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Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.

SEC Charges Son of John MacArthur & Grace to You Board Member with Fraud

By Julie Roys
Mark MacArthur investment
A federal court has ordered Mark MacArthur, son of John MacArthur, to pay more than $367,000 for his role in a $16 million investment scheme.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Mark MacArthur—son of prominent author and pastor, John MacArthur, and a board member of his father’s radio ministry, Grace To You— with defrauding clients in a $16 million investment scheme.

Also charged is MacArthur’s former business partner, Robert Gravette, and Criterion Wealth Management—the company MacArthur and Gravette co-owned until MacArthur left the company in 2017. (Both MacArthur and Gravette are also graduates of The Master’s University where John MacArthur serves as chancellor.)

According to the SEC complaint, from 2014—2017, MacArthur and Gravette recommended that their clients invest more than $16 million in four private real estate investment funds, but failed disclose “a glaring conflict of interest.” That is, that the fund managers had paid MacArthur and Gravette more than $1 million.  This was on top of fees that the two were charging their clients directly.

The complaint further alleges that MacArthur and Gravette were incentivized to keep their clients invested in the funds, rather than allocate their capital elsewhere, because the additional side compensation was recurring and depended on Criterion’s clients remaining invested.

For two of the funds, the private arrangement resulted in investment losses for MacArthur and Gravette’s clients.

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“Defendants kept their clients in the dark as to all these material facts and, in doing so, they violated their fiduciary duty and defrauded their advisory clients,” the complaint states. “What’s more, these undisclosed compensation arrangements rendered Criterion’s Form ADV filings with the Commission materially misleading, and no policies and procedures had been adopted and/or implemented at Criterion to prevent these compliance failures.”

The complaint does not name the fund managers in which MacArthur and Gravette invested their clients’ money. However, it does say that the principals of one of the fund managers were “long time social acquaintances” of MacArthur and Gravette “dating back to the 1980s when they attended the same university.”

The complaint seeks permanent injunctions against MacArthur and Gravette, prohibiting future violations of federal securities laws. It also seeks an order requiring the defendants to relinquish their “ill-gotten gains” with interest, and the imposition of civil penalties.

SEC Complaint:

SEC complaint
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79 Responses

  1. Whether this was due to cheating or a lack of knowledge on how to properly operate such a business, it increases my fears for th church today. The first would be outright sin. The second would indicate that one was not doing their best for the Lord. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…It is the Lord Christ whom you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). It is our duty as Christians to do everything to the best of our ability, and that includes learning all we can about the jobs we do. Needless to say, anything involving lying, cheating, and stealing is a direct sin and needs to be repented of immediately. What a sad witness this is.

    1. Lisa:

      150% agree with you.

      Thank you,Julie, for posting this.

      This is a very serious charge. Another sad indictment against the church.

      Mark needs to immediately step down
      from the school. And repay those he defrauded.

      Forget about the idea of persecution in USA.

      These Christians need to fear the Federal govt when they decide to investigate their corruption.

      And the IRS needs to investigate and punish James Macdonald for using tithes and offerings to pay for his hunting safari!!

      1. In what way is this a “sad indictment against the church?”? The fact that Christians sin is not new. The fact that board members of Christian ministries sin is not new. The fact that leaders should be above reproach but often are not is not new.

        This article I believe neglects to explain that the allegations do not involve Grace To You or the seminary or church at all. This leaves the story itself open to be misinterpreted and misconstrued or misused by people who don’t like MacArthur’s teaching should on one top or another to attack a ministry and create false rumor against it.

        Lastly, I find it inexpressibly sad to see that people who dislike MacArthur’s doctrinal positions would gleefully revel in this sad occasion or express shock at it through crocodile tears, secretly glad and hopeful that it hurts his ministry. Christians who use such unfair and vindictive means in intramural theological debates jeopardize the faith of weaker believers and spread the narrative that Christians are hypocritical to the wider world in how they deal with each other. Any form of celebrating, thinly veiled or not, is untoward.

        1. Doesn’t implicate him at all I guess, he just got richer as a result of it and bailed out when it went bad, is the appearance. But hey…appearances aren’t just that.

        2. William… I agree with every word you wrote.

          “This article I believe neglects to explain that the allegations do not involve Grace To You or the seminary or church at all. This leaves the story itself open to be misinterpreted and misconstrued or misused by people who don’t like MacArthur’s teaching should on one top or another to attack a ministry and create false rumor against it.”

          You better believe it was intentional.

          The “sad indictment against the church” is right there in the article, the motives of the heart of the person/persons who wrote it. Shame on them!

          1. Elaine, William, and Jeri,

            Julie Roys is simply stating the information as it is presented in the SEC Complaint. There is no further commentary.

            It is news.

            since mark macarthur is on the board of directors of GTY, he partipates in managing over $22 million just in donations given in good faith.

            i’d say this is very relevant news, and worthy of your concern.

          2. Scottie,

            You are correct and I am thankful for JR reporting the facts.
            I am sure some GCC members like to defend the indefensible.

        3. I for one happen to love John MacArthur, so, so much for your bias claim. Yes it is a bad witness. His son is on the church board. Is he there because of his “integrity ” or because its dads church. Any such public sins are bad for the Church (universal) because unbelievers view it as sickening hypocrisy. The Church preaches against the world’s sins and within the Church the same is going on.

        4. William, you speak so much truth that many will ignore you. Fortunately, our God is not caught off guard by anything, as we know. Let us pray for repentance for Mark and that John’s preaching will continue as faithfully as ever.

        5. They aren’t setting an example. And everyone’s mouths shut…speaks volumes. being silent makes them complicit. When good people are indifferent and do nothing, they are complicit. hey have to own their actions and repent. Especially now in the time of COVID John mac is fighting to congregate and won too!

          He often would quote from the New Testament. Romans 13:1-2 states, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

          The Hypocrisy is dense.

          1. It is called civil disobedience. The scripture commands for them to not forsake the gathering together as some have. The apostles said “We must obey God rather than man” Anytime the government’s laws contradict scripture we must disobey the government. Elementary, my dear Watson!

        6. People don’t get ahead of yourselves. He has not been tried and found guilty except of course by the posse of John MacArthur haters who would just love to find fault. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones, let him without sin cast the first stone and those who are so perfect remember when you point a finger at someone there are three pointing back at you. There are always people out there who want to cause mischief to the purpose of God

        7. I’m an active member of Grace and I agree with you, completely. It is Satan’s active role to undermine the church and the Word of God. No one is perfect, no not one and I’m sure there’s more to this story than we need to know; it’s not our business it’s between our Lord and those who are or are not involved in this situation. I stand firmly behind Pastor John MacArthur, he’s a flock leader and a blessed one, at that.

      2. Christians are due the same due process of law in this country as every other American. Has he been found guilty of anything? NO

        This same judicial system allows James Comey, former head of the FBI, & Andrew McCabe, who actually commited felonies but never be charged or brought to justice??? Numerous others in the FBI & DOJ, committed felonies signing warrants they knew weren’t true.Obama’s administration were never held to account for crimes. His Attorney General was the first AG to be found in criminal contempt of Congress.

        It’s curious when these “ALLEGATIONS” have come out against MacArthur’s son.

        The attack on Christians goes on everyday in so many areas. It assuredly includes these government agencies with their own agendas.

    2. I wonder to what degree these guys understood “fiduciary” duty? Were they just amateurs who saw an easy way to make some big money? So, as I understand the complaint, people didn’t “lose” money; they just didn’t make as much as they could have made. I keep my investments in the stock market with a reputable fiduciary. That’s the safest way to invest.

      1. You don’t recommend investments without disclosing that you stand to profit from those investments. It goes without saying. They weren’t that ignorant.

    3. As I read the complaint, it was obvious the men knew what they were doing because they were told the clients were not getting the maximum they could get for their investment. So sad. How much money does someone have to have to be satisfied?!!!!

      1. “MacArthur and Gravette recommended that their clients invest more than $16 million in four private real estate investment funds”

        What kind of REAL ESTATE was held by these funds?

        Any church buildings involved?

        1. FYI, complaint says “Fund Manager A” was midwest-based. Both of the real estate funds that “Fund Manager A” managed included commercial real estate. Like you, I would also be interested in whether that commercial real estate included church buildings (whether by design or by actual or potential use).

  2. As with the complaints against the handling of sexual abuse at The Master’s College, I’m sure that this will be proclaimed as another attack on the ministry of MacArthur, Sr.

          1. Wow! Thank you for this link! Where on earth were her parents? If this happened to my own there would’ve been lawyers, criminal cases and lawsuits galore. As a born again Christian, these fake wolves in sheeps clothing have had enough cover for their crimes. Christ gave us a Commission to make Disciples of His Kingdom, not “right thinking”, using rhetoric to get ourselves out of loving thy neighbor.

          2. I have had more than a dozen friends who’ve been spiritually abused by followers of MacArthur and his church principles, not Christ. It is the culture of now 3 churches in my community. The leaders in these churches use the words “The right way to think about this is…” all the time when trying to hide their sin, to bully the congregation, and whenever they are questioned. They used it once in a letter sent out to the church, when they got rid of a great employee, and people were threatening to leave. It makes me sick to my stomach and sad. They are not servant leaders, they are bullies. The truth though, will eventually come out.

  3. Perhaps there’s a legitimate legal issue here. Perhaps it’s just disgruntled investors. All I know is every stock I own that has cut its dividends or had a serious downturn has gotten sued by disgruntled investors. As a stock holder I’ve had these types of court documents mailed to me to recruit me into a class action suit. Plus there’s a whole category of lawyers who make their living filing suits like this, whether legitimate or not. I think that there needs to be caution in posting legal filings that have not withstood the tests of the courtroom. Plus there needs to be caution in acting or even implying as though a court filing means these men are guilty. Let’s see this play out.

    1. This is a legitimate concern. So often the public tends to confuse “charges” and “convictions”. There is an ethical responsibility, I think, to remind the public of the difference and to withhold judgment until due process has occurred. Apart from such reminders some will blur the difference in their minds and conversations resulting in a serious mark against the accused regardless of the outcome. If the charges are valid, I trust that there will be a legal conviction. But until that occurs we all need to distinguish carefully between being accused and being found guilty.

    2. It’s a public record and a free country. There’s no premature judgment in reporting that charges have been made, and then posting the complaint for people to review themselves.

      1. There is when you are throwing shade on the unaccused. This has nothing to do with reporting on Mark but on John and the church. Many great articles written about Mark and the charges against. Responsible journalism “in a free country” doesn’t try and incriminate others by association.

        1. Hi Jason. How am I “throwing shade on the unaccused”?

          I’m guessing many of readers of this blog don’t know who Mark MacArthur is. I’d never heard of him before today. So, I see a headline and lede that creates immediate connection and context for the reader. Otherwise, the reader wouldn’t understand what’s newsworthy about the SEC’s complaint, why Julie is reporting on it, and why readers of this blog should care. Christian news sources that fail to mention that Mark MacArthur is John’s son and is on the GTY Board are leaving out relevant and critical information.

          If any celebrity’s son or daughter is charged with a crime – and the son or daughter is not as well known as his/her parent – most mainstream secular and Christian media outlets would make an immediate connection to the parent.

          1. I think everyone knows why this is a story posted on this site and spread widely on Christian twitter, because it associates a person close to MacArthur with wrongdoing and some people are glad to see that.

          2. William, I’m not glad to see it, and that’s not the reason the story is on this blog.

            John MacArthur is a high-profile preacher who has supporters and detractors. I, for one, have been a fan of his careful exposition of Scripture, even on points/issues that I see differently.

            Mark MacArthur is on the board of a Christian non-profit, Grace to You, which brought in over $18 million in 2015, the last year it filed a 990. Yes, his father’s teaching is at the heart of that ministry, but let’s say Mark MacArthur was on the board of Samaritan’s Purse or that a Samaritan’s purse board member was charged with fraud. That, too, would be news.

            The SEC charging someone with defrauding investors of $16 million is news in and of itself. What makes it “Christian/Evangelical news” is if the person is leader/figure in that “world” and/or is connected to someone or some entity therein.

            Yes, JM’s detractors will have a field day. Welcome to the 24-news-cycle, supported by myriad free speech platforms. But that has nothing to do with whether this is a story worth reporting.

        2. I’ve been aware of my God’s salvation for me for about 20 years now. My family is a wreck, mostly, to this day, and I have found that much of the evangelistic true church is more in love with financial gain, than in discipleship. Even when one does find skilled paracletes, they seem clearly to prefer the promising Daniels of the world, over the hesitant Gideon-type believers, who stumble in weak faith, for “too-long a period of time.”

          I cut my teeth on Charles Stanley, and soon my Lord had me listening to John MacArthur. I hated the man, and at the same time, soaked his preaching up. All these years later, I remain amazed at God’s work in his teaching of the truth, and while I am still often agitated at his tone, I now understand that he is merely a man, and with all that he knows, he knows a speck of the truth compared to the knowledge of God, which will one day welcome even the Gideons of the world, the losers, the weak, the, “poor in spirit,” into His kingdom.

          In John’s early years, he was a real jerk in his preaching, from the POV of someone who never had anyone speak into his life in a positive, let alone Godly way; me. This morning, I listened to a sermon from 2017 titled Forgiveness in the Age of Rage (82-2), and the message was gentle, and with the riots tied to the rage of George Floyd, fitting to listen to for a reminder of the evil that men are, inside their hearts. The message was keen.

          Yet, as with many of us, a younger John MacArthur, from 1988, comes across with a tone of harshness to many, regarding striving to gain and keep ones integrity, the message titled, “Essentials for Growth in Godliness (50-6). In it there is a tone from that era which, to me, communicated what John Mark may have felt when the Apostle Paul dismissed him, a tone that Barnabas picked up on, which John stated in another lesson, was the latter’s failure to recognize the former’s Apostolic authority. For the believer, God soon taught Paul grace in a new way, and we know that his opinion of John Mark changed in time, b/c of the latter’s usefulness, but Christ doesn’t weigh our worth on our usefulness; our worth is in Him, and He manifests our sanctification, according to His timeline, not that of men; it is He who engages us toward our good works, which He determined in advance, that we should do. Men are too often holding a ledger from which they gauge the effectiveness of other men, yet century after century, war & death, scandal, deceit, greed, worship of power and might over compassion, which spits on the weak, are man’s greatest achievements. Praise the God of Righteousness that He does not delight in the power of a horse, neither delights in the legs of a mighty man (Psalm 147:10).

          John MacArthur’s son, Mark, and John, are only, men. God, is not a man, that He should lie, nor is He a son of man, that He should change his mind (Num 23:19). I praise Him that this is the case. In this is the lesson which is vital, to not be a man-pleaser, as I was at heart, imagining disdain from John MacArthur, b/c I longed for proper Godly leadership, yet heard him seemingly chasten with disgust, my own weakness and failures; my own lack of help and support near me. What a horrible season I recall that was, hopelessness, and berating; yet, God, He was with me. I had to learn many things, one of them being that as protected as John MacArthur has been in his entire life, as cautious to not drop a pin in the hay, he’s not perfect, and all that the charges against his son display, if proved to be true, is that they both are human; but his sermons already reveal that.

          If Mark is guilty, he will have to pay what he owes and move on, hopefully in grace, and many at the church and the seminary, due to this and the current situation of the Master’s seminary probation, will hopefully examine themselves to see if they have failed to hold up the high level of integrity, which has been a focus of preaching from the the pulpit of Grace church, for decades.

          https://www.chronicle.com/article/Accreditor-Cites-Leadership/245853

          All this shows is the nature of life, for everyone.

  4. Historically, I’ve had a lot of respect for the Macarthur Family, but over the last few years, with revelations about MacArthurs son in law getting huge payouts and jobs he’s not qualified for, and now this, this has greatly impacted my view and it looks like money has really changed this family.

    1. Todd – I am in the same camp as you. I had supported the MacArthur ministry in many ways. Have a shelf of resources from the ministry and avidly condoned the ministry, however, over the years I have had great misgivings and personally had a very disturbing telephone conversation several years ago with one of their ‘counselors’. This shook me and I haven’t been the same since then.

  5. May I please raise the question?

    Why is Nepotism so common in evangelical circles?

    While I assume Mark MacArthur is innocent until proven guilty, …..but why is it that he sits on the Board of Directors providing oversight for his own dad?

    Was there a scarcity of personnel that Grace To You Org had to succumb to nepotistic tendencies of inviting a son to provide oversight for his very own father?

    Look, I have benefited and grown much under teaching of Grace To You in past and present. But we all have seen and quickly criticized ( and Rightly so !! ) when disgraced pastor James MacDonald had his own sons installed on the powerful Executive XLT board .

    We all saw the bad consequences that arose out of that when a former church ( “Harvest Bible” ) was transformed over time into Pope James MacDonald corporation Inc , in which Transparency and genuine Accountability and true Oversight disappeared !!!

    And yet Pastor John MacArthur has his son sits in the Board?

    1. You trust who you trust. Why do you think Kushner works so closely with President Trump? It’s just really tricky if it turns out that trust was misplaced.

    2. Mark:

      You raise a very important point about the nepotism occurring, not only in large organizations, but in local churches also. This “family business” atmosphere prevents the proper checks and balances that should occur in an organization. Besides greed, the lack of accountability and lack of a truly independent governing board are really at the heart of ministry problems set forth in this blog.

      The large state university I spent many years with would never have allowed this level of “family business” to occur. For example, not only were spouses normally not permitted to work closely together, they usually were not even allowed to work in the same department, and certainly not the level of family control many ministries have.

      – Greg

    1. Also at the Wartburg Watch is the report that John MacArthur’s son-in-law received over $5 million dollars for video services over 7 years. “Auditors of Master University cited as a significant deficiency that there were several instances of management overriding or circumventing controls that were in place to process payments…Further, the report noted that there was the appearance of conflicts of interest with the President’s son-in-law supervising a contract from which he benefits…”

      It appears that there is more than one incident of nepotism in MacArthur’s businesses.

      See http://thewartburgwatch.com/2018/08/24/john-macarthurs-son-in-laws-alleged-compensation-for-video-production-and-macarthurs-alleged-comments-during-a-meeting-with-seminary-students/

      1. Here are some pertinent observations. The issue is extremely serious. If you read the 28 page SEC complaint (as I have), you’ll see that the SEC lodged a deficiency letter well before this last complaint, citing serious lapses in compliance. Mark and Bob were 50/50 partners. They are both experienced in the investment business. They failed to address the issues cited by the SEC. So when the SEC came back a few years later and these men had failed to address conflict of interest issues the SEC rightfully dropped the hammer. These men were put on notice and failed to respond. The SEC operates on the basis of full disclosure. Charge your clients what you will, but let them know all they need to know. To fail in this respect is a twofold breach…breach of fiduciary duty to fully disclose material facts and conflict of interest.

        What’s apparent is that Mark seemingly is following in his father’s steps. When WASC placed Master’s on probation in 2018, John claimed persecution, disparaged WASC and violated Board directives by speaking publicly at the College and Seminary in inflammatory ways while failing to accept responsibility for the issues at hand, which were well documented.

        Now the son has been warned by the SEC and failed to take steps to eliminate the obvious conflict of interest.

        Speaking of conflict of interest…John directed millions of dollars to his son in law on an uncontested basis in clear violation of ECFA standards for related party transactions. Not “above reproach”

        Now we have the son entering into related party transactions and conflicts of interest.

        Common theme…disregard for the authorities. John detests WASC. Mark ignores the SEC.

        If you read the SEC complaint you’ll see their findings are well documented.

  6. Disgraced pastor James MacDonald had his sons installed on the important XLT Exec board, which supposedly provided oversight to key, critical issues involving multi-campus Harvest Bible Chapel and its multi-million dollars budget. Yet the sons, along with Rick Donald and others, profited from this relationship of Nepotism, and they all failed to rein in the many abuses and sinful patterns of James MacDonald. This permitted James to earn well over 1.3 million per year, while the church grew to over 43 million dollars in debt !!

    Now, I learn that the son of Pastor John MacArthur sits on an influential Board of Directors, that oversees Grace To You ministry….the same ministry that his father runs.

    What is it with Nepotism and “Family Connections” within the Evangelical Church ?

    I hear these famous pastors talk about the “heart is so wicked”…..”sinful heart”…..and yet nobody raises an objection when they appoint their own family members to key roles of oversight within the organization.

    At my secular job……my un-believing, Non-Christian friends see quickly through this fake, pseudo pretenses.

    Seriously….how can a son provide genuine accountability over his father? Or vice versa? There are conflicts of interest here. Nepotism. Family connections.

    1. Hi Mark. I think you may not understand what it means for Mark MacArthur to be on the Board of Directors of GTY is. Pastor John does not run GTY, a board does. The Board has the responsibility of protecting the “works” of John MacArthur, making sure the proceeds of anything produced under the ministry is in adherence to their mission statement which is to further the proclamation of God’s Word. It does not oversee Pastor John, that is the role of the elders at Grace Church. It is very common to have a son like Mark on the board because of his vested interests to protect his father, his image and the ministry God has provided him. It is not a conflict of interest, in fact, Pastor John could have elected to keep it himself and allow his family to run it, which he does not. I would assume that Pastor John’s other son would sit on the board as well. If you had a product, ministry or whatever to run, you’d want people who were able to protect after you were called to heaven.

      I do see the warning here that someone has given about placing charges that have not been proven in court. On another website, a few years ago a web master posted a police report that a past student of TMC had filed, but the police did not proceed with the investigation against TMC. However, people acted like the report was fact, that a woman was raped and the school covered it up. It never went anywhere because the police did investigate and found truth. So yes, it is important to watch such things.

      1. Thomas Sullivan:

        “Hi Mark. I think you may not understand what it means for Mark MacArthur to be on the Board of Directors of GTY is. Pastor John does not run GTY, a board does. The Board has the responsibility of protecting the “works” of John MacArthur, making sure the proceeds of anything produced under the ministry is in adherence to their mission statement which is to further the proclamation of God’s Word. It does not oversee Pastor John, that is the role of the elders at Grace Church. It is very common to have a son like Mark on the board because of his vested interests to protect his father, his image and the ministry God has provided him. It is not a conflict of interest, in fact, Pastor John could have elected to keep it himself and allow his family to run it, which he does not ”

        Thomas,

        I stand corrected: thank you.

        1. mark, i think you were a little quick, there, to “stand corrected”.

          Thomas left out the fact GTY is a business that generates money from which John MacArthur profits. Don’t silence your voice of common sense which is trying to remind you of that fact.

          Assets for 2019 were close to $26 million.

          1. I really don’t follow your point. The business is the work product generated by John MacArthur and the board protects and manages that product. There is nothing untoward about the son being on that board. If the allegations about investment fraud turn out to be true, then that still has nothing to do with the father of the college. Are we to hold your parents and your college responsible for your sin?

  7. https://www.gracechurch.org/sermons/1424

    Around minute 7:20 – Mark MacArthur preaches about Zacchaeus and how he says in Luke 19:8 – “if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

    It might be good to be one of those impacted investors because those are pretty good returns!!!!

    1. It will be very interesting to see if Mark will be held to this standard. Or will excuses be made that this passage “is not to be taken literally” or “doesn’t apply in this context”?

      We may see how strong John MacArthur’s commitment to Sola Scriptura truly is.

  8. Lets back up here in order to see the forest from the trees. We Christians are natural idolators. So many are not content with feeding themselves, nor are they content with the truth of God’s Word in pure form. So we look for Great Teachers to take the place of the Holy Spirit and to tickle our ears with the doctrine we want to hear. When we find them we fall all over ourselves to worship them by throwing Mammon at their ministries. We buy the books that they lie about, claiming to write themselves when some lackey has been paid peanuts to actually write them. We replace prayer and personal study of the Bible with listening to our favorite celebrity. By doing this we take our devotion off of where it belongs: on the Godhead, and give it to some wicked actor putting on a show. Next thing you know here come the scandals in the ministry. Some right in the lap of the main idol and others in his nepotistic system. Then the idolators come out and defend the indefensible telling others to disobey Jesus Christ by ignoring the actual fruit of the ministry. What a leaders children do are certainly part of their fruit.

    The short of this is that some have created their own private Pope John Mac, in this case. He can do no wrong, even when he does! This Pope, like so many others, makes millions in Mammon off of selling Go$pel products to whoever has their ears tickled with the message. This was never Jesus way. This was not the Apostles way either. They got martyred for their leadership. We common Christians need to repent! That is to confess our idolatry, even as Pope John Mac falls (and he certainly is in the process of doing that) and then stop looking for a human replacement with better white-wash on their ministry. These men stealing devotion from the Godhead are all snakes and white-washed septic tanks. Jesus’ words are still alive today condemning such as these. Their is nothing “Christian” about greed, lying, manipulating and leveraging fame for temporal riches. What does it gain a man to gain the whole world (in riches) and lose his very soul?

    1. It is not a sin to be rich. Abraham was one of the richest men in the world. And God called him a friend of God. Look at Job. You don’t count how much money a person makes you count how much they give away.

  9. The cynicism and hate among Christians is appalling. We can’t wait to hurl the most venomous vitriol at believers that we dislike. Does anyone recall that love for fellow believers is not simply a good idea, it is the acid proof of the new birth?

    1. Love for fellow believers also allows for calling out the sin that besets us all. Usually, it’s first noticed by a secular news source. Call it the curse of the age of the internet, but believers, especially those in public ministry, need to above board in their financial dealings. Not to mention their sexual ones. Money and sex always seem to get ministries into trouble.

      1. Allegations and even charges must not lead to the assumption of guilt with the resulting scorn. Love believes all things. Now when due process demonstrates guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, then appropriate rebukes and disciplines should occur.

    2. Mr. Hendrix I am only following Jesus example and that of John the Baptist the greatest man that ever lived according to Jesus. What you are saying is that they are cynical and unloving? Really. “Woe to you!” Is that not what Jesus said? How would men like this avoid hell according to Jesus? Your love is so milk-toasted as to say we should coddle the wolves in our midst. This is simply ridiculous. Jesus loved these religious impostors so much that he called them out on what they were doing and where they were going. The O.T. prophets loved their people so much that they called them out on their sin and where it was headed too, even though it meant that their own persecuted and even murdered them. You do not understand the LOVE of the Father that is so real that He disciplines us, and sometimes severely, for our own good.

      1. Luke 9:54-56 “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

  10. My personal testimony in dealing with Grace to you has been nothing but extraordinary and life changing. I did not understand many aspects of the gospel and praise God I found Grace to you’s website. Every sermon Pastor John has preached is there as well as many other resources. I have spent hours reading and listening to them with my bible in hand. It has changed my life, increased my faith and understanding of the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ who is my Lord and Savior. Grace to you did not charge me for the hours I have been on their site. I am so grateful! I praise God for the good this ministry has done reaching lost souls for Christ across the world.
    D

      1. Well Scottie You are entitled to your opinion but I disagree. Why do you care that I have posted something wonderful about this ministry? People reading these posts need to know how God has used Grace to You. There are a lot of comments assuming guilt and accusations of wrong doing.
        God Bless you

  11. The complaint is NOT against John MacArthur or Grace Church or Grace to You ministries in general. MANY of YOU have jumped to false conclusions associating John MacArthur or associated ministries with this complaint.

    What his son may have done, despite the fact that he is on the Board for GTY Radio does NOT mean that any church related ministry or member has done ANYTHING wrong let alone other church leadership. At this time the complaint is against a business NOT against the CHURCH or church leadership.

    Please stop jumping to conclusions. Please reserve judgement. Let the legal process reveal the truth and then everyone can weigh in. Frankly I’m disappointed that Julie would arbitrarily publish this ultimately sensationalizing yet unproven charges because he is related to one of the most prominent and reliable biblical scholars and pastors in 50 years. To throw John MacArthur or Grace Ministries under the bus by implication or association without corroborating evidence or actual convictions is completely unfair.

    1. Hi, John,

      I recently came across news articles on Mark MacArthur’s charges from the SEC. Roys’ piece was not the first one that caught my eye. Yet, it was written fairly, as most of the other short articles were. Roys in no way throws MacArthur under the bus. However, a charge of $16M failure-to-disclose from a federal agency is especially important because Mark serves on GTY’s Board of Directors. For any long-time member of Grace Community Church (I was one, before I moved – and I loved it), this charge is serious enough to warrant clear, truthful answers from the younger MacArthur (and his resignation from the BOD). This allegation is grim news that follows a horrid investigation of several years into the financial shenanigans, nepotism, and accusations of harassment of TMU staff that have put its accreditation in jeopardy.

      Roys merely reported facts about the issue, and provided links to GTY, GCC, TMU, Criterion Wealth Management, and the SEC – and she provided access to the case filing from the SEC. She did not slander or besmirch Grace in content or purpose. In this case, should the charges of the younger MacArthur and Gravette turn out to be true, then the university, GTY, and GCC need to not only do some major public repenting for their actions, but also be placed under major accountability until the dross is fired.

      All is not well in Graceland.

  12. Julie, what say you about implicating John MacArthur indirectly in the article? Is there more evidence coming that he had knowledge or participated in anything illegal? If not I think it would be fair and wise to make that clear and not give the enemy a foothold. None of us would want to be convicted in the court of public opinion first. We need the accountability God is bringing through people like yourself, but balanced with being careful not to destroy brothers and sisters if they are indeed innocent.

  13. This post and the comments that follow represent such small minded thinking.

    What happened to “innocent til proven guilty?” What happened to real love “believes all things and hopes all things?” What happened to the right to a day in court?

    Just because someone is charged does not equate to guilt. Just because someone writes an article does not mean they have the slightest knowledge of the details to the issue. All they have are the charges. And notice no one ever responds to Julie Roy’s calls regarding her stories. This is very telling. It is a pearl swine thing.

    This is not journalism, this is raw gossip. Julie Roy’s is an embarrassment to Christianity. She has no accountability. She is not under submission to any leadership. She is a solo slanderer.

    Yes, I am life long friend of Mark MacArthur, 50 years. Mark is a man of integrity and yes I should know. And Julie Roy’s has not a clue about the situation.

    I pity those that toss rocks, who someday will be in the same situation as the defendants. What will you think when you are the person whose name appears in a Julie Roy’s article.

    You better be very careful.

  14. Why do McArthur’s sons receive 200,000 a year? What is their job at daddy’s ministry? And isn’t it odd they earn more then the head pastor.

    1. Just came across this article.

      Margaret, where did you read that MacArthur’s sons receive salary from Grace To You? Both Mark and Matt (the oldest of MacArthur’s children) are listed as board members of GTY. Salary specifics are not listed in the ministry’s most recent financial statement (which is available in PDF form on its website).

  15. Today the world is at our fingertips. I can buy a book written by authors from any country in the world. I’m no history buff, I barely made it through the subject year after year, but I do know Hitler was not someone to be admired due to his character proven by the factual stories passed on to me through books and teachers, etc. Could you imagine if I had no clue who he was and picked up some of his writings thinking to myself, “Guys, check this Hitler guy out! This man is a great leader!” Everyone would look at me sideways. What if I responded, “Well you didn’t know him personally! How dare you take part in this gossip!”

    That’s what’s going on in Christianity today. Our kids, our adults, are swallowing books whole, written by people they’ve never met, endorsed by publishers they think they trust. And we are being led astray by the thinking these authors‘ character need not matter.

    If the apostle Paul warned his beloved, why not we? Even the devil can quote scripture. Character counts. David, though he sinned greatly, was still a man of character and integrity because he confessed and repented!

    I’m not commenting on the article so much as I’m responding to the repetitive comments that are left on all of these articles. We’re still arguing the view “If it’s not in your own back yard, why talk about it?!” and “Why post this on the internet for all the world to see?!”

    Maybe because the church has stretched across the globe along with the influence of every author and pastor? We can’t go back to the days of mailing hand written letters like the apostles. It would not reach the beloved in time to save them from ruin!

    Worried about painful truth getting into the so-called wrong hands aka non-Christians? What do you feel when a non-Christian reads Paul’s letter to the Corinthians for the first time?

    I only wish I had the $ to support The Roys Report. I’ve often wondered when the pastors in my church were going to step up and warn their flock of the wolves. They never do, knowing some of us are reading material that’s distorting good theology and muddying the waters of righteous living. Thank you Julie. It’s a hard calling, and probably doubly hard as a woman. Not because women aren’t capable, but because they’re still frowned upon for speaking up. On the other hand maybe it’s easier; as women have that momma bear instinct. Don’t shrink back! We’re praying for you.

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