{"id":21878,"date":"2024-04-22T14:06:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T18:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=21878"},"modified":"2024-04-22T14:06:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T18:06:54","slug":"pastor-mark-driscoll-kicked-out-of-mens-conference-after-rebuking-jezebel-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2024\/04\/pastor-mark-driscoll-kicked-out-of-mens-conference-after-rebuking-jezebel-spirit","title":{"rendered":"Pastor Mark Driscoll Kicked Out of Men\u2019s Conference After Rebuking \u201cJezebel spirit\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
@alexmagala \/ Instagram | Inset: @markdriscoll \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pastor Mark Driscoll set the evangelical world on fire last week after calling out a men\u2019s conference at James River Church for a having a \u201cJezebel spirit.\u201d Driscoll, infamous for his role as former pastor of Mars Church and the accusations of pastoral abuse, attended the Stronger Men\u2019s conference in Springfield, Missouri where Alex Magala performed a sword-swallowing act. Magala, who rose to fame after appearing on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d and acknowledged having been a stripper, appeared onstage during the event in a full leather outfit before taking off his shirt and performing acrobatic stunts on a metal pole. Driscoll took the stage<\/a> after Magala performed and asserted<\/a>, \u201cThe Jezebel spirit opened our event.\u201d \u201cThis is a rebuke and a correction of no one. This is an observation. Before the Word of God was open, there was a platform; it was a high place. On it was a pole, an Asherah, the same thing that\u2019s used in a strip club for women who have the Jezebel Spirit to seduce men,\u201d he said. He also criticized the numerous sexual identities that have become commonplace in American culture.<\/p>\n

James River Church\u2019s lead pastor, John Lindell, then took to the stage and removed Driscoll from the platform. Several men can be heard booing Driscoll\u2019s removal, with some shouting \u201cBring him back!\u201d \u201cMark is out of line. If Mark wanted to say that, he should have said it to me first; he didn\u2019t,\u201d announced Lindell, citing Matthew 18, which states that issues between believers should be handled privately first. \u201cI talked to Mark for a half hour,\u201d said Lindell. \u201cThere was not one word of that. He\u2019s out of line. If he wants to say it, he can say it to me. You may not agree with me, you may not agree with him, but we are brothers in Christ, and there\u2019s a right way to handle this.\u201d Lindell and Driscoll later appeared on stage together, with Driscoll admitting he should have spoken to Lindell privately first. \u201cI should have \u2014 between sessions \u2014 talked to you, rather than just verbal processing on the stage,\u201d Driscoll said to Lindell. \u201cAnd, as the father and the head of this house, you could\u2019ve given me a thumbs up or thumbs down, and I need to honor that as spiritual authority. And I honor your spiritual authority \u2014 always have.\u201d Driscoll went on to preach his planned message on stage.<\/p>\n

The peace was short-lived,<\/a> however, as Lindell preached a message on Wednesday calling on Driscoll to repent. He stated that Driscoll had been in contact with Lindell\u2019s son, David, trying to convince him that he should take over James River Church and that \u201cthere is something evil at work in the church.\u201d He also stated that Driscoll\u2019s constant posts about a \u201cJezebel spirit\u201d have led to the church receiving death threats. In one post<\/a> of Driscoll\u2019s, he pushed back against a USA Today <\/em>that asserted the term is steeped in racism. \u201cThe Jezebel spirit is a demon that has worked through men and women for centuries, from Queen Jezebel in 1st Kings to Jesus’s rebuke of the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2. This demon seeks to control and dominate, most often through seductive women but oftentimes through overbearing, domineering men,\u201d asserted Driscoll. Magala, who states he has become a Christian since his days of pole dancing, said<\/a> Driscoll misunderstood the nature of his performance. He said the performance was \u201cto be a celebration of physical human achievements and is aligned with the James River Church’s purpose in bringing others into the light of God. It’s essential to approach such performances with an understanding of their intention rather than reducing them to mere entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pastor Mark Driscoll set the evangelical world on fire last week after calling out a men\u2019s conference at James River Church for a having a \u201cJezebel spirit.\u201d Driscoll, infamous for his role as former pastor of Mars Church and the accusations of pastoral abuse, attended the Stronger Men\u2019s conference in Springfield, Missouri where Alex Magala…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPastor Mark Driscoll Kicked Out of Men\u2019s Conference After Rebuking \u201cJezebel spirit\u201d<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastor Mark Driscoll set the evangelical world on fire last week after calling out a men\u2019s conference at James River Church for a 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