I've considered this kind of church a negative influence, but it becomes more and more apparent that it is truly a cult. Sad that so many are being allowed to come under its influence.

Driscoll lists any of the following as potential reasons for demonic possession

"Plagiarism" seems to be missing from that list.

I wonder how you distinguish 'lying' from 'habitual lying'. If there's one thing the good pastor's been missing, it's a competent editor.

I'm at +6, maybe 7, for the Demon Trial.

You are one feeble minded idiot to feel any need to be a member of that racket. Who are these people? Even just considering to join is worthy of the highest levels of mockery.

"Anything else that comes to mind"...

Yikes.

People who have been brainwashed all their lives by religious bullshit just don't have the ability to determine what's real.

Yay, I scored a 10. Are demon trials free? If I'm guilty, do I get my own demon assigned to me?

Their little coffee shop in Seattle is called Storyville. I wonder if they realize that 'Storyville' is one of the most infamous Red Light Districts in the USA ... (?)

So 98% of the US population is suffering from demonic possession. That explains a lot.

I have three female relatives (two cousins, one sister-in-law) that went from being nice lapsed Catholics to being members in churches like this. I seriously don't get it. At least the cousins did it for their husbands. The SIL found it on her own and dragged her husband and kid into the nonsense. Now they tithe 10% of their earnings, and are borrowing one of our cars because they can't afford to fix one of theirs.

I get the part of church where people find community. I grew up in a parish like that. But this is just creepy. And stupid.

I'm confused. How are people at this church, listening to his sermon, but not considered "members"? Is it simply a matter or exchanging money for church status? If so, I couldn't imagine a more clear definition of a cult.

@8 hahahahaha.

Fucking insane, that's what it is. It takes about two seconds of listening to or reading the words of Driscoll to see where the demon is.

@2 - Forgot plagiarism? Hey! thanks ok! Because he has the catch-all "and anything else that comes to mind." in there at the end! (As @6 duly noted) So you can always add more future sins like plagiarism! Falsely promoting you own book! Abusing church funds! Promulgating gender-hatred! Brainwashing! Peer-pressuring! Abuse of power! False authority! Misrepresenting the Gospel! And so, so much more...

A few months ago, I had a job interview with a Mars Hill member who had opened her own non-profit organization. I was geniunely interested in the job, and had all the qualifications, EXCEPT being christian. She told me that everyone who works there has to sign a statement of faith, so I looked at it...I told her "I don't mind signing this, but I'm Jewish and I don't believe any of this." She then told me that she wanted to keep her organization "pure" and that I wasn't a good fit...

How do I know whether I'm guilty of "anything else that comes to mind"? I mean, things come to my mind all the time. Should I be worried?

@17: Whoa, she straight-up told you that she wasn't going to hire non-Christians? Not cool. And illegal. If the organization has 15 or more employees, I believe your situation fits the parameters for a EEOC employment discrimination charge: http://www.eeoc.gov/employees/charge.cfm.

@17
Was it a paid position? If so, you should call them up to "talk it over" and record it. That is absolutely illegal discrimination.

Did the lady say that she joined the church simply because it replaced the church she used to go to?

What the hell? Is this like when the Hot Topic took over The Gap in that South Park episode?

I know I know...Trust me, I did my research. Apparently they are too small of an organization and can abide by whatever hiring practices they want. As a leggy blonde, I'm not used to such blatant discrimination other than sexism. Now I know what it's really like ;)

Keep on hammering Mars Hill, Stranger staff! I'm serious. No one else is covering the CULT of Mars Hill as much, and that dangerous and bigoted "church" needs to fall down, taking with it Discroll and his followers.

Everyone needs to work on getting the word out on Mars Hill - and their Storyville Coffee "indoctrination centers".

Keep up the good work and take Mars Hill DOWN!

Call me when they have worked their way up to snake handling.

Driscoll is just one in the endless line of charlatans preying on the many people struggling to deal with reality on its own terms. You feel sorry for his victims/flock--but they are more than willing, they WANT what he's selling.

Right near the top of the page:

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them."

— C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters

Clearly Discoll's level of interest has yet to cross the "excessive and unhealthy" threshold that C. S. Lewis was referring to. At eleven pages and 24,257 words (by Open Office's tally), and who knows how many... procedures, I'm sure he's still well short of the line. Right?

@17- was it a non-profit posing as a intervention center for "sex-trafficked" girls but really trying to indoctrinate sex workers?

Hey, being gay isn't on his list!

Hmmm, I'm good for 6 or 7 out of 17!! Looks like I'll have to pick up the slack!

Ok, Wiccan with a question -
Isn't trafficking with demons considered one of the biggest no-no's in Christianity?

I wouldn't have thought that I could still read something about this ridiculous church that could actually shock me. But damn, this is some crazy shit.

Aww, cute, Driscoll thinks he invented exorcism!

@26 YESSSSSSSSSS. Spot on. They wanted someone who felt "called by god" to do the work. I remember telling her that I was just a good person, interested in doing good work and that it wasn't guided by anything other than a good heart. Interestingly enough, I ended up getting a job a few blocks away and I saw her out there yesterday SMOKING A CIGARETTE! THE HORROR! That's not a sin??? I'm confused.

First I heard this about Mars Hill. But I did check out the website on Spiritual Warfare (an area I have studied for 30+ years) and it is spot on. If what I read was stated at the church about membership and calling people out, that was unacceptable and sin. But remeber that the pastor is just a man. He is a sinner and makes mistakes. Not all sin leads to possession of a demon but all sin does lead to death. There are too many examples of demon possession and oppresion to write it off. Think the devil wants you to get his minions out of your life? NO! He wants to confuse, divide and lie. You can cast Demons out in the name of Jesus if you are a Bible believing follower of Christ. Barnone!

@32, you're better off. That non-profit masks likes to think they are being sex-trafficking pioneers but all they do is harass sex workers and try to get them to say they are being trafficked or they want to stop working. It's weird, and their statistics are wonky.

@32, that's really distressing. Do they get any state or federal money?

@33, everything leads to death, you silly.

@35 I honestly don't know where they get their money.

Oh, so Mars Hill is Scientology-lite. How cute.

@37 It reads like Mars Hill is Goth Scientology.

@38 Does Mars Hill have forced labour camps yet ?

Catching up a bit late on this, but since Predestination is such an central part of of the MH system, I am guessing the Demons have already won a few, so the point of the trials, or making a choice to "become" a member is...? Frankly, I would like Pastor Marky Mark and The Calvinist Bunch to try the demon who obviously stopped Bertha from working along with the one who dreamed up the project in the first place. Also, Mark please do something about the demon who left the pint of Molly's Moon's out on the counter.

This kind of situation is more common than many people realize. I'm not talking about religious groups that are widely recognized for "shunning": Amish, some Mennonite sects, and other apart-from-the-mainstream groups. I joined a very conservative Reformed Baptist church when I first moved to a southern state, mainly because I was alone except for a friend who attended the church. After I while, I became very uncomfortable there--"pressured", is how I would describe it--pressured to conform to them in nearly every way, including all my thinking-processes. Members were told to describe, in writing, their ongoing struggles against sin in their lives, and to give the document to the pastor and "elders" (who were little more than yes-men to the pastor.) I and some others refused--we were not Roman Catholic, and confession to a pastor is not required. When I left--which wasn't easy for me...I knew no one else in the city....people said I wasn't a Christian, etc. (Within a few years, everyone else left, too, and the church disintegrated.) Yet the abuse in my former church was mild compared to what I've read about Mars Hill. A sad situation, and people like the pastors described in these articles rarely change. BTW: Until reading these articles, I had never heard of Mars Hill or Driscoll, and I have no personal ax to grind against them.