Contact: Cathy Mickels, 360-387-8150

SEATTLE, Jan. 14 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerns about Mark Driscoll, the controversial pastor of Seattle's Mars Hill Church, are being circulated in an eleven page memo raising many questions regarding why Driscoll will be speaking on "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth" at The Gospel Coalition's Conference this coming April 21-23 in Chicago.
(See http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/about)  

"I am astonished that evangelical pastors would highlight a pastor not only known for his crudeness and careless handling of Scripture, but a pastor who also credits foul-mouthed comedian Chris Rock with teaching him how to preach," stated Cathy Mickels, former Washington state president of Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum and co-author of Spiritual Junk Food: The Dumbing Down of Christian Youth.

In response to those who will claim Driscoll is doctrinally sound, Mickels states, "Since when is it doctrinally sound to refer to Jesus as some 'dude' who tells 'knock-knock jokes'?" Since when does Biblical doctrine tolerate the description of the Old Testament as 'a red-neck hillbilly comedy' containing mocking comments about Noah and Jeremiah?"

Quoting from Driscoll's book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, Mickels states, "It also appears Mark Driscoll discovered early on that talking about sex could help him build his church. In fact, Driscoll wrote, 'I assumed the students and singles were all pretty horney, so I went out on a limb... Each week I extolled the virtues of marriage, ...oral sex, sacred stripping and sex outdoors...This helped us a lot because apparently a pastor using words like penis and oral sex is unusual, and before you could say aluminum pole in the bedroom, attendance began to climb steadily to more than two hundred people a week.'"

Likewise, Mickels said, "His recent sex advice to Christian married couples is sure to draw attention, but it sounds more like counseling from Dr. Ruth than an evangelical pastor."
(See http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2008/11/30/question-21-can-i-perform-anal-sex-on-my-wife/)

The memo details that in one of Mark Driscoll's most recent projects, he undermines and corrupts gospel truth. For example, Christ said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again," but according to Mickels, without shame this pastor recklessly undermines the words of Jesus for the title of his new book called, PORN–AGAIN Christian. Mickels asked, "Who would tamper with the words of Christ and then use them as an introduction to a discussion on the perverted world of pornography?"

"It is just as puzzling," observes Mickels, "why a pastor, who warns young men about the dangers of pornography, admits to frequenting a barbershop Driscoll describes as 'providing the finest selection of waiting area pornography in our city.'"

Mickels concludes, "Instead of a pastor spiritually lifting up the Body of Christ to a higher standard, Mark Driscoll is dragging the Church through the gutter. Is it any wonder we are losing spiritual ground in this country?"

For a copy of the memorandum, further comments or questions, contact Cathy Mickels at 360-387-8150 or e-mail at cathymickels@gmail.com.