Emery guitarist and Bad Christian Podcast co-host Matt Carter weighed in on the news of Mars Hill Church Pastor Mark Driscoll's resignation. After serving in the church for roughly 10 years, Carter was able to talk about the pastor's good and bad qualities and dissect where he felt it went wrong. 

Carter started his blog off by saying Driscoll stepping down was "good news," but wanted to clarify why before everyone jumped on him for it.

He said from 2002 through 2012 he attended the church and was in numerous roles including "worship leader, deacon, redemption group leader, small group host and leader, have done Biblical counseling, and even been a volunteer sound guy."

It was during this time he learned to be a Christian, and learned about the inside and outs of his faith. Most of this learning came from Driscoll.

"I think he is great. Plain and simple, he is awesome. I love his style and his methods. I liked hearing him cuss. I like when he is tough, strong, and even mean," Carter wrote, "I laugh when I hear stories of some of the stuff he has done. I just think it's bada**. I can't help it. I have followed, supported, and encouraged him. What he did was working, it was awesome, and I was part of it."

Then he said a shift began to happen where things began to make him feel uneasy, which caused he and his wife to leave the church. They felt things began to be all about "Mark" instead of the church, the body, and the message. "We felt that Mark was behaving in a way that seemed to contradict what he himself had taught us that a pastor should...we knew it was unhealthy, and I couldn't be onstage leading people and be authentic in doing so based on the trajectory and some of the things that were going on, so we had to leave."

(Photo : Facebook: Matt Carter)
Emery Guitarist

Carter feels it was then that "Mark blew it" and let "power, pride, and personal aspirations" get in the way of his calling. Soon it began to hurt people in the church, and Carter said it became "like a slow motion car wreck" as people's lives were filled with pain now.

"I did NOT expect Mark to resign at all. I was shocked. I thought, based on my experience and assumptions that he would never relent; that he would be too stubborn and the church would permanently suffer," Carter admitted, "So upon seeing that he resigned, I was glad because I am certain it will be best for the church itself."

The guitarist feels that this was a necessary step in Driscoll's healing process, as he can now put "others ahead of himself."

"So if Mark Driscoll has to be smashed to bits in order to see Jesus clearly, then I call that progress. That is what we believe, right? That Jesus is the one who pays for our sins, not us? That people are flawed and fail, and Jesus and the Church succeed anyway, and to even greater glory? Hasn't this happened throughout all of history?" he wrote.

Read Matt Carter's entire post on the Bad Christian website here.

Read Driscoll's resignation letter here.