A Hard-Edged Gospel: The Rise and Fall of Mark Driscoll

Driscoll founded Mars Hill in 1995 and quickly made it into one of the largest churches in the nation. His charismatic preaching style resembled that of other megachurch ministers, but his gritty aesthetic, hard-edged Calvinism, and penchant for controversy made him stand out. As Mars Hill grew, he attracted attention from the New York Times Magazine and Time. And whenever he preached something controversial, which he did regularly, the videos went viral.

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Tough Times for Mormon Orthodoxy

Watching the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struggle to control its public image has been a study in the difficulty of maintaining orthodoxy in the age of instant communication. When podcaster John Dehlin was excommunicated earlier this week for apostasy – his offenses included “spreading” his dissenting views “widely via the Internet” despite orders to stop – he announced the decision on a radio show, and posted the letter explaining the reasoning behind his ouster on his Mormon Stories website.

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