of the questions was ‘Is it O.K. for a married couple to engage in oral and anal sex?'”  My initial thought was — if this was the kind of question students felt comfortable asking Mark Driscoll, what in the world did he say to these Christian singles?  
       

Then my daughter asked a question that I’m convinced she heard from Mark himself that evening because she has never said anything remotely close to it before.  “If Mark doesn’t tell us about these things, who will?”  I immediately said, “Is that what Mark Driscoll claims?  That is absolutely not true!  You can discuss any sexual topic with me.”  She and I have had quite a few “sex talks” before, and that’s probably why she felt comfortable sharing such an intimate question with me.  I then went on to explain to her in a very matter-of-fact way why anal sex can have serious health consequences.  Prior to this graphic discussion, I had heard a medical expert explain that the vaginal lining is twice as thick as the lining of the rectum, and that’s why anal sex can be dangerous.  Remember the E. coli?  I shared this information with her and explained that anal sex is just not natural.  If God had intended for a married couple to engage in this kind of sex, He would have designed the female body accordingly. 
 

We concluded our lunch, and I dropped her off for her next class.  On the way home I phoned my husband to tell him what our daughter learned from Mark Driscoll’s “sex talk”.  Dads, how do you feel about this?  Is it O.K. for a married man who claims to be a godly “shepherd” to entertain questions like that in a forum with both male and female singles?  Has Mark Driscoll crossed the line?  I wonder how many of the hundreds of college students who attended this event with my daughter have kept silent about Mark’s sex advice.  Unfortunately, most parents are probably clueless about Mark’s “visit”.  Finally, I wonder how many college groups Mark Driscoll has visited where the same scene has played out.  That was THE TIPPING POINT!

 
When I arrived home, I immediately checked the campus ministry website to hear Mark’s words for myself.  Just how was THAT sexual question asked?  I should have known . . . 
 

It took several weeks for Mark’s NAKED AND UNASHAMED message to be uploaded onto the college ministry website.  The internet is such a wonderful tool!  At long last I could finally hear what Mark Driscoll spoke in my daughter ‘s presence.  At the beginning of recording, the campus ministry leader explained that students could ask their questions in the Mars Hill fashion.  In other words, they would “text” their questions anonymously, and Mark would answer them. 
 

There was nothing particularly impressive about what Mark Driscoll said during his talk, but what I found peculiar was how he immediately launched into answering the students’ questions at the conclusion of his message.  There was absolutely no pause!  Mark finished the last sentence of his presentation and in rapid fire read the first question in what sounded like a nervous tone.  It seemed totally scripted to me.  As you might imagine, the first question was, “Is it O.K. for a married couple to engage in oral and anal sex?”  If you visited the link we provided to the Mars Hill website in the previous post, you already know how Mark Driscoll responded. 
 

Here’s my theory.  NO ONE texted Mark that question.  That’s why he asked it first.  It was part of the Brother Mark Traveling Sex Show.  Could it be that Mark Driscoll has an agenda to promote anal sex?  Could it be that this is a scheme for curbing homosexuality among Christian singles?  Mark’s secret message seems to be:  “If you enjoy homosexual sex, why not get married and ‘DO IT’ on your wife?  It’s the only SINLESS way to enjoy anal sex.”  After all, when it comes to anuses there is no gender difference!  
 

I know of a situation that occurred in a large church in our community. The singles’ pastor knew that a young man was struggling with homosexuality. He encouraged him to marry a young woman in the group, thinking that this might “fix” the situation. The young woman was not informed of this issue until after the marriage. That marriage has ended in divorce, and this extremely distraught woman who has left the church.
 

Writing so graphically has been extremely difficult for me, but I can no longer remain silent about Mark Driscoll’s inappropriate language.  I am deeply concerned about the next generation of Christians and the future of Christendom.  
 

In preparation for writing this post, I pulled up the campus ministry website and tried to listen to Mark’s NAKED AND UNASHAMED message again.  It has been REMOVED!!!  Fortunately, I heard Mark Driscoll’s talk in its entirety, and I will never forget how that question was asked!    
 

I also visited the website of Destiny Church in Edinburgh, Scotland to hear Mark’s infamous sermon:  Sex: A Study of the Good Bits of Song of Solomon.  I can’t find it anywhere!  Destiny Church has publicly endorsed Mark by posting two of his sermons on their website.  If they are so supportive of Driscoll, why not offer his sex talk for others to listen to on the church web site?  There seems to be a pattern developing.  This “sexpert” goes in with his “shock and awe” strategy, perverts the minds of his audience, and then the evidence is removed!  What is wrong with this picture? 
 

I became acquainted with Mark Driscoll’s ministry just last summer when my daughter was REQUIRED to read Radical Reformission prior to attending a leadership conference with this college ministry.  At that time I thought very highly of Mark and the way he seems to be influencing the Seattle culture for Jesus Christ.  God has recently opened my eyes to a very different man who is wreaking havoc worldwide in the Christian community.  His imitators and supporters are growing by the day!  What to do with Mark Driscoll?  I choose to stand AGAINST him!!!
 

Here’s a tip for you Mark . . . Take your CRASS LANGUAGE back to Seattle where it belongs and LEAVE US ALONE!!!