“The thought of men doing these things to not just daughters, but the God the Father’s daughters. It just made me just furious,” he added.
The sermon that received widespread criticism was recorded at one of Mars Hill’s afternoon services. Driscoll said it was the sixth or seventh service that day, adding, “I just preached myself literally almost to death on a few occasions.”
After preaching each service, Driscoll said he’d make himself available to talk and pray with people in front of the sanctuary. Driscoll recalled that after each service, young women came up to him sharing how they had been raped, assaulted, and abused by boyfriends, husbands, fathers, and even pastors.
“By the end of the day, I was completely emotionally devastated and angry and furious at all the damage done to women, starting with my wife,” Driscoll said.
Driscoll said his angry response in the sermon was triggered by an 18-year-old girl telling him that she was raped by her father. It was before the last service of the day, he recalled.
The girl told Driscoll that she never knew her father, that he had raped her mother, and she was born out of rape. Her mother never allowed her to meet her father because he was unsafe. But the young woman shared that after turning 18, she sought out her father, located him, and scheduled a meeting with him. She then said her father proceeded to rape her.
“I honestly started crying so hard that I threw up and then preached the sermon,” Driscoll shared. But “some of my critics and those who say I’m a misogynist and hate women” use that sermon and say, look at how “angry this guy is.”
Driscoll concluded by saying, “I’m like, Why isn’t every sane man filled with the Spirit this angry? And if this is happening to God’s daughters, how come nobody’s pissed?”
