Mein Fuß hat grossen Schmerz, and Mars Hill Part 2
Remember high school, when you were first learning a foreign language, and you knew just enough to make bad sentences? “Mein Fuß hat grossen Schmerz” was my friend Phil’s very, very bad German for “my foot has a big hurt” when we were 15. For some reason I remember it.
Anyway, since my last post I sprained and bruised my foot badly during a random walking accident. Oh yes, I’m injured because I’m a klutz. I’m finally in a manageable amount of pain and can write again.
So. Mars Hill.
First I’d like to relate how scared I was to go. When the idea was originally floated I hadn’t yet read the Salon article. I was expecting the same brand of evangelical Christianity I’d experienced in high school and college (In my quest to broaden my horizons and gather information firsthand before judging, I periodically attended services and bible studies with born-again friends). It was mild stuff. Sure, they were really zealous about getting me to accept Jesus as my personal savior, but most of what they believed was palatable. When I distilled it down to core concepts, it was a basically harmless and fairly decent moral code. But after I read the Salon article about Mars Hill I realized that this church is not just a fundamentalist church - it’s a cult (Charismatic leader with all the power? Check. Financial and familial isolation? Check.) I was very frightened, and I’m not entirely sure why. All I know is that I felt exactly like I did when I was 17 and took a wrong exit and landed in a creepy, dark part of Philadelphia and couldn’t find my way back to the freeway and had to ask a very cracked out prostitute for directions.
Each of us had our reasons to be afraid, but we overcame them. We walked arm in arm up the to front door, went in, and sat down. Despite my fear I tried really really hard to bring my characteristic openness to the experience. At first I listened carefully to find places where I could, at least conceptually, jive with what Pastor Mark was saying. He mispronounced a few words and his logic made no sense to me, so I was unimpressed from the get go, but while he was going on about the rules for a church service I did a pretty good job of staying neutral. I saw no real harm in turning to the bible for guidance on how to maintain order in a growing community, even if the stories there applied to life many hundreds of years ago. Even though I wasn't yet appalled, I was keenly aware of a weird vibe from the audience, something I felt myself. It was as if we were children who had done something very bad. Obedience was clearly being reinforced here.
The pastor says that he’s simply the messenger, teaching the bible exactly as it is written – but he’s actually a leader whose explanations of the text prescribe a moral code that goes well beyond anything the bible has to say, and this is where I moved from being unimpressed to being completely shocked. Like Ariel, I’m pretty sure I looked like a fish throughout the latter half of the service, my mouth was open so wide. Sure he defamed feminism, and that is bad enough, but the way he did it was what made me truly livid. It was through his characterization of women as frivolous, chatty creatures that he justified their second-class role within the church and within the family. The way Mark Driscoll talks about women, we are not the brightest bulbs, but we’re awfully cute and we are necessary as mothers, so men should put up with us gratefully. Apparently we can’t figure out problems for ourselves, either. As a woman, if I have a question, I should be taking it to my husband. Pastor Mark described a scene in his own home in which he and his wife were talking about scripture, and he seemed to think had to draw her a diagram to explain it. The tone in his voice was the same as I would expect if he were relating a story of how he taught a second-grader how to do multiplication.
The one good thing I think Pastor Mark did is to exhort the men in the congregation to take responsibility for their lives to stop holding on to being children forever and freeloading off of successful women. This seems timely to me. I have definitely noticed a trend among men in my generation to avoid growing up and taking charge of their lives for as long as possible. This can mean remaining in a state of teenagerhood indefinitely, or entering into a relationship with a responsible partner who will make up for their lack of motivation. As a (mostly) straight adult woman, it's been rather disappointing to date within this pool, so when Pastor Mark gave the direction men in his flock to step up and be adults, I really appreciated it. Unfortunately, it was wrapped up in macho dominance and the idea that the man is closer to God than the woman. To me, stepping up means being a whole and complete human being who brings his consciousness and integrity to the table, in his work and in his relationships. Unfortunately, the Mars Hill message did not make this differentiation. I suppose what Pastor Mark is saying speaks to the men in his congregation, but it made me sad. The one good thing I could find in the sermon was dressed in the ugly clothes of dominance and oppression.
This is my experience of Mars Hill Church. I'm glad we went; our trip helped me humanize the scary "other", but it also reminded me how susceptible people are to power and pretty shiny things and someone else to do the hard work of critical self-awareness.
Anyway, since my last post I sprained and bruised my foot badly during a random walking accident. Oh yes, I’m injured because I’m a klutz. I’m finally in a manageable amount of pain and can write again.
So. Mars Hill.
First I’d like to relate how scared I was to go. When the idea was originally floated I hadn’t yet read the Salon article. I was expecting the same brand of evangelical Christianity I’d experienced in high school and college (In my quest to broaden my horizons and gather information firsthand before judging, I periodically attended services and bible studies with born-again friends). It was mild stuff. Sure, they were really zealous about getting me to accept Jesus as my personal savior, but most of what they believed was palatable. When I distilled it down to core concepts, it was a basically harmless and fairly decent moral code. But after I read the Salon article about Mars Hill I realized that this church is not just a fundamentalist church - it’s a cult (Charismatic leader with all the power? Check. Financial and familial isolation? Check.) I was very frightened, and I’m not entirely sure why. All I know is that I felt exactly like I did when I was 17 and took a wrong exit and landed in a creepy, dark part of Philadelphia and couldn’t find my way back to the freeway and had to ask a very cracked out prostitute for directions.
Each of us had our reasons to be afraid, but we overcame them. We walked arm in arm up the to front door, went in, and sat down. Despite my fear I tried really really hard to bring my characteristic openness to the experience. At first I listened carefully to find places where I could, at least conceptually, jive with what Pastor Mark was saying. He mispronounced a few words and his logic made no sense to me, so I was unimpressed from the get go, but while he was going on about the rules for a church service I did a pretty good job of staying neutral. I saw no real harm in turning to the bible for guidance on how to maintain order in a growing community, even if the stories there applied to life many hundreds of years ago. Even though I wasn't yet appalled, I was keenly aware of a weird vibe from the audience, something I felt myself. It was as if we were children who had done something very bad. Obedience was clearly being reinforced here.
The pastor says that he’s simply the messenger, teaching the bible exactly as it is written – but he’s actually a leader whose explanations of the text prescribe a moral code that goes well beyond anything the bible has to say, and this is where I moved from being unimpressed to being completely shocked. Like Ariel, I’m pretty sure I looked like a fish throughout the latter half of the service, my mouth was open so wide. Sure he defamed feminism, and that is bad enough, but the way he did it was what made me truly livid. It was through his characterization of women as frivolous, chatty creatures that he justified their second-class role within the church and within the family. The way Mark Driscoll talks about women, we are not the brightest bulbs, but we’re awfully cute and we are necessary as mothers, so men should put up with us gratefully. Apparently we can’t figure out problems for ourselves, either. As a woman, if I have a question, I should be taking it to my husband. Pastor Mark described a scene in his own home in which he and his wife were talking about scripture, and he seemed to think had to draw her a diagram to explain it. The tone in his voice was the same as I would expect if he were relating a story of how he taught a second-grader how to do multiplication.
The one good thing I think Pastor Mark did is to exhort the men in the congregation to take responsibility for their lives to stop holding on to being children forever and freeloading off of successful women. This seems timely to me. I have definitely noticed a trend among men in my generation to avoid growing up and taking charge of their lives for as long as possible. This can mean remaining in a state of teenagerhood indefinitely, or entering into a relationship with a responsible partner who will make up for their lack of motivation. As a (mostly) straight adult woman, it's been rather disappointing to date within this pool, so when Pastor Mark gave the direction men in his flock to step up and be adults, I really appreciated it. Unfortunately, it was wrapped up in macho dominance and the idea that the man is closer to God than the woman. To me, stepping up means being a whole and complete human being who brings his consciousness and integrity to the table, in his work and in his relationships. Unfortunately, the Mars Hill message did not make this differentiation. I suppose what Pastor Mark is saying speaks to the men in his congregation, but it made me sad. The one good thing I could find in the sermon was dressed in the ugly clothes of dominance and oppression.
This is my experience of Mars Hill Church. I'm glad we went; our trip helped me humanize the scary "other", but it also reminded me how susceptible people are to power and pretty shiny things and someone else to do the hard work of critical self-awareness.
posted by Ariel Saturday, September 23, 2006
5 Comments:
Just stumbled upon your blog. I find this post very helpful as I have a strange fascination with evangelicalism and fundamentalism. I have yet to understand how people can freely give up reason and deduction to the arbitrary authority of religious figures. The literal interpretations of scripture with no insight into the culture and times they were written is also disturbing. I have always wanted to attend a mega-church or even a small isolated one, just for the experience alone.
Thanks for dropping by! We were glad you guys had the courage to show up. Most critics don't. Still hope you actually were able to have some face to face dialogue with someone. The glitz and glam is nice, but talking to people is more genuine.
My wife and I think that Mark is a little off on the interpretation of 1Cor14 when it comes to women being silent (we think paul is speaking in context that women should not openly prophesy or speak openly in tounges) esp in light of Cor 11. That means we disagree with him on that point. I can also point you to at least 20 people that disagree with Mark on various points. His interpretaiton is just that, his interpretation. But these are not things that Mars Hill will divide over. We still think no one comes to the father except through Jesus Christ, and that the office of pastor is reserved for only the best of men.
As for cult, I don't think so. Mark does not have all the power, he answers to 15 elders who can choose to fire him. He is just the one that talks the best. Our financial records are open to those who are members, and are audited yearly by an outside CPA. Cults don't protect their people that way. We can also come and go as we please and no one asks where we have been. Cults generally take attendance.
As for men being closer to God than women? There is nothing farther from the truth, and that is not taught by Mars Hill. Everyone is the same distance from God plus of which only the person and God can really know how far that is.
We are completely fine with people not agreeing with us. We just wish they would get to know us better before they start making decisions about who we are.
Hi Mars Hill Guy, thanks so much for taking the time to comment and clarify a couple of points. You're right, there are some things that would require deeper inquiry to claim with any authority, and one visit does not mean I understand the entire social and cultural web of the church. I appreciate you calling me out on that in such an even-handed way. :)
That said, no matter the details, it's very clear that Mars Hill is setting up a power structure based on submission (wives to their husbands, husbands to the church) and creation of the "other" (there was no mistaking his disparagement of gays and feminists). To me, that's not cool whether it's in the Christian church or on the streets of Uganda.
I’ve been amazed at how powerful it is for people to collect in focused groups. As a child I went to a church (okay, we were Buddhists, but still…) and I still can’t put my finger on how the atmosphere itself almost changes when people, together, become single-minded. I’m comfortably atheist now and yet I’ve still felt that sensation in a yoga class, or during a retreat. I don’t think there’s anything magical going on, it’s just the way everyone becomes silent and focused.
The tragedy is that this energy can be harvested, cheaply. Years ago a friend of mine convinced me to go to a weekend retreat ($$$) to learn more about myself. My parents are psychologists and the techniques for emotionally charged group therapy are well known. By the end of the second day everyone was diving deep into their pains, crying together, and hopefully vowing to change their lives for the better, if not pay more money for the next, more advanced retreat.
And there’s the rub. I think most of us want to be better people, or we want to deal with our past suffering, or we want to belong. To get there we may almost unconsciously agree to overlook some fallacies. We may quietly agree that certain beliefs make us a chosen/better people, that our suffering is insignificant in comparison to some greater sacrifice, or that we can form a community around acts like the subjugation of women. But none of those things make us better or happier individuals, and none of those things make us a better community.
Actually the submission line follows: Wives to husbands, husbands to Christ (not the church, thank God!) The universal church of Jesus is a mess... as Jesus stated it would be, and Paul consistantly points out. But Jesus keeps trying to bring us back through love. When I am being un-christ like I forefit my headship over her. Thus I must love her as christ loves the church. The submission only holds so long as I actively do things to love her and she FEELs loved. That is submission at Mars Hill.
As to gay people, we hold that it is a sin but we also understand that any sin can be somthing that is very difficult to stop for any number of reasons. Sometimes the things that make us sin is so close to the core of who we are that they are actually painful to change or confront. We have no right to be angry with people for this sort of error. If we are going to call homosexual activity a sin, we also have to call heterosexual activity outside of marriage a sin also. All sin holds equal weight at Mars Hill. There is not a double standard. If someone is gay they are welcome to come and find out what we think in the dignity they deserve as a human being. At some point they will have to choose if they agree or disagree with us. If they agree that homosexual sex is a sin and they want to be a part of the church, they make the commitment to change. If they don't, nothing more is expected of them. The same is true for any sinner struggling with any sin.
If you want to make a change in how the believers in Jesus act, you have to meet them where they are. I think that is what Mars Hill is doing. We are simply a church that is tired of evangelical Christians talking one way and walking another. It is a hard line to walk, but we want to hold them to what they say they are. If someone does not claim to be a christian, then we don't expect them to act like one. It is foolish to do so.
Gods Peace.
Post a Comment
<< Home