Oh, Mark.

TW: sexual assault, sexual violence, Mark Driscoll

Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash

TW: sexual assault, sexual violence, Mark Driscoll

I want to take a moment to respond to what many have suggested: a staged event at the Stronger Men’s Conference over the weekend. While I was not in attendance at the event, here’s what I observed from the posts on Twitter/X. 

The Jezebel trope needs to come to an end. The idea of the Jezebel spirit (presented in 1 Kings) is not a spirit but a patriarchal concept rooted in systemic racism and named after a biblical character. Secondly, the term “Jezebel spirit” does not appear in honest, critical biblical scholarship. At best, you can find a few sermons or online articles discussing this idea in fundamentalist or Pentecostal camps. The concept of an undying spirit that influences men is essentially folklore with two primary goals: 1. Condemn women and 2. Remove accountability from men who perpetuate dignity violations. 

The “Jezebel spirit” as a concept gained traction during the American slavery movement, whereby white men wrongfully r*ped and impregnated women. When confronted for their wrong behavior, they said the Jezebel spirit took the (usually) black woman, seduced the white man, and he had no choice but to engage in s*x. I’ll repeat that. The term “Jezebel spirit” was coined to remove accountability of white men r*ping black women during the American slavery movement.¹

Driscoll in the public eye. This isn’t the first time Driscoll has fabricated a damning word in public to draw attention. For those unfamiliar with Mars Hill and Christianity Today's “Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,” I 10/10 recommend listening to that. Driscoll has attempted to place himself as a fatherly spiritual authority, but we aren’t buying it. Examples from the clip: