Episode 50 – Be A Man

Kainos Project
Kainos Project
Episode 50 - Be A Man
/

Toxic masculinity and abusive church leadership tend to go hand-in-hand. And the recent reports about the abuses of Mark Driscoll at Trinity Church in Scottsdale Arizona illustrate that to painful effect.

In this episode, we discuss the details of Driscoll’s abuses and discuss how they reveal a toxic need for control and submission that too often exists in evangelical circles.

We also take a look at toxic leaders in the bible, including King Saul and King David. We explore the insecurities that led to Saul’s paranoia, and the way David’s abuses of power led to instability in the kingdom later in his life.

Here are the sources we cite in this episode regarding the recent events at Mark Driscoll’s church:

QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE

There's a particular brand of masculinity that we can joke about, but it can really be quite toxic and dangerous, particularly when it's in a place of power. Click To Tweet

Driscoll has recently seemed to become a caricature of himself, but his actions still aren't unique to the experience of evangelical culture. Click To Tweet

When you have an insecure leader, it's actually dangerous for the people who are underneath him. Click To Tweet

An insecure, toxic leader is usually a domineering leader. Click To Tweet

Leadership is a difficult thing. It's an uncertain thing. So if you're coming from a place of a deep character flaw or deep insecurity, it can really lead you down a bad path. Click To Tweet

It's the kind of leader who always tries to control the situation and aggrandize himself that is not fit for leadership. Click To Tweet

When you have power-hungry, controlling leaders, there's always a toxic environment that results from that. Click To Tweet

We can't use David and Bathsheba as an excuse for why we continue to enable toxic leaders. Click To Tweet

We all have sins and flaws. But when those sins and flaws are heightened by virtue of you having power and authority, you shouldn't have power and authority. Click To Tweet

Power is not something that we should really want. Whenever we see someone in the bible with power, the most absolute that power is, the faster things seem to go south. Click To Tweet

We all know what it feels like when we're in a toxic situation. There's a certain knot in your stomach and a certain sickness that comes over you. Listen to that instinct. Click To Tweet

We need to be able to remove ourselves from toxic environments, as well as remove whatever is causing that environment to be toxic. Click To Tweet

Subscribe On Apple Podcasts | Follow On Spotify

Latest Episodes

Why Did so Many Christians Support American Slavery?
Timothy Keller and the Legacy of Winsomeness
Should We Send Our Kids to Private Christian Schools?
What Is A Jezebel Spirit?
How Much Should Christians Care About the Age of the Earth?
What Is a Gospel Issue?
Should Christians Use Other People's Preferred Pronouns?
The Debate Surrounding Biblical Inerrancy
Are ChatGPT and AI Going To Take Over the World?
Sex as an Icon for Salvation?
Was the SBC Wrong To Kick out Saddleback?
The Asbury Revival: Are We Seeing a Move of God?
The Christian History of Valentine's Day
A Fresh Look at Old Liturgy
The One Thing All Christians Agree On
Is Anxiety 'Temporary Atheism'?
Things in History the Church Got Right
Why Do So Many Christians Believe in QAnon?
Should Slave-Owning Theologians Get Statues Celebrating Their Memory?
Was Jesus Trans?
How Your Nativity Decorations Are Biblically Inaccurate
Is Biblical Counseling the Answer to America's Mental Health Crisis?
Does the Bible Command Christians To Tithe?
Should We Declare 'Pandemic Amnesty'?
Let's Talk About Kanye

Explore More Episodes