When people are being led astray genuine believers must stand up challenge and expose. (2Tim. For me there is no doubt that some of Scotlands independent churches and ministries, need to be investigated re their finances..question is who does it?. MacArthur has written three books on the subject. I follow the goings-on of the mega church para church neocalvinist movement (call it what you will) in the USA and am frequently astounded by their antics. Very pleased with the approval of an $800,000 settlement and total win for my clients, @johnmacarthur and @GraceComChurch, on behalf of @ThomasMoreSoc. The truth is whether it is a mega church pastor in the US, or a small church pastor in Scotland, it is not OUR church, it is HIS. Wendy Guay's friend, Lisa Ward, was a witness to an attempted abuse by Paul against herself and his own daughter back in 1979. So Mike Riccardi is going to be answering the call," a Grace Community Church elder announced on Sunday, according to Christian website Protestia. This following sermon was full of what can only be called psychobabble. John MacArthur. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. Whatever its founding intentions, we conclude that the Proclamation Trust is now a compromised organisation committed to the flawed teachings and practices of New Calvinism. New Calvinism quenches that desire, and true dedication to a distinctive Christian life.. MacArthur argues that confessing Jesus Christ as Lord is a necessary component of free grace theology. Have mercy! As for your other points, Matt Chandlers church eventually acted only after a number of Christian magazines and websites had highlighted their initial inaction. And that is not only my perception if you look at the comments above. Your other comments were directly applied to the Megachurch movement I follow the goings-on of the mega church para church neocalvinist movement (call it what you will) in the USA and am frequently astounded by their antics. Again I am glad that you were not criticising the whole mega church movement (although I am sure you will understand why your initial post can be read that way).which megachurches are you happy with? 38, 31-32). And now I have to go and read his recommended book I hope its not as bad as the reviews suggest! [14] In 1986, he was made President of the new Master's Seminary. [31][32][33], MacArthur believes "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Opinion Preston Clegg. He picked out three words from Joshua 10, 12 (Sun stand still) and turned them into a doctrine, and he peppered his performance with occasional biblical quotes to back it up. We welcome another new contributor, Edward Benitez, as he biblically critiques a sermon given by Steven Furtick. It is still priced as such on my Amazon feed.thankfully someone pointed me to another link which I have now used to buy the book for a couple of pounds on Kindle. I was not picking on one church: you offered Matt Chandler as an example of how mega churches get it right and I was replying to that by urging caution. I replied tongue in cheek and its unfortunate my smiley emo didnt indicate that. Having said that I followed the mega church scene in the USA I was aware of what was going on in Dallas and in other places too. There is nothing that makes me believe in God and the Gospel more than the church in all its beauty, and there is nothing makes me doubt more than the church in all its ugliness. Given that you were speaking in the context of my remarks about Chandler, your comments were clearly a warning about him and a warning that his teaching was like a slow growing cancer. And I wasnt using any of the debating society tricks of tu quoque and ad hominem in anything that I said. What am I gonna do? From 1964 to 1966, MacArthur was hired by his father as associate pastor at the Harry MacArthur Memorial Bible Church (now Calvary Bible Church in Burbank, California), which his father Jack had planted and named after his own father. 23,12! When you are ready argue about what is being said here, not what is not being said. Your reference to Isis was, in my opinion, ill-judged given recent events. [48][49], In February 2023 Christianity Today[50] published multiple instances of MacArthur's Grace Community church advising woman to stay with sexually and physically abusive husbands. But cant we all recognize how difficult we find that? Sadly, however, there are also times when you use it to bully, abuse and browbeat. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. Finally that book! Yes, some of it is biblical and Furtick is a good communicator, amusing, connected etc.but a great deal appears to pay only passing lip service to the Bible. L ast week, John MacArthur celebrated 50 years in the pastorate at a conference at his congregation Grace Community Church. On February 9, 1969, he was hired as the third and youngest pastor at the nondenominational Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, California. Elevation began as a Southern Baptist church in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006. ck. Because your worth it! LOL! We are pleased to report that he is doing well," Grace Community Church wrote Monday on their website. (At this point I am of course aware of the same danger for myself and it certainly does act as a warning to me! That is grotesque manipulation and a parody of the Gospel. I would urge you to reread the comments by G White and your own responses to them before prayerfully replying. On top of that, MacArthur also took a salary from Grace Community Church that was "well within the upper-medium range" for California church employees, according to Johnson's 2014 statement. Im afraid that the influence of the US mega churches such as Elevation is felt throughout the world. We only do pale imitations of what is not great anyway! It is wonderful stuff Matt and Tim Keller are two mega church US pastors who I listen to every week! . [38] He has delivered multiple sermons where he discusses these issues. Please do not excuse sin and blasphemy. Im not rich at all but Im also not jealous of someone who has far more people and more money. ", MacArthur is married to his wife, Patricia. And it's thewe call it the Shepherd's Testament; it has a little shepherd's rod on the front. G White I am really sorry to read your last reply. MacArthur told church members ahead of his sermon that many people contracted COVID and it probably went through our church in maybe December or January. The pastor said he and his wife, Patricia, enjoyed our own bout with COVID for about a week and a half.. This has become an increasing generational divide, where self help and selfishness mixed with weird legalism has been manufactured, packaged, and sold as faith. Despite concern from church members, Grace Community Church has assured the public that MacArthur is recovering and doing better. If he has lots of money good for him, if he has a nice home- good for him. ", Grace Community Church parishioners make their way to Sunday service in Sun Valley on Sept. 13, 2020. You are just exporting your own. Join us on Sundays for a full day of teaching, preaching, music, and fellowship. There are doubtless many things wrong with Chandler (hes a Baptist for a start!) This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Weve been getting those kind of signals for the last number of weeks., A year ago, when county officials were trying for the fourth time to obtain a court order to shutter Grace Community Church, MacArthurissued his own declaration against the county, which he argued was impeding on his congregations free exercise of religion by criminalizing activity directly required by our faith. He went on to state the church has moral and religious obligations to continue allowing our congregants to gather in our sanctuary to worship the Lord., The utter unnecessary deprivation of all our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies, pressures, and challenges of life was cruel, he said. Its wrong to mock and you should try to win them over without mockery. You Wouldnt Be Dashing Him And Family And God House Stop being jealous Stop Counting The Heads In The Church And Start Counting Youre Blessing We Still Have A universe To Stand On And spreading the message good God And Getting People Ready For Whats About To Come..Btw Are You Ready For When God Comes? The digressive discussion of church trappings in some ways diminishes the toxic nature of this actual ministry content its danger isnt in size or wealth or me focus, it is in the false gospel it promotes he is not qualified to preach. (Screenshot credit: Julie Roys/YouTube), Error: There was an internal error submitting your form. 5) Yes the legalism one still stands. So it would be a bit premature to throw them on a bonfire another example of your sly prose which was unwarranted. It was a fantastic balance of biblical theology and Christ centered worship. If you dont like it, too bad. Someone made a sermon jam of it which I posted on my FB page and all of us, who were not of a charismatic background, really had no idea what he was saying. You had already given your opinion about it before you had read it so you are being consistent at least. Elevation Church were accused of getting 'volunteers' to come forward during the 'spontaneous' baptism services, in order to encourage others to get up out of their seats. Rather than ignoring these churches and individuals Scotlands born again believers need to stand up and contend for the faith. I think about it this way would I rather sell a million copies of my books with little fruit, or sell a few hundred of each and yet have those few hundred profoundly affect and change the lives of many? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 4) Your last post just uses ad hom and tries to dodge justifying your original statement about Chandler by attacking me and what I have said, whilst giving not one concrete example. And they aint all wrong. pokmon the series xyz. [18] He believes that scripture is inerrant and infallible because it is "the Word of God" and that God cannot lie. "Just so you know, Pastor John had a bug this week and preached our first hour but asked if he might be able to take a break for the second hour. My main problem about the teaching is that it seems to be so man/woman centred. "[44], In 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 global crisis, MacArthur contravened orders from Los Angeles County public health officials regarding services at Grace Community Church, and insisted that no one from the church had become seriously ill, despite reports to the contrary. They drift from church to church. It demonstrates a mindset that says this is MY church. Then there is the whole question of what the church is about. "[7][8] MacArthur followed in his father's footsteps to enroll at the fundamentalist Bob Jones College from 1957 to 1959. 2. It is not really a battle between science and the Bible. John Fea | February 10, 2023 1 Comment. Not on Amazon it aint! John MacArthur and the folks from Grace to You (GTY) have done the body of Christ a great service by continually warning Christianity against the growing dangers within the Charismatic movement. As for Southern Baptists liking Donald Trump, its almost as bad as you liking Scottish Nationalism. So First Dallas Baptist is an acceptable mega church but the Village church isnt? David, once again you are making assertions that do not stand scrutiny. Whether this ministry attracted 2 or 2 million is irrelevant the ministry is identified simply by its content as false and shunned. John MacArthur, pastor of the popular Grace Community megachurch, is recovering from a sudden onset of illness. New International Version Because he is a pastor? It does say that if you are not careful many with money err from the faith and it also says the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil, NOT MONEY ITSELF. Sitting in a restaurant in Charleston, North Carolina, we were delighted to meet a group of four men, who included a young man from the UK, who was working for a church called Elevation in Charlotte. One other thing is that success can get to ones head. [1] He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. Purpose doesnt have a parking spot is no substitute for many are the plans in a mans heart but it is the Lords purpose that prevails. If theyre charities (and I suspect many of them will be) then theyre monitored by OSCR, and will have to submit yearly, independently audited, accounts. Opinion Mark Wingfield. Despite the blurb you are not changing the world. Has First Dallas never handled any controversy or discipline case wrong? It is quite shocking. Im sure with a church of such a size these issues are found amongst some, and appropriate discipline and loving correction are needed. - John MacArthur", "John F. MacArthur - The Master's Seminary", "MacArthur Appointed Baptist College Gets New President, Name", http://www.bing.com/search?q=When+was+the+MacArthur+New+Testament+Commentary+Series+completed%3F&go=%E3%82%AF%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AA%E9%80%81%E4%BF%A1&qs=bs&form=QBRE, "The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit", "Reexamining the Eternal Sonship of Christ", "The Loving Husband: A Portrait of Christ", "Can Women Exercise Authority in the Church? I did read your comments. From a spiritual standpoint its an even bigger (and opposite) no-brainer! For what its worth, I fully support your stand in almost everything else. IMHO he totally manipulated the emotions of his audience and used the scriptures in an inappropriate way. PS Im a huge Chandler fan over here. Thanks for this. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. The Good Contrary to expectations I am not one of those Calvinist ministers who automatically discounts any church which grows beyond a couple of hundred, as being a mega fake, doctrinally incorrect, pseudo church. Some are good, some are bad. But like John Flavel I regard as a pretty close second the threat of disunity in the body of Christ not least that caused by those who go around unjustly and wrongly accusing others of false teaching. 2) Its also not advisable as someone who professes to be a Christian and follow Christ to swear. A prominent elder at John MacArthur's Grace Community Church (GCC) has resigned, stating in email leaked to The Roys Report that his "conscience and convictions" were not aligned with other GCC elders. My point was that its not only out and out heretics, such as McKenna, who are a danger to the church. (What a great sales pitch why dont you try it next time David I will even make the trip to Dundee to hear you). [21][22], MacArthur argues that modern "visions, revelations, voices from heavendreams, speaking in tongues, prophecies, out-of-body experiences, trip to heaven, anointings, miracles all false, all lies, all deceptions attributed falsely to the Holy Spirit." I agree that the greatest threat to the church comes from false teachingas you will know if you read this blog. Is this success? [36] Speaking about evolutionary theory, he writes that Christians "ought to expose such lies for what they are and oppose them vigorously." It is also grossly unfair (and dishonest) for you to misrepresent my position as making some pastors untouchable. John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. You equate him with the false teaching of Furtick and Elevation Church. Los Angeles County sued the church over its refusal to close down, and the church counter-sued, claiming that the County was violating rights to freedom of religion. Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. [25], MacArthur has stated that he opposes both "male chauvinist and feminist views. When asked why he marketed his book (or to be more accurate why the church paid thousands to market his book), he was unapologetic, if he didnt believe the message he wouldnt market it. 3) Its not Furtick who will save the world from hate, crime, drugs etc. John MacArthur - Jr. Church and Steven Furtick Jamie A 154 subscribers Subscribe 214K views 7 years ago Fun little clips I put together to give an example of what Dr. MacArthur was speaking on.. I simply stated that the book on my Amazon feed was priced at 30 and I was not going to pay that. If I were like that I would have to discount the Church at Pentecost! by RELEVANT. G White this is the mega church you are setting up as an example in opposition to Matt Chandler? So far there has been no evidence given for assertion. [10], While at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, MacArthurs father recruited him to the Voice of Calvary singing quartet, often broadcast on Christian radio in Southern California. And the notion that radical Islam is going to defeat the gospel is just as daft. . How John MacArthur loves the Bible but not his neighbor. It just looks weird. Can I suggest a little more humility? Its mainly a forlorn appeal but can we say to the mega churches please stop it! John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated radio program Grace to You. "We are not heard for our many words, but for the cry of our hearts." See what mine own hands have wrought. The news clip above catalogues the controversy about his $1.8 million new build house caused. One expression of faith creates refugees; the other resettles them. All rights reserved. JOHN: When you go out the door, there's one for each of you. Were deeply grateful for that. End of Discussion. Will you not come and revive us? Its always good to get correction! MacArthur told her she needed to model for her children how to "suffer for Jesus" by enduring David's abuse. The staff expected to have their concerns heard andconsidered. G White had stated that Matt Chandler was not a good example of teaching or living and then went on to pass on gossip about a particular discipline case in the Village Church. Your lack of apology (at very least regarding your amazon remarks) has only served to highlight the arrogance and childishness that you displayed in your replies. I think it is a good thing that a church grows within a decade from a hundred to 20,000 people and I would love that to happen in Dundee, or Edinburgh. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. I've carried one of these of an NAS with the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs with me for years and years, so that's why I wanted this to be the first one. Matt. But, thank God, I have been able to study the bible for 50 years and, although I acknowledge that I have probably only scratched the surface of the riches of His grace, I do not recognise Furticks message as balanced and biblical. I will always call that out, and I refuse to be intimidated or bullied by those who just cry foul or moan about not being nice. He spoke for an hour without notes and held his audience completely in the palm of his hand he is a brilliant orator using all the tricks of the trade. We stray from scripture at out peril: http://www.whatisthegospel.org.uk. John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. The one I mentioned is a paperback and cost 3.50. Their influence has been growing and recently . MacArthur also refused to enforce mask and social distancing guidelines for congregants. How easily the lure of money and outward success can lead a good man astray, and sadly take with him many people. John MacArthur is pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. Chandler, a Reformed evangelical pastor, spoke as a guest speaker at Elevation last Friday, the third night of the Code Orange Revival. I know in theory you agree with He must increase, I must decrease as do I. You then accused me of muddying the waters by dropping in a bit of juicy gossip. I am intrigued as to why you think my challenge to the claim is disgraceful and totally unwarranted, but you dont think the claim itself is? (function(d){var f = d.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0], p = d.createElement('SCRIPT');p.type = 'text/javascript';p.async = true;p.src = '//widgets.wp.com/platform.js';f.parentNode.insertBefore(p,f);}(document)); on Elevation Church The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. I know the drill. [12], MacArthur's daily radio and television program, Grace to You, now broadcast throughout much of the world, was created by the Grace media team to publicize audio cassettes of sermons; in 1977, it was first broadcast in Baltimore, Maryland. In your second post you again make the false claim that I set Dallas against Chandler. Last summer I had the privilege to attend and worship at an Acts 29 church plant in Shepherds Bush, and I pray that God would plant more churches like it across the UK. (By the way I would suggest that you learn what is name is). Jenna Ellis,the churchs attorney,tweeted about the settlement. Anyone at least you have persuaded me to read the book I hope it is not a waste of good time! The remarks immediately following that statement seem to suggest that you are and illustrate the way in which you denigrate those with whom you disagree. Uh, John MacArthur Is Urging His Church to Stop Supporting Religious Freedom . David, you use your blog to write some really encouraging and courageous articles for which Im very grateful. And there are some well-liked denominations and networks of churches on Facebook pages too: john macarthur on elevation church. So when I see money, resources and people being diverted into what appear to be personal vanity projects, branding and corporate Christianity, I weep, am angry and cry out to the Lord. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in . I have reread the comments by G Whiteand my own responses. I dont know enough to say anything about the worship, church structure and other ministries of the church, so I wont. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. You then go to the other extreme and say that I am lumping every mega church together. He teaches a completely restored Israel shall inherit physical ownership of the land of Canaan on the earth. He has to answer to God of where is heart is and how he gets or gives the money he has. http://thewartburgwatch.com/?s=Matt+chandler&x=0&y=0 I hope this mature and open enough for you! They are usually absorbed in religion for self-centered reasons. This photo posted to Twitter by Phil Johnson shows a full sanctuary at Grace Church on Sunday, July 26, 2020. Simply not true. Cho resigned the next day. (You can read the follow up five years later! 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. You call them out or call them to repentance but see no need to repent yourself. 1) There is only One only speaks the truth and it aint Steven Furtick. The young man concerned served for many years as a missionary in South America before returning to the USA to head up the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The Amazon website only has E S Williams book on sale as 30:08.! 3) Yes you did engage in gossip writing about a child sex scandal without context.you may not see it as such. The point I made about Matt Chandler himself is that it took the pressure from outside his church to galvanise him into doing something. Why shouldnt he? The trouble is that because they have the money, the media and the power, they are able to have an influence far beyond their spiritual authority and gifts. If I had said that I wasnt happy with any mega church, that would have been a fault as well. Whether you are a legalist or not I dont know. He has remarked that "[t]he Charismatic movement has stolen the Holy Spirit and created a golden calf, and they're dancing around the golden calf as if it were the Holy Spirit. Mike no one is saying that a pastor should be poor. Furtick though is unapologetic..he boasted in a sermon all the proceeds go to feed hungry children..mine!. This is a really long post that deals almost exclusively, unfortunately, with secondary issues (church size, communications gifts, me focus, salary, wealth, size of house, and more) and thereby obscures the central and clarifying point of Furticks ministry. You said he was a great example, I urged caution and pointed to a recent event where he and his church had attracted adverse publicity because of how they handled a particular incident.