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Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.

OPINION: My Response to Phil Johnson of Grace to You, Part One

By Julie Roys
Phil Johnson
Grace to You Executive Director Phil Johnson (Video screengrab)

Grace to You Executive Director Phil Johnson this week appeared in a video with Justin Peters ostensibly to set the record straight, following my February 3rd article revealing John MacArthur’s expensive lifestyle, multiple large salaries, lack of transparency, and nepotism.

The video was what I’ve come to learn is classic Phil Johnson—replete with character assassination, half-truths, and red herrings, but woefully lacking in facts.

The first words from Johnson were telling, referring to me as someone “pretending to be an investigative reporter who already had a long track record of trying to torpedo John MacArthur’s reputation.”

Johnson doesn’t establish this alleged “track record” with evidence. Nor does he mention that of the two dozen articles I’ve published about MacArthur, a dozen were straight news articles, reporting on legal battles MacArthur has faced with government authorities.

One article was extremely positive, showing how MacArthur was one of very few Christian leaders who years ago warned the Moody Bible Institute about its unwise association with now-disgraced celebrity preacher, James MacDonald.

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Johnson also doesn’t mention that of my many investigations, none has been proven false, but instead have exposed wolves like James MacDonald, Ravi Zacharias, and Bryan Loritts.

Throughout the video, Johnson accuses me of cherry-picking facts to fit my narrative, but ironically, that’s precisely what Johnson does throughout. Yet he doesn’t just omit important details; Johnson also makes assertions that are false.

In part one of my response, I’ll address Johnson’s personal allegations against me. In part two, I’ll explain why his responses to the financial issues raised in my Feb. 3 article fail to resolve them.

“Blackmail” Allegation

Johnson admits in his video that I repeatedly sought answers from him and his ministry to the financial issues I examined in my recent article. However, Johnson says he didn’t respond to me because I demanded answers the next day and he “doesn’t respond well to blackmail.”

The truth is that the first time I reached out to Johnson was in February 2020. I noticed Johnson was active on Facebook, so I sent him a private message, asking if he’d speak with me about some financial questions I had.

 

 

At the same time, I also reached out to David Fisk, CFO of Grace to You (GTY), and Grace Community Church (GCC).

Weeks later, neither GCC nor Johnson had responded. However, Fisk had sent me GTY’s financial statements, and on March 20, I replied with a list of questions.

In the video, Johnson says Fisk forwarded the questions to him and Johnson intended to respond. Then he states:

And then she sent another sort of accusatory—one of her hallmarks is she’ll send a list of questions and say, “I need your answers by, you know, noon tomorrow because I’m going to go to print with this, with this story,” which I don’t respond well to blackmail. And that’s when I wrote back to her and said, “Look, I had prepared an answer to all your questions. But now I’ve looked you up online I see that all you’ve ever written about John MacArthur has been an attempt to discredit him. And so, I’m not going to answer your questions, and furthermore, nobody else from our ministry is ever going to answer any questions you have.”

Johnson’s narrative is puzzling because I never sent a second email, demanding an answer the next day. However, in the original email, which was sent on a Friday, I asked for an answer by the end of the following Tuesday—so within four days.

David Fisk Grace to You

However, during those four days, I published an article on a different topic: I reported that a pastor who had attended the 2020 Shepherds’ Conference, Alexey A. Kolomiytsev, had died of COVID-19.

That article unleashed a torrent of negative tweets by Johnson and his followers. Johnson accused me of “purposefully” going out of my way to “stir Twitter mobs.” Others called me a “hack” reporter.

I was assailed for not giving Johnson enough time to respond to the inquiry I had sent through Facebook messenger. Then, I was pummeled for sending an inquiry through Facebook, instead of email. (I had called the church and sent an email to MacArthur, as well.)

As soon as I got Johnson’s comment on the story, which admittedly was after a few hours because I was in a meeting, I updated the article and posted the update on Twitter. But that didn’t stem the vitriol.

On Monday, March 23, Johnson sent me an email, full of nasty characterizations and informing me that neither he, nor anyone from his ministry, will ever answer my questions.

I responded with a conciliatory email, apologizing for not giving Johnson more time to respond to the initial story, but Johnson didn’t reply.

I’ve now learned that personal attack is Johnson’s modus operandi.

Rusty Leonard, the founder of MinistryWatch, told me that in the early 2000s, he received a “vicious” email from Johnson simply because MinistryWatch gave GTY a three-star rating.

Brannon Howse, founder of Worldview Weekend Radio, claims in a 2017 blog post that Johnson bullied him mercilessly merely because Howse criticized Johnson’s friend, apologist James White.

In 2019, Paige Rogers became Johnson’s target after she wrote a piece for the NOQ Report, exposing major contradictions between MacArthur’s account of the night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated and the account of Charles Evers. In predictable fashion, Johnson pummeled Rogers, calling her article a “hit piece” and comparing Rogers to “gossip rag scandal reporters” and “rancor monsters.”

Now I realize Johnson is a bully and I need to ignore his insults. But at the time, the experience was extremely unnerving. It caused me to pull back temporarily from investigating GTY and MacArthur, which I’m sure was Johnson’s intent.

For the record, a second person who attended the 2020 Shepherds’ Conference also contracted COVID-19 and died shortly after Kolomiytsev died.

I informed Johnson and GCC of the second person’s death on April 4. Yet on April 23, MacArthur and Johnson published a video in which MacArthur states that Kolomiytsev is “the only person that we know of that came out of the Shepherds’ Conference and had that virus and ultimately died.”

Johnson’s Doxing

That scathing email Johnson sent me on March 23, 2020, appeared online in letter form two weeks ago. The only difference between the email and the letter posted online was that the letter redacted David Fisk’s name, but added my home address, GTY letterhead, and Johnson’s signature. (My home address is now blurred in the online letter.)

In his interview with Peters, Johnson admits he doxed me when he published the letter. He then furthers the injury by encouraging people to look up my address online and alleging that  I’m milking the situation for “victimhood.”

Johnson also accuses me of doxing MacArthur, which is untrue. Every document I’ve posted online has redacted MacArthur’s address, and posting aerial pictures does not identify someone’s location the way an address does. 

Johnson’s behavior is a stunning example of how not to treat someone after you’ve wronged them. But his bad behavior is much more serious than that. 

Johnson never deals with the overwhelming evidence that he fabricated the letter with my address. This would make Johnson’s doxing of me not mere oversight, but a calculated cyberattack.

As I noted in an earlier article, Johnson never mailed me the letter he posted online, which Johnson admits.

In the video, and on Twitter, Johnson claims he printed a copy of the letter last March. Then two weeks ago, he scanned the months-old letter to PDF so he could publish it online.

Yet the original PDF Johnson published is not simply a scanned image of a hard copy, as Johnson claimed. Metadata reveals the letter was digitally created the same day I published my article about MacArthur’s finances.

Johnson now has modified his story, saying on Twitter that he scanned the email to PDF and then made a “clean copy” in Microsoft Word. Johnson claims he deleted the Word copy, so there’s no way to prove or disprove his story.

Phil Johnson Tweet

Yet what’s especially telling about the online letter is that the GTY logo is an embedded image that was inserted into the PDF. Similarly, Johnson’s signature is not a scanned image either, but a “wet” digital signature, as David West noted recently on Twitter.

So even if you accept Johnson’s story, it’s clear Johnson went to a lot of trouble to “recreate” a letter with my address on it so he could post the letter online. In addition to allegedly scanning the letter to PDF and converting it to Word, he also added GTY letterhead and his electronic signature, then redacted Fisk’s name, but not my address.

However, if Johnson created a letter from my email, which seems likely, he not only made all these modifications, but also added my personal address, which he apparently scoured the internet to find.

At this point, it defies logic to think Johnson doxed me by accident.

Cherry-picked Information?

Johnson also assails me in his interview with Peters because I allegedly ignored a document in which Johnson allegedly “answered many of the questions” I had sent to GTY.

Johnson also tweeted a similar claim, accusing me of not linking to “full versions of the documents I cherry-picked quotes from.”

These claims lack credibility for several reasons. First, there’s no evidence that the “full” document Johnson posted on February 5, 2021, was available online before I published my article. I tweeted Johnson two weeks ago, asking him to provide evidence that it was, but he has not responded.

Second, the document I linked to in my article, which was a statement Johnson posted in 2014, is very similar to the “full” version Johnson posted online

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the two documents. (The documents are long, so including the documents in full is not practical. Follow the links above to read the full versions.)

Johnson Statement

Lastly, the comments Johnson says I ignored are practically verbatim what I quoted in my article.

In the video, Johnson states:

And what are the facts that absolutely doesn’t help (Roys) narrative that I’ve made over and over again: You don’t evaluate a person’s stewardship, based on how much money they make, what size their salary is. You evaluate whether they’re a lover of money or not by looking at their lifestyle. And I dare anybody look at john MacArthur’s lifestyle and accuse him of extravagant living.

Here’s what I printed in my article:

Johnson also argued that “(MacArthur’s) lifestyle, not his income, is what biblically-minded people should look at if they want to evaluate his character.” . . .

“(N)o one who actually sees how John lives has ever accused him of self-indulgence or even thought in their wildest dreams to describe him as a lover of money,” Johnson stated.

Rather than proving that I cherry-picked only quotes that furthered my narrative, Johnson actually proves the opposite—that I fairly represented his position in my original article.

Also included in my original article is Johnson’s explanation of MacArthur’s $400K+ salary from GTY in 2012 because the ministry gave MacArthur a rare King James Bible. However, I’ve uncovered new details about that gift, which I’ll reveal in part two of my response to Johnson.

I’ll also respond to Johnson’s defense of the millions of dollars GTY has paid to companies owned by Kory Welch. And I’ll present new information to help evaluate Johnson’s argument that MacArthur deserves royalties for his sermons, which MacArthur allegedly has waived.

I hope Johnson’s audience proves “noble” like the Bereans and fact-checks everything both Johnson and I have presented. I am confident if they do, they will see exactly what I’ve seen—that Johnson deflects, attacks, and bends the truth. Given his position at Grace to You and Grace Community Church, this is extremely concerning.

*One mistake that was noted by Johnson in the video was the aerial picture of MacArthur’s Colorado home in my original article. The correct photo is now posted. However, Johnson’s claim that MacArthur’s Colorado home is on two acres as opposed to five does not match the information provided by El Paso County nor TMUS Trustee David Wismer, Sr. 

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141 Responses

  1. I’m so sorry, Julie, that you’ve had to endure this.

    And I am shocked, appalled, heartbroken—so many other feelings I cannot find words for—over Johnson’s behavior. It’s as if the pandemic situation has opened my eyes.

    Thank you for the work you do, Julie!

  2. Julie great job of reporting. I listen to John MacArthur and he is a great biblical teacher. However, your question were legitimate and required a direct explanation which Phil did not give stating policy but yet he gave the ministry and explanation. Also, he justification to have John’s son on the board was because of check writing availability and ensure John’s legacy is the weakest justification I have ever heard. We all know the truth that pastor love a board of friends and relative in order to have no opposition to what they want. Phil also said it was unreasonable to publish salaries which I laugh at. I work for the gov’t in CA and mine is published on the web. Your article did not question Dr. MacArthur’s faith but the transparency of the church and GTY. So if you want to be transparent then publish salaries based on position but we know why they don’t want to do that. Keep up the good work all Christians need reporting like this. All the best and you are in my prayers.

    1. I feel the same way, Greg. Not only that, Peters and his “Clouds Without Water” series was very helpful in it’s expose of the word of faith cult. In addition to the Covid denialism, the political worship and the hypocrisy of lashing out when the same light of scrutiny is fixated on them is distressing and sorrowful. The commenters defending them with the same kind of personal attacks, rabid name calling etc. only proves this point that these people have become the same corrupt perverters of God’s truth they spoke against.

      1. Peters spending his life “exposing” Word of faith “cults” (which anyone with a modicum of discernment can tell for themselves) is a deliberate smokescreen and red herring to distract people from the most dangerous teaching of all, which is Calvinism. These men appear in suits (and in front of huge libraries, as Johnson does), crow about their “qualifications” (“Dr” MacArthur) as if Christianity were a university degree, and speak swelling words of vanity, thus ensuring people accept them as truth bearers.

        They are not truth bearers. Anyone who has read the Bible (a good synopsis of this crucial point is found in 1st Corinthians 1:17 – 2:16) should know that the carnal, unregenerate man’s wisdom isn’t God’s wisdom but is in fact “foolishness”.

        Calvin admitted that he took his theology more from Augustine than from the Bible. He quotes Augustine every four ages of his “Institutes…”. Nobody reading the Bible on its own could come up with Calvinist doctrine. Calvin would have xalled himself an “Augustinian”. Augustine came up with the basis for TULIP during his later pagan period. He also went back to Manachaeism (i.e pagaism) for his theory of election. None of the early church fathers had that view.

        So many people have been conditioned into Calvinism that they equate it to the Gospel. I pray they become “good Bereans” and examine the Scriptures for themselves.

        1. MHeuston,

          I’m a Calvinist. This means I believe that Jesus is Lord. It means I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. It means I believe that when I heard the Gospel call, the Holy Spirit regenerated me from my spiritual grave, which resulted in me trusting in Jesus for my salvation and committing myself to him as Lord of my life.

          Yes, Johnson and Macarthur are Calvinists. But I don’t think that Calvinism is the thing responsible for any wrongdoing they have done.

          1. One Salient Oversight,

            Not too quibble too much, but GCC, Johnson, and Macarthur are poser Calvinists IMHO. Sure they have Calvinist soteriology, but that is about it. None of the church ecclesiology, covenant theology (they are both hardcore dispies), church governance, creedal statements, liturgy, etc. that historic Calvinists (such as those of the Continental (e.g., Dutch Reformed) or Scottish (e.g., Presbyterian) types). They want the Calvinist soteriology but are fundamentally loosey-goosey Baptists in everything else.

            And the irony is most of these Neo-Calvinstas that have given historic Calvinism are this type of poser. That does not mean that all Baptist types with Calvinist soteriology are Calvinistas of course.

    2. Right on Greg,I went to a church for many years and a new pastor took over and you had to request the yearly financial statement, it showed Absolutely nothing of who made what, I feel this is very sneaky, the church should be the most transparent place going, why would they even dare to make it so secret.

    3. Master Smith, my church does not publish “salaries based on positions” on their website. And many churches I know of including one which has three times the membership than ours does not do so too. Mostly it is feminists who think they are Christians cos they think they can juggle both the roles together, are the ones beating the drums over publishing salaries. Why would they like to do that. Just to appease you. Get a life Master Smith. Better yet go out and make friends and witness why you believe in the Lord to others. But for that you must be knowing God and God must know you. Your writing prove other wise though. Good for you, you do not have to prove your faith in the Lord to me :D

      1. DEEPSEAFISHING, your uncharitable comments reak of the same stench as those of Phil Johnson. Before you start making insuating comments about the salvation of others you might want to check your Bible about loving others. Better yet, I will help you out.

        If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
        — 1 John 4:20

  3. I watched the interview, I was surprised at how many times Johnson said, “I’m not sure “and his demeanor was not what I was expecting. My thought was, if there is nothing to be embarrassed about the compensation that these individuals are receiving from GTY, and various ministries, why so embarrassed about the truth?.
    This interview by Johnson was upsetting to say the least.
    How dare ordinary Christians hold the ministry accountable!!!!
    That’s the impression I got from Phil Johnson, sad really.
    Keep up the good work Julie.

  4. Even if all your facts were wrong, we are called to love our enemies.I am often reminded of I Peter 2:23-25 if I am mistreated. But is that how they have responded?. No. Bullying. Accusations. Character assassination. Which shouldn’t that raise even more red flags for people? You stated the facts in your articles. Nothin more. But I am amazed that no one cares. People continue to defend the famous over and over.

  5. You’d think someone at Grace would pull him aside , and say, “Look you’re embarrassing yourself and all of us.” The fake document episode is beyond description. About the interview, if he doesn’t have sensible answers for these things, best to say and do nothing. I guess he thinks we’re all that dumb.

    Keep it up Julie. This strange behavior means you’re asking exactly the right questions. The guiltless don’t act so bizarrely.

  6. Nice work, Julie!  They must be running scared over at the GCC!  Phil realized he needed help so he reached out to Justin Peters (a member of the EIC).  Who is Phil going to call next for help?  Donald Trump?  Why doesn’t JM just come out from the shadows and talk with you?   

  7. Wow, Phil Johnson is to the MacArthur Crime Family as Tom Hagen (played by Robert Duvall) is to the Corleone Crime Family in the Godfather movies.

    I am a pastor who does church revitalization, which means I often work in hostile situations. I have a saying, “when you work in a snake pit, you have to be smarter than the snakes.” Julie, you are! That is the gift of wisdom that comes from the Spirit. Bullies like Phil “Tom Hagen” Johnson have spent so much time bullying their way to get what they want, they don’t know what to do when they meet up with someone smarter than them — such as someone who can discern from metadata a fabricated letter.

    You know, we just learned something from ex president Trump, the man who tried to pull a coupe. He always gets away with things, he is never held accountable. The only way to take him out is through $$$$$$$. People need to withhold their money, and bring on the lawsuits. That is the probably the only way that the MacArthur Crime Family is going to be held accountable.

  8. Phil Johnson revealed his true character years ago when he called Ingrid Schlueter a ‘discernment diva’. He and his Calvinistic dude-bros should keep quiet considering their theology has God ordaining all these events from before the foundation of the world.

    He is not helping the cause of Christ at all.

    1. Yes. Unfortunately, Ingrid Schlueter had to endure the arrogance of Phil Johnson and others. Why? Because she reported ‘truth’. She was and still is adept at seeing past the façade of many professing Christian teacher/preachers.

      Praying for Julie Roys as she continues to serve the Lord with integrity.

  9. Unlike RZ, MacArthur, his family mafia, and all his henchmen such as Johnson WON’T escape justice in this lifetime. They’re going down, fast and hard. Satan may be strong but God and his Kingdom and stronger and He is with you, Julie. Thank you for fighting the good fight.

  10. Comparing articles I was initially a bit confused on the release of financial statements.

    With regards to financial statements both articles seem to be talking about the same general time period.

    The distinction is between “Grace To You” financial statements, of which it appears a least some have been released, and the “Grace Community Church” financial statements which it appears have not been released.

    From this article:

    “the first time I reached out to Johnson was in February 2020…. At the same time, I also reached out to David Fisk…. However, Fisk had sent me GTY’s financial statements, and on March 20, I replied with a list of questions.”

    From https://julieroys.com/prosperous-lifestyle-americas-anti-prosperity-gospel-preacher/

    “Grace Community Church (GCC) refuses to release its financial statements …. That was 10 months ago.

    To date, I have not heard back from GCC…”

    10 months before February 2021 is April 2020.

    From the ECFA link: “Grace Community Church of the Valley Sun Valley CA 04/02/2020 Voluntary Resignation”

    Not sure about TMUS – I haven’t gone back and reviewed the articles for TMUS financial statements.

  11. It is incredibly disappointing to see Justin Peters fail to hold Phil Johnson accountable during that interview. Peters never asks Johnson to provide evidence for his claims, nor does Peters call Johnson to account for his character attacks on Julie Roys. Moreover, MacArthur may be considered a fine preacher by some, but I have serious doubts as he so hypocritically called out Ravi Zacharias from the pulpit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5zWLaV9BjY), yet he puts his own children in positions of power in his organization/church and lines the pockets of his son-in-law. He also lives a very wealthy lifestyle, probably far above that of many people in his congregation who give sacrificially so he can have his multiple houses, etc.

  12. Julie – I have had experience with Phil Johnson so I understand what you’re going through. But the doxing – that is beyond the pale. Are you pursuing legal remedies for that? Doxing is a crime in California.

    1. Darrell:

      I watched the YouTube video. Johnson’s attitude about the doxing incident is telling. He admits that he did it, then proceeds to justify and rationalize his behavior. Basically he blames the victim. He admits he did it but there is obviously no remorse, humility, regret, compassion, nothing that would suggest any sort of repentance for his bad (and illegal!) behavior. On the contrary, he and Peters share a hearty guffaw over it, as if Roys somehow is only getting what she deserves. It’s truly appalling.

      I have been a long-time listener and supporter of GTY. This has been eye opening.

  13. If what Phil Johnson said was true, and the $400K income just happened because they bought him an antique Bible, that is still very concerning.

    The amount of money spent on an antique Bible was obviously in the range of a few hundred thousand dollars if it resulted in that years $400K income. Obviously antiques are interesting and important, but a few hundred thousand dollars? That is money that could have been used to employ gospel workers.

    John Macarthur isn’t Jesus, and those who gifted him the antique Bible are not breaking perfume over his feet, which means I’m not Judas for asking this question.

  14. Got to understand Johnson’s attitude and approach during an hour lunch at America’s Keswick back in the mid 2000’s. Johnnie Mac had just written about the ‘Emerging Church’ (which means Johnson and others actually did the work) and I couldn’t take the nonstop BS session during the lunch. I challenged him on some of his assertions and he attempted to quiet and shame me by appealing to authority instead of responding to the issues raised. Luckily, I was an older student who grew up on the wrong side of the street and I don’t get intimidated. I fired back and he started his typical attempt at blame the messenger (me) and that was when I told him (and the table full of biblical students I was with) that a godly person argues the facts and the truth and not by fallacies of logic and ad hominem attacks.

    Johnson hasn’t changed a bit it seems. Godspeed Julie and please consider filing a complaint and allowing the law to punish him for doxxing you.

  15. While I don’t like Phil Johnson’s hostile approach to you, Ms. Roys, your reports accuse John MacArthur of having a covetous lifestyle. Being rich is not a sin. Now, should there be a cutoff point when it comes to pastors’ salaries? That I don’t know. Unlike Joel Osteen, JM does not preach a false gospel. Unless you can prove JM’s greed or love of money, you’re going on speculations, questioning his character. Phil Johnson is being protective over JM and I don’t blame him.

    1. Alicia like I shared on another post, after reading your 3 other posts , you truly sound like a man hiding behind a woman’s name. Your comments have a particular ugly worldly stench about them and they are coming out of you.
      Would you happen to be a certain particular kind of religious foul spirit that has absolutely nothing to do with the Sweet Sweet Spirit of the Living God?
      What’s it like being void of the Spirit ? What is it like being of a reprobate mind ?
      I bet you really enjoy it don’t you…….. ” Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”

    2. Oh and while we are at it Phil , somebody commenting on this site shared that you are and I quote “one of the ugliest human beings I’ve ever known of in my life, and I don’t just mean “on the inside”
      I was wondering a couple of things:
      1) Do you remember when exactly it was that you got so ugly ? and
      2) Do you remember when the wickedness set in ?

      If you don’t remember I can help you ! It says here in Psalm 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they
      go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies”

      Well that solves my problem but I’m afraid your problems are only just beginning but don’t worry they will only last to just before the beginning of Eternity (maybe, maybe much longer , who knows?, I know you don’t)

    3. Alicia, yes, being rich is not necessarily a sin, but that is not what this article or any of the others regarding MacArthur or Johnson are about. Rather, facts have been presented. Have you found any of the data to be untrue?

      Speaking of sin, do you believe Johnson sinned in any way, e.g. lying, abusive language, bullying and false character attacks, doxxing, etc., in his response to Julie and the information presented?

      Look into Johnson’s track record over many years concerning what multiple people have identified in various situations as some of his grievous sins. At least 3 examples, with links, are provided in the article above relating to his abusive, false character attacks. Here’s another one, from someone who has also said Johnson lied about talking to sexual abuse victims associated with Sovereign Grace Ministries, about MacArthur and Johnson’s lies related to MLK’s assassination and abuse of reporter Paige Rodgers, whose additional testimony about this can also be found online:

      http://abrentdetwiler.squarespace.com/brentdetwilercom/my-most-important-article-ever-john-macarthurs-renowned-stor.html

      Johnson has hundreds of thousands of annual $$$ reasons to be protective of MacArthur. What does it say about MacArthur’s character to have employed and worked closely with Johnson for decades as church leaders?

      Taken in total, the sum of the data presented here and elsewhere about MacArthur adds up to him preaching a false gospel with his life, regardless of what one thinks of his theology and biblical exposition, unless you believe the gospel is about enriching yourself and family from multiple donor-related, clandestine ministry streams, and lying and abusing people to do it.

      1. BINGO !!!!!!!!!!
        ” WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT MacArthur’s character to have employed and worked closely with Johnson for decades as church leaders?” Thanks Micaiah (above)
        SOMEBODY COULD PROBABLY WRITE A BOOK ABOUT WHAT IT SAYS and while we are at it ,
        what does it say about Justin Peters being so enamored with uncle phil ? Yuck

    4. Alicia – you are correct that being rich is not necessarily a sin. But becoming rich off of the Word of God is. Can you provide any example from the Bible where a person became rich off of the Word, other than false prophets?

    5. True and in all kindness I don’t see what the financial business is of people who are not members of the church or financial auditors.

      1. Members of God’s Church should care about His Church and what He cares about, for His glory and the benefit of His kingdom and other people. Jesus had harsh words for religious leaders whose lives did not agree with God’s Word, as did other prophets throughout the ages.

      2. LISA This matter originally arose because Mr MacArthur allegedly accused Carl Lentz and other fallen ministers of being motivated by the love of money.

        Allegedly having said this publicly, JM must therefore reassure all Christian members of the public that he, himself, is without fault in this area.

      3. Uh Lisa , THERE IS ONLY ONE CHURCH , somebody on this site must be living a righteous enough life to be in that church and to ask questions.
        By your statement above it actually says or means we are all separate , I might be separate from you but I’m absolutely for sure separate from johnny mac and uncle phil and ALL those like them.
        By the way, why would someone named “Lisa” come on this site and make one comment (so far) just to show that they don’t know what they are talking about ?
        Somehow it just doesn’t make sense does it ?

    6. Her original article concerned HYPOCRISY because MacArthur regularly calls out prosperity preachers, and did so again prior to her article.
      When someone doesn’t love money, they don’t accumulate 3 houses, 6-figure salaries and apparently $14 million in wealth.

      It’s an absurd argument to suggest one acquires all these things but is dismissive of them at the same time.

      But I guess double mindedness is the norm for for Calvinists whose entire doctrine is based on contradiction.

      “Woe to you who are rich” (Luke 6:24)

      And I wish folk would read ALL of the following passage and the warnings therein and commands (“FLEE THESE THINGS”)

      “….supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
      But godliness with contentment is great gain.
      For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
      And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
      But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
      For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
      But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (1 Timothy 6:5b-11)

    7. Alicia,

      “Unlike Joel Osteen, JM does not preach a false gospel.”

      You don’t think “we are 100% right and infallible and we speak with God’s own authority on all issues” is a false gospel? It seems to me we had a little something 500 years ago called the Reformation, just to deal with that heresy.

      The difference between the MacArthur mafia and most Catholics is that the latter generally tries to be pleasant in their authoritarianism.

    8. How can she prove his love of money objectively when he chooses to hide his income? Wasn’t Johnson abusing the word of God to please his boss by defending the indefensible? Let assume JM is a right teacher. Right teaching does not equal to right living. JR deserves to be believed as she was able to substantiate her facts with undeniable evidences.

  16. Phil Johnson is a hard man, yes hard, full of knowledge concerning theology and Calvinism, but hard.

    You can memorise the whole Bible, and say all the Christian things, still without love it is just noise.
    The devil is a better theologian than all of us and he is still a devil.

    Phil believes that everything that happens has been God’s own doing, that God caused it all.
    So why on earth is he even concerned about anything that anyone says about John Mac and GCC etc?
    I mean it was God who caused person A to say these things about peeps B?

    He is a big bully, he has always just insulted and attacked those who said anything against his hero John Mac.

    So where on earth is the love in his heart? No conviction and no shame with Phil when he publicly insults and belittles another human being that was made in the image of God.
    Love your neighbour is not just a nice sounding quote, it is a command form Jesus!
    To not lie is a command from Jesus!

      1. Althea are you talking about this “The devil is a better theologian than all of us and he is still a devil”
        If you are , your theology is off cuz I don’t know who “Old Nick” is.

        “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
        2 Cor 11: 13-15

  17. Julie, one thing that should be noted is that Phil is not just a GTY employee but an elder of Grace Church, according to the website of Grace Church.

    I bring this up because he stated in his video with JP that everything decided about the Shep Conf was decided by the church – “that’s their conference “.

    That strikes me as a bit disingenuous to say while representing GTY when you’re also an elder of the church.

      1. You’re not crazy. Also check out a picture of Dan Phillips, one of the Pyromaniac bloggers who blogged with Phil. Similar looks.

  18. It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
    — 1 Timothy 3:1-3

    Based on this, Phil Johnson is more than disqualified from being an elder, but I guess that only applies to whoever is in his cross hairs. Even if I thought he was right, his response has been so uncharitable and ungodly, it would be enough for me to never listen to JM or GTY again.

  19. When dealing with men like Mr. Johnson, the first thing that goes out the door is the truth.
    Considering that he is supposed to be a pastor, how does he exhibit the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control? (Gal.5:22-23)
    In 1 John 3:10, God says “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
    Instead of obeying Christ’s commands of Matt.5:44 , I see him acting murderously. In 1 John 3:15 God says “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
    Mr. Johnson needs to repent for his sinful, wicked, and vindictive behaviour. Somehow I doubt he will

    1. Well said, Jack. I was also thinking of 1 John 4:20–If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

  20. Julie,

    BigMac, Johnson & their ilk become like gods enthralled w power & answer to no one, a position Our Lord reserves only for himself. With all their $$ & power I sadly fear they will eventually do as Ravi did & sue for defamation.

    Buckle your seat belt & plz seek legal…

  21. I was fooled for a time by Justin’s soft spoken “dear brothers and sisters” demeanor, and I did learn from him but I did not always agree with him. That is until I dared to question him in the comment section of one of his videos.
    First he tried to talk down to me. When that didn’t work he very quickly turned off the “aw shucks” personality and attacked me with sarcasm and lied about the original statement that I disagreed with. When that didn’t work and I tried to return to the original question he ignored me.
    Later I saw him use a similar technique on someone that disagreed with him. First he denied he said what he was questioned about and talked down to the questioner, then he insulted him. The questioner backed down and apologized to him. Which told me Justin has had success handling anyone that questions him with this technique. I called him out with a quote of his original statement that he claimed he did not make, but he ignored me. Then his followers stepped in with their typical accusations of being a tool of Satan, passages about not touching God’s anointed and people that cause division in the church, as well as threats of hell if I don’t repent. I quit listening to him.
    I tried to listen to this one with Mr. Johnson but his voice is just an irritation now. I read some of the comments and could see that he successfully riled up his minions against Julie.
    One of things I discovered is that many of the followers of deceiving Christian leaders cannot read very well or have problems with reading comprehension, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation.
    I read a book last year called Mobbed. Although I don’t recall that it addressed this type of mobbing I still recommend it.

    1. Thank you JMN , I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with “aw shucks” justin peters
      It sure is amazing when someone just scratches the surface of these “gee sounds like a christian” entities , I say entities because… well….. they exist and are very much part of the deception on this earth today.
      I made a comment up above yours not really knowing any details:
      ” What does it say about justin peters being so enamored with uncle phil ? Yuck”

      Well there it is AGAIN true true true true true as it was the 1st time I heard it a long long time ago…..
      BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER
      Better be careful where you are FLOCKING !

      1. There are three that I know of in this flock, Phil Johnson, Chris Rosebrough and Justin Peters. I don’t know about Phil but Chris and Justin have a large army of followers that sing their praises regularly which seems to have inflated their egos and pride.
        I know who Tim Hurd is and his followers are also loyal minions of both him and MacArthur, but I have never seen him on videos with the others.
        Julie stirred a very large nest of vipers.

  22. It’s very sad that MacArthur has lavished properties. MacArthur strongly disobeyed the California government and its state laws in the midst of pandemic. Grace Community Church leadership in Los Angeles is in deep crisis. I pray for MacArthur to retire and spare the members soon. He is accountable to God, Julie.

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