Dr. Brown examines the different responses to COVID by MacArthur and Stanley. while he sides with both, only one was right...

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John MacArthur, Michael Brown and Andy Stanley - Guess Who Is Right?

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. - Romans 13:1-2 (ESV)

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/in-the-line-of-fire/82540-pastors-john-macarthur-and-andy-stanley-disagree-but-i-agree-with-both-of-them

One of the more reassuring things about having saving faith in Christ is the certainty of absolute truth. We live in a world that revels in shades of grey to avoid having to make the black and white judgments that are truly needed. There is right and wrong and they do not exist on a sliding scale. There is true and there is false not "alternate facts." I remember once speaking to an agnostic who declared that he was happy the "Christian thing" worked for me and that the "Muslim thing" worked for his other friend. My response was simply, "yeah, but one of us is wrong." In this age when people reflexively cry fake news whenever their false worldview is challenged it is good to remind ourselves as believers that things are very much black and white. God has given us sovereign instruction on everything we might face in life if only we would read, believe and apply His word to OUR lives. I capitalize OUR because the modern apostate church has gotten into the bad habit of applying the word to other people's lives so they do not have to examine their own.

With this as the backdrop I present the gatekeeper of the NAR, Dr. Michael Brown. I say gatekeeper because rarely does he personally espouse false theologies. Instead he supports and provides cover for those that do. For example, he once went on the Benny Hinn show for a week and referred to him later as a good brother in the Lord. When people were correctly mocking Jennifer Leclaire for her 'sneaky squid spirit", Brown gave her time on his radio show and supported and excused her nonsense. Even though Brown knows there is black and white he never applies it. For example, he wrote a solid book denouncing the false teaching of greasy grace and then refused to call Joseph Prince, the King of greasy grace, a false teacher. Your books on theology are meaningless if you insist on allowing wolves access to the sheep pen. Brown wrote a recent article, linked above, that brilliantly displays his refusal to ever be critical or discerning about any teacher. His topic was the COVID crisis and how two mega church pastors reacted differently and how he sides with both of them. Ahhh, why take a stand eh? Let us reason once more beloved.

Two of the best-known pastors in America have offered very different (and very public) responses to governmental prohibitions to church gatherings. Pastor John MacArthur has said no to government overreach and encouraged other pastors to do the same. Pastor Andy Stanley has said yes to government guidelines and feels this is the best example to set. For my part, I agree with both of them. But first, lest anyone think I'm trying to play both sides against the middle, nothing could be further from the truth.

Uh-huh. I feel compelled to say what is obvious - one of them is wrong. Notice how Brown splits the bill on these two pastors. For MacArthur the issue is government overreach but for Stanley it is government guidelines. Sorry Dr. Brown but you do not get to play this game. Now because Brown is an N AR dominionist we already know he believes that the government has overreached. The problem he has is that the key verses today do not say "unless the government has overreached." Think about this. The Apostle Paul wrote Romans around 57AD and a short time later he would be arrested and eventually imprisoned in Rome. At the time of the writing to say that the Roman Empire engaged in government overreach when it came to the Jews would be a gross understatement. Yet he still says be subject to the governing authorities doesn't he? If he had a change of heart after being in chains, he never once brought it up even though he wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon while imprisoned. The amount of oppression the Jewish people suffered under Roman rule far exceeds being asked to not hold church gatherings during a plague.

My public disagreements with Pastor MacArthur are well known, to the point that I wrote a full-length book, Authentic Fire, in response to his full-length book, Strange Fire. (And I did so with the utmost respect for my elder colleague.) My public disagreements with Pastor Stanley, whom I also hold in esteem, are also well-known, to the point that I told him half-jokingly I would need to write a full-length response to his latest book, Irresistible. (My proposed title was, Why Andy Stanley's Irresistible Must Be Resisted. For our helpful discussion on radio, see here.) So I have no problem differing with these prominent leaders.

No, your problem is in not calling them out for being false teachers. In MacArthur's case for his Calvinism and Cessationism and in Stanley's case for being an absolute rank heretic. This is just like the problem discussed earlier regarding Joseph Prince. Brown has written a book about how wrong the teachings of MacArthur are yet will not call him false. Stanley you hold in esteem despite his many and varied heresies including no loner relying upon the infallibility of scripture and teaching that Christians do not need the Old Testament. Brown is so skilled at sounding reasonable but we need to properly discern. If one leader believed in a pre-trib rapture, we might "differ." If someone is literally teaching that we should no longer teach our kids that the bible is infallible? That is not a difference. That is heresy.

In this case, I feel they are responding to different circumstances, and I believe that each of them has valid points. Pastor MacArthur believes the California government has exceeded its rightful reach by forbidding church gatherings, also contending that COVID-19 poses little to no danger.

In his words, "I would say to pastors, 'have church, open up, have church.' You don't have to fear someone's going to die. You don't have to fear you're going to get sick, because they're not going to be able to trace this back. I haven't seen anything like that anywhere." He continued, "Health mandates and governors' orders are not law. I don't think you have to fear that. You need to open the church because this, of all times, when people fear is where they need to come. I don't think you have to give a clinical explanation; I think you have to welcome them and not make them follow protocol that you know is pointless."

Let's start with scripture. The key verses today do not instruct you to veer out of your lane to offer up your meaningless opinions about things you do not understand. Johnny Mac can preach. He can exegete. He can interpret. He is not however an epidemiologist. He has no background in virology. If you need to have your appendix removed would you feel confident looking up from the operating table and seeing John MacArthur standing there with a bone saw? Then why in the world would you trust him to make your medical decisions regarding a pandemic that has killed 200,000 people in this country? You don't have to fear getting sick because they cannot trace it back? How morally bankrupt is that statement? I would have expected Stanley to say something so wickedly callous. The hairsplitting over Governor mandates and law are moronic. The Governor carries the full weight of law. He is in charge of the public health for his state. As for tracing, is MacArthur willfully ignorant or deceitful. There are a plethora of stories in the news about church gatherings infecting people, which they discovered through tracing. Read the story in Maine where one man infecting an entire town and the pastor who took it back to his church. Read the story from Strawberry Alabama and the pastor who got his entire congregation sick with COVID. Read the two stories in Virginia of pastors who defied and then died. Read the story from Illinois or New Orleans. Cannot trace? Disgusting and inaccurate. What you do have to fear pastor is standing before Christ and explaining your dead sheep sacrificed on the altar of your own purpose driven ego.

On the one hand, I do not fully share Pastor MacArthur's dismissal of health concerns, since I have colleagues who restarted their church services only to shut down because of a serious outbreak of the virus. I have read of other pastors (whom I do not know personally) who flaunted health and safety guidelines and are now dead. On the other hand, I too have urged pastors to defy government hypocrisy and overreach. This would certainly apply to states like California, where mass, public Black Lives Matter protests were welcomed but Christian gatherings were placed under severe restrictions (including "Thou shalt not sing!") and even home Bible studies were banned.

Full stop. So Dr. Michael Brown admits that he personally knows pastors who have had to shut down because their church got the virus and he knows pastors who have flaunted the guidelines and are now dead yet he still defies pastors to defy the government? Seriously? What is the rationale for this? His disdain for Black Lives Matter. Brown goes off the NAR deep end again comparing protests to church service. Do not lose sight that behind the reasonable sounding argument is a man who claims Christianity while trying to find a reason to defy the key scriptures. Does Romans 13 say unless that state mete's out decrees in a way you find imbalanced? No. As for thou shall not sing, California rightfully prohibits public singing because of the obvious danger of viral spread. Perhaps the more duplicitous reference is to the alleged ban on in home bible studies. I have seen this referenced before so I decided to do some research. The first three pages of search results have nothing but links to apostate Christian websites stamping their feet at the notion of banning at home bible studies. Finally I came to the underlying case. It seems a couple in California tried to be cute and pass off a gathering of 50 people as a "bible study." Anyone who knows anything about bible studies or even group dynamics, knows you cannot have a bible study that large. There is word for what that couple had that day - church. So a neighbor got upset at the large gathering and complained, resulting in a $300 fine. The Christian couple referred to their neighbor as a "snitch." Hallelujah.

As for Pastor Stanley, his position is that the government is doing its best to solve a difficult problem, that churches are no more being singled out than professional sports leagues and that this is how we love our neighbors. Plus, we have plenty of other ways to gather together. (Pastor MacArthur has emphasized the importance of our public gatherings during such a stressful and difficult time.) That's why Pastor Stanley's church has cancelled full public services for the balance of the year. In his words, "This was just our way of loving our neighbors and loving our neighborhoods, trying to keep our neighborhoods safe as we get closer to school reopening. "The schools are having a difficult enough time opening and staying open. Even the university systems, as you know. So it just seemed like the wisest thing to do as it related to the community and as we wait this thing out and figure out what's going to happen." He added, "I can't imagine a scenario in the United States of America where the only group being picked on is the church unless it's a specific local church."

Wow, my readers know how hard it is for me to type these words"Andy Stanley is right. The church from the start has acted like a whining petulant child and has done a disservice to the cause of the Gospel by doing so. Stanley is right. There are plenty of other ways for the church to still gather even if it is not in the seeker friendly building you own. MacArthur's position of public gatherings being needed in this stressful time is just another excuse to open his church up. I am pretty sure their number one concern is surviving these difficult times. Yet look at the reasoning of Andy Stanley. He is concerned about loving his neighbors and neighborhoods. He is concerned about keeping all people safe. He recognizes more problems coming when schools are supposed to reopen. He also seemingly dismisses the trend towards Christian conspiracy theory by correctly stating that not only is the church not being picked on but that is so unlikely in this country. His approach here is measured, caring and dare I say pastoral. He seems concerned not only with his flock but with the witness for Christ to his neighborhood. It is a shame he so heretical when it comes to doctrine because he deserves kudos for obeying the key verses today and behaving like a pastor should behave.

On the one hand, churches are being singled out for unfair treatment, as in Nevada, where casinos can meet at half-capacity but a congregation with a building that seats 2,000 is limited to 50 people in attendance. That's why even the Department of Justice has weighed in on discrimination against churches. On the other hand, Pastor Stanley shares some of the same reasoning I put forth in my COVID-19 book, When the World Stops: Words of Hope, Faith and Wisdom in the Midst of Crisis. As much as possible, we should submit to government authority, and as much as possible, we should demonstrate love for our neighbor. That's why I have urged pastors to pray, take counsel and come to decisions on their own. On the one hand, we cannot respond to a spirit of fear, paralyzing us from taking action. On the other hand, we cannot cultivate a spirit of rebellion that thrives on defiance to the law. In this case, living in different states and making decisions for different reasons, I commend both Pastor MacArthur and Pastor Stanley for acting on their convictions out of love for God and their communities. May the name of Jesus be exalted; may the cause of the gospel be advanced; and may a hurting world be touched.

While I might agree that the Nevada orders seem contradictory that does not change scripture. Brown is looking for any excuse to be disobedient. Yet strangely enough he is all over the map trying to take every side. He presents himself with an interesting choice. Cultivate fear or rebellion. Except here is the thing. Wearing a mask and staying six feet from people during a pandemic is not fear - it is wisdom. Brown set up a false choice because he realizes he cannot get around the other side of this equation. What John MacArthur and Brown advocate for is rebellion, period. They feel justified because they have determined the offense of governmental overreach but it is still rebellion. Still not sure, let me boil down Brown's thinking:

As much as possible, we should submit to government authority, and as much as possible, we should demonstrate love for our neighbor.

That's why I have urged pastors to pray, take counsel and come to decisions on their own.

As much as possible? Is that what the bible says? Are there times we should not demonstrate love for our neighbor? Do the key verses qualify when we should obey and not obey? Then look what his eventual advice is to pastors. Just come to a decision on your own. No Dr. Brown; that is why we have the bible. So we do not add carnal or political caveats to God's instructions. You commend both pastors for acting on their convictions but only one of them acted on scriptures. I just can't believe between MacArthur and Brown, Andy Stanley would be the pastoral voice of reason. It might be a sign that the apocalypse is upon us but then again, a broken clock is right twice a day.

Reverend Anthony Wade - September 11, 2020

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. - Romans 13:1-2 (ESV)

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/in-the-line-of-fire/82540-pastors-john-macarthur-and-andy-stanley-disagree-but-i-agree-with-both-of-them

One of the more reassuring things about having saving faith in Christ is the certainty of absolute truth. We live in a world that revels in shades of grey to avoid having to make the black and white judgments that are truly needed. There is right and wrong and they do not exist on a sliding scale. There is true and there is false not "alternate facts." I remember once speaking to an agnostic who declared that he was happy the "Christian thing" worked for me and that the "Muslim thing" worked for his other friend. My response was simply, "yeah, but one of us is wrong." In this age when people reflexively cry fake news whenever their false worldview is challenged it is good to remind ourselves as believers that things are very much black and white. God has given us sovereign instruction on everything we might face in life if only we would read, believe and apply His word to OUR lives. I capitalize OUR because the modern apostate church has gotten into the bad habit of applying the word to other people's lives so they do not have to examine their own.

With this as the backdrop I present the gatekeeper of the NAR, Dr. Michael Brown. I say gatekeeper because rarely does he personally espouse false theologies. Instead he supports and provides cover for those that do. For example, he once went on the Benny Hinn show for a week and referred to him later as a good brother in the Lord. When people were correctly mocking Jennifer Leclaire for her 'sneaky squid spirit", Brown gave her time on his radio show and supported and excused her nonsense. Even though Brown knows there is black and white he never applies it. For example, he wrote a solid book denouncing the false teaching of greasy grace and then refused to call Joseph Prince, the King of greasy grace, a false teacher. Your books on theology are meaningless if you insist on allowing wolves access to the sheep pen. Brown wrote a recent article, linked above, that brilliantly displays his refusal to ever be critical or discerning about any teacher. His topic was the COVID crisis and how two mega church pastors reacted differently and how he sides with both of them. Ahhh, why take a stand eh? Let us reason once more beloved.

Two of the best-known pastors in America have offered very different (and very public) responses to governmental prohibitions to church gatherings. Pastor John MacArthur has said no to government overreach and encouraged other pastors to do the same. Pastor Andy Stanley has said yes to government guidelines and feels this is the best example to set. For my part, I agree with both of them. But first, lest anyone think I'm trying to play both sides against the middle, nothing could be further from the truth.

Uh-huh. I feel compelled to say what is obvious - one of them is wrong. Notice how Brown splits the bill on these two pastors. For MacArthur the issue is government overreach but for Stanley it is government guidelines. Sorry Dr. Brown but you do not get to play this game. Now because Brown is an N AR dominionist we already know he believes that the government has overreached. The problem he has is that the key verses today do not say "unless the government has overreached." Think about this. The Apostle Paul wrote Romans around 57AD and a short time later he would be arrested and eventually imprisoned in Rome. At the time of the writing to say that the Roman Empire engaged in government overreach when it came to the Jews would be a gross understatement. Yet he still says be subject to the governing authorities doesn't he? If he had a change of heart after being in chains, he never once brought it up even though he wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon while imprisoned. The amount of oppression the Jewish people suffered under Roman rule far exceeds being asked to not hold church gatherings during a plague.

My public disagreements with Pastor MacArthur are well known, to the point that I wrote a full-length book, Authentic Fire, in response to his full-length book, Strange Fire. (And I did so with the utmost respect for my elder colleague.) My public disagreements with Pastor Stanley, whom I also hold in esteem, are also well-known, to the point that I told him half-jokingly I would need to write a full-length response to his latest book, Irresistible. (My proposed title was, Why Andy Stanley's Irresistible Must Be Resisted. For our helpful discussion on radio, see here.) So I have no problem differing with these prominent leaders.

No, your problem is in not calling them out for being false teachers. In MacArthur's case for his Calvinism and Cessationism and in Stanley's case for being an absolute rank heretic. This is just like the problem discussed earlier regarding Joseph Prince. Brown has written a book about how wrong the teachings of MacArthur are yet will not call him false. Stanley you hold in esteem despite his many and varied heresies including no loner relying upon the infallibility of scripture and teaching that Christians do not need the Old Testament. Brown is so skilled at sounding reasonable but we need to properly discern. If one leader believed in a pre-trib rapture, we might "differ." If someone is literally teaching that we should no longer teach our kids that the bible is infallible? That is not a difference. That is heresy.

In this case, I feel they are responding to different circumstances, and I believe that each of them has valid points. Pastor MacArthur believes the California government has exceeded its rightful reach by forbidding church gatherings, also contending that COVID-19 poses little to no danger.

In his words, "I would say to pastors, 'have church, open up, have church.' You don't have to fear someone's going to die. You don't have to fear you're going to get sick, because they're not going to be able to trace this back. I haven't seen anything like that anywhere." He continued, "Health mandates and governors' orders are not law. I don't think you have to fear that. You need to open the church because this, of all times, when people fear is where they need to come. I don't think you have to give a clinical explanation; I think you have to welcome them and not make them follow protocol that you know is pointless."

Let's start with scripture. The key verses today do not instruct you to veer out of your lane to offer up your meaningless opinions about things you do not understand. Johnny Mac can preach. He can exegete. He can interpret. He is not however an epidemiologist. He has no background in virology. If you need to have your appendix removed would you feel confident looking up from the operating table and seeing John MacArthur standing there with a bone saw? Then why in the world would you trust him to make your medical decisions regarding a pandemic that has killed 200,000 people in this country? You don't have to fear getting sick because they cannot trace it back? How morally bankrupt is that statement? I would have expected Stanley to say something so wickedly callous. The hairsplitting over Governor mandates and law are moronic. The Governor carries the full weight of law. He is in charge of the public health for his state. As for tracing, is MacArthur willfully ignorant or deceitful. There are a plethora of stories in the news about church gatherings infecting people, which they discovered through tracing. Read the story in Maine where one man infecting an entire town and the pastor who took it back to his church. Read the story from Strawberry Alabama and the pastor who got his entire congregation sick with COVID. Read the two stories in Virginia of pastors who defied and then died. Read the story from Illinois or New Orleans. Cannot trace? Disgusting and inaccurate. What you do have to fear pastor is standing before Christ and explaining your dead sheep sacrificed on the altar of your own purpose driven ego.

On the one hand, I do not fully share Pastor MacArthur's dismissal of health concerns, since I have colleagues who restarted their church services only to shut down because of a serious outbreak of the virus. I have read of other pastors (whom I do not know personally) who flaunted health and safety guidelines and are now dead. On the other hand, I too have urged pastors to defy government hypocrisy and overreach. This would certainly apply to states like California, where mass, public Black Lives Matter protests were welcomed but Christian gatherings were placed under severe restrictions (including "Thou shalt not sing!") and even home Bible studies were banned.

Full stop. So Dr. Michael Brown admits that he personally knows pastors who have had to shut down because their church got the virus and he knows pastors who have flaunted the guidelines and are now dead yet he still defies pastors to defy the government? Seriously? What is the rationale for this? His disdain for Black Lives Matter. Brown goes off the NAR deep end again comparing protests to church service. Do not lose sight that behind the reasonable sounding argument is a man who claims Christianity while trying to find a reason to defy the key scriptures. Does Romans 13 say unless that state mete's out decrees in a way you find imbalanced? No. As for thou shall not sing, California rightfully prohibits public singing because of the obvious danger of viral spread. Perhaps the more duplicitous reference is to the alleged ban on in home bible studies. I have seen this referenced before so I decided to do some research. The first three pages of search results have nothing but links to apostate Christian websites stamping their feet at the notion of banning at home bible studies. Finally I came to the underlying case. It seems a couple in California tried to be cute and pass off a gathering of 50 people as a "bible study." Anyone who knows anything about bible studies or even group dynamics, knows you cannot have a bible study that large. There is word for what that couple had that day - church. So a neighbor got upset at the large gathering and complained, resulting in a $300 fine. The Christian couple referred to their neighbor as a "snitch." Hallelujah.

As for Pastor Stanley, his position is that the government is doing its best to solve a difficult problem, that churches are no more being singled out than professional sports leagues and that this is how we love our neighbors. Plus, we have plenty of other ways to gather together. (Pastor MacArthur has emphasized the importance of our public gatherings during such a stressful and difficult time.) That's why Pastor Stanley's church has cancelled full public services for the balance of the year. In his words, "This was just our way of loving our neighbors and loving our neighborhoods, trying to keep our neighborhoods safe as we get closer to school reopening. "The schools are having a difficult enough time opening and staying open. Even the university systems, as you know. So it just seemed like the wisest thing to do as it related to the community and as we wait this thing out and figure out what's going to happen." He added, "I can't imagine a scenario in the United States of America where the only group being picked on is the church unless it's a specific local church."

Wow, my readers know how hard it is for me to type these words"Andy Stanley is right. The church from the start has acted like a whining petulant child and has done a disservice to the cause of the Gospel by doing so. Stanley is right. There are plenty of other ways for the church to still gather even if it is not in the seeker friendly building you own. MacArthur's position of public gatherings being needed in this stressful time is just another excuse to open his church up. I am pretty sure their number one concern is surviving these difficult times. Yet look at the reasoning of Andy Stanley. He is concerned about loving his neighbors and neighborhoods. He is concerned about keeping all people safe. He recognizes more problems coming when schools are supposed to reopen. He also seemingly dismisses the trend towards Christian conspiracy theory by correctly stating that not only is the church not being picked on but that is so unlikely in this country. His approach here is measured, caring and dare I say pastoral. He seems concerned not only with his flock but with the witness for Christ to his neighborhood. It is a shame he so heretical when it comes to doctrine because he deserves kudos for obeying the key verses today and behaving like a pastor should behave.

On the one hand, churches are being singled out for unfair treatment, as in Nevada, where casinos can meet at half-capacity but a congregation with a building that seats 2,000 is limited to 50 people in attendance. That's why even the Department of Justice has weighed in on discrimination against churches. On the other hand, Pastor Stanley shares some of the same reasoning I put forth in my COVID-19 book, When the World Stops: Words of Hope, Faith and Wisdom in the Midst of Crisis. As much as possible, we should submit to government authority, and as much as possible, we should demonstrate love for our neighbor. That's why I have urged pastors to pray, take counsel and come to decisions on their own. On the one hand, we cannot respond to a spirit of fear, paralyzing us from taking action. On the other hand, we cannot cultivate a spirit of rebellion that thrives on defiance to the law. In this case, living in different states and making decisions for different reasons, I commend both Pastor MacArthur and Pastor Stanley for acting on their convictions out of love for God and their communities. May the name of Jesus be exalted; may the cause of the gospel be advanced; and may a hurting world be touched.

While I might agree that the Nevada orders seem contradictory that does not change scripture. Brown is looking for any excuse to be disobedient. Yet strangely enough he is all over the map trying to take every side. He presents himself with an interesting choice. Cultivate fear or rebellion. Except here is the thing. Wearing a mask and staying six feet from people during a pandemic is not fear - it is wisdom. Brown set up a false choice because he realizes he cannot get around the other side of this equation. What John MacArthur and Brown advocate for is rebellion, period. They feel justified because they have determined the offense of governmental overreach but it is still rebellion. Still not sure, let me boil down Brown's thinking:

As much as possible, we should submit to government authority, and as much as possible, we should demonstrate love for our neighbor.

That's why I have urged pastors to pray, take counsel and come to decisions on their own.

As much as possible? Is that what the bible says? Are there times we should not demonstrate love for our neighbor? Do the key verses qualify when we should obey and not obey? Then look what his eventual advice is to pastors. Just come to a decision on your own. No Dr. Brown; that is why we have the bible. So we do not add carnal or political caveats to God's instructions. You commend both pastors for acting on their convictions but only one of them acted on scriptures. I just can't believe between MacArthur and Brown, Andy Stanley would be the pastoral voice of reason. It might be a sign that the apocalypse is upon us but then again, a broken clock is right twice a day.

Reverend Anthony Wade - September 11, 2020

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.