"What makes MacArthur's refusal to abide public health guidelines so noticeable is his status as a popular and well-respected evangelical pastor. Most of the pastors who've made national headlines for ignoring state orders were from small towns or small congregations. Many of them have argued the lockdown restrictions infringed on their religious and spiritual rights. But not all pastors and congregations feel the same way as MacArthur about the restrictions. JD Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions, suggested congregations create smaller house churches instead of packed services. Andy Stanley said his megachurch in Atlanta, Georgia, would not reopen until 2021 because of the pandemic. MacArthur questioned if those pastors were leading their congregations correctly. 'They don't know what a church is and they don't shepherd their people,' he told CNN." - John MacArthur
This takes us back to the beginning. John MacArthur has now made his bed with Rodney Howard Browne. All of the NAR dominionists now love Mac, including doing interviews with their leading mouthpieces. This should be a source of great discomfort for him but it does not appear so. He has lamented lately that his friends have abandoned him over this issue. His friends are right. Now I agree about Greear and Stanley but the notion that John MacArthur is going to lecture someone on being a true shepherd is not beyond untenable. The notion that he is going to lecture someone on what the true church is a dog that no longer hunts. He has given away any credibility he once had in those areas. A shepherd does not lead his sheep to slaughter based upon whims, feelings, and opinions.
"Others Christians have noted that spirituality and church are more than just services held every Sunday. 'It's true that MacArthur's church cannot meet, but Christ's church can meet,' wrote Jonathan Leeman, a pastor and editorial director of the ministry 9Marks. 'Right now, members of his church can meet outdoors. There is nothing sacrosanct about the particular and present forms of our congregations,' Leeman added. President of Davenant Institute Brad Littlejohn published a rebuttal to MacArthur's decision in a 7,500-word letter this month. 'Rev. MacArthur no doubt believes he is taking a courageous stand,' wrote Littlejohn. 'I fear that he is rather a confused shepherd, leading countless sheep straight into the line of fire.'" - John MacArthur
Amen, Christ's church is not the building MacArthur calls home. That is so purpose driven in its thinking that Mac should have known better. You are the church. I am the church. Together we are the church. That does not change if the medium in which we communicate is through a computer, over a smart phone or in person. I agree with Littlejohn here. I do not doubt the sincerity of John MacArthur but as my pastor is fond of saying we can be sincere and sincerely wrong. Take a good look at the picture from his church last week where he joked about being a peaceful protest. All of those people have lives. They have futures. They have families. Unfortunately, they had a selfish pastor who led them right into the woodchipper known as COVID. Maybe the numbers are wrong. Or course, maybe they are underreported since we do so little testing per capita. All the speculation is irrelevant. Unless you are wearing a tinfoil hat figuring out how they faked the moon landing, you must admit this virus exists and it kills people. Full stop. The rest is window dressing. It is conjecture engaged upon by Facebook addicts following the whims of memes created by 13 year olds. It is like a real pastor leading his sheep off a cliff and when asked why he responds that he believes the cliff is not as steep as it has been reported. That the fatalities are embellished by a sensationalistic media and government officials that don't like the church. That the constitution allows us as free-thinking freedom lovers to go wherever we want!! Does any of that matter?
The cliff is still there and John MacArthur is leading his sheep right over it.
Reverend Anthony Wade - August 14, 2020
