When we think of the history of the church, we usually think of events from centuries ago. However, the history of the church is still being written in real-time as Christians attempt to be the church. Contemporary history is worth studying.
One of the best examples of this is the recent Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast. Here is the description of the podcast:
Founded in 1996, Seattle’s Mars Hill Church was poised to be an influential, undeniable force in evangelicalism—that is until its spiraling collapse in 2014. The church and its charismatic founder, Mark Driscoll, had a promising start. But the perils of power, conflict, and Christian celebrity eroded and eventually shipwrecked both the preacher and his multimillion-dollar platform.
As a Christian it is very difficult for me to listen to these episodes. In my head I understand that individual Christians make bad decisions and cause harm. But hearing the depth of the damage that was taking place at the time many people were celebrating Mars Hill as one of the best churches in the USA is another thing.
I would like to applaud Christianity Today for doing this podcast and telling the stories that need to be told. I also appreciate that it is not just mud slinging at Mark Driscoll. They acknowledge clearly when he did good things.
I encourage you to listen to the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill as a snap shot of what was happening at that time and as a warning of what could happen in the future.
