Eight years ago, prominent author and pastor, John MacArthur, strongly warned the Moody Bible Institute about its association with now-disgraced celebrity pastor, James MacDonald. This is according to email correspondence I recently obtained between MacArthur and Jerry Jenkins, author of the best-selling Left Behind series of books, and then-chairman of Moody’s board of trustees.
“The conflicts James needs to resolve involve serious concerns that others besides me have raised about his character and doctrine,” MacArthur wrote on November 12, 2012. “The controversy is increasingly public. It involves charges against him from people who are or have been part of his ministry.”
Moody apparently disregarded the warning. Just two months after the email exchange, Moody published a book by MacDonald called, “Authentic: Developing the Disciplines of a Sincere Faith.” The institute also continued airing MacDonald’s radio program, Walk in the Word on the Moody Radio Network for another seven years. (Moody stopped airing the program in January 2019, when MacDonald pulled Walk in the Word from radio and TV. Moody Publishers stopped selling MacDonald’s books on February 19, 2019, about a week after Harvest Bible Chapel fired MacDonald.)
According to the emails, the exchange between Jenkins and MacArthur was prompted by MacArthur objecting to speaking at Moody’s Founder’s Week in 2013 if MacDonald was also on the program.[pullquote]“The conflicts James needs to resolve involve serious concerns that others besides me have raised about his character and doctrine . . . It involves charges against him from people who are or have been part of his ministry.”[/pullquote]
Jenkins responded by inviting MacArthur to meet with MacDonald and Jenkins for the purpose of “reconciliation.” However, MacArthur replies that he has “no personal issues with MacDonald.” Rather, he is concerned about the public “documented charges against him (MacDonald).”
These charges included MacDonald inviting T.D. Jakes—a proponent of the prosperity gospel—to speak at his Elephant Room conference just 10 months earlier. Jakes also held a view of the Trinity that many evangelicals believed to be heretical. The controversy over Jakes appearing at The Elephant Room was so serious that it prompted MacDonald to resign abruptly from The Gospel Coalition.
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Other charges included MacDonald’s extravagant lifestyle. According to The Elephant’s Debt (TED), a blog critical of MacDonald that launched in the summer of 2012, MacDonald was then taking a salary over $500,000, and living on a $1.9 million estate. TED also reported that MacDonald’s church—Harvest Bible Chapel—was $65 million in debt. And the website included a long list of Harvest leaders who had left the church and voiced concerns about MacDonald.
MacArthur writes to Jenkins that he had mentioned his concerns about MacDonald to Moody Senior VP of Media Greg Thornton, asking Thornton “whether Moody was concerned about being embarrassed by the multiple scandals unfolding all around James.”
MacArthur also references a comment he made about MacDonald in public, writing, “I made only a one-word comment, saying James’s public statements and actions are ‘self-destructive.’” He adds, “My judgment has proved accurate, and more profoundly so than I believed at the time.”
I reached out to MacArthur for comment about his interactions with Moody, but he did not respond.
Conflict of Interest?
Despite the evidence against MacDonald, Jenkins tells MacArthur that Moody is convinced that MacDonald is taking appropriate action to deal with his issues.
“James and the elders at Harvest have assured us that they are in the process of seeking out every person who has expressed an offense or criticism, with the intention of meeting with them personally, hearing them out, and making things right,” Jenkins wrote. He added that those being pursued included “the website currently criticizing James and Harvest, and any who added their voices to it.”
I contacted the authors of The Elephant’s Debt, Scott Bryant and Ryan Mahoney. Both said that the leadership of Harvest did not contact them to hear their concerns around this time, and neither did Moody.
At the time of the emails, Jenkins appears to have had a close working and personal relationship with MacDonald. In a 2013 WORLD Magazine article, Jenkins admitted to a reporter that he and MacDonald had played poker together in the past. Also at the time, Jenkins was writing a book with MacDonald called, “I, Saul.”
In addition, Jenkins’ son, Dallas Jenkins, was employed by Harvest Bible Chapel as director of Vertical Church Media from 2009-2017. In fact, Dallas Jenkins, his father, and James MacDonald appear in a video about the book recorded in December 2013 (below).
Also, despite Jenkins’ assurance to MacArthur that he would “follow through” on a “promise to not reveal to (MacDonald) the specifics of your communique to me,” Jenkins forwards the subsequent email from MacArthur and previous thread to MacDonald.
MacDonald responds, “Wow – thx for trying – I have alot [sic] of thots on what (MacArthur) has written but thankful for the fruit of self control [sic].”
(MacDonald then forwarded the thread to Scott Pierre, a former friend and pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) Orlando. Pierre’s emails were obtained by his former church after they fired him in 2016, and a former deacon, Shaun McDonnell, recently forwarded the emails to me.)
I reached out to Jenkins and asked him whether he or anyone else in Moody’s board contacted the authors of TED, or others cited on TED’s website, to confirm that MacDonald and the elders had tried to reconcile with them. I also asked Jenkins if his gambling relationship with MacDonald, or his son’s position at Harvest, influenced his decision-making concerning MacDonald.
Jenkins responded:
Yes, because of the fewer than six times James MacDonald and I played poker at the same time, and due to my son’s employment at Harvest, I abandoned every ethic I’d ever been taught and singlehandedly persuaded the entire Moody organization to turn a blind eye to sin. You’ve finally ferreted out how thoroughly power, greed, and nepotism consume me.
Nyquist & Thornton Side With MacDonald
I also reached out with similar questions to Moody Senior VP of Media Greg Thornton and Paul Nyquist, who was the president of Moody at the time. (Nyquist resigned in 2018 amid controversy about his alleged heavy-handed management style, failure to uphold inerrancy, and a $500,000 loan from the institute.) Neither Thornton nor Nyquist responded to me.
However, I talked to Dave Corning, who was chairman of the elder board at Harvest for 21 years before leaving the church in 2010. Corning said that in 2012, President Nyquist called him, saying that Moody was getting a lot of complaints about MacDonald and wanted to hear his perspective.
Corning said he told Nyquist “in no uncertain terms” that MacDonald “had done incredible harm” to numerous people he knew from Harvest. Corning said Nyquist kept asking whether Corning thought MacDonald was redeemable.
Corning said he responded, “Why are you focusing on redeeming him? What about those he’s hurt?” Corning said he got emotional towards the end of the call and pleaded with Nyquist to “do something to stop this.”
Corning said he heard a few weeks after the call that Moody had met with a very carefully selected group from Harvest who convinced Nyquist that the situation wasn’t as bad as Corning described.
MacDonald actually talked about that meeting at a senior pastors’ retreat in January 2013, which was recorded and transcribed.
According to MacDonald, he, Bill Molinari, former executive director of Harvest Bible Fellowship, and two to three elders met with President Nyquist, Greg Thornton, and Gene Getz, a former MBI board member.
MacDonald said the group from Harvest showed Moody the church’s financial statements and told them “what’s true.” According to MacDonald, he “wasn’t even home yet from the half-hour drive” when Nyquist called him and apologized for putting him through the process.
MacDonald said Nyquist added that Moody planned no changes in its ministry partnership with MacDonald or Harvest and stood behind their ministry “100 percent.”
I reached out to both Getz and Molinari to hear their perspective on the meeting with MacDonald, but neither one responded.
Former Harvest Members Say Nyquist/Thornton Ignored Pleas
Two other former members at Harvest told me they also reached out to leadership at Moody, expressing grave concerns about MacDonald, but were ignored.
One of them is Mike Bryant, a Moody graduate whose church was ejected from Harvest’s former church planting network (Harvest Bible Fellowship) in 2012 because Bryant objected to T.D. Jakes’ speaking at the Elephant Room conference.
Bryant sent an email to Nyquist in May of 2013, urging Nyquist and Moody trustees to reconsider their support of Harvest and Walk in the Word.
Nyquist, who according to Bryant and former Harvest Elder Dan George, attended Harvest for a time, replied to Bryant that “it is easy to discern that you (and your church) have serious issues with the Harvest Bible Fellowship.”
Nyquist then explained that Moody leaders had met with Harvest leadership twice and “have continued to ask the hard questions.” He added that “concerns exist, but we are sufficiently satisfied with the answers we are receiving.”
Nyquist then urged Bryant to “trust in the considered opinion of several mature leaders from Moody who have been engaged in this process.”
[pullquote]He added that “concerns exist, but we are sufficiently satisfied with the answers we are receiving.” Nyquist then urged Bryant to “trust in the considered opinion of several mature leaders from Moody who have been engaged in this process.”[/pullquote]Several months later, MacDonald and Harvest shocked the Christian community when they publicly excommunicated several former elders in a video shown on all seven of the church’s campuses, calling the former elders “Satanic to the core” and accusing them of “great sin.”A couple months after the excommunication, Bryant again emailed Nyquist, describing the “appalling video” and urging Nyquist to “hear the testimony of a growing multitude” of people who have witnessed MacDonald’s behavior.
Bryant said Nyquist did not respond to the second email.
Jeff Richardson—a former member of Harvest, who together with his wife, Deb, discovered Harvest’s massive debt in 2006—also complained to Moody leadership about MacDonald.
Richardson said that in late 2012, he had a discussion about MacDonald with Greg Thornton, who had served as an elder at Richardson’s former church in the Chicago suburbs. Dissatisfied with the answers Thornton gave him, Richardson followed up with an email in early 2013.
In the email, Richardson confronts Thornton for failing to do “due diligence” by neglecting to interview the authors of The Elephant’s Debt and the former Harvest elders listed on TED’s website. “If you had diligently sought the truth of the matter,” Richardson wrote, “you would be as saddened and may I say disgusted as I am. Instead, MBI took the easy way out and did nothing, to the harm of Christ’s Church and very many people who have been and will in the future be damaged.”[pullquote]“If you had diligently sought the truth of the matter, you would be as saddened and may I say disgusted as I am. Instead, MBI took the easy way out and did nothing . . .”[/pullquote]
Richardson said Thornton never responded to his email.
However, in 2018, when Thornton took over as interim president of Moody following the resignation of President Nyquist, one of Thornton’s early actions was to invite MacDonald to speak at Founder’s Week. During MacDonald’s Founder’s Week message, MacDonald referred to Thornton as his “longtime friend” and to Nyquist as his “dear friend.”
Thornton resumed his position as senior vice president of media in 2019, when Mark Jobe became president of Moody. Jerry Jenkins rolled off the Moody board in May 2018, following controversy regarding his use of institute property.
Email Thread Between MacArthur & Jenkins:
Emails MacArthur, Jenkins, MacDonald_Redacted
Mike Bryant’s Initial Email to Paul Nyquist:
Mike’s Initial Email to Nyquist_Redacted
Mike Bryant’s Subsequent Correspondence with Nyquist:
Nyquist’s Email to Mike Bryant_Redacted
Jeff Richardson’s Letter to Greg Thornton*:
*According to Richardson, there was a second page to the letter, but he has since lost it.
Jeff Richardson’s email to Greg Thornton
English 
Spanish
46 Responses
Sociopaths can be very convincing, and it’s relatively easy to have two sets of “books” to show investigators. Of course, eventually the truth will come out. Unfortunately, too many people are hurt in the process. The “old boys network” takes care of its own until the evidence is too stark to ignore.
Perhaps it’s time Moody Church looked at Greg Thornton’s character as a member of the elder board. What other things did he advise them to ignore?
No one who knows Greg Thornton could possibly disparage his character.
Pam,
I could.
I know Greg and went to him repeatedly with concerns when I was at Moody. Every time, he responded with an empathic tone–but seemingly, failed to take any action.
When MacDonald’s gambling went public, I went to Greg and he assured me that the board was meeting with MacDonald in a pastoral way and that MacDonald was repentant. Later, when I found out that Jenkins, the chairman of the board, had actually been gambling with MacDonald, I went to Greg again. He then admitted that the leadership at Moody knew that MacDonald and Jenkins were gambling together in 2013 when the leadership voted to change the employee standards to allow gambling. (I was on the employee committee that advised against changing the standards.)
Then, when I blew the whistle on Moody, Greg was the one who fired me in complete violation of whistleblower laws. I was later told that Greg thought I had signed an NDA when Moody moved me from full-time to part-time a few years earlier. I hadn’t. In fact, I spent most all my severance to fight the NDA.
The fact that Moody tried to compel me to sign an NDA, and that Greg was in agreement with this policy, is bad enough. But then firing me for telling the truth, and appealing to a non-existent NDA is unconscionable.
I am so very thankful that God have you the courage to pursue all the corrupt people hurting the Church.
I reported an incident with a man in volunteer leadership to a pastor at Moody Church who took over four months to bring it to the elders. I attended the same Sunday school as Greg Thornton, passed his table on the way to mine, and all he did was look away. He and other elders (except one) never said anything to help or comfort me, and it made me feel like Jezebel. The offending man continues to attend Moody Church after he was finally removed from the leadership council. I left last April.
Please take a moment to read my most recent comment (typo corrected in subsequent post) re the Mark MacArthur situation.
FYI the reason 990s have not been filed on GTY is they were moved under the umbrella of Grace Church so no 990s are required. Thus compensation issues are obscured.
I realize this is off topic. Tried to email you directly but failed.
Thanks for all you do for the Kingdom!
Good for MacArthur and you, bad on all those Moody and Harvest people who propped up MacDonald!
Over and over and over, throughout the pages of Holy Scripture…..the Bible reminds believers of the importance of following wise counsel. Yet, wise, Biblical counsel was NOT just ignored by Jenkins and Moody Bible College. Rather, wise, Biblical counsel was flippantly dismissed by Jenkins, as he actually FORWARDED the emails to James MacDonald himself !! Meanwhile, James is now setting up his “Return to Ministry” façade.
Sad.
All I can say is what a brood of vipers we have supporting each others “ministry.” None of these guys believe in an actual judgement seat of Christ. If they did, they would have acted much differently. At least one of them admitted what is true of all of them!
How sad that Jerry Jenkins’ sarcastic response to your question sounds exactly like James MacDonald.
It WAS sarcasm, right?
I’m not sure what pulling out years-old emails accomplishes other than sensation. The article reads more like an obsessive told-you-so than a piece of investigative journalism of interest at this point to the general Christian audience. You are a better journalist than this with worthy, fresh stories to pursue. This isn’t one.
Pam – You really don’t get it do you. These people are/were enablers
Pam works for MBI.
Funny how ethics and righteousness fly right out the window with people like Pam when their Mammon and job security is on the line. This kind of religion is not the pure kind Jesus talked about “helping orphans and widows in their distress.” No this is about rich celebrity jerks promoting themselves as foxes guarding the hen house.
No, she doesn’t. She left several years ago.
What is truly sad is the people who are hurt by these kinds of things and leave the church and there is no one to minister to them. I used to donate to Moody. I’ve written to Moody in the past about some concerns and there is usually no response. The one time they did respond, it was evident that they were not open to any correction or advice. I rarely listen anymore. However, they keep sending letters requesting donations.
What it accomplishes, Pam, is learning from where things went wrong. A lot of people have been hurt in this,as a result of a lot of poor decisions, image control and “Christian” cronyism, and if we don’t ponder the path that led to that hurt, it’s not only unwise and unbiblical, it’s unloving. Likewise, if we don’t call leaders to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, that’s cowardice. In your comment, you make a move from expressing your opinion to attacking Julie’s journalism capabilities – is that YOUR best? I’m sorry this process doesn’t meet your timeline, but it didn’t get like this in a short time frame, and it may take longer than you’re comfortable with to unwind.
There is tremendous value in documenting what actually happened with regard to how wolves infiltrate & sustain power in a church & in Evangelical circles. The emails Julie obtained help show that Moody knew James MacDonald was a big problem, and suggest they chose profit over “prophetic” warnings.
Perhaps most disturbing is Jerry Jenkins’ recent response. We all now have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to MacDonald’s machinations. But, rather than take the opportunity to humbly admit that he was clearly wrong about supporting MacDonald, Jenkins sarcastically lashes out in apparent self-defense. Not a good look.
Pamela, You are incorrect to criticize and state that this latest report is for sensationalism. As a former Managing Editor of Moody Publishers (MP), you have tarnished MP’s slogan “The Name You Can Trust”. To promote books by Jerry Jenkins and James MacDonald under your watch, I see why you wish to sweep them under the rug. #1. We find a pattern of sinful and deceptive deceit by JMac and MBI leadership. (Dr. Paul Nyquist; Steve Mogck and Greg Thornton). #2. allowance of sinful men to continue in ministry without repentance, #3. damages left by these men without care. (HBC debt load, MBI decline in enrollment, downsizing of staff, closures of satellite schools, etc.)
The story needs to be told no matter how long ago since these men need to be stop before they continue to inflict damages to other unsuspected believers and ministries.
I Don’t know who Pam is, but I think all in all this was an article that added nothing to the conversation we are having about the Church and its needs.
Also, I think using email that Julie explained were meant to be private, but because some one passed it on, after saying it would be kept private.
Did not give her the right or ethical privilege to use them
Also, some of you write much:》
Wayne,
This is what real journalism looks like.
Wayne, and Pam, this story is the opposite of sensationalism or fake news. This investigative reporting submits its evidence directly to us for validation of the author’s story. The only right response is a hearty “well-done!” whether you like it or not. As commenters we aren’t held to the same high journalistic standard so you’re free to throw aspersions upon her efforts to uncover truth. Yet, that leaves us to hold each other accountable as we are doing here. John 4:7 should rule our actions: “For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.””
I thank you for this article. It is far from sensationalism. I realize that studying how a situation was mishandled before shows us how to handle future situations in integrity. I appreciate this.
I was mostly disappointed in Jenkins current, sarcastic response above. There are times that I can give a little benefit of doubt of why people made a poor decision but the current response shows a heart issue. I pray for him.
So many Roosters attempting to protect their chickens and rotten smelling eggs in the coop of Big EVA! The strategies, like a chess board, to cover up sin after sin, year after year, is mind boggling. Beware of the enemies within indeed! This deep swamp will never be drained. Ministry empires? Jesus had no place to lay his head!
And again I think back to the years that Garrett Higbee, in the midst of all these anti-Christian activities was defending James McDonald and helping ‘put out fires,’ for him! For James and all the people that covered his sin there is great damage done to many people! How are they held accountable now? I know James continues to operate as usual and so does Garrett Higbee!
Garrett wrote a lengthy letter of sincere apology and repentance. Yes, he’s still in ministry, but he seemed most sincere in his grieving of any and all ways that he was part of the problem.
Seems like Dave Corning and , of course, Julie were the stand-up ones here. I’m sure there were others over the years that resigned or left because they saw the rotten fruit and could not justify staying or could not affect anything. For those trying to protect “the system” likely they had mortgages or other debt that wouldn’t allow them to see the gravy train threatened. Word to the wise.
Harvest Bible chapel is Not the Church, Moody Bible Institute is Not the Church, they are Just Evangelical Corparations Lead for the most part by men who have as their #1 prioritie The Bottom Line, ($Money$). Heres the rub inside of these Evangelical Corparations are alot of unsuspecting Believers ,THE TRUE CHURCH who are duped into giving money till it hurts to help build up the body of Christ and when they find out that most of the money and time that they Sacrificed went to pay for JET SET Life styles like million dollar condos private Jets multi million Dollar Mansions African safaris and things like these it does GREAT HARM to the Body of Christ. And it Must be exposed. I know that you are not perfect Julie but you are doing a great service to the body of Christ and you have played a part in opening my eyes to the truth….Thank you very much.
I wish that were true, but to my thinking, Dave Corning and the other elders are culpable here. The behaviour was known to them very early on. Members were asked by the elders in the early nineties to vote on whether James MacDonald was fit to remain as HBC pastor. Members were not told the details. It was like a jury being asked for a verdict without hearing the case. Clearly, the elders thought the behavior egregious enough for such a member vote. The elders failed in their leadership knowing that the pastor’s behaviour was amiss. They failed to care for the flock and the monster grew large enough to eat the elders for lunch decades later. Am I wrong? Am I assigning too much responsibility on the elders?
It is slightly discouraging that this post was put up without many of the emails/ contact that you sent out being returned. I pray that MBI is able to untangle itself from the (self-made?) web of entanglement with GOB issues.
Although we should always be careful to avoid unfairly casting too big of a net in terms of who we express concerns about (there are many faithful Christians serving in many churches and Christian organizations) it seems obvious that, across denominations, things are being exposed to public view that have long been cloaked in secrecy.. Even authentically nice well intended people can make serious mistakes if overly focused on what is not ultimate.
What grieves me most in all this is the glaring lack of repentance by the central players. This is the first word of the Gospel and conspicuous by its absence. That is very telling.
Ron,
It’s almost like they’re not actually Christians…
Dan Keller, so very true! People are the Church, NOT Buildings that these evil charlatans, hucksters, con-men/ artist, false shepherds/teachers, snake oil salesmen used your time and money to build THEIR non-profit Business Corporation-CORPSE in the guise of for-profit. That we didn’t think to research who funded and funded their VERY BEGINNING. On a Blog, pastor had the GALL to say not churches responsibility to help poor, homeless, fatherless but yet their horrific cover-up of scandals exposed by Houston-Chronicle as they make a great living to hide sin because they don’t want your money exiting. SO, WHAT IN HELL ARE THE ABOUT, that no one will ever get any help whatsoever? How VERY EVIL. Yet, is your tithe money going to molest, rape, sodomize and murder children? I can answer that! Was telling David Wilkerson that believe that the Government created the church to suck out your brains, time and money explain itinerant preacher on Horseback to the Multi-Million Edifices that serve no one but their Business? Explain the good ol’ boy cover-up for YEARS, DECADES? Do something!
This would apply to every denomination and ministry: Google: Put in any name of Pastor, Priest, name of Church: Scandal, Abused by, People’s Negative Feedback, Controversial Articles, and if they were funded and are Luciferian, if they were funded and are satanic; if they are mason’s and or masonic, if they were founded and funded by mormons, and name of any denomination and or Pastor slide into the apostasy, if they are a Cult and do the reads. Who groomed them and put them in position? You can herald and give them the truth like Trinity Foundation in Dallas, TX and they still have stupid Christians tithe, attend and give them money and of their time (which you cannot get back) like so many: 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11. Not to mention supporting, tithing and celebrating Liars? Why? You have every right to ask them if they are in homosexual sin, funded by satanic regimes.
WORSE, what did they build except dead buildings to themselves off your time and money and sacrificing your children to this dogma; robbing your family as no one can live in and or eat the buildings. No helps to the Widows, Fatherless, Poor, Homeless, Single Parents; their children and strong married families. Read the comments also.
Google: Church brainwashing, church exiters; why young people aren’t in church it keeps going like the energizer bunny and where it stops. Please always read the comments. Tip of the iceberg. Enough abusing “sheeple”!
https://beginningofsorrows.org/?s=calvary+chapels+slide+into+apostasy (comments)
https://spiritualsoundingboard.com/2014/11/05/why-dont-young-people-go-to-church/ (been at it for years)!
https://www.recklesslyalive.com/12-reasons-millennials-are-over-church/ (how about enough is enough)!
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/why-benny-hinn-became-our-wacky-neighbor.html
https://cultnews.com/2008/03/does-benny-hinn-deserve-more-consideration-than-jesus-and-the-apostles/ (“)
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investigations/article/Southern-Baptist-sexual-abuse-spreads-as-leaders-13588038.php (read a prophetic bulletin where comparing rats and sharks to pastoral leadership, so true)!
https://thomrainer.com/2019/08/nine-reasons-christians-fail-to-evangelize/ (it’s the comments)
Report Church Abuse List was created for them to do something and they totally failed; as it’s Business as usual.
With the way banking is you don’t have to support these habitual liars and good ol’ boy cover-ups you can give your $ (money) directly to Orphan, Widow start your own Church where NO ONE CAN MAKE A LIVING off your time and money but it goes to truly help Widow, Fatherless, Homeless, Poor time to exit these evil organizations and do something as they became Real Estate Brokers in the guise of non-profit. LAWS NEED TO CHANGE! People have been exposing for years, and these evil organizations still exist? Like Albert Mohler, Doug Phillips, Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald, Bethel, Mike Bickle, Hillsong (with their over 60 year horrific homosexual, child pedophile cover-up by donald elley). Look at all Books, articles, Expose’s and they still exist Something seriously rotten in church leadership. My firm belief if they don’t deal with sin, they’re in it themselves; part of. Ask if Homosexual sin, prayed for anyone to die and or cancer, murdered anyone, raped or molested anyone. EXIT the dead preaching to the dead church. What are you learning, what are they saying; write out what they are saying=dead rhetoric, inane; inept. Do these men even know Jesus Christ or read their Bibles or is it just a paycheck? Leaders have no wisdom Proverbs 9:10! Why, are we replacing God with these men and not reading, apply our Bibles to “sharks on land”?
I am appreciating the work Julie is doing, having been a pastor for over 40 years I have seen much said and done that lacks the blend of grace and truth Jesus was noted for. I have a question…John MacArthur is regarded highly by many and clearly his expository ministry is significant. Yet, in calling out James Mac and appropriately so, where is the call out of John MacArthur for his sarcastic and demeaning comments re: women teachers, specifically Beth Moore? I think we walk a tightrope in this necessary era of biblical accountability, a walk we must make but thoughtfully and humbly so.
RE: Johnny Mac’s call out of Beth Moore (and even a recent “sarcastic” twitter post from Julie Roys….”don’t tell JM that I am teaching this Sunday;)” Yes JM was asked during a conference to provide a one word answer to Beth Moore and he said “go home”. While this may have come across as flippant or disrespectful let’s all determine if the Word of God is inerrant and sufficient to teach us. JM followed up that one (2) word comment with an hour long teaching on Nov 3,2019 entitled “Does the Bible permit a woman to preach”. It can be found on GTY.ORG. Please advise me if we consider God’s Word as the final Authority in the Church. If we don’t then we go the way of the current trend in the evangelical movement of today. Even JMac (of whom I am a victim) is moving into the Pentecostal realm. Maybe there is some funds from that environment that have yet been tapped.
If you want the complete lowdown on Beth Moore and her current direction again check out GTY.ORG and visit the conference tab and give a listen to TM19-3 and hear Justin Moore give some “teaching” moments from Beth Moore and “hearing” from the voice of God. Scary stuff people.
Please heed the call that our only and final authority is the Word of God alone. Sola Scriptura.
“I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” Jude 3
Am I the only disappointed that an email sent by John Macarther that clearly said – Personal and Confidential – was forwarded to James McDonald from Jerry Jenkins. That is just wrong on Jerry’s part.
Douglas,
If you knew Jerry this would not surprise you.
The saddest thing is that there is more wit, craft and artistry in Jerry’s sarcastic response than in a dozen of his books.
John’s son is being brought up on fraud charges: https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2020/02/22/sec-brings-charges-against-mark-macarthur/ The apple does not fall far from the tree that produced it!
Ugh. Interesting that “Authentic” came out right after things started blowing up at Harvest. For my part, I became aware of the book in early 2014, when my then-church started using a video of MacDonald’s about service–totally screwing up the passages he was ostensibly preaching from–and when I reviewed a copy of the book my wife had obtained, I was so appalled that I wondered whether Moody actually had any editors who were allowed to actually edit.
Then I found “The Elephant’s Debt”, and a lot of what I’d read in “fake” (oops, “Authentic”) made sense. The kind of advice he’d given in the book had little to do with genuine Biblical ethics, but everything to do with a guy who needed his congregation to believe he’d overcome an “addiction” to food while he was still 50-100 lbs overweight.
I liked MacDonald’s preaching for a long time. Never heard any of this stuff before a couple yrs ago…..disheartening, disturbing and disappointing……there is a lot of “evidence” that we poor followers find hard to follow and who to believe. When the shepherds start bickering, we sheep feel uncared for and unsafe……y’all need to straighten up, those who have sin to confess and repent of need to do it…..y’all teach us to, follow your own teaching……..God is watching
Anytime someone who makes money on Jesus teaches about money, ask yourself if the Bible actually says what the teacher is teaching.
How simple!!!
There’s a Chicago area church that teaches the Gospel of Prosperity. You will prosper if you give money to that church.
A pastor from this church once claimed that he received a week’s use of a timeshare just because of how much money he gives to the church, which came to ten per cent.
Whoops. I haven’t given money to any church since 2004, and, in 2018, I was offered the use of a timeshare, free of charge.
He payed Jesus for that offer. I got mine for free. Maybe Jesus just likes me more than him.
Another pastor at the same church claimed that his son got a college scholarship because of the amount of money he, the pastor, gave his own church. (His wife is on the payroll, too.)
Sorry, there was a reason the young man got a scholarship. The real reason was never disclosed.
And, by the way, I am sure that there’s been two or three, I mean two or three hundred, no, I mean two or three thousand, no, I mean, well, I am sure you get the picture, atheists who have gotten college scholarships, too.
PS—I wrote MBI in regard to James “former spectacular athlete” MacDonald, and never got a response. But, they have no problem contacting me to ask me for money.
PPS—MacDonald has basically messed up the lives of his two sons, who used to work for HBC. Supposedly, his wife and daughter worked there, too. I wonder what Thanksgiving dinner at the MacDonald’s is like.