LTRP Note: In July of this year, we posted a news clip about John MacArthur’s passing. The news report we linked to also criticized MacArthur and Grace Community Church for how they have handled certain abuse cases.1 Some of our readers expressed strong disappointment and even anger toward us saying we should not have linked to the report. However, there are too many churches that cover up abuse and go so far as to ignore or even ostracize the victims. And that report we linked to is not the only place calling out GCC. The following is a letter sent to us recently after our posting the link.
Dear Lighthouse Trails:
I attended GCC for a year while in college. Since that time, I have come across several credible sources that speak the truth in love when speaking out against GCC (in other words there is no vendetta or agenda but just a concern for the spiritual well-being of GCC members). There is a lot of evidence that abuse cases were handled poorly and covered up. One woman was kicked out of the church for not following the church’s reconciliation plan. Her husband was later convicted of child sexual abuse and is in prison right now. (He confessed this sexual abuse to a counselor at Grace.)
Do some research on Hohn Cho who wrote a report about this situation and tried to warn the elders.2
Basically the model at GCC is to blame marital problems on the woman (not submitting enough, provoking her husband, etc.). One woman was disciplined for not going back to her husband despite the fact that he had asked for a divorce to be with another woman. I believe in God’s different roles for men and women, but GCC did seem to exalt the men at the expense of women. A roommate from college married a GCC man, and the way he talked about women was horrendous. I ultimately left the church because of the pride and judgementalism and the worship of JMac, but the male/female attitudes were also concerning.
Take a look at how GCC handled Steve Lawson’s recently exposed affair. Many at Grace knew or suspected, but he was a cash cow in the reformed world. He had a 5-year “inappropriate relationship” with a woman who was in the college group and attended The Masters University. I am not excusing her. She was an adult and knew what she was doing. But look at the double standard. Cover-up is the norm rather than the exception at GCC. There are also documented cases of pedophiles on staff if you want to go down that rabbit trail.3
Just a personal anecdote: I went to a Grace Church college retreat during the year I attended that church. Three women, whom I had never met before, raked me over the coals for expressing an interest in medical school. They attacked me harshly for wanting to be a working woman. I never said anything about marriage, kids, putting the kids in daycare. I was just a 19-year-old trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted. The whole weekend was ruined, and I never should have gone back to Grace, but at the time I thought these three women were an exception. Instead, that was par for the course. Later I found out I had three good friends (very solid Christians) who had all been kicked out of their small groups for vague or perceived sins or offenses. That is the fruit of GCC.
It just seems that Grace Community Church and like-minded ministries point fingers at other churches for scandal but do not examine the wolves in their midst because they assume the men have the “correct” theology. I think this mentality explains how they treat women as well. The man is the spiritual leader and women are easily deceived, so clearly a marital problem must be the woman’s responsibility. That is baked into the cake at Grace’s counseling ministry. I just don’t understand the mindset that you are ordained by God to be spiritual leader but somehow that means you do not have to take responsibility for your own shortcomings.
I just have such conflicted feelings about MacArthur and his ministry. I think there are blots on his legacy and it is fair to examine the teachings and judgmental attitudes and lack of discernment and accountability among leadership.
Wendy
Endnotes:
- https://julieroys.com/died-john-macarthur-reformed-expositor-with-worldwide-reach-and-tainted-legacy.
- https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/02/grace-community-church-elder-biblical-counseling-abuse.
- https://baptistnews.com/article/why-evangelicals-may-be-fearful-of-distancing-themselves-from-john-macarthur.
Just to be clear, this is not my current marriage. I now have a wonderful husband after the first left me.
Thank you for your exposure! Yes, everyone must be cautious regarding what Dr. John MacArthur embraced; he was not who he appeared to be.
The man you mentioned was a pedophile and wife abuser. And he attempted to suffocate one of his children. MacArthur’s church still stands with this man who was proven guilty, imprisoned, and admitted his crimes. Through it all, the church stood with this vile and deadly man, knowing it was true and they shunned the suffering wife as you stated in your letter.
Anyone who touches a child sexually needs to be hung from the highest tree.
John MacArthur owned three luxurious properties and one with a lake near his home and another home has a swimming pool and tennis court, etc. “It was further revealed that MacArthur’s Grace Community Church resigned from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability after Roys raised questions about the ministry’s compliance with membership standards, such as the timely release of financial statements on request, and concerns that two of MacArthur’s sons have served on GTY’s board along with their father. Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Mark MacArthur, 52, along with a wealth management company he founded, with defrauding their advisory clients in a $16 million real estate investment scheme.” (source: The Christian Post: https://www.christianpost.com/news/official-denies-john-macarthur-makes-more-than-500k-a-year.html)
It is so sad and appalling that this has been allowed to continue. I read from McArthur’s own teaching that a woman needs to stay with the abuser and not do anything that would provoke him. This clearly shows he did not understand abuse. I walked on egg shells for years attempting to keep things under control. It didn’t work. There’d always be something to set off his anger. The church needs to be held accountable and called out.