Driscoll-Lindell Controversy Far From Over

James River Church Pastor John Lindell addressing his congregation April 17 / Video screenshot (MinistryWatch)

By Jessica Eturralde - Posted at MinistryWatch:

Published April 25, 2024

Following a heated exchange at this year’s Stronger Men’s Conference earlier this month, controversial megachurch pastors Mark Driscoll and John Lindell appeared to reconcile.

However, as events have played out publicly in the weeks following, their disagreement now seems far from over.

The conference was sponsored by Lindell’s James River Church in Springfield, Missouri, and held at the Great Southern Bank Arena from April 11 – 13. Driscoll was slated as a featured speaker.

On opening night, two-time Guinness World Record holder Alex Magala performed a death-defying act in which he swallowed a sword before ascending and rapidly descending a large vertical pole.

The next day, Driscoll paused his sermon to compare Magala’s performance to Old Testament pagan idol worship and likened Magala’s act to a female exotic dancer, calling it “a spirit of Jezebel.”

Lindell interrupted Driscoll, shouting at him to get off the conference stage. Lindell blasted Driscoll for not following the biblical protocol for correction laid out in Matthew 18, saying if he had a problem with the entertainment, Driscoll should have spoken to him privately. Lindell disappeared for 30 minutes, reemerging on stage alongside Driscoll where the two men appeared to display forgiveness and solidarity.

Read more here.