Did John MacArthur lie when he claimed to be the lone “white guy” with Black civil rights leaders the night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated? Did MacArthur embellish the story, claiming to have arrived at the hotel where MLK was shot “just hours” after MLK’s assassination when he actually arrived days later?
These questions have been circulating for two years, ever since reporter Paige Rogers and blogger Brent Detwiler reported significant discrepancies between MacArthur’s account and the accounts of others who allegedly were with him on that fateful night.
Recently, however, Grace to You Executive Director Phil Johnson sought to put these allegations to rest.
In a videotaped interview with Justin Peters two weeks ago, Johnson admitted that MacArthur “misremembers” some things. Yet Johnson says this pertains to “little facts” and “incidental details” that understandably might become “fuzzy” after 50 years.
Johnson also asserts that a letter from Dr. David Nicholas, President of Shasta Bible College and an eyewitness to the events MacArthur describes, “tells the same story John (MacArthur) does.”
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Yet Nicholas’ letter contradicts portions of MacArthur’s account, and reveals apparent, significant inaccuracies in MacArthur’s story.
These aren’t just details that Johnson alleges are minor, like MacArthur saying he stood on the toilet that James Earl Ray stood on when Ray shot MLK. (In actuality, Ray stood in the bathtub. From atop the toilet, Ray would not have been able to see through the window to the Lorraine Motel.)
The disputed details are substantial, like what day MacArthur learned of the assassination; where he was when he heard the news; and the major characteristics of the group he was with. (MacArthur claims he was the only white among a group of Black civil rights leaders; Nicholas says John Perkins was the only Black with “five white guys.”)
In addition, Johnson said in his interview with Peters that he sent Nicholas’ letter to “some of these people who are insistent on . . . calling John a liar,” specifically naming Detwiler. Johnson added, they “simply ignore any testimony” corroborating MacArthur’s account.
Yet Detwiler told The Roys Report that Johnson never sent him Nicholas’ letter. Rogers said Johnson never sent Nicholas’ letter to her either.
Plus, Nicholas’ letter is dated June 19, 2020—about a year after Detwiler’s article published, and 16 months after Rogers’ article published.
Nicholas’ Letter vs. MacArthur’s Account
The letter by Nicholas establishes that John MacArthur was in Mississippi on April 4, 1968—the night MLK was shot. It also establishes that around that time, MacArthur was preaching in Black churches and high schools with civil rights activist and pastor, John Perkins.
From that point, the stories diverge at several points.
MacArthur has told his story numerous times—in multiple interviews spanning at least a decade, in a 2018 blog post, and in Iain Murray’s 2011 biography, John MacArthur: Servant of the World and Flock. Some accounts have more details than others, but MacArthur’s basic assertions are consistent throughout, which are documented below:
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On the night MLK was shot, MacArthur claims he was with civil rights leader, Charles Evers, in Evers’ NAACP office in Jackson, Mississippi.
At a 2007 Desiring God conference, MacArthur said: “I was down in the South, in the office of Charles Evers—the brother of Medgar Evers—when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.”
Similarly, when interviewed by former Grace Community Church Pastor Rick Holland in 2009, MacArthur recounts: “I’ll never forget one night. I was in the middle of Jackson, Mississippi, in the office of a man named Charles Evers . . . And we were sitting there, and he was trying to explain to me that night in Jackson what was going on. . . . And Charles was talking, and a man burst through the door and said, ‘Martin Luther King has been assassinated.’ That happened that night while I was with Charles and John (Perkins) and some others.”
Rick Holland’s 2009 Interview with John MacArthur (account begins at 3:15):
Evers, however, denies being with MacArthur the night MLK was shot, as Paige Rogers reported in 2019. Evers instead says he was in his car driving to Natchez, Mississippi, when his secretary called Evers to inform him of MLK’s death.
After Rogers’ published her article, Phil Johnson released a statement in which MacArthur claimed that he “was absolutely with” Evers. But MacArthur added that since he was a “young unknown,” and “with all the trauma,” Evers probably “doesn’t remember me.” (Johnson also referred to Rogers’ piece, which included audio of Brannon Howse interviewing Charles Evers, as a “hit piece poorly disguised as a serious investigative report and posted online by people who obviously have a long-standing agenda to discredit John MacArthur.”)
I’ve been tied up with stuff today and this is my first chance to reply to the little croaking chorus of usual suspects who want so badly to call John MacArthur’s integrity into question. If you haven’t seen the article in question, ignore this. In case you have, here’s my reply: pic.twitter.com/7nZ98d9nbE
— Phil Johnson (@Phil_Johnson_) February 4, 2019
Nicholas’ letter, however, confirms Rogers’ account that Evers was not with MacArthur on the night MLK was shot. Nicholas writes that on the night MLK was shot, MacArthur was with him and a group of musicians from Biola University, ministering at the Voice of Calvary Church where John Perkins was the pastor.
Nicholas adds that the group was not informed of MLK’s death until the following morning at 10 a.m., while they were in a police station in Mendenhall, Mississippi, not Evers’ office.
After leaving the police station, however, Nicholas says Perkins took the group to Evers’ office and introduced them to the civil rights leader.
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MacArthur claims he was arrested and put in jail for “preaching the gospel in Black high schools.”
When recounting his time in Mississippi when MLK was shot, MacArthur claims in a GTY Bible Questions and Answer session in 2017, that he was arrested “for preaching the gospel in Black high schools.” MacArthur adds that he “was put in jail, and they took all my money away.”
Johnson tells a similar story in his recent interview with Peters. After stating that Nicholas’ letter has new details about MacArthur in it, Johnson proceeds to explain that MacArthur “happened to be driving without his wallet,” so a sheriff “threw him in the clink for the night. And John says that he did have money in his pocket and the sheriff just kept all that.”
Yet according to Nicholas’ letter, MacArthur was not arrested nor put in jail.
Instead, Nicholas writes that on the night MLK was killed, MacArthur was pulled over by the local sheriff as the group left the church where they had been ministering. Nicholas reports that the sheriff asked to see MacArthur’s license, but MacArthur “had unintentionally left his license back at our motel.” So, the sheriff “demanded that we show up at his office the following day at 10:00 a.m.”
Nicholas writes that the next day, “the entire team arrived on time” at the police station, MacArthur “produced his license,” and “we all breathed a sigh of relief as we left his office.”
I spoke with Nicholas on the phone and he confirmed that MacArthur was not arrested that night, nor did MacArthur spend any time in jail. Nicholas also said that MacArthur did not give the sheriff any money either.
Nicholas also confirmed in our phone call that the first he and MacArthur heard of MLK’s assassination was the following morning in the police station where the radio was “blaring the news.” He added that MacArthur, himself, and the rest of the group were “shocked to hear” of the assassination and saddened by the news.
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MacArthur claims he was the “only white present”
MacArthur also claims he was the only white person in the group he was with when Martin Luther King was assassinated and the days following. He says this same group travelled together to Memphis to the site of MLK’s shooting.
MacArthur’s 2011 biography states that MacArthur was in Jackson with a group that included John Perkins and Charles Evers. It adds that MacArthur was “the only white present” and that MacArthur “had grown to love these people and their culture.” Then, after learning of MLK’s assassination, it states that “the group’s reaction was to drive through the night to Memphis, the scene of the murder, and John went with them.”
Similarly, in the 2014 GTY Bible Questions and Answer session, MacArthur states that he was “with all the Black leaders when Martin Luther King was assassinated,” adding, “I was the only white guy.”
And again, in MacArthur’s 2009 retelling of the event to Rick Holland, MacArthur states that after hearing of MLK’s assassination in the office with Evers and Perkins, the group feared for his safety because he was white. MacArthur states:
The immediate issue was that there were serious things going on in the street in Jackson and they were trying to get me out of there because I was as pale as a ghost. And here we were worried what might happen to me. And so they, they escorted me. And then they said, “You know . . . We’re going to go to Memphis. We want to see what happened.”
This also contradicts the account in Nicholas’ letter.
Nicholas writes that the group that was together the night MLK was shot and the day following included himself (a white man), three “musically talented men from Biola University,” MacArthur, and Perkins.
Specifically, when describing the group that drove around Jackson, Mississippi, the day after MLK was shot, Nicholas states: “There we were, five white guys being driven by a black man, something that in those days was certain to raise suspicion.”
Nicholas also told me that the group that travelled together to Memphis included only MacArthur, the Biola students, and himself. He said Perkins and Evers did not go with the group to Memphis.
When I asked Nicholas about the apparent contradiction between his account and MacArthur’s, he said, “If (MacArthur) said that, his memory failed him at that point. Evers didn’t go (to Memphis). He couldn’t possibly go.” Nicholas noted that Evers was so busy handling the unrest in Fayette, Mississippi, where he was mayor, that he wasn’t even able to go to Washington, D.C., at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s request.
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MacArthur claims he arrived at the scene of MLK’s assassination “literally within hours” after MLK was assassinated and gained access to the crime scene.
MacArthur’s 2011 biography makes it sound like MacArthur heard about MLK’s shooting on the night it happened and then drove “through the night to Memphis,” arriving at the assassination crime scene the next morning.
Similarly, in his 2018 blog post, “Social Injustice and the Gospel,” MacArthur writes: “When news of Dr. King’s murder broke, we drove to Memphis—and literally within hours after Dr. King was assassinated, we were at the Lorraine Motel, standing on the balcony where he was shot. We were also shown the place where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot.”
Additionally, in MacArthur’s 2009 interview with Holland, MacArthur states that after hearing of MLK’s assassination, the group left quickly for Memphis, arriving “just hours” after MLK was shot. They then allegedly gained access to the crime scene:
So they took me. And in those days, the police weren’t nearly as protective, forensics hadn’t developed to what they had and they didn’t necessarily protect crime scenes. So we went to the motel, up to the landing, saw the blood where Martin Luther King had been shot just hours before by James Earl Ray. I actually went to the little building opposite the motel, went up on the second floor, stood up on the toilet and looked out the window where James Earl Ray had shot him. And I was there at that very, very, very crucial time.
As already noted, MacArthur’s claim that he stood on the toilet from which Ray shot MLK can’t be true. Johnson attributes the mistake to MacArthur simply misremembering the event.
Yet according to what Rogers reported in 2019, there’s also no way MacArthur would have had access to the crime scene had he arrived just hours after the assassination. She writes that the official police report states that just “10 minutes after the shooting, there were 135 police officers in the immediate area” and “the complete area had been sealed off.”
She adds that “investigators did not finish their initial processing until after 11:00 PM, at which time guards were stationed to protect the integrity of the boarding house crime scene overnight until investigators returned to resume their investigation.” Rogers also notes that an employee who was working at the Lorraine hotel when MLK was shot told a news host in 2018 that the motel stayed under lockdown for three days following the assassination.
The boarding house where Ray stood to shoot MLK was also sealed off, according to the U.S. Congress’ Findings of the MLK Assassination. And as Rogers writes, the FBI’s report reveals a very meticulous and thorough investigation, not a lackadaisical one, allowing bystanders access to the crime scene.
After Rogers’ article published, Phil Johnson responded in a tweet that MacArthur was at the crime scene “the evening after the assassination,” about “22-23 hours after the shooting.” Johnson added that allegations that MacArthur claimed he drove to Memphis the same evening were a “twist someone else put on it.”
My understanding is that John Perkins & Co. (JM included) were there the evening after the assassination. About 22-23 hours after the shooting. Where did JM ever claim it was that same evening? That’s a twist someone else put on it.
— Phil Johnson (@Phil_Johnson_) February 7, 2019
Yet now Johnson has revised his account. In his recent interview with Peters, Johnson said, “(MacArthur) says within hours. I think it might have actually been 48 hours or 72 hours after the assassination.”
In his 2020 letter, Nicholas simply states: “Later we traveled to Memphis and stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was shot and looked out the window of the bathroom of the rooming house where James Earl Ray aimed his .30-06 at Rev. King.”
When I spoke to Nicholas, he said he was almost certain the group had travelled to Memphis the night after the assassination. Despite the evidence Rogers found to the contrary, Nicholas insisted that the group gained access to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel and the bathroom from which Ray shot MLK.
Response
Nicholas maintains that MacArthur is “one of the most honest guys I know” and that “any inconsistencies” in his story concerning events around MLK’s assassination are simply due to the lapse of time.
Yet Rogers said she is “immensely delighted” that Phil Johnson posted the letter written by David Nicholas, “which verified the accuracy of my reporting.” She added, “I only wish (the evidence) had come months sooner, before Mr. Evers passed on.” (Evers died on July 22, 2020.)
She adds, “As for the question, ‘Was John MacArthur lying?’ That’s not for me to say. Perhaps, it depends on what you count as lying.”
Detwiler, on the other hand, took aim at Phil Johnson and the claims Johnson made in his recent interview with Peters. “It should be obvious to everyone that Phil Johnson repeatedly lied during his interview with Justin Peters,” Detwiler said. “(Johnson) does so with John MacArthur’s full support & knowledge. . . . It is like so many other scandals. Silence enables and quietly condones.”
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78 Responses
John MacArthur would have been 28 in 1968 and married for almost 5 years. In Deut.6:13, we are commanded to swear by God’s name. Just ask Phil Johnson, Patricia MacArthur and John MacArthur to place their right hand on the Bible and swear that these events as John MacArthur told them are true. That should settle things for everyone.
If MacArthur did still claim his story was true in that way, it would only further prove his character as an unrepentant liar, as evidenced in other situations as well, since numerous significant, specific details of his story are contradicted in major ways by the objective facts and literally every other witness that has spoken of these events, with the letter and testimony of Dr. Nicholas given here further solidifying the case against MacArthur’s fiction.
Not only has Johnson changed his tune multiple times in trying to cover the gross discrepancies, he has also brutally, falsely attacked the character, skills, and motive of those reporting about this in a manner completely unbefitting a so-called ministry and church leader, as he has done in other cases as well.
I think Mini-Me Phil Johnson on some small level realizes that the MacArthur cult gravy train will be coming to screeching halt in the not-to-distant future. And that terrifies him. The implosion of RZIM in the matter of a few weeks is one big glaring example for him to ponder.
I remember hearing this story so many times. Sounds amazing until you realize that many of the details are altered to make it sound more amazing than it really was. Based on a true story, but ultimately misleading. All John MacArthur or Phil Johnson need to do is make a public statement that the story told is incorrect, that John apologizes for misleading his congregation and followers, and that if he shares that story again he will correct it to ensure the facts he gives are accurate. Literally, that is all that needs to be done and no one would really care.
Toxic leadership can never acknowledge that they are wrong.
If Jesus remains big and we stay at our appropriate size, this stuff wouldn’t happen. But yes, when a man becomes big in his own eyes (aided by our lust for superstars), this is what happens. And it is very hard for these guys to “downsize.” “Never” is a big word, but I believe you are accurate. Show me a fully toxic leader who repents and I will happily change my mind about that.
I agree with you, and JMac also needs to repent for so many false teachings that Justin Peters’ and so many other “Discernment Ministries” won’t even touch. There are a few of us who constantly “warn the sheep” of Christ of these falsehoods, but we also get “hammered” for it. Too many look at that guy as if he were Jesus himself. The platform he has is HUGE, and this is the time – at his age – to publicly repent to his church flock and list every false teaching. So what if it takes a while? Jesus is CLEAR for us to “Beware of false prophets/teachers who come to us as wolves in sheep’s clothing”. So many idolize him, however, it’s insane. There’s a channel on YouTube called “Bible Thumping Wingnut”and you should all take a look a his videos on his main YT page. 99% is JMac videos, and the whole time, Tim is “pumping him up” even more. I’ve never seen a bigger “fanboy” of that guy except in the comments. Talk about IDOLS. Pray for them all. I let them know about the false teachings and they “flip out” on me, but God says to expose them to protect the flock. I obey GOD, not men. Jesus indeed MUST “stay big” and we stay small as after all, it is we who are truly saved and LOVE Christ who are His precious sheep. God bless you, RK Denlinger. Great comment indeed! ALL praise to the Lord Jesus Christ and Him ALONE!
Hello! I was a former MacArthurite. I used to listen and give to the ministry until I heard him say that you can take the mark of the beast and still get saved which is clearly against what the Bible says. He has not clarified his statement or repented of that lie so I will no longer support his ministry or listen to his sermons. I did read the statement Phil wrote on the GTY website, a while ago, when this controversy cropped up again. But John needs to say something about this, since the words came out of his mouth. I have asked the question on pro JMac sites, asking if he has ever publicly repented and all I get is crickets. This needs to be explained, clarified or repented of because it may lead new Christians astray.
Big Mac fired the shot from the grassy knoll that killed JFK – lol
If John MacArthur lies about this thing and embellishes the MLK story, what else does he lie about and embellish?
Dig deeper Julie and I would also ask Steve Baughman to do some more digging. As a he has a CA state Bar Card, he can do a lot more on this.
No, he was the spotter for Cigarette Smoking Man (aka Cancer Man) from The X-Files.
Wrong. I’m that guy. And I’m not on earth anymore either! I’m using space wifi on my HP earth-made Laptop ‘ – can’t get good PC’s in the Klingon sector:(
MLK said tell everyone hello, he’s here too!
Ha ha.. Don’t let him see that, as that will be the next story! I kid, I kid. Seriously, we need to pray for that man to come to repentance. He’s 80 years old and Pastors/Teachers etc. are held to a far higher standard than we who are only the sheep of the flock. NONE of us are promised tomorrow, whether we are 8 or 80, and I TRULY pray he repents. Like God is clear about in His word, He says that He wishes that, “None to be lost and that ALL come to repentance” God bless, TJ!
After reading 1 Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus 1:5-15, it is quite clear that the GCC’s elders must remove JM from the pulpit as he is no longer meets the Biblical requirement laid out in scripture!
That will never happen, since all the elders at GCC are Kool-Aid drinking MacArthurite cultists.
I will make a prediction though:
MacArthur will suffer the same fate as Ravi Z after his death when all the details of his life come out. But it will not be dealing with sexual predatory behavior and perversion like RZ, but it will financial and verbal abuses.
Wasn’t Brian Williams also present? Haha.
Great humor
Thanks. And in case we forget, Brian was fired for embellishment. How much more should we expect that a minister of the truth should say things that we can “take to the bank?”
This does not seem to be an issue of much significance. Where there is serious wrong doing, do a complete investigation. This story iseems to be an issue of embellishment or bad memory. Not that serious. Julie, stay focused.
But isn’t more than just what was said? Doesn’t the response when confronted with the truth also matter? If bad memory, just say, “I was wrong.” Embellishment is okay or just a minor infraction? Again, why not just clear it up by saying, “yeah, I stretched that. Sorry.”
No, I’m pretty sure Julie is focused and I applaud her for it.
Julie is continuing to expose and bring to light the ugliness of these celebrity pastors. These mega churches and celebrity pastors are not the means to whom Jesus needs his truths and gospel to be spread. A true shepherding pastor trains and builds up others to plant more local churches. God will, thru people, continue to expose and clean out these sanctimonious deluded people and organizations.
Repeatedly lying, even after you’ve been rebuffed by the person you’re lying on, isn’t an issue of much significance? And you say this about a Christian pastor, no less. Really?
People embellish truth. An event has to be grounded in actual truth to be an “embellishment.”
Otherwise they’re flat out lying. Either MacArthur was there or he was not. There is substantial proof from numerous credible sources and resources that MacDonald made the entire story up and he was not there. This makes his story a lie–not an embellishment of the truth.
It’s the nature of the lies that should cause concern. Even if just “innocent” mis-remembering details – each untruth told paints JM is a hero’s light – designed to give him more credibility so that he might increase and others might decrease.
Ravi was first confronted about misuse of academic credentials – which he & most people wrote off as “cultural” misunderstandings. Then more and more, and more came out. But the phycological techniques Ravi used in responding to all his accusers (gaslighting, DARVO, etc) are the same techniques JM & his crew are using now. And not just Ravi, but most if not all ‘christian celebrities’ have spoken and behaved this way before very public scandals broke. This should be concerning to all believers.
FWIW I agree with the comment around finances – I think it no coincidence that JMac’s son was indicted on financial fraud, nor an isolated one-off. The depth of financial malpractice present is significant when law enforcement builds a legitimate case to indict – it means they have the evidence sufficient to believe they can get a conviction. Offenders practice & hone their criminal skills long before that point is reached in my experience.
The similarities are striking between RZ when the credentials scandal broke and now with MacArthur and the MLK issue and the financials.
Agree. Don’t know if Julie is hurting for stories or what, but at worst it’s embellishment or bad memory. Not a concern in my book.
Thranduil,
This is exactly what was said about Ravi Zacharias when he was caught “embellishing” his academic credentials. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
Regarding your claim that Julie is “hurting for stories” – it appears that the Evangelical Industrial Complex and the Celebrity Pastor Machine produce more than enough warranted stories on a regular basis. Sadly.
It’s them that’s embellishing, but it’s not clear why. I was nowhere near as mixed up in the MLK assassination as they were (I happened to be 5,000 miles away and age 13) but my gospel is not diminished thereby. What difference are they implying it makes to theirs? If misremembering it doesn’t matter, why don’t they themselves demonstrate how unimportant it is to their gospel, instead of complaining when others ask for clarification? Are they covering for their lack of Bible-based Holy Spirit belief for living (which in my young day was open to all colours and sexes) by pretending to be nice to blacks and – who’s the other lot – oh yes women.
I tend to agree but don’t have much time to spend looking into this one
“Evers, however, denies being with MacArthur the night MLK was shot, as Paige Rogers reported in 2019. Evers instead says he was in his car driving to Natchez, Mississippi, when his secretary called Evers to inform him of MLK’s death.”
I’m curious how Ever’s secretary contacted him while he was driving. I believe cell phones were not available till after 1978. There was such a thing as car phones, but very expensive and rare. Possible some form of city government 2-way radio ?
I asked Paige Rogers your question. She responded: “They were radio phones. They were big things that sat in the floor. The first was invented in the 40’s I think? Evers had one, because he was the head of the Mississippi.”
Here’s a link to an article with more information about radio phones: https://weburbanist.com/2012/09/18/remember-millions-of-mobile-phones-in-the-1960s-you-should/
Interesting ! Thanks.
My dad was a higher level Arkansas state employee in the early 1970s and they provided him a car phone – i remember it very well…
It must be difficult for God to find a leader he can use who doesn’t get so self important and ruinous to a godly testimony. As an old guy who has seen the fall of several leaders over the past 5 decades or so, it seems they all have one thing in common, “I must be God’s man for these times.” Being used by God and thinking “I’m the guy” is not the same thing.
Possible Onion headlines:
“MacArthur claims to have been in theater when Lincoln was shot.”
“MacArthur claims to have been in senate chambers when Caesar was stabbed.”
Paul, I had better be careful then when I joke with my adult kids and friends that I am SO old that I helped wash dishes at the Last Supper. It may turn up in the Onion or Babylon Bee!
“ It must be difficult for God to find a leader he can use who doesn’t get so self important and ruinous to a godly testimony.”
So, in the last 5 decades, God couldn’t use you? How did God miss you? Obviously, you are probably better than naughty King Solomon, allowing himself to have a harem of a 1,000 women (one was not enough?).
Oh the horror, how God missed you, all these past decades, the incredible wisdom you would imparted on us!!!!.
I hope CVS has enough tissue to wipe away my tears!!!
Uwe
(Jude 3)
Post Tenebras Lux
This made sense how?
It’s probably a combination of things. I can identify with this on a much smaller scale.
I have an unusual and powerful conversion story. After I became a Christian, a number of pastors asked me to share. I was young, inexperienced, and flattered by the attention. I began to notice over time, after double-digit re-tellings, that I was embellishing my story more and more in response to the audience. I got convicted by the Holy Spirit. I did one last interview for a denominational magazine to get my testimony accurately on record. Then I quit the testimony circuit. Now I only occasionally share my testimony with groups of people I have a personal relationship with, people I will see tomorrow and next week.
I imagine that John has embellished his story, little by little, to play to the various audiences over the years. Being close to a big historical event everyone is interested in, puts you in the limelight. Over time it gets harder and harder to walk back the story, and easier and easier to justify and even believe your embellishments.
So you suffer(ed) from the same SIN McArthur does?
Wrenched man that I am!!!…complained the Apostle Paul…..
Yes, we all suffer from that same…..SIN…….disease.
The more I see how fallen we humans are, the more I see how BIG God’s grace is. That….Doctrine of Election proves itself again.
Uwe
(Jude 3)
Post Tenebras Lux
Uwe,
Maybe you shoulx read up on the Biblical qualifications for a pastor and elder and see how MacArthur stacks up. Perhaps then you will have a clue.
Here’s another one hint: olomon and David were Kings (aka political leaders) not pastors or OT priests. But don’t let that stop you from deliberately misusing those example to defend your idols.
We are now at the point with MacArthur and Johnson where we were with Ravi Zacharias in October 2016 when Steve Baughman posted his video “Lying For Lord Or Self? Hard Questions For Ravi Zacharias”. Zacharias was a serial liar, So are MacArthur and Johnson. Their self-serving, self-aggrandizing lies have now been just as thoroughly exposed and documented as Zacharias’s were four and a half years ago. It’s a brutal indictment of our evangelical community that Zacharias was able to continue with his high-profile ministry long after his dishonesty had been revealed. I plead with my evangelical brothers and sisters not to let the same thing happen with MacArthur and Johnson.
I’m scheduled to speak at a friend’s church March 28, and as of this morning had not yet chosen a text to preach from. This article decided it for me. By God’s grace I’ll preach from the terrifying account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5.
JB,
I had pointed the same thing in an earlier post. If Phil Johnson and John MacArthur persist in their deceit, I have no doubt they will suffer the same fate as RZIM and be forever tarnished as RZ. The rapid implosion of RZIM and the real legacy of RZ should be a clear object lesson for both of them.
I truly don’t want people to crash and burn at their own hands , but I think what someone mentioned here…that when JMAc is gone, things will get ugly in Grace Land …I think it’s a likely correct prediction. There is just too much slime and grime coming out of this tribe and no one ever offers counter evidence except to say it’s a hit piece or muckraking. Imagine what’s going to happen when the protectors lose their motivation because the money train is over or the see they’ve sullied themselves too much perpetuating lies that can’t be defended . This is a cult of personality so once JMac is gone, it’s going to get interesting.
Liars lie.
Blessed, Maybe we should start the narcissist association of pastoral leaders.
Narci-Non
We are not sinner because we sin. We sin because…..we are sinners.
Of course, except JMN……an algorithm?
Uwe
(Jude 3)
Post Tenebras Lux
There seems to be a pattern emerging about JMac, GTY, GCC, and TMUS. Let’s recount some of them and there may be more.
1. Touting false credentials – honorary doctorates don’t count and he’s not “Dr. MacArthur.” His highest earned degree is a masters.
2. Embellishment, misremembering, lying, whatever it is characterized as, about the MLK assassination. The reporting and evidence on this story is extensive and compelling enough to call it into serious question.
3. TMUS getting dinged by the regional university accreditors for having a university President, MacArthur, without an earned doctorate and displaying poor leadership systems including bullying tactics.
4. Stories of sex abuse at TMUS being swept under the rug and victims being shamed/expelled.
5. Recent firing/resignation of Dr. Sam Horn as President of TMUS after less than a year.
6. Lack of disclosure of expenditures, contracts, and salaries at all of the related organizations.
7. Taking government PPP money during pandemic and refusing to follow local health safety guidelines.
8. Lack of response to COVID at TMUS with students concerned that safety guidelines were ignored and those who wanted to follow guidelines were shamed.
9. Stacking boards with family members and insiders who have clear conflicts of interest. This last issue is the one that will keep any appropriate action from being taken unless things get worse, pressure keeps coming from the church at large, or income drops precipitously putting the systems in danger.
All of this is not coming from a small group of people with evil intent out to get JMac and his organizations as they would like to argue. It’s coming from a wide variety of people over many years including from former insiders and reporters. With all this history, there is likely more hidden behind the curtains and I hope and pray things come to the light. With the millions of dollars coming in from all over the world, and notoriety involved way beyond the immediate Los Angeles region and local church ministries, these issues are of interest to the entire Christian church as a whole.
ISAAC, do not forget MacArthur’s recent comments about the upcoming Legacy Standard Bible being the only translation to use God’s proper name. Again, it is just another thing that is not true, and it is not a case of misremembering something that happened decades ago.
Here is the link Darren had previously provided where MacArthur makes the utterly false claim about the new translation by Master’s staff, in which he brags about being the motivating force behind it, starting around 3:45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnxXTeyWKQ0
MacArthur states: “There has been no version of the English Bible that translates the Hebrew name of God….”
In fact, there have been many such translations, as a simple search of a topic like “Sacred Name Bibles” will demonstrate, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Name_Bible
Possible explanations for the difference between fact and what MacArthur said:
1. He somehow didn’t know there were all these other English translations using the the Hebrew name of God already in existence. Then he is a pitifully ignorant “Bible scholar.”
2. He knew about the other translations but told the congregation otherwise. Then he is a liar.
In either case, MacArthur’s words are self-serving, contemptible false advertising during a church service.
I don’t know a lot about that, but I do know about the failed “Sacred Names” movement. I saw a name for God that was Yahawashi or similar. All I thought of was Kawasaki. So many “made up” names. Job called God El Shaddai, I have read. (though not in the KJB). He had to know about the “Sacred Names” bibles, even I know about them. I speak English, and my King James Bible is just fine by me. I don’t get the big deal with all this. I agree about the “self serving and contemptable, though I don’t believe I’ll never understand it aside from believing it’s a form of narcissism, or self grandeur. I don’t understand why some people are like that, but this IS John MacArthur so I digress.
Thanks Isaac for the helpful summary. Additionally, in a similar vein to MacArthur’s braggadocious MLK-related lies, for those that missed it before, MacArthur and his toady enablers have told multiple outrageous lies over the years about his alleged gridiron greatness, from claiming to be an All-American halfback while at LA Pacific College (LAPC), which in MacArthur’s words “had a pretty extensive football program,” to being recruited by several professional teams, to being asked while he was supposedly a seminary student to replace the injured future hall-of-fame wide receiver Paul Warfield for the Cleveland Browns.
Objective timelines, along with details of the football program at LAPC and MacArthur’s actual contribution to the team, make these claims laughable in their audacity, but not for what they say about MacArthur’s shameful, entrenched character traits. For instance:
“1960 Los Angeles Pacific College Yearbook
The first practice was held at night on the field of a local playground with no lights, and only six men. Gradually a few more turned out, but at no time did the number swell to more than a dozen or so… Many of the players saved their own money to buy helmets and other necessities. [7]
John said he was named to the All-American squad as halfback. In his junior year, he had 1 carry for a rush of 3 yards and played 3 games. Other players included halfback Vince Meyers with 14 carries for 168 yards and 5 games, and halfback Dave Raines with 53 carries for 314 yards and 5 games.”
The quotes above, along with other documentation about this, can be found in an excellent article here: https://www.gatekeepersonline.com/post/examining-john-macarthur-s-football-claims
(meant to post here as a reply)
Recently read that JM’s son-in-law’s video company also has ties with Kendall Jenner, etc.
http://thewatchmanwakes.org/john-macarthur-kendall-jenner-hollywood/
Can someone vet this for me?
Am I the only one who thinks this reads like a name-dropping version of “I can’t be racist. I have three Black friends”?
I realize that a lack of integrity is really the larger issue here. But I think we are remiss if we overlook the ways this plays into JM’s tendencies to downplay the significance of race relations in the contemporary church.
DRENNAN, I was thinking some of those same things myself. I do not think MacArthur is a racist, but it may be an issue of implicit bias.
If Coca Cola can have an “Anti-White” campaign from their “diversity” politburo…..
I have yet to see Christians complain against that race-bating.
Uwe
(Jude 3)
UWE — Perhaps not lots of Christians as should be, but I sure raised cain when I heard about it! Last I heard though, Coca Cola withdrew that. Then again, who knows. The Bible does warn us of these times and here we are. God bless!
Hubris. They all need to read AND LIVE Dane Ortlund’s book, “Gentle and Lowly.”
False memory is a thing, and it’s not the same as lying. I’m no JM fan, but to me, this could easily be what’s happening here. However, it doesn’t explain the nepotism and other concerns.
Trying to explain away lies is a thing too, as we’ve unfortunately seen a lot of lately by prominent hirelings. These are not just little details in MacArthur’s account that contradict the facts, but rather his dramas completely fall apart on many levels. Also, they are boastful details, if they were true, that would serve to promote MacArthur as a “big man” with a conveniently interesting personal story as it relates to current issues regarding race.
False Memory is a very popular theory amongst accused child molesters.
So Joe Beijing Biden is a…..child molester?
Nah!…..can’t be!! Orange Man Bad…
Uwe
(Jude 3)
Post Tenebras Lux
If McArthur was Beijing Biden, he’d be given a pass, something the Never Trumpers would love, but I’d digress.
This guy, Phil Johnson, lots of humbling, he needs. (Yoda).
Thanks Julie for the latest!
Be blessed in Him.
Uwe
(Jude 3)
The court of judges who have verdicts on petty stories. Lacking the purity and integrity of the church.
For now on pithy.
“ The court of judges who have verdicts on petty stories. Lacking the purity and integrity of the church.
For now on pithy.”
Finally…someone that is observing from the proper perspective.
Kudos!!
Uwe
(Jude 3)
It seems that John may have embellished his experience slightly. Although there are circumstances when this is permissible. As it may not be as entertaining as the straight truth. Hollywood movie, yes. Witness in court, probably not the wisest thing. Politician, it depends on their conscience.
https://writingcooperative.com/should-you-embellish-for-dramatic-effect-4ce54cbeeeb
Very interesting observation. My take is the henchpeople aren’t “safe” enough yet to throw him over. He is taunting his own henchpeople twice over: i ) with his pretend fringe theosophist fixation on God’s “Hebrew” name; ii ) by inducing them to trap themselves vis a vis the public. He is the new Baron Cohen and this is his “God-kini”.
“ Very interesting observation. My take is the henchpeople aren’t “safe” enough yet to throw him over. He is taunting his own henchpeople twice over: i ) with his pretend fringe theosophist fixation on God’s “Hebrew” name; ii ) by inducing them to trap themselves vis a vis the public. He is the new Baron Cohen and this is his “God-kini”.”
I highly recommend you to apply for……..Rolling Stone Magazine. Perhaps CNN. Or the New York Times.
They’d love your writing style.
Uwe
(Jude 3)
Post Tenebras Lux
I am no fan of many of John’s attitudes and approach, but how do we know this isn’t happening:
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/09/19/health/flashbulb-memories-wrong/index.html
Could it be happening here, too, with his football claims? Though with the football claim, I don’t think it would be considered a flashbulb memory since it doesn’t follow a major event like the MLK assassination or 9/11 attacks.
link originally shared by @Micaiah above:
https://www.gatekeepersonline.com/post/examining-john-macarthur-s-football-claims
John also says that Jesus did not turn the water into wine but grape juice. This is nothing more than false doctrine and misinterpreting the Bible to suit one’s own agenda. See https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-water-wine.html
Paul, my prayers will be with you. That story from Scripture IS terrifying indeed. A reminder though, keep nothing, ever, from God’s Holy Spirit within! It SHOULD be terrifying anyway. As far as Ravi, I listened off and on, but when the man answered at the Q & A that Jesus had Gender issues and was conflicted about it, something to that effect, and that did it for me! HOW could Ravi even have him there at all? I believe the video is still on You Tube. (Wish I remembered his name!) God bless!
Honestly,
“ A Sinful Woman Forgiven
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I pray that we our hearts are not like a “Simon”. That we would get to the feet of Jesus. We are this immoral woman, and the heart of Simon is not in these comments. Especially for the purity and integrity of the church. Some
Of these comments are unbiblical and pious. I pray for humility first in my thoughts and I would be a fool to believe everyone who makes a comment here are Followers of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, help me to see who I really am. This immoral woman who needs to be at your feet. I pray that we do not get entangled with this life as a soldier of Christ. Amen!!!
I too remember hearing this story many times from the pulpit. Lying or embellishing truth is wrong in any form, but in this case it was not even “necessary”. This is a sign of a serial liar. I wonder what else he lies about or hides?? Keep digging Julie.
This sermon was the set up for when John the unrepentant victim showed up whining about how some people are being so mean to him.