Mark Driscoll has never exactly been known for tiptoeing around a controversial subject, and now the Arizona pastor has waded into one that is almost guaranteed to get church people talking: Should obese pastors be disqualified from ministry?
The question came up during a recent episode of The Mark Driscoll Podcast, where what apparently began as a humorous discussion quickly turned into a serious argument about pastoral qualifications, self-control and what churches are willing to tolerate in their leaders.
Driscoll, who pastors Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, pointed to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, arguing that pastors are required to demonstrate self-control. He then connected that requirement not only with alcohol and other obvious addictions but also with eating habits and gluttony.
"The Bible talks a lot about gluttony, more than most pastors," Driscoll said, according to The Christian Post.
And then things got considerably less delicate.
Driscoll recalled preaching years ago at an unnamed Baptist seminary, where he apparently decided to make an observation about Baptist pastors and their eating habits.
"You know, I heard you guys are the Baptists, and you guys don't drink wine," Driscoll recalled telling the audience.
Then came the line that may be remembered longer than the theological argument itself: "What's killing the Baptists is drinking gravy."
Driscoll joked that he apparently wasn't invited back after that appearance.
He didn't stop there.
Talking about what he described as the tendency of some Baptist pastors to be overweight, Driscoll joked about khaki pants, tucked-in shirts and adjustable waistbands before suggesting that some Christian traditions have simply become comfortable with certain vices while condemning others.
His basic argument was that churches can be strangely selective about what counts as a serious character problem.
Pentecostals, he suggested, may strongly reject alcohol while emphasizing physical fitness. Presbyterians, he joked, might be more comfortable with beer, alcohol or pipe smoking. Fundamentalist Baptists may abstain from alcohol while overlooking unhealthy eating habits.
For Driscoll, every tradition can end up with its own unofficial list of acceptable and unacceptable vices. Or, as he put it, Christianity can sometimes become a "choose-your-own-adventure for your vices."
So does Driscoll actually believe obese pastors should automatically be disqualified from ministry? Not quite-at least not simply because of a person's weight.
Driscoll acknowledged that he isn't "Mr. Universe" himself and stopped short of presenting body size alone as an automatic biblical disqualification. His argument was instead that pastors should seriously examine whether obesity is connected to uncontrolled eating, addiction or a broader failure to exercise self-control.
But Driscoll being Driscoll, he couldn't resist another memorable line.
"If you drop your Bible and you can't see it, you probably need to work on it," he said.
That distinction matters because obesity itself is not necessarily evidence of gluttony.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes obesity as a complex chronic condition that can involve multiple contributing factors, including genetics, environment, behavior, stress and underlying health conditions. Equating someone's appearance automatically with sinful overeating would therefore go considerably further than the medical evidence allows.
And that is where Driscoll's remarks are likely to generate plenty of debate.
Few Christians would dispute that pastors are called to self-control. Both 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 explicitly list self-control among the characteristics expected of church leaders. The harder question is whether someone's body weight can reliably reveal whether that self-control is present.
A pastor could struggle with gluttony without being visibly obese. An overweight pastor could be exercising considerable discipline while dealing with genetics, medication, illness or other factors. Meanwhile, churches can obsess over visible sins while ignoring pride, anger, greed, pornography, workaholism or abusive leadership.
That makes Driscoll's larger point more provocative than the jokes surrounding it.
Perhaps the uncomfortable question isn't simply, "Are obese pastors disqualified?" It is: Why are churches sometimes extremely strict about certain appetites while being remarkably forgiving about others?
Driscoll appears convinced that food has become one of those blind spots.
Whether Christians agree with his diagnosis-or think his jokes cross the line-he has once again managed to turn an uncomfortable theological question into the kind of conversation people are unlikely to forget.
And somewhere, Baptist pastors may suddenly be looking suspiciously at the gravy boat.
