Megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll is drawing criticism after posting on Mother’s Day that “Mary was a teen mom and Jesus had no earthly father. It’s a good thing there was no Planned Parenthood in Nazareth.”
The comment was intended as a strong pro-life statement, highlighting that if Planned Parenthood had existed in Mary’s day, the world might never have seen the birth of Jesus Christ.
Driscoll has long described Planned Parenthood as having “demonic origins” and frequently speaks out against abortion from a biblical perspective.
Some critics, including Catholics, said the post was disrespectful to Mary, mother of Jesus. Others defended Driscoll, noting that historians believe Mary was likely around 15 or 16 years old when she gave birth to Jesus, and that she faithfully responded to the angel Gabriel, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.”
