On August 18, 2002, prominent radio pastor and author, John MacArthur, took time during an evening service to address a grave matter at his 8,000-member Grace Community Church (GCC) in Sun Valley, California.
A woman at GCC was living in sin, MacArthur alleged. And though shaming her publicly was âsad,â MacArthur said it was necessary to maintain fidelity to God and His Word.
So, as men were distributing the elements for communion, MacArthur stated: âI want to mention a sad situation, a person who is unwilling to repent. And the church bears responsibility before God to be the instrument of discipline. . . . This is what the Lord wants. He wants discipline . . . to be put out of the church, to be publicly shamed, to be put away from fellowship. In this case it applies to Eileen Gray.â
According to MacArthur, Grayâs sin was that she had decided “to leave her husband, to grant no grace at all, to take the children, to go away, to forsake him.â This, MacArthur emphasized, meant rejecting âall the instruction and counsel of the elders, all instruction from the Word of God.â
MacArthur then encouraged the church to pray for Eileen and to âtreat her as an unbelieverâfor all we know, she may be.â
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He also urged the church to pray for her husband, David Gray, who taught music and Bible to children at Grace Community Church (GCC) from 1994 to 2001. âPray for David, for the sympathy and compassion and the lovingkindness of God to be his portion.â
MacArthur then invited the church to sing, âAmazing Grace.â
Today, David Gray is serving 21 years to life in a California prison for his 2005 convictions for aggravated child molestation, corporal injury to a child, and child abuse.
But at the time of Eileenâs shaming, Eileen had not yet reported her husbandâs physical and mental abuse to police. (She was not yet aware of his sexual abuse.)Â
Instead, she had reported the abuse to elders and pastors at GCC.
Eileen also had not left her husband. In August 2002, Eileen was still living with her children in the Graysâ home about 1.5 miles from the church.
Eileen had, however, filed legal separation and restraining orders against David due to his repeated abuse of her and her children, as well as his alleged stalking and threats to kill them and himself. At the time of the shaming, Eileen had obtained a court order requiring that David’s visits with the children be monitored and restricting him from coming within 100 yards of Eileen.
As Eileen explained in an exclusive interview with The Roys Report, she went to GCC elders, hoping they would protect her and her children and get David professional help.
Instead, she says the church subjected her to spiritually abusive counseling and used church discipline to try and coerce her to take David back into the familyâs home.
John MacArthur shames Eileen Gray on August 18, 2002:
Eileen said Carey Hardy, a former GCC associate pastor and personal assistant to John MacArthur, told her she needed to model for her children how to âsuffer for Jesusâ by enduring Davidâs abuse.
The Roys Report repeatedly reached out to MacArthur and Hardy, whoâs now senior pastor of Twin City Bible Church, for comment but they did not respond.
When Eileen refused to take David back, GCC sent her multiple letters over several months in 2001-2002, which she recently provided to The Roys Report. The letters threaten Eileen with church discipline if she fails to comply with the eldersâ request to drop the protective order against David and take him back.
When the letters failed to change Eileenâs stance, John MacArthur publicly shamed Eileen twiceâonce in May 2002 and again in August 2002.
Eileen told The Roys Report that MacArthur never spoke with her before, during, or after the shamings.
In the months between her shamings, GCC members and staff repeatedly harassed and visited Eileen at home, urging her to obey the elders, according to Eileen and dozens of pages of court documents obtained by The Roys Report.
For all this time, Eileen has remained silent about her ordeal out of concern for her minor children. She added that she feared backlash from Christians in her community, who revere MacArthur and GCC.
But now, Eileenâs children are adults. And for the sake of vulnerable women and children at GCCâand at the many churches and institutions influenced by MacArthurâsheâs speaking now.
Despite being mandated by California law to report child abuse, GCC never reported David Grayâs abuse to authorities, according to Nancy Nelson, a retired Los Angeles Police Department Detective (LAPD) who investigated David Grayâs case. Nelson told The Roys Report that Eileen Gray reported David Grayâs abuse to LAPD in 2003, leading to Davidâs trial and conviction in 2005.
In 2004, two staff pastors at GCC were written up by LAPD for their alleged mishandling of David Grayâs abuse. Â
Carey Hardy was charged with two misdemeanorsâfailing to report child abuse and intimidating a witnessâEileen Gray. The other pastor, Bill Shannon, who currently leads GCCâs biblical counseling ministry, was not charged but ordered to appear at a city attorney hearing.
Court records show Hardyâs case was âdismissed or not prosecutedâ in February 2005.
The reason Hardy’s case was dismissed is not clear.
However, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Seminary and current WORLD Magazine opinion editor, confirmed to The Roys Report that he wrote a paper for Hardyâs defense in 2004 at GCCâs request. The paper argued that Hardy should be exempt from reporting Grayâs abuse based on religious freedomâan argument Mohler said he would not make today.
“Daddy hurt me”
Eileen says David Gray emotionally and physically abused her and her children for years. But she didnât realize the severity of his child abuse until May 10, 2001. Thatâs when Eileen woke up early in the morning to muffled cries and yelling, according to a transcript of Eileenâs testimony at Davidâs trial obtained by The Roys Report.
Eileen testified that she went to the living room of the familyâs home, where she found David holding a belt and one of her children crying with disheveled hair. When confronted, David told Eileen that God had made him the authority and that his child âneeds more pain,â Eileen testified.
Following the incident, this child walked with a limp, became very withdrawn, and began pulling hair out, according to Eileenâs testimony. Eileen added that when she asked her child what happened, her child simply said, âDaddy hurt me.â
But about a month later, this child told Eileen that David had repeatedly hit the child in the head with a toy and kicked the child, Eileen testified. Eileen added that the child said David had also put a sleeping bag over the childâs head. The battered child, and the Grayâs other children who witnessed the incident, claimed that their daddy was trying to kill them, Eileen testified.
The day after learning these details, Eileen found a lawyer and filed a legal separation and restraining order against David.
Eileen testified that she then met with GCC Pastor Bill Shannon and another GCC leader and told them about her husbandâs abuse.
Eileen told The Roys Report that in this first meeting, Shannon did not offer to help. Instead, he accused Eileen of sinning by going to the law against a brother, Eileen said. Shannon added that the protective order violated 1 Corinthians 7:10, which instructs women not to separate from their husbands, Eileen testified.
However, two days after that meeting, Shannon met privately with David, and then the church arranged for Eileen to stay with a church family until the protective order went into effect. Eileen testified in court that as a condition of receiving this help from GCC, the church required her and David to attend marriage counseling with Carey Hardy.
Hardy has an M.Div. from The Masterâs Seminary but no professional counseling credentials.
During the first counseling session, which included Shannon and Hardy, David admitted he kicked one of the coupleâs children and tried to suffocate the child, Eileen testified. She added that David said it all happened âso fast,â and he didnât know it was wrong in the moment.
In subsequent counseling sessions, David presented Hardy with a handwritten, four-page list of âsinsâ against Eileen and his children, Eileen said. On one of these pages obtained by The Roys Report, David admits he used a âbelt & rod way too harshlyâbrutallyâ on a child. He also says he âtied upâ and âlocked upâ the child and was not always âadequately dressedâ in the childâs presence.
According to Eileen, Hardy refused to take or read Davidâs list.
The Roys Report reached out to Shannon and Hardy, specifically asking about these events, but they did not respond.
However, in an official court declaration in 2002 concerning Eileenâs legal separation from David Gray, Hardy stated: âI am of the opinion that Eileen simply doesnât like David . . . and is using what she alleges to have happened with the children as leverage to put David out of their lives.â
Hardy accused Eileen in the declaration of having âa tendency to exaggerateâ and exercising âfaulty logic and irrational thinking.â
In contrast, Hardy said David Gray was âfairly laid backâ and that after several monitored visits between David and his children, âour church concluded that monitors were not necessary.â
Nevertheless, in the summer of 2001, GCC decided not to renew Davidâs teaching contract with the church.
Eileen stated in an official court reply to Hardyâs declaration that Hardy and Shannon met with her to announce their decision to end Davidâs employment.
At that meeting, Shannon suggested sending David to Los Angeles Unified School District, Eileen testified. She added that when she objected because David was a child abuser, Shannon replied that since a âchild abuse indexâ hadnât been filed, David could still get a job teaching. Eileen testified that Shannon also stated that L.A. Unified never calls the church for a reference.
David Gray was hired by L.A. Unified School District in September 2001 and taught music to elementary school-aged children there until his arrest in 2004, according to a LAPD press release.
“Suffer like Jesus”
In her testimony at David Grayâs trial, Eileen stated that she repeatedly asked GCC to provide professional counseling for her and David. She testified she was told by GCC leaders that professional counseling is âworldlyâ and wrong.
Hardy counseled Eileen to forgive David âeven if he wasnât repentant,â Eileen testified. âHe would teach me over and over âthe threefold promise of forgivenessâ . . .â she stated, âwhere you act as though it never happened, and you never bring it up again, and you never tell anyone about it.â
This threefold promise is explained in detail in a booklet on forgiveness by John MacArthur, which is sold by MacArthurâs broadcast ministry, Grace to You.
Eileen also testified that Hardy urged her to allow David back into the familyâs home and to model for the children how to âsuffer for Jesusâ by enduring Davidâs abuse. Eileen stated that she was willing to endure the abuse herself but was not willing to allow her children to be abused, so she refused.
With permission from all parties involved, Eileen recorded her counseling sessions with Hardy. Eileen shared the recordings with the pastor who officiated her wedding to David, Alvin B. Barber, Jr.âformer pastor of Sunrise Bible Fellowship in Northern California. (Barber passed away in 2008.)
In a written declaration to a California Superior Court, Barber corroborated Eileenâs account.
âI have listened to one of the counseling sessions on tape between Carey Hardy, David, and Eileen and found that Eileen was being told to just accept her husband as he was and submit to him, even in spite of his admitted abuse of her and their children,â Barber wrote. âThankfully Eileen has chosen the legal protection of herself and her children over the obvious intimidation and questionable counsel of Carey Hardy and Grace Community Church.â
In November 2001, Eileen wrote GCC and requested that the church remove her from its membership.
GCC denied Eileenâs request.
Letters, harassment, and stalking
On November 27, 2001, Carey Hardy sent Eileen a letter on behalf of GCCâs elders.
The elders âdonât automatically remove someone from membership when we believe that we have a responsibility to help that individual resolve issues in his/her life,â the letter stated. âIn this situation, we definitely do believe that we should maintain our role in helping you and David reconcile. For that reason we are leaving your membership status intact.â
The letter adds âthere are no longer sufficient reasons for the two of you to stay apartâ and urges Eileen to âforgive David, allow him to move back home, and once again follow his leadership as Scripture teaches.â
It also states, âIt is now time to trust God to use your marriage to David to make you more like Christ. This is a more significant level of trust than simply trusting God to change your husband. . . . Itâs a crossroads related to your own relationship with the Lord, a crossroads in your relationship to your husband, and a crossroads related to your role as a mother.â
A letter from GCC on March 13, 2002 threatens Eileen with church discipline if she doesnât change course.
âSince you are refusing to forgive David and allow him to return home where he can put biblical change into action, we are left with nothing to conclude but that you want something else besides what Scripture teaches,â the letter states.
â. . . Though you are ignoring the shepherding role in your life that God requires from our church, we must still choose to follow the mandate of Matthew 18, verse 17, if you persist in preventing the restoration of your family.â
Matthew 18:17 says that if someone refuses to repent of his sin, the sin should be told to the church and the person treated like âa pagan or tax collector.â
The letter from GCC also states that it âhas become obvious . . . that David is not a âmental caseââ and âdoesnât need a âpsychological evaluation.â He is a sinner who can, by Godâs grace, change and grow.â
During the time she was receiving these letters from GCC, Eileen said David repeatedly threatened to kill her and her children and to take his own life.
David also stalked Eileen at home on numerous occasions between July 2001 and May 2002 in violation of his restraining order, according to court declarations by Eileenâs neighbors, Carlos Tobar and Wilbur Rodriguez.
Eileen said she also received pressure by GCC members to obey GCCâs elders.
On April 25, 2002, Eileen said she received a surprise, late-night visit from a couple at GCCâGeorge Bonsangue, who was a student at The Masterâs Seminary, and his wife, Priscilla.
In an account for David Grayâs trial, Eileen wrote that Bonsangue and his wife entered her home at 10:15 p.m. and told her she was âin sinâ because she had separated from her husband and had left the church without the eldersâ permission. When Eileen told the couple about Davidâs abuse, Bonsangue and his wife reportedly offered to take Eileenâs children so Eileen could âobey the biblical mandates for marriage,â Eileen wrote.
She added that when she refused their offer, George Bonsangue became âangrierâ and the couple left her home around midnight.
The Roys Report spoke with Priscilla and George Bonsangue, whoâs currently pastoring Grace Baptist Church in Wilmington, California.
The couple confirmed they went to Eileenâs house late one night in April 2002.
âWe just wanted to help (David and Eileen) reconcile,â Priscilla said. She added that she had babysat the Grayâs children and never saw anything that made her suspicious of David. âI wondered if . . . she imagined (the abuse) or was just making things up, or just mad at him.â
The Bonsangues said they donât remember offering to take Eileenâs kids or mentioning anything about Eileen fulfilling âthe biblical mandates for marriage.â Priscilla said it was just âan understood thingâ that Priscilla was willing to babysit, if needed.
Five days after the Bonsanguesâ 2002 visit, GCC sent another letter to Eileen.
âYou have yet to provide any biblical justification for your anger towards your husband,â the letter stated, âand you still reject the counsel of the elders and others who are concerned for your well-being.â
â. . . If you desire to meet with us to express your willingness to repent, we stand ready to help. If we donât hear from you in this regard, however, we must proceed with the Lordâs instructions and convey your sin to the church at the next communion service on Sunday May 19, 2002.â
On that date, John MacArthur reportedly shamed Eileen in front of his congregation for the first time.
The next morning, Eileen said a mother of one of Davidâs students at GCC came to her house upset because MacArthur had reportedly stated that âdeath may followâ Eileenâs shaming.
At the time, Eileen was being treated for cancer.
Eileen said the woman was âshockedâ by MacArthurâs statements and didnât agree with them.
Over the next three months, the pressure and harassment from GCC members and staff intensified, according to Eileen and a declaration by Eileenâs neighbor.
On May 21, 2002âtwo days after the shamingâDavid came to Eileenâs house with two men in a blue Honda, Wilbur Rodriguez wrote in his declaration.
According to Eileen, Carlos Tobar, who also witnessed the incident, recorded the Hondaâs license plate number, which was registered to a car driven by Hardyâs personal assistant at GCC. Eileen said she called the assistant soon afterwards, and he admitted to watching her house with David.
The Roys Report tried to locate the assistant for comment but was unsuccessful.
About a week after the shaming, Eileen said a close friendâaffectionately called âAunt Donnaâ by her childrenâcame to her home. The friend had been given a key to Eileenâs house, but reportedly returned the key and told Eileen she wouldnât be back.
âShe told me to obey the elders,â Eileen told The Roys Report. âIt was heartbreaking. All of itâs heartbreaking. She was the last person I thought would say, âI donât even care.â . . . She didnât say that but that was her demeanor.â
Eileen said many other GCC members delivered a similar message, either by letter or in person.
In a handwritten letter dated June 5, 2002, obtained by The Roys Report, the wife of a current professor at The Masterâs Seminary wrote: âI know it must be very difficult to do what the elders at Grace Community Church ask you to do, and I pray that you will joyfully submit to their leadership . . . It is what the Bible asks of you, Eileen.â
The woman also urged Eileen to reunite with her husband and submit to him, stating, âEven if David is sinning or is not a believer, this is still your spiritual duty.â
On August 8, 2002, Eileen received another letter from GCC.
â(I)n spite of the failures on Davidâs part as a husband and a father, it has become increasingly apparent that the greatest reason for the turmoil in the lives of your children, in the life of your husband, and in your own life is your refusal to forgive David, to support him in his attempts to change his thinking and behavior, and to reconcile with him.â
The letter states, â(T)he elders have concluded that you have no genuine desire to see your family restored.â It adds that GCC would announce publicly at an upcoming service that Eileen was being been removed from fellowship.
The evening of August 18, 2002, MacArthur preached a sermon with dire warnings about the severity of Godâs discipline. The sermon is still posted online.
â(S)ometimes the punishment can be so severe that the person dies,â MacArthur stated in the sermon. âIn the Corinthian church, there were some people who were weak and some were sick and some were dead because their sins were manifest at the Lordâs Table, remember that?â
Then, before administering communion and shaming Eileen, MacArthur urged his listeners to confess their sins so they âwonât suffer the discipline.â
Excerpt of MacArthur’s Aug. 18, 2002, sermon before Eileen’s shaming:
Eileen, who attended the service, said she felt comforted by Jesus throughout the entire ordeal.
âHe bore the shaming with me,â she said. âI felt I wasnât alone. And I felt very triumphant because (MacArthur) lies. The whole thing was lies.â
A few weeks later, a Los Angeles court granted Eileen a legal separation from David Gray. With her husbandâs consent, she moved 500 miles away from GCC to her hometown and a church that welcomed her into fellowship.
The next year, Eileen learned that David had not only physically, emotionally, and verbally abused her children, but had sexually abused them, as well. She then reported her husbandâs abuse to LAPD.
Even then, GCC did not defend and support Eileen, but instead rallied behind her husband.
The Roys Report describes the rest of Eileenâs story in a follow-up article. Click here to read.
Correction: The original version of this article stated that Shannon and Hardy were arrested for failing to report child abuse and intimidating a witness. The LAPD report obtained by TRR says the two were “cleared by arrest,” which means they were either arrested, ordered to appear at a city hearing, or ordered to appear at a court hearing. Shannon was ordered to appear at a city hearing, but not charged. Hardy was charged and ordered to appear in court.
GCC Letters to Eileen Gray:
GCC Letters to Eileen Gray_RedactedJohn MacArthur shames Eileen Gray on August 18, 2002 (with Spanish subtitles)
258 thoughts on “EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Shamed, Excommunicated Mother for Refusing to Take Back Child Abuser”
Letâs set the record straight. The CBA used in a LAPD Follow-Up Report, Form 3.14 is merely an administrative classification and in the case of Mr. Shannon does not mean he was arrested. All L A City Attorney hearings are informal proceedings, similar to those initiated by neighborhood associations. There is a letter notification, but no service or attempt at service. Person complained about is not legally obligated to appear. There is no judge, just a mediator-type “hearing officer,” often a retired police officer. There is no actual “hearing” in the sense of testimony or exhibits or legal process. There is little need for an attorney, or use of one if the respondent brings one. There is no sworn testimony; no transcript. It is all informal. Attorneys cannot appear in lieu of the respondent. The aim is to bring the parties together and try to forge a consensus so that the complaint need not be pursued as a criminal case. The fact that the matter was set for this kind of process means that the filing attorney’s first take was that the complaint did not require/merit criminal prosecution. So stop suggesting he was arrested and charged.
In the case of Mr. Hardy he was filed on and a court date set but the DA withdrew the case with the courtâs permission because they did not have a felony prima facia case. So he was falsely arrested and his 4th amendment rights were violated. How come no CA hearing for Mr. Hardy?
I think in your quest to become a premier Christian investigative reporting website, you have become a little too censorious. Just like a good detective you need to get your facts right before charging a person with a crime. Just a thought.
What the article states about Shannon is completely accurate. I wrote he “was not charged but ordered to appear at a city attorney hearing.” City hearing is the official term. If you don’t like it, I’d take that up with the city of Los Angeles.
As for Hardy, he had a dozen entries on his criminal case summary spanning eight months. And as I wrote in my follow-up article, the reason Hardy’s case was dropped is likely because the statute of limitations had run out. The alleged crime happened in 2001, but was reported by Eileen in 2003. Statute of limitations is one year.
Youâre the best, Julie! You are so thorough, honest and accurate that fancy jargon and bullying just falls flat. Thank you for all you do.
This year’s Ligoniar’s National Conference is being held at First Baptist Orlando. JM rebuked that church in 2016, for allowing a memorial to be held there for the shooting victims at Pulse nightclub. Many have called him out for the appearance of hypocrisy, could he have cancelled due to that.
Itâs real simple. OT and NT times no law enforcement. People went to the church. Itâs the 21st century. We have law enforcement who will do there best to prosecute the offenders. When I read story after story of Catholic Churches and evangelicals using the scripture to justify using there own code to protect the ilk of our society, then itâs not justice but self preservation. Again itâs 21st century. For those that want to say Iâm scripturally wrong!!!! To bad. Iâm for the law enforcement to take action vs those who wish to protect the status quo under the theme âfor the good of the (fill in the blank excuse)â between Julie Roys and religious news service stories I sense the evangelicals and mega churches have decided to out do the Catholic Church pedophile protecting racket. We need to cleanse our churches of these vipers of evil.
what are you on about? there most definitely was law enforcement both in the OT and the NT – perhaps not precisely as we know it today, but there WAS law enforcement.
what was the point of God giving Israel the Law if there was no enforcement of it? the Mosaic Law WAS the law of the land in those times. they even had methods (Urim and Thummim) of determining who the sinner (i.e. person who broke the law) was when the perpetrator was not clear.
there even still are muslim countries where stuff like adultery and homosexuality are punishable by death because that IS the law of the land, just like it was in Israel in Biblical times.
Jesus talks about settling matters with your accuser before you reach the judge. what does a judge do if not enforce the law of the land?
Paul received 40 lashes but one on multiple occasions – who do you think administered those lashes if not the law enforcement agencies of the time? he was also brought up before Roman courts, the Roman Empire being the ruling authority over Israel/Judaea in those times. what are courts for if not for enforcing the law of the land?
the fact that the laws might have had a spiritual rather than secular source does not mean there was no law enforcement.
I get your point about child abuse (and not only) being a concern for the authorities, but it is wrong to claim that there was no law enforcement in the Bible.
Not the same thing. Back then the military which was the only real power and enforcement didnât get involved with many legal matters. Apple vs Oranges. If was against the state then yes. If it was against each other then the church was the authority. I understand your point but the evangelicals are trying to hang onto an authority and power that is not thereâs to have and these evangelicals with there concern for there fiefdoms looking good vs justice is an example. Google about the granddaughter of those TBN people who were the head people. I canât remember there names. Crouch or something like that. who was molested by someone in the church hierarchy in GA or MS and was told to not say anything for the good of TBN. I donât know what becomes of these evangelicals who think image is more important than justice and truth are dangerous to society. If some church handed over a person suspected of a crime to LEO most people would have more trust and respect than hiding behind scripture. As a reminder. If I did the same thing to an employee at my work Iâd be handed over to LEO and not the local church.
How John MacArthur and church leaders treated Eileen Gray is contrary to the word of God and teachings of Christ. I used to listen to John MacArthur and it appeared the church members follow and revere him more than God and his word. Itâs more like a cult following.
In my undergrad at Cedarville College in the â90s I had the opportunity to read JM. As a young man, I discerned he was intelligent, reasoned and a mocker. Often as it relates to non-fundamental Baptists, JM walks in the opposite spirit as the Gospel of Christ.
Sheesh! Only in America. Only in America…
My heart is angry and broken. First, ANGRY at a group of “MEN” who claim to be Godly but lack the example of The God who ALWAYS covers HIS ladies even those ones who were directly sinning (i.e. the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go & sin no more”Jn. 8:1-11). To not listen to a LADY who comes to YOU for Christlike counsel & covering but instead receives accusation,shame & condemnation is pure EVIL and satanic. Secondly, my heart is BROKEN over the pride and lack of humility on the part of GCC leadership, John MacArthur foremost. My life has been greatly influenced by your preaching the WORD of GOD. There needs to be public confession and repentance to Eileen & her family for NOT being the “Christ” you needed to be. From the beginning it was God who came seeking after me, a sinner. It was Adam NOT exampling GOD by guarding his wife from the enemy & his lies who brought sin & separation of relationship into this world. Christ brought redemption, hope & life as He laid down His life & paid the price for my sins to have RECONCILIATION OF RELATIONSHIP RESTORED. Isn’t that what the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ is all about? Shouldn’t you have disciplined David & covered Eileen? Where are those “CHRIST’S” today? We are ALL waiting and watching for your EXAMPLE. May you FINISH well.
This and other recent matters reveal JM really doesnât believe in Romans 13:4d: That the State is âan avenger who brings wrath upon one who practices evil.â JM it seems always knows better than the State. Note the following thread:
When WASC (a surrogate of the State) placed TMS and TMU on probation related to JMâs lack of compliance to governing regulations, leaders at the school agreed, repented, and changed, but not JM. No, this was a personal spiritual attack of Satan.
When the State imposed Covid 19 restrictions on churches, rather than viewing the State as making a good faith effort to protect citizens from harm, acting in the sense of âlove your neighbor,â JM didnât comply. Rather, he characterized the motives of the State as being one of persecuting the Church. Yes, JM prevailed in court, but it nonetheless serves the point about how he distains State authority.
Herein with Eileen Gray, JMâs actions evidence again that he thinks the authority of the Church is superior and preeminent to the authority of the State. JM always knows best.
In JMâs mind, the State has no place in curtailing bullying at a school, protecting others from disease, or imprisoning sexual predators; in fact, since God called up John He really didnât need to invent the State!
But Paul says regarding the State, âit is a servant of Godâ (Romans 13:4a).
To say it softly, hereâs a major flaw in JMâs theology; he should either change his practices or change his MacArthur NT Commentary pertaining to what he says Romans 13:4 means. To say it bluntly, the above all serve to illustrate that JM believes JM is Godâs final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
Pride comes before a fall.
MacArthur was and is a phony. It is truly amazing how people are so deceived by pastors who teach a hybridization of Law and Grace. This is the fruit that it produces.
btw Our pastor who is a Jewish convert has a radio programs nation wide and is the only person on staff. John M’s radio staff I believe is 22 people with a budget of multi- millions just to tell people about Jesus…
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