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Christianity Today, March, 2008 |

$300K Settlement

Mars Hill Graduate School sued for sexual discrimination.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 2/18/2008 09:02AM

Mars Hill Graduate School will pay $300,000 in a court-approved judgment to settle a harassment and discrimination lawsuit brought by one of its founders.

Heather Parkinson-Webb, the first female professor ...

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student

Posted: March 14, 2008 8:31 PM

Security Update In the interest of providing an atmosphere of safety and security at MHGS, Facilities Manager Tracy McNab, along with the Quad and Paul Steinke, are implementing an ID program to ensure that everyone in the building is identified as belonging in the building. Effective March 31st, all students, staff and faculty will be required to display their school ID while on campus. The stairwell doors will remain locked throughout the day and require ID access. Visitors and guests will be asked to stop by the front desk where they will sign in and be given a Visitor ID to wear while on site. (so watch out all you moles!)

Tom	Posted: March 04, 2008 7:36 PM


Some perspective on Mars Hill's training and credentials here: http://quasilaur.net/2008/01/09/professional-rant-about-professional-standards/#more-64

female student

Posted: February 29, 2008 2:58 PM


"Male student"--would you be [are you] "mad as hell" too?

a male student

Posted: February 29, 2008 11:54 AM

The article states: "Heather Parkinson-Webb, the first female professor at the Seattle seminary, alleged that she was fired after filing for divorce and being granted a restraining order against Kirk Webb." I didn't catch this until now. Heather was GRANTED a restraining order. PEOPLE. SHE WAS GRANTED A RESTRAINING ORDER!!!!! Before you begin to defend Dan, ask yourself, if you were the president of the school, what would you do? What can you do? By law, Kirk has to stay away from Heather. It creates a real dilemma doesn't it? Fire the b-tch. Yeah, that's what we'll do. Sounds like sexual harassment to me. I'm not a woman, but if I was, I would be mad as hell.

student

Posted: February 28, 2008 11:23 PM

An excerpt from: http://santacecelia.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/two-lovely-women-will-say-this-better-than-me/ ---- I thought this was wonderfully put. He writes "....starting with a quote from the article. 'Allender denied that any faculty members at Mars Hill had affairs with students, though he declined to talk about any case except Parkinson-Webb’s.' SERIOUSLY!??! First of all……..props to you for having the biggest balls in the history of the universe. To tell a lie that outrageous requires testicles the size of planets……………but the pisser fellas, is that it can’t last. Nope."

Graduate

Posted: February 28, 2008 5:52 PM


Typos: make that "INTIMATED" in my prior post & "Sadly, it looks like not much HAS changed..."

Graduate

Posted: February 28, 2008 5:46 PM

Hi "reader": If the admin is behaving as they did during my years at Mars Hill, then current students are being told - at least indirectly - that to express any opinion besides the official admin statement/position is indeed "gossip." I still have Dan's letter re Don and Suzanne's separation, which intimited that very thing: to even ask questions = "gossip." Similarly, when Mars Hill was separating from Western Sem and thus would no longer be accredited (yes, they were pursuing accreditation - however that is not the same as *being* accredited (you're either accredited or you're not - "applicant" or "candidate" status does not cut it), we were accused of "gossip" for telling our fellow students the truth re such matters. Sadly, it looks like not much as changed...

reader

Posted: February 28, 2008 3:26 PM


Gossip? This seems to be a fair representation of the facts. How are current students reacting to this apparent scandal? Has the school's leadership shown any humility? How do female students feel now? Doesn't MHGS advertise a pro-active stance towards women in leadership?

Former Mars Hill Student

Posted: February 28, 2008 12:05 AM


Another must-read current student blog: http://samuelrainey.com/

mhgs student

Posted: February 27, 2008 6:57 PM


Fellow MHGS Students, please read the following two blog posts surrounding different views about the Webb/MHGS Settlement from last month. It is worth your time. http://karaboo.wordpress.com . http://chalkballerina.blogs.com

Jim Hodgin

Posted: February 27, 2008 7:59 AM

I was on staff at a large in Atlanta Ga. where it was discovered that the leader of the church had been involved in sexual affairs for years. Child polesting and all other types of ungodly hidden conduct. It kept being swept under the carpet by other leaders and continually denied. Now it is all in the open around the world--shouted from the house tops. I left the church 6yrs ago. My daughter and son both have wanted to go to Mars Hill for a couple years. But now they will not until the house is swept clean and full repentance by all involved. Past covered up immorality and things revealed must be confessed and healing and deliverance brought to all involved or my children will never go to Mars Hill that is a promise to you Mars Hill. If you want to do what is right in your own eyes then fine suffer the results that will come. This large church that once boasted of 12,000 members will be closed by years end. Is that what you want ?? If not please repent and clean house.

current student

Posted: February 26, 2008 10:38 PM


I'm sad CT would report gossip.

student

Posted: February 25, 2008 12:38 PM


Thank you "current student." I found these two links particularly courageous and insightful: http://karaboo.wordpress.com/ and http://chalkballerina.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/02/angry-women.html The second one was written by a current staff member.

a current student

Posted: February 25, 2008 2:18 AM


For some blog postings Google search: heather webb mars hill women settled

an old student

Posted: February 24, 2008 6:44 PM


good luck to all those attending this week's "MHGS Community Conversation"...and be careful, please. i recall attending similar meetings around the time of the split from western sem...where admin told us upfront we'd better NOT say anything NEGATIVE unless we knew of a donor willing to give the school a million bucks...only comments from "those willing to dream with us" were allowed...

blind eye no more

Posted: February 22, 2008 5:53 AM

CT writes: "In the lawsuit, Parkinson-Webb alleged that the school knew her former husband had an affair with a student, but failed to dismiss him. Webb, who later left the school, told CT he'd never had an affair." ~ I can testify to the affair. I was a student during the time. I saw it in class. I saw it outside of class. There was something odd going on between Kirk and Dani. I didn't put 2 and 2 together until I found out they got married. What "former donor" wrote rings true: "Yes, Dan knew what was going on, as did Mike McCoy, Chairman of the Board. I know because I had conversations with both of them about this. Roy Barsness (then Academic Dean) imposed a “no contact” rule on Kirk and the student. When they broke it, he turned a blind eye." ~ I too turned a blind eye back then because I couldn't believe something like this could be true.

reader

Posted: February 21, 2008 1:34 PM


The comments function is not closed. There is a link on the bar at the end of the article.

Firefox issue with this page

Posted: February 21, 2008 12:57 PM


This page isn't displaying correctly in Firefox but it looks fine in Internet Explorer. (In Firefox, the ads in the right column overlap into the text).

visitor

Posted: February 21, 2008 11:11 AM


I've been able to post comments by going to the cached page. Here is the link: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:WxfoCvklR-IJ:www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/march/5.22.html+christianity+today+heather+parkinson-webb&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=safari

concerned

Posted: February 21, 2008 12:48 AM


You can contact the Snohomish County Superior Court by phone or in writing and request a copy of the summons and complaint and the amended complaint. The complaint No. is: 05-2-09625-8 and is listed as Heather P. Webb, Plaintiff, vs. Mars Hill Graduate School, Defendant. Their phone number is: 425-388-3411. Their address is: 3000 Rockefeller, M/S 502; Everett, WA 98201.

graduate

Posted: February 20, 2008 11:19 PM

yeah, "a former grad" - that's what we wondered time and again during our years at the school - why didn't Dan "Take a chance with this gospel that we all believe in"? mess after mess, coverup after coverup, we lost heart (and were told that was our fault - you know, we "couldn't handle our disappointment"/"couldn't live in the tension"/yada yada yada/insert your preferred Mars-Hill-ese here). good to see at least 1 grad still has some hope. may it be fulfilled this side of glory.

mars hill student

Posted: February 20, 2008 7:02 PM


some more info on Ms. Parkinson-Webb's suit here: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080117/NEWS01/246074206 note that: "She [H. Parkinson-Webb] alleged in court documents that Kirk Webb engaged in a relationship with a student, whom he later married (emphasis added)."

a former grad

Posted: February 20, 2008 12:22 PM

Dan, I implore you, brother, to come clean on this. So much is at stake. You denying there was an affair is a lie and everyone knows it. It breaks my heart. It breaks all of our hearts. Take a chance with this gospel that we all believe in. The gospel of God's fierce kindness. I heard it first described by you in a class long ago. You know what you got to do. The school will be fine. And so will you, Dan, beyond your wildest imagination. I love you Dan - in all your depravity and dignity. You've always been a rebel. Curtains drawing . . . . show us how to REALLY dance!

Reposts

Posted: February 20, 2008 11:23 AM

Here is a link to the State of Washington Department of Heath. Dr. Hudson was married 3 times in 18 months during the heady 2002/2003 season also sued by his student, Jody E. who won her case and his therapy license revoked by the State of Washington for the reason that most women sue their therapists. https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/hpqa1/Application/Credential_Search/Profile.asp and enter: Hudson for Last Name and Don for First Name or key in LH00004898 for Credential Number

more comments?

Posted: February 20, 2008 10:17 AM


OT: is there a limit on the # of comments? I was only able to post this via a "Cached" page in the meantime, here's another link where a few have commented on mhgs: http://www.topix.com/county/snohomish-wa/2008/01/seattle-graduate-school-to-pay-300-000-judgment#comments

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