Popular Reviews of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

This is an important listen for American Evangelical Christians. For them, this will be a shocking story of the rise and fall of not just a man, but a megachurch and a bit of a movement. With lessons for many of us, this telling of the tale is complex and nuanced - sharing the good along with the bad, the early great impact along with what should have been warning bells. It's also an important listen for everyone else- for them, this is an amazing peek behind the curtain at what happens when one person runs the show - a fascinating listen. It’s still early in the show’s run and I’m ready for more episodes.

This podcast does a good job of capturing what it was like to be at Mars Hill. If you ever listen to Mark Driscoll's sermons you'll find it fascinating.

Mike Cosper and the team at Christianity Today approach a difficult topic with compassion and a heart for redemption. The story weaved through interviews, surreptitious recordings, and good journalism not only shows how churches can collapse from the inside but also how it appears to those watching from afar.

Excellent examination of a successful church planting that seemed to go horribly wrong and the fall out from the church's collapse.

Probably the longest single story podcast I've listened to...too long. The last two episodes were over 4 hours, that's just way too long for one sitting. The story itself is interesting, who doesn't want to learn about the fall of a megachurch? But It just wasn't cut down and edited enough, and as it turns out, it was presented by a company that had a lot the same problematic issues. What a surprise.

My podcaster brain hears the tech issues in some of the episodes, and acknowledges that the story isn't as tight or cohesive as it could be. And yet, this is the show that I'm waiting to hit my feed every other week. I anticipate it more than any other show I listen to.

I’m not religious, but I lived in Seattle during Mars Hill’s heyday, so I was curious to hear about what happened to the megachurch. I wound up very impressed with the podcast. Fascinating story. Well researched. Great interviews. Clear commentary.

This is excellent reporting, and a very interesting story. I liked that the critical examination of this church and its culture came from within the Christian faith, because it felt like it came from a place of love and honesty. I can see why this podcast made so many "Best of 2021" lists. It was outstanding. Highly recommended.

Some podcasts are salacious and predatory, relying on juicy real life scandals to shock an audience into submission. Most of these are true crime shows, some of which make no pretense about being a vehicle for uncovering the truth or righting some historic injustice. That's kind of the vibe I initially got from The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, but I was compelled because the crime at the center was not some grizzly murder. Rather, it’s about the rapid ascension and even swifter descent of a power-crazed preacher and the toxic work environment he begat. The workplace happens to be a megachurch, and the charismatic leader at the story's core makes this closer to a cult documentary than a reopened cold case.The man at the center of the pod is Mark Driscoll, a conservative pastor with regressive theology draped in a modernity that so many found to be incredibly compelling. He’s got bravado that masquerades as confidence, and I’ll admit that the sermon audio presented here makes it easy to see how the right crowd would eat it up. Unfortunately he channeled it into a hyper-complementarianism - essentially a philosophy that God assigned gender roles - which evolved into corruption and a culture of “spiritual abuse.” Those sermon clips are a nod to the church capitalizing on media production at the dawn of the internet age that gave Driscoll a much broader reach than just his in-person congregants - both satellite campuses that had his sermons beamed in, as well as downloads accessible all over the world.Curiously, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is produced by Christianity Today, and every episode reminds listeners that this is in part a story of the mystery of God working in broken places. But is it really? And does that matter? I’ve heard a progressive critique that says host Mike Cosper leaves too much ambiguity about Driscoll - hinting that the massive success of the church elevated him to power too quickly and that a more mature Driscoll may have been more discerning and diplomatic. On the other hand, the show really doesn’t provide much evidence of this supposed holy work that happened at Mars Hill. Apart from relaying a couple of isolated anecdotes about Mark helping some individual in need, the pod leaves little doubt about Driscoll’s culpability for the destruction he left in his wake.The show has an excellent intro song from King's Kaleidoscope, which interlaces thematically poignant lyrics with interview clips from the series. Choice tracks from a variety of lesser known indie Christian bands feature throughout - fitting, given the theme of highlighting voices that are not household names. The release schedule has spanned 6 months, with bi-monthly episode drops amidst a couple longer hiatuses and the 12th and final episode yet to be released. While this could be frustrating, I have really enjoyed experiencing something as it’s being made. Narrative wise, it’s a bit scatterbrained - from some really detailed storytelling about specific events, to some pretty tangential reaches (including the culture of abuse from Bobby Knight?!). I’m curious to see how it wraps. Hopefully there will be a better takeaway than the typical "what does it all mean" pontificating at the end of similar exposé pods… But that might be inevitable given that Driscoll has since moved on to pastoring a church in Phoenix as if this whole thing never even happened. Wild.

Really intriguing look into the transformational effect of the internet on celebrity through the lens of pastors building megachurches. The podcast explores topics such as sermons being adapted to be artificially emotional for TikTok engagement, whether any young person can handle the immediate power/status the internet can bring, and if the end (a flourishing church) can justify the means (an abusive pastor). My only complaint is that it's a bit too much content to consume and stay engaged.

Good journalism. Chilling.

Incredible

Absolutely fascinating storytelling.