Before I start this article, a small memorial to the late Dr. John MacArthur, I have come to understand that this extension of respect will not be shared by some of my Pentecostal brethren. But this article should be written because Dr. MacArthur’s memory deserves respect, despite his animus toward Pentecostals. I hope to explain my perspective on that point, but it should be said that his defense of the Christian faith in the secular public sphere as well as his uncompromising preaching of the Gospel won thousands of souls to the Kingdom of Heaven. And that deserves respect now and in the future.

John MacArthur was a third-generation preacher born in 1939 (another important person born in this banner year!) in Los Angeles, California. His family was distantly related to the celebrated American soldier, General Douglas MacArthur. But the greater influence on his family was the Bible, fundamentalist doctrine and theology, and ministry.

His father, Pastor Jack MacArthur, was a Baptist radio preacher and probably the most significant influence in his younger years. Following in his father’s footsteps, he enrolled in Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. He attended there for two years before transferring to Los Angeles Pacific College (a Free Methodist Church institution) where he achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then joined BIOLA University’s Talbot Theological Seminary where he achieved a Master of Divinity degree. He was hired by his father as an Assistant Pastor at Harry MacArthur Memorial Bible Church (named for his grandfather, now known as Calvary Bible Church), before joining the staff of Talbot Seminary as a faculty representative.

In 1969, he became the pastor of Grace Community Church-the third and (till date) youngest-and served in that capacity till his passing on July 20, 2025. His own radio ministry, Grace to You, began here with the broadcasting of his sermon via radio-another ministry that blossomed into a national and international outreach. His influence and involvement with Christian academia also continued with his becoming president of Los Angeles Baptist College (now called The Master’s University) in 1985, and one year later the president of The Master’s Seminary (a subsidiary of the college). His theological positions were notable for its strong Calvinistic foundation and Reform influence, and (the point in which we Pentecostals had problems with him) Cessationism with regards to the dynamic workings of the Holy Spirit.

Let me first address the negative part first, the part regarding Pentecostal doctrine, theology, and practice. At one time, the state of California was one of the great bastions of the Pentecostal Movement. From the Azuza Street Revival in 1906, the Pentecostal Experience according to Acts 2, and the churches and ministries who practiced it, had a serious impact on the Christian experience of that state and its vast numbers of cultures and races. White, black, Hispanic, Asians, young and old…to this day they share this common experience along with sizeable churches, mission societies, universities, and other institutions. There were other revivals after the great Azuza Street revival. Billy Graham’s famous Los Angeles in 1949, the Jesus Movement Revival in the 80s which gave birth to the Calvary Chapel church movement (under the leadership of the late Pastor Chuck Smith), all of these had the participation and influence of the Pentecostalism and Pentecostals. But there were problems too.

I always say that most of the ire or ill will we Pentecostals incur, we mostly bring upon ourselves with foolishness. Prophecies that failed or were false, practices and predictions that were expressly against Scripture, moral or spiritual failure in our Christian witness, and when called to account, the inability to provide a cogent answer other than to say, “the Spirit told me…” That was the ammunition WE gave to Dr. MacArthur and others like him. Fanaticism, False Doctrine and Practices, and general foolishness in the Church.

Dr. MacArthur’s attack was blunted in the 1980s and 90s by a few great men of God. Most notably Dr. Jack Hayford and Pastor Jim Wimber and Pastor Chuck Smith. Dr Hayford who was a fellow student and colleague of Pastor Chuck Smith from their days in the Foursquare Church, had a preaching style that was more teaching oriented and yet filled with Holy Spirit power, and he provided a powerful foil to cessationist teachers such as MacArthur and R.C. Sproul. He provided a strong defense of Pentecostal doctrine and practice and yet strove to find common ground with many beliefs that we are in union with our Fundamentalist brothers. More importantly, Dr. Hayford’s holy life and gentleness, yet strong correction of abuses, took out the heat from the debates between the two groups during the 80s and 90s. (Several years ago, when Dr. Hayford celebrated a major milestone in his radio ministry, preachers like Dr. Chuck Swindoll, Greg Laurie, and even Dr. MacArthur, extended greetings!)

But times have changed, and the once strong and charisma filled Pentecostal movement began to lose its Virtue. Abuses were left unchecked as voices that provided balance were lost. The new leaders in positions of authority in the Pentecostal movement did not or were unable to provide a counter to people like Dr. MacArthur who began going on the attack on some of the “prophecies”, practices, “revelations”, other things that were shifting the Church dangerously away from the foundation of Scripture and the message of the Cross of Calvary. (Ironically, it was another person that MacArthur considered a “nemesis” who provided one of the strongest counters to him during the last 25 years: Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart.)

He went on the attack against Joel Osteen and his “Best life now” motivational prescription sermons. The prosperity message and doctrine and its outlandish focus on acquiring wealth as a blessing from God (of the Kenneth Copeland/word of faith group) was another target. The doctrinal/theological compromise in groups such as Hillsong and Bethel in order to boost up entertainment sales rather than build up the Kingdom of God was a major focus the last couple of years… and the list goes on and on.

On many of these issues, many Pentecostals can relate and share a common opinion to a certain point. Joel Osteen is more of a motivational speaker than an expository preacher. I seriously doubt that folks are going to Lakewood on Sunday morning to get a regular diet of Biblical preaching or teaching of the doctrine and theology from the Prophets, Gospels, or Epistles. One does not go to that church to hear about Sin and the need to Repent. One will not hear about the Exclusivity of Jesus Christ for Salvation, even though Osteen says that according to his “personal belief, Jesus is the only way.” Yes, many Pentecostals share Dr. MacArthur’s feelings about these matters. But to his credit, Joel Osteen’s amicable nature and the fact that his life to date has been above reproach and not offensive, and possibly remembering the ministry of his late father Pastor John Osteen, many in church leadership have been more… “lenient?”

The same is true about the “Word of Faith” crowd. “Whatever you want, by faith, create it! Bring it into existence!” “I thank my God I am highly favored!” Dr. MacArthur vehemently protested such ideas. Jesse Duplantis, in one of his sermons from the recent past, expressed his desire for a new private airplane. Duplantis prayed about and felt the Holy Spirit say “no”. He then continued the story. “Then I decided to talk to Jesus separately and tell Him what I wanted. And he said, “ok Jesse”.” That is an express violation of the Doctrine of the Trinity. No one else I know addressed such an issue. John MacArthur did. I think most Pentecostals were willing to be tolerant with Duplantis and Copeland as long as the Gospel message of Salvation was not compromised. The subject of their impact on local church ministry, most of us did not address that at all.

The Pentecost Movement is a gathering of a wide variety of denominations, churches, movements, preachers and institutions. I absolutely object to the fact that Dr. MacArthur and his colleagues painted us with a broadbrush. I do not believe that was fair. Nor do I think it was right for him to completely close off any deep study or search of the Pentecostal Experience to the point of not even having conversation directly with people like Dr. Hayford or some of our other great teachers, or even the late Baptist preacher Charles Stanley. These men along with others could have had honest dialogue with him, but as far as I know, that never happened. He ignored the vast impact Pentecostalism has had on Christian evangelism both here in the United States and around the world. Or the fact that it was/is our core tenet to preach, teach, and defend the Full Gospel Truth of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.

The vast majority of the Pentecostal movement shared many ideas, beliefs, and practices but with his cessationism standpoint, all Pentecostals were lumped into one category. He and his reformed brethren often referred to us as “heretics”. As I said, we disagree with his stance in this matter, but (as I said) we Pentecostals gave him the ammunition for his stance. However, in later years, it was not just the Pentecostals which would be the focus of his attention from the pulpit, but also the other mainline denominations and preachers, including the Southern Baptist Convention.

People may or may not remember this, but at one time Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Los Angeles, California was considered the next big idea for the future of the Church world. Warren was the author of the Purpose Driven Church (a book that sat at the top of the New York Times Best Sellers List for several weeks in 1995) which had a huge influence on the Christian world for several years. In the early years, like most of his Southern Baptist brethren, Warren was conservative in Biblical theology and practice. He led the fight that led to the defeat of the LGBT’s first initiative to legalize gay marriage in California. But then something began to change.

Going by the numbers, if Warren’s Saddleback Church in its heyday was 30,000 members strong, and coupled with the numbers of megachurches and other supposedly doctrinally/theologically conservative churches and groups in that state, then how come California was lock, stock, and barrel, with the liberal/leftists/antichristian democrat party of that state? Had Warren and others like him stood strong by their purported Biblical convictions, California (and by de facto the rest of the United States) would have a different outlook than what it is today. Something had infiltrated into Saddleback Church. Rick Warren’s sermons began to change.

John MacArthur saw the compromises. At first glance, it would not seem so big a deal. Some would argue that the issue was only about lady preachers-an issue that the Dr MacArthur and the SBC does not support on Biblical grounds. Warren argued from terms of utility and “gender equality”. John MacArthur and his colleagues based their argument on the foundation of Scripture and said to negate the Word of God for modern day trends and/or convenience means to violate the authority of Scripture. This led to other issues. Namely the acceptance of gay marriage. Christian author/journalist Megan Basham in her book, Shepherds for Sale, documents doctrinal and moral compromises that Rick Warren and Andy Stanley’s ministries and churches (possibly the two biggest connected to the Baptists) made and its impact on the Southern Baptist Convention as a whole.

Unlike most preachers who could speak towards to the problems in the Southern Baptist Convention and be heard by that people of that denomination, Dr. MacArthur and his church were independent. They would never elect him as president of the SBC nor could they threaten him with censure, but his voice was loud and clear, and his message heard. And no matter what the trends that were being pushed by compromised elements, Dr MacArthur never altered his preaching, and always citing the authority of the infallible, inerrant Word of God.

There are many more examples I could use, but the one reason for which I have the most profound respect for Dr. MacArthur was his stance not to shut down his church during COVID-19 crises in 2020-2022. We in Maranatha Full Gospel Church of Dallas shared this experience. We too did not shut down our church during that time. But Dr. MacArthur’s church is much bigger than ours and his ministry presence was much greater, and against great pressure he stood against a very antichristian government in the city of Los Angeles, as well as that of the state of California. Mega churches in the state closed their doors and went solely into online ministry. Friends and colleagues from fundamentalist, Baptists, and other Protestant churches decided to be “good citizens and follow the law.” Except there was no law in this matter, just illegal mandates by individuals in power.

The Pentecostals and Faith crowd were perhaps the most embarrassing. Many of our folk prided themselves on their “faith to move mountains”, yet almost all of them shut their doors. One lady preacher tried to justify the idea of avoiding corporate worship by saying that it was the best way (at the moment) to “demonstrate our love for our neighbors.”

I remember well the difficulty of trying to convince even our leadership at Maranatha to keep the church open. Preachers in the community had stopped preaching the Word of God and instead become COVID healthcare spokesmen. Only few discerned that this was exactly what the Devil wanted to happen in the Church. (It puts into perspective why Dr. Anthony Fauci was exercising the art of ‘doublespeak’.)

What would the government do? Would pastors be arrested and thrown in jail for civil disobedience (like what happened in Canada)? Would churches incur tremendous fines from local, state, and federal governments? This last was no idle threat during the Biden Administration when churches and ministries who stood against the liberal policies or foolishness of that administration would be immediately branded as “insurrectionists” and subjected to harassment from Joe Biden’s Justice Department.

In Texas we were fairly safe. While the leadership in Dallas County was liberal and antagonistic, they were kept in line by Governor Greg Abbott’s administration and the Texas State Supreme Court from doing anything drastic. (A police officer told me that while the Dallas County Commissioners and city officials may make all sorts of threats, no one in their right mind would dare send police into churches to shut them down without a serious reason, in the state of Texas.

It was that assurance that helped us with our decision to keep Maranatha open. I further argued from Church history. Never had the Church ever shutdown because of threats, whether that was from persecution or disease. How would we in eternity face the past generations of Believers from all over the world whose history of endurance during times of testing are recorded in history books and memorials?

Dr. MacArthur was more scientific. He pointed out that since COVID-19 was found to be a sickness that a normally health person without preexisting conditions or drastic health issues would recover from rapidly, the church would stay open and leave it to the people to make their own decision on whether or not to attend. He also pointed out that if the Church surrendered to the government in this matter, there was no going back. The government would be capable of ordering the Church around whenever it is deemed fit. Our higher responsibility in worship and service was to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, not to the federal government of any nation. The cherished First Amendment; the Freedom of Religion and Thought was trampled upon and would be lost if the Church did not take a stance. Now.

The tyranny that was demonstrated by the government is a matter of historical record which many in the liberal left in California and other places of the United States, Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world, are trying to hide now. The California state government, as well as that of Los Angeles, sued Grace Community Church with the intention of not just fining the church body, but to bankrupt the church by legal fees. Dr MacArthur, Grace Community Church, and all the ministries connected with him stood strong, and eventually, the state ended up paying back over $800,000.00 to the Church, admitting that things were done wrong.

I said this action garnered a new and profound respect for John MacArthur from our circle. But there is a reason I should mention. Some months before COVID, during a Sunday service at Grace Community Church, just as Dr MacArthur was about to begin his message, he was heckled by a man purported to be a Pentecostal/Charismatic who “prophesied” condemnation on him for his antagonism toward the Pentecostal experience. The whole thing was flagrantly out of order. I wondered at the time what that action possibly achieved except to make us look ridiculous.

In the coming months when COVID shutdowns happened, where were the prophets who cried to stand firm? When in 2020, the George Floyd riots happened in the nation, where were the prophets who condemned the insanities associated with those riots; BLM extortion, liberation theology peddling from pulpits, the woke agenda, the anti-white racism, DEI pushes, cancel culture, the 1619 project, and a whole host of lies which once again people are trying to sweep under the proverbial rug? The vast majority of Pentecostal luminaries stuck their proverbial heads into the dust like ostriches.

John MacArthur spoke out as the Holy Spirit gave him the vision and the unction to do so, and he did so with Biblical authority, clearly, and concisely. And he exercised more Faith than most other faith preacher I know! He made it very clear that all the above-mentioned ideas were anti-Bible, antichristian, against the Preaching of the Cross, and would seriously erode Western Civilization. He did so while being threatened and libeled by many outside and inside the Church world. But none could refute him from the Bible. Does anyone want to prophecy condemnation now?

Many more Pentecostals and Charismatic preachers should have been in the forefront with Dr MacArthur in preaching, teaching, and defending the Word of God in the public sphere on those very issues. Sadly, most of us were not. And to quote the words of Shakespeare, the once Spirit empowered Pentecostal/Charismatic pulpits became nothing more than “sound and fury signifying nothing.” Yet the Lord found a prophetic voice in John MacArthur. To quote Ezekiel 22:30, he stood in the gap between God and the people of this nation to cry out the Word of the Lord before the total self-destruction of the Church.

In the famous passage of Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah saw God’s Holiness and heard a voice crying out, “Who will go for us?” The prophet responded, “Here I am! Send me!” God proceeds to give Isaiah a task which is almost guaranteed to fail: “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking but do not understand.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, houses are without people, and the land is utterly desolate. The Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, and it will again be subject to burning, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”

There are people every side of the religious spectrum who will be anything but amicable towards this preacher at his passing. Roman Catholics, the liberal theological elements in several denominations, and even Pentecostals, will be vicious against his memory. He was never part of pseudo reconciliation efforts between races or churches, except according to the Word of God and at the Cross of Calvary. Whether the masses showed up, or did not, was not a factor for his ministry. He refused to suffer the inundation of psychology into the preaching of the Word of God-one of reasons the LGBT had no chance of acceptance. (Rather it should be said that some of them did get saved and baptized in his ministry.) He did not accept Roman Catholicism as Christian sect, or the Mormons-something that was not politically correct. He, on the basis of Scripture, did not except women in pastoral preaching/teaching roles-something that garnered the enmity of every lady preacher in every denomination and every Christian media luminary from Joyce Meyers to Beth Moore. Yet he stood for that “holy seed in the stump.”

Against impossible times, Dr John MacArthur stood and preached the Word of God and at the end, we have known, “a prophet was among us.” Should we not pause and pay our respects?

May God bless and comfort his family and Grace Community Church. May the ministries that he founded and led continue to do the work of ministry till the Lord Jesus returns!