Nearly a month after radio host Janet Mefferd first accused megachurch pastor and author Mark Driscoll of plagiarizing portions of his latest book A Call to Resurgence in an awkward on-air interview, the Mars Hill leader has formally responded. In a statement released to The Christian Post, Driscoll said, “Mistakes were made that I am grieved by and apologize for … I have been praying that [God] would help me learn through all of this to become more like him and more effective for him.” (You can read his full statement here.) His publisher, Tyndale, also released their own findings following a month-long investigation of the allegations (which you can also read in their entirety on TCP), saying they are sticking with the controversial pastor. “Because of the biblical manner in which Pastor Driscoll has handled this situation, Tyndale strongly stands behind him and looks forward to publishing many additional books with him.”
Following the backlash from the confrontational interview, Mefferd issued an apology to Driscoll and removed evidence of the plagiarism from her website. The actions caused an assistant producer on the show to resign, citing the powerful “evangelical celebrity machine” that “you may not go up against.” As writer Jonathan Merritt points out in his summary of the scandal, evidence of a “media-partnership” between Tyndale and the radio network that distributes Mefferd’s program drew further speculation about the apology’s motivation. As part of their statement, Tyndale said that they are committed to correcting any errors that arise in the book. “Driscoll has consistently spoken out against plagiarism in his writing and publishing. If any mistakes are ever made in that regard, he is equally committed to correcting such errors as soon as they are discovered” …
