John Macarthur, a noted independent evangelical leader who was also a Calvinist died in 2025. He's left a literary legacy. What do you think his legacy on evangelicalism has been?
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
John Macarthur died in 2025
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Expository teaching. Lordship Salvation. Theology of Sovereignty. Biblical inerrancy and authority. Exposing false theology, doctrine and teachers.
Kept Jesus as the main focus of his preaching.
Kept Jesus as the main focus of his preaching.
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caffeinated.hermit
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I appreciate his contributions to Lordship Salvation discourse, and his firm insistence on Scripture, not emotions or a changing culture. Overall, I think his impact on Evangelicalism has been positive, and it'll be tough for anyone to fill his shoes.
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NewLifeInChristJesus
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I followed him pretty closely in the 1980's until I was liberated from legalism. I now see his Lordship Salvation as a special sub-class of legalism. I agree with others that he will be remembered for that. I don't remember much else of what he said or wrote except that he had a dry, technical approach to the Holy Spirit in particular and spiritual things in general. Of particular concern was his tacit admission that he did not know how people are able to distinguish between the voice of the devil and the voice of God. As a side note, I would add add that classing TULIP with evangelicalism seems like an oxymoron.
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ARBITER01
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Wrote books badmouthing Pentecostals and Charismatics over the years, always trying to denounce the gifts of The Spirit, in commentaries, etc....
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That is the one area in which I disagreed with his beliefs.
I didn't mind him exposing the abuses within the Charismatic world ... many of us saw and see them, too ... but his understanding of the gifts of the Spirit greatly differs from mine.
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There were certain things I disagreed with him on, but I deeply appreciated his sermons in the New Testament.
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I read a few of his books, acquired a copy of THE JOHN MACARTHUR STUDY BIBLE and listened to or watched several of his sermons. My most lasting memory is of what he opposed. He opposed
He was no stranger to controversy.
Now he is gone. His positive contributions were, without any doubt, significant and numerous.
- the charismatic movement
- mysticism
- Pentecostalism
- Catholicism
- The prosperity gospel
- Easy believe-ism
- Covid-19 isolation and church closure during lock-downs
- Alleged modern day prophets and seers
- Arminianism
- Post-millennialism
- Amillennialism
He was no stranger to controversy.
Now he is gone. His positive contributions were, without any doubt, significant and numerous.
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I will remember him for his "Grace to you" broadcast which I listened to for almost a year and it nearly killed my faith. I felt bound by his unmerciful heavy handed approach on everything. I listened to him as demonstrate that he did not care for people. He was such a mediocre interpreter of scripture and a very bad appoligest for the faith. He was so out of touch with reality. He would answer questions no one was asking.
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That's an interesting reaction. I too have watched and/or listened to some of his sermons; I would not willingly attend his place of preaching nor willingly receive his lectures (sermons).
He lectured and presented his case as if he was absolutely correct about every claim he made.
He cared for his family and his congregation but he cared more for his ideas/doctrines I think. He thought of his preaching as THE TRUTH.
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tdidymas
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He was a polemic preacher, much like Martin Luther. I commend his willingness to confront controversial issues head on. I did not agree with everything he said.
Yet, most famous preachers do the same. The most arrogant ones who did it IMO were the Word of Faith preachers like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and Charles Capps, among others. The absolute worst case was Creflo Dollar declaring that Christians were "little gods" and Hinn saying they were "little messiahs." Rather arrogant IMO.
IMO he sometimes taught truth while excluding grace, which is why I think some people thought of him as legalistic. But other times he focused on grace.
I read his book "Strange Fire", and Michael Brown's rebuttal "Authentic Fire." I found 12 cases where I disagreed with MacArthur, one of which being interpretation of a passage of scripture. In the other cases, I thought his statements were exaggerative or stereotyping. But in Brown's book, I disagreed with over 200 cases, most of which were exaggerative or misrepresentations of Reformed Theology. Brown made it all about continuationism vs. cessationism, in which I came to the conclusion that it's not the real issue, but those labels are used to obfuscate the real issue. It keeps the debate raging, and maintains the status quo. In both cases I tried to contact them about what I found, but got no response.
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