By Christian Research Network Associate Editor Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised…
This is a repost of an original article on Do Not Be Surprised…

If you live in or near Seattle, Mark Driscoll thinks you should visit The City Church, pastored by Judah Smith and his wife, Chelsea. Why [did Driscoll want us to] visit [that] weekend? It seems that Smith [had] invited renowned prosperity preacher Brian Houston ofHillsong Church to preach.

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It is certainly interesting that the “Reformed” Mark Driscoll would encourage anyone to attend a church that appears to have little regard for the biblical mandate against women in positions of authority within the church. Of course, the presence of a pastrix at The City Church should not surprise us when we consider that this church was founded by Judah’s parents, pastor Wendell and pastrix Gini Smith:

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The reader will note that, in the screenshot above, it states that Wendell and Gini Smith originally served under Dick Iverson at Bible Temple in Portland. According to C. Peter Wagner’s book Apostles Today: Biblical Government for Biblical Power, Iverson was the “founder of one of America’s foremost apostolic networks, Ministers Fellowship International, out of Portland, Oregon.” So it sounds as though The City Church has some rather colorful roots.

 Returning again to the issue at hand: apparently Mark Driscoll and Judah Smith share more than just an endorsement by Rick Warren. These two men also possess a shared affinity for prosperity preacher Brian Houston of Hillsong Church. In his post, Charismatic Quasi-Prosperity Preacher Judah Smith, Pastor Ken Silva informs us of Smith’s apparent longstanding relationship with Houston and Hillsong, as Smith has previously appeared at the famed Hillsong Conference. In fact, Silva informs us that

Judah Smith shared the platform this year [2010], again, supposedly with “the world’s finest teachers” such as Word Faith prosperity preachers Joel Osteen and Jentezen Franklin. (Source)

Of course, we know from posts like ONE Conference brings together Calvary Chapel and Hillsong Church that Brian Houston also shares his pastoral duties with his wife, pastrix Bobbie Houston. We also know that Hillsong has launched the career of speaker Christine Caine, who not only spoke earlier this year at Steven Furtick’s Code Orange Revival, but who also preached the Sunday service for Furtick that same weekend. It seems that the crew from Hillsong has no qualms about disobeying such biblical texts as 1 Timothy 2:12. Yet, why would Mark Driscoll seemingly condone this by his endorsement? Further, why would he encourage his 235,000+ followers on Twitter to visit Judah Smith’s church to hear Brian Houston preach? Why this enthusiasm for two known prosperity preachers? Perhaps this is an example of the extended fall-out of the Elephant Room 2, when famed Modalist and Word Faith heretic T.D. Jakes was ushered into the evangelical community by none other than Mark Driscoll and his ER2 co-host, James MacDonald.

It seems as though the doctrines of the Word Faith movement are becoming more and more acceptable among professing evangelical Christians. Perhaps this leaves us with two options: we can either choose to pray or choose to “sow a seed.” With this growing apostasy, let us hope that the true Church would earnestly seek to do the former.

SEE ALSO:
Cleaning Up After the Elephants? MacDonald Takes to the Airwaves
Mark Driscoll Resigns from The Gospel Coalition Council
ONE Conference Brings Together Calvary Chapel and Hillsong Church

The original appears complete with a comments section for you to join the discussion right here.

See also:

MARK DRISCOLL, ACTS 29 NETWORK, AND RICK WARREN

MARK DRISCOLL HAS PERSONAL REVELATIONS FROM JESUS

EMERGING ECUMENICAL EVANGELEPHANTS AND THE WORD FAITH MOVEMENT