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John MacArthur (American pastor)
American evangelical preacher (1939–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (June 19, 1939 – July 14, 2025) was an American Calvinist Baptist pastor, Christian theologian, author, and founder of Grace to You, a nationally syndicated radio and television Bible teaching program.[1] He was the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California from 1969 to 2025.[2] He was the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in Santa Clarita, California and The Master's Seminary.
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MacArthur was a proponent of expository preaching, and has been acknowledged by Christianity Today as one of the most influential Christian preachers of his time.[3] MacArthur wrote or edited more than 150 books. The MacArthur Study Bible, containing study notes and teaching guides written by MacArthur, has sold more than one million copies, receiving a Gold Medallion Book Award.[4] In 2021, he helped a team from The Master's Seminary in partnership with the Lockman Foundation create the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB), an update to the NASB '95 Bible translation.
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Early life and education
The grandson of Canadian Anglican minister Harry MacArthur (d. 1950) and son of Baptist radio preacher Jack MacArthur[2][5] and Irene Dockendorf, John MacArthur was born on June 19, 1939 in Los Angeles, California.[6][7] During a 1979 interview, he said that he was "distantly related to General Douglas MacArthur... I understand that I’m a fifth cousin, and so it’s quite a distance but nonetheless we are related."[8][9]
John MacArthur followed in his father's footsteps and enrolled at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina from 1957 to 1959. In 1960, after a gap year, he was accepted as a student at the Free Methodist Church's Los Angeles Pacific College.[2] In 1964, he earned a Masters of Divinity degree from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles' new Talbot Theological Seminary in La Mirada, California.[2]
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Career
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When MacArthur was at Bob Jones University, his father recruited him to the Voice of Calvary singing quartet, often broadcast on Christian radio in Southern California. Then, from 1964 to 1966, he was hired by his father to be an associate pastor at the Harry MacArthur Memorial Bible Church (now Calvary Bible Church) in Burbank, California, which his father Jack had planted and named for his own father.[5] From 1966 to 1969, John MacArthur served as the faculty representative for Talbot Theological Seminary. On February 9, 1969, he was brought on as the third and the youngest yet, pastor at the non-denominational Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, a neighborhood of Los Angeles adjacent to Burbank.[10] MacArthur's daily radio and television program, Grace to You, began as sermons from the Grace Community Church pulpit recorded on reel-to-reel (and then audio cassettes). In 1977, the sermons were first broadcast on WRBS in Baltimore, Maryland, and the radio ministry of the church was born.[11][12] Also in 1977, he received an honorary degree from Grace Graduate School in 1976 and from Talbot Theological Seminary (a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1977).[13]
In 1985, MacArthur was made the president of Los Angeles Baptist College, now The Master's University, a four-year Christian liberal arts college.[14] In 1986, he was named the president of The Master's Seminary.[15] On June 5, 2011, MacArthur completed a 42 year long sermon series of the entire New Testament at Grace Community Church, a self-described life goal.[16][17]
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Theological positions
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Cessationism
MacArthur was a cessationist, holding the belief that the "sign gifts", such as prophecy described in the Bible, were temporarily granted to the apostles to authenticate the origin and truth of the scriptures, and that at the close of the Apostolic Age these gifts had served their purpose and ceased to be granted.[18] He was one of the most prominent voices in American Christianity against the continuationist beliefs of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement, which assert that God continues to confer spiritual (sign) gifts today. MacArthur wrote three books on the subject. In October 2013, his church hosted the "Strange Fire Conference" to mark the launch of a book, Strange Fire.[19] The event featured many speakers who argued for cessationist theology and strongly critiqued the Charismatic movement.[20][18]
MacArthur said that modern "visions, revelations, voices from heaven... dreams, speaking in tongues, prophecies, out-of-body experiences, trip to heaven, anointings, miracles [are] all false, all lies, all deceptions attributed falsely to the Holy Spirit." His view was that "[t]he Charismatic movement has stolen the Holy Spirit and created a golden calf, and they're dancing around the golden calf as if it were the Holy Spirit."[21][22]
Christology
In 1983, MacArthur first published his belief in the doctrine of "incarnational sonship." In 1989, after receiving criticism, he defended his views in a plenary session of the annual convention of the Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA). A decade later, he announced he had retracted this view via an article from Grace to You.[23]
Complementarianism
MacArthur said that he believed Scripture opposes both "male chauvinist and feminist views."[24] He had a complementarian view on gender roles[25] and considered the Bible to forbid women to preach to men or to exercise authority over men in churches. He believed that the Biblical roles of elder and pastor are restricted to men. To this end, he cited the biblical passages of 1 Timothy 2:11–12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34–35.[26][27][28]
Dispensational theology
MacArthur viewed himself as being a "leaky dispensationalist"[29] to acknowledge the areas where his views differ from traditional dispensationalism.[30] Specifically, he emphasized a literal interpretation of Scripture and a distinction between Israel and the Church.[31] He held to the premillennialist view of eschatology, a pre-tribulational rapture of the church, and a literal millennium.[32] He believed the Bible teaches a completely restored Israel shall inherit physical ownership of the land of Canaan on the earth.[33][34]
Gender and sexuality
MacArthur was against same-sex marriage as well as a critic of the ordination of women and the social justice movement.[35] He delivered multiple sermons in which he discussed these issues.[36]
With respect to sexual orientation, he asserted that "no one is gay" as "God didn't hardwire anybody"[37] to be gay any more than he "hardwires" individuals to be adulterers or bank robbers.[38] He compared the assertion that sexual orientation is a born trait to a hypothetical bank robber's protestation, "That's like saying, 'You know, I keep robbing banks, but I'm a robber. I'm a bank robber. What am I gonna do? I'm a bank robber.' That is not an excuse for what you do."[38]
Lordship Salvation
MacArthur taught that Romans 10:9 describes the doctrine of Lordship salvation when it says, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved".[39] The submission to Jesus as Lord when converting to faith in Jesus Christ became known to Arminians as the "Lordship salvation controversy" in the 1980s. MacArthur argued that one component of free grace theology is confessing Jesus Christ as Lord. He said, "You must receive Jesus Christ for who He is, both Lord and Savior, to be truly saved."[40] Regarding eternal security, he felt that "It should never be presented merely as a matter of being once saved, always saved with no regard for what you believe or do. The writer also states frankly that only those who continue living holy lives will enter the Lord's presence." His views stirred up controversy within American evangelicalism and were challenged in print by Free Grace theologians including Charles Ryrie and Zane C. Hodges, who argued that MacArthur's ministry was teaching a form of works-based salvation. However, MacArthur defended his position by sourcing two tapes recorded in 1989 when he was asked to "reason together with the IFCA man."[41] Defending his position, MacArthur often referenced Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me,‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we tnot prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’... Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ [42]
Young Earth creationism
MacArthur advocated Young Earth creationism in his book The Battle For the Beginning (2001) as well as in his sermons.[43] Speaking about evolutionary theory, he writes that Christians "ought to expose such lies for what they are and oppose them vigorously." He argued that "the battle for the beginning is ultimately a battle between two mutually exclusive faiths—faith in Scripture versus faith in anti-theistic hypotheses. It is not really a battle between science and the Bible."[44]
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Recognition
MacArthur received an honorary degree from Grace Graduate School in 1976 and from Talbot Theological Seminary (a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1977).[13] He spoke at events, conferences, and seminars including the annual Shepherd's Conference,[45] Keith & Kristyn Getty's Sing! Conference,[46] the Resolved conference,[47] and the G3 Conference.[48]
He was a guest on CNN's Larry King Live,[49] The Ben Shapiro Show,[50] FOX News, and MSNBC in addition to other news programs and documentaries.
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Notable controversies or disputes
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Qualification of pastors
In 2012, at the annual Shepherd's Conference, MacArthur was participating in a word association questionnaire when the moderator gave the name "Steven Furtick." MacArthur responded "unqualified" and proceeded to argue that Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church, was not qualified, by Biblical standards, to be a pastor.[51] Furtick responded to this comment in his 2016 book Unqualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things.
In 2019 at the Truth Matters Conference, during another word association questionnaire, MacArthur was given the prompt "Beth Moore". He responded, "Go home." Reiterating his stance on 1 Timothy 2:12, he continued, "There is no case that can be made biblically for a woman preacher. Period. Paragraph. End of discussion."[52] Moore responded to this by posting on her X account, "I did not surrender to a calling of man when I was 18 years old. I surrendered to a calling of God. It never occurs to me for a second to not fulfill it."[53]
COVID-19
In 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 global crisis, MacArthur contravened orders from Los Angeles County public health officials regarding services at Grace Community Church and insisted that no one from the church had become seriously ill, despite reports to the contrary.[54] He stated that 94% of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 could not be directly attributed to the disease alone, citing data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[55][56] Los Angeles County sued the church over its refusal to close down, and the church counter-sued, claiming that the County was violating rights to freedom of religion.[56] Eventually, all lawsuits were settled out of court with the County of Los Angeles and the state of California paying $400,000 each to Grace Community Church.[57][58]
The 2023 docu-drama, The Essential Church, details the events surrounding COVID-19 as well as GCC's response, among other churches in North America at the time.[59] The film explores the struggle between the Church and government throughout history, paralleling modern conflict with those from the past who sacrificed their lives for their beliefs.[60][61][62]
Response to domestic violence
In March 2022, The Roys Report published an investigation critical of Grace Community Church (GCC) and its pastor, John MacArthur.[63] Some female victims of domestic violence, according to the findings, were reportedly asked to return to their husbands or face excommunication. Hohn Cho, a GCC elder, said that he advised MacArthur to reconsider that stance.[64]
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Personal life
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In his early years, MacArthur dreamed of playing professional football, but a serious car accident at age 18 changed the trajectory of his future.[65][66]
Under Charles L. Feinberg,[2][67] he studied the Bible extensively and practiced expository teaching and preaching. In 1963, MacArthur met his wife, Patricia Sue Smith,[2][68] and they married in the same year.[69] They lived in southern California and had four married children: Matt, Marcy, Mark, and Melinda[70] as well as fifteen grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.[71]
Illness and death
MacArthur was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in January 2023 and underwent surgery to correct it with the implantation of cardiac stents.[72][73] In July 2023, he had a catheter inserted to further treat the condition, and was absent from the ministry (publicly) for a few weeks.[74][73] In the second half of 2024, he underwent an additional three surgeries,[75] including an aorta replacement and a procedure on his lungs to treat fluid build-up. After several months away, he briefly returned to limited public ministry in November 2024.[73][76][77] However, on January 6, 2025, it was reported that recovery from the surgeries had been slower than expected, and that he had been in hospital for two weeks with "occasional setbacks affecting his heart, lungs, and kidneys."[75][77]
On July 13, 2025, Grace Community Church associate pastor Tom Patton announced during a Sunday service that MacArthur had contracted pneumonia and was not expected to recover. Patton said that MacArthur had been admitted to the hospital, and that he "may be in the presence of the Lord soon."[78][79] MacArthur died the next day, July 14, at a hospital in Santa Clarita, California, at the age of 86 at 6:17pm PT.[6][2]
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Selected publications
- The Charismatics: A Doctrinal Perspective (1978) ISBN 0-310-28490-2
- Gospel According to Jesus (1989) ISBN 0-310-28651-4
- Charismatic Chaos (1993) ISBN 0-310-57572-9
- Our Sufficiency in Christ (1998) ISBN 1-58134-013-3
- Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World (2001) ISBN 1-58134-288-8
- Safe in the Arms of God: Truth from Heaven About the Death of a Child (July 8, 2003) ISBN 0-785-26343-8
- Think Biblically!: Recovering a Christian Worldview (2003) ISBN 1-58134-412-0
- Fool's Gold?: Discerning Truth in an Age of Error (2005) ISBN 1-58134-726-X
- Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You (May 8, 2006) ISBN 0-78528824-4
- Twelve Extraordinary Women: God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You (October 5, 2008) ISBN 1-418-57832-0
- Fundamentals of the Faith: 13 Lessons to Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ (February 24, 2009) ISBN 1-575-67323-1
- The Jesus You Can't Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ (2009) ISBN 1-4002-0206-X
- Saved Without A Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation (January 1, 2011) ISBN 1-434-70295-2
- Anxious for Nothing: God's Cure for the Cares of Your Soul (John Macarthur Study) (February 1, 2012) ISBN 0-781-40761-3
- Worship: The Ultimate Priority (2012) ISBN 0-802-40215-1
- Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship (2013) ISBN 978-1-4002-0517-2
- One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus (March 4, 2013) ISBN 1-401-67633-2
- Parables: The mysteries of God's Kingdom revealed through the stories Jesus told (2015) ISBN 1400203481
- The Gospel According to Paul: Embracing the Good News at the Heart of Paul's Teachings (2017) ISBN 0-718-09624-X
- Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (2017) ISBN 1-433-54591-8
- None Other: Discovering the God of the Bible (2017) ISBN 1-567-69738-0
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References
Further reading
External links
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