Dear Mark Driscoll

One cold day in January 2007, I was looking for a Rob Bell podcast. I typed in Mars Hill Christians Gone Wild – the study through 1 Corinthians popped up and my life was forever altered. At that time, I was a young man with my feet touching the edge of a starting line belonging to a life of ministry. To be frank, I never heard anyone preach and say some of the things you said. Honestly, I was partially shocked by some of your inappropriateness. To be transparent, I was changed by the way you spoke to this young man’s heart.

Before that day, theology was stale and dry. To me, the study of it was for those who weren’t actually passionate about advancing the kingdom and it was mostly talked about by a group of stuffy middle aged white men who weren’t actually on the mission of making disciples. Sadly, I would have held on to that perspective for a long time if it wasn’t for your teachings. You made theology relevant; it had impact and it was applicable to the people I was trying to minister to. Over the course of the next few years, I pretty much devoured anything you produced or created. Your book Death by Love is still one of my favorite books that has impacted my life.

As someone who lived thousands of miles away from you, you were making a significant dent and impacting my life. On top of that, you introduced me to Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, and John Piper. During that time, I grew and developed a sincere appreciation for theology and to this day I am still hungry for it. When I began this path I was looking for head knowledge, but you taught me that theology would give me heart knowledge and the result would be me loving Jesus even more.

Even standing as far away as I was, it was unmistakable that you were probably a rough person to work for. You were dynamic and direct and it would have been easy to assume you were tough on those closest to you. My heart broke when the controversy came out about your leadership. It was difficult for me to experience with you to the degree that I was. Looking from the outside, there were many mixed emotions I went through. Some of the grievances were warranted, some were not. From my perspective it seemed clear that you were repentant and clearly trying to change. Which in turn made me ashamed for the people who claimed to be Christians and decided to treat you and your family horrendously. Unfortunately, our culture is rarely gracious enough to put together that which has been unraveled.

Thank you for being faithful to the mission Jesus has called you to through both the highs and lows. You have impacted the city of Seattle in a way that was never done before. Unknown to you, at the same time you were changing a city in the northwest, you were helping to mold a young African American kid all the way down in Tallahassee, FL. Now, I am trying to pave the way in this city as you paved the way in yours. Despite the distance and never having met, you have been and continue to be a mentor to me. I am glad you are back in the pulpit since you are one of the best bible teachers I have ever heard. This letter is to show my gratitude for the impact you have had on my life and thank you for continuing to follow God.