Disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll, who once called women “homes” for men’s genitalia, is now advertising that he wants to “heat up your marriage!”
That’s according to mailers and billboards around Phoenix touting Driscoll’s new sermon series on romance and sex at The Trinity Church in Scottsdale. The eight-week series precedes the release of Driscoll’s newest book, “Real Romance: Sex and the Song of Songs,” co-authored with his wife Grace.
Driscoll resigned in 2014 from his former church, Mars Hill Church, amid allegations of bullying and arrogance. He’s since been accused of cult-like activity and former elders have called on him to step down from pastoring. An episode of the popular podcast “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” even highlighted Driscoll’s misogynistic teachings surrounding sex.
Still, the “Real Romance” sermon series promises to give couples “a stronger, more intimate, more enjoyable marriage,” according to the church website.
Some don’t buy it.
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“I can’t help but remember all of the women I knew who went to Mars Hill who told me that Mars Hill dictated that women weren’t allowed to tell their husbands no,” Stephanie Drury wrote on Twitter.
Drury once ran a Mark Driscoll parody account on Twitter and now posts at Stuff Christian Culture Likes. She shared photos of some of the billboards up around Scottsdale, Arizona, where Driscoll launched The Trinity Church two years after leaving Mars Hill.
Thanks to informants in Scottsdale we have evidence of Mark Driscoll's new sex sermon. I can't help but remember all of the women I knew who went to Mars Hill who told me that Mars Hill dictated that women weren't allowed to tell their husbands no. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/jWx7XOpYQ7
— Stuff Christian Culture Likes (@StuffCCLikes) January 3, 2023
“The same God who heats up our valley wants to heat up your marriage!” one billboard shouts. That’s the same message on a mailer for the series and in its promotional video online.
Another billboard urges: “Married? Stop being cellmates and start being soulmates!”
“Married couples: Has your bedroom become your bored room? We’re here to help,” a third states.
The series website and mailers include the logo for Jimmy Evans’ XO Marriage, too. Evans, a longtime supporter of Driscoll, was on the church’s board of directors for five years and had previously provided “wise counsel” for Driscoll.
The church is offering free copies of the Driscolls’ new book at the series launch this weekend. The book’s public release is set for Valentine’s Day.
The Trinity Church did not immediately respond when The Roys Report asked where the funding for the billboards, mailers, and book giveaway was coming from.
Driscoll landed in hot water a decade ago over marketing tactics for the couple’s previous book, “Real Marriage.” Mars Hill reportedly paid $210,000 to get that book on the New York Times Bestseller List. In a 2014 statement, the church acknowledged using the “unwise strategy” but denied it cost that much.
Sarah Einselen is an award-winning writer and editor based in Texas.
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16 Responses
Disgusting but not surprising from the shock jock pastor rebuilding his platform.
People who know Mark and Grace personally for years laugh out loud at this!
Sutton – thank you for your comments on this post as well as your participation in projects like the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast and the interview with Julie on The Roys Report podcast. As an outside observer, I see those actions as well as your non-involvement in big public ministry as an indication that you are likely sincere in your repentance. I’m sure those things were difficult to do, but you appear to committed to righting the wrongs from your past. You give me hope. Keep shining your light!
“Disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll”, indeed. He continues to disgrace himself and his church. What does this have to do with the gospel? Nothing. Driscoll seems obsessed with sex but not what he should be focused on. Very sad.
The toxic masculinity that is so associated with Mark Driscoll’s public discourse on gender roles smacks of arrested development somewhere in the middle school years. Plainly put, the man is an outright bully. The only thing this man is an authority on is his own mind and his own impulses. It’s shameful that any church is platforming him and tragic that anyone would seek marriage advice from a man who cannot govern his own tongue and temper.
From the article, it sounds like Mr. Driscoll would do well to take some extended time off to prayerfully review verses such as Genesis 1:27, Ephesians 5:21 and Galatians 3:28.
MD has shown time and time again that he is disqualified for ministry. If he was truly remorseful for his past behaviors he would acknowledge this and voluntarily remove himself from these public roles. At this point in time, the most troubling issue is that people continue to platform him.
Anytime you see one of few pastors taking a marketing angle such as Driscoll is doing here, that few pastors if any, are taking does invite a thorough test and the scrutiny of pastors, elders, missionaries, parachurch, and theological writers of all kinds. Part of that testing is to sift thru the track record of the pastor bolting out and away from known orthodoxy and creeds. Driscoll seems to think he is out on a cutting edge speaking on what mainstream pastors of all kinds refuse to address. Mark seems caught up in a movie like character as a lone voice challenging the leaders and followers of church culture. As the Good teacher the late E. V. Hill said, You ain’t no leader if nobody is following you. Mark has a few hard earned followers but Mark does not have the pastoral colleagues following him in his direction of error. I hope we have a plan in place to help Mark when he comes to the end of his ideas. To help him deconstruct and come to the end of his ways in this world.
In his previous book Mark described how he sodomized his wife as a regular part of their sexual routine. Tragically he thinks this is a normal, not perverted, practice! Where are the other Christian leaders condemning this practice which can severely injure the woman?
Seriously??
This is what makes it difficult to talk to people about your faith.
They see high-profile stuff like that and think that’s what “Christians” are like.
I’ve read a couple of his books – Real Marriage being one and found it overly crude and lacking! Many years back I even heard him preach on Song of Solomon. However, there are far better books and sources on marriage than Driscoll’s hyper-sexualized misogynist fodder!
What he should do is take the $600K+ he got in severance from what was left of Mars Hill, go live in Seattle for two years and geniunely reconcile with the thousands of people he injured with his bullying and arrogance. We don’t need another book on sex or romance from him. I shudder to think how he treats his wife behind closed doors.
What’s the old adage?
Sex sells?
Even in church, apparently!
Tim and Beverly LaHaye strike again!!
Tim’s book The Act of Marriage definitely had issues, but leave Beverly out of it. Compared to Driscoll the LaHaye’s are angels.
Sounds like he needs to repent of his hard core porn addiction and his wife needs to leave him.
Mark is doing a lot of good but Satan has found a glitch in his armer