John MacArthur was doing “word association,” a tradition for conferences held at Grace Community Church. The moderator, as usual, was Todd Friel of Wretched Radio. Several years ago when Friel said “Steven Furtick,” MacArthur responded “unqualified.” Furtick later sent John MacArthur an expensive package as a gift, which included a copy of his new book, Unqualified, a “dig” on the older pastor.
This time, Friel gave MacArthur the name, Beth Moore. MacArthur asked how many words he available to use for the sake of clarification. After a moment of consideration, MacArthur responded, Go home.
The crowd, consisting of both men and women, laughed and applauded in agreement.
MacArthur wasn’t saying anything that virtually all theologically sound people agree with. But, MacArthur went on to add…
“There is no case that can be made Biblically for a woman preacher. Period. Paragraph ended. End of discussion.”
Phil Johnson followed up by saying that Beth Moore is a narcissist who preaches herself rather than Christ and quoted Moore as saying she tries to find herself in the [Biblical narrative].
Mike Riccardi, also on stage, deferred back to the opinion of MacArthur.
MacArthur went onto add, in paraphrase, that the ability to hock jewelry on television or to sell things doesn’t preach the Gospel. He went on to say that it bothered him greatly. In the same breath, MacArthur also impugned Paula White, who has been written about in Christian news after several conservatives endorsed her book to the chagrin of many.
MacArthur said, “This is feminism gone to church. This is why we can’t let the culture exegete the Bible.”
MacArthur continued on to dispute Resolution 9 of the SBC, which promoted Critical Race Theory, and the pastor said it was a “watershed moment in the SBC.”
He also went on to describe recent events in the SBC “not a direction of the SBC, it was a plunge.”
MacArthur was cool, calm, and collected. H did not raise his voice or call names. And yet, people instantly began to attack him for how he said it.
We’ll just provide on example for now, although there are thousands to choose from, and that’s from Brandon A. Cox. Cox is a BMA pastor from Bentonville, Arkansas, and is associated with Chrislam pastor, Rick Warren. Cox’s church website calls itself a “Purpose Driven Church” (which basically means it has a coffee shop and tickles itching ears) and Cox’s personal website calls himself a “leadership coach” (gag me), “entrepreneur” (apparently fleecing God’s people is a business venture) and an “influencer.”
Although Cox is at the center of the Bible-belt, his Orange County, left-coast influence is evident in his outrage at Dr. MacArthur for holding to what is pretty standard fare for Baptist preachers since time immemorial.
The room was full of women, also. Maybe they know their Bible and stuff.
Cox made no attempt to say what was unbiblical and MacArthur’s words or defend a woman usurping leadership over men (1 Timothy 2:12). He simply made an assertion without any attempt to support it by the Bible. In other words, it was probably a lot like his preaching.
Here’s a tip: When someone accuses a truth-teller of arrogance, it’s because they can find no fault in the truth itself.
Yet, what many of us have been saying over the weekend is that it has nothing to do with how MacArthur said it. It’s what he said. These gutless wonder coward-pastors are just afraid to say they’ve gone the way of the United Methodists and other estrogen-fueled quilting circles.
Consider a tweet from Cox later in the day.
You see, it wasn’t really about how MacArthur said it. It’s that he said it. The reason why so many complain about how he said it (which was super polite) is that they are afraid to just come out of the egalitarian closet and say, “I’m for women preachers, oppose the Word of God, and deny Biblical inerrancy.”
Trying to get them to just come out and admit they deny the inerrancy of Scripture is like pulling teeth, but they will always first complain about tone. It’s easier than just straight-forwardly stating their position.
Just prior to tweeting his support for Beth Moore’s ministry, Cox tweeted out a loving memorial for Elijah Cummings, the brutal pro-abortionist legislator who opposed God and who split hell open on October 17.
In retrospect, it makes total sense that Pastor Cox would oppose John MacArthur and support Beth Moore.
It is easier for emotionally lactating males to lament “tone” than to stand up like men and simply state their real positions. When it comes to defending their position, they are just far more comfortable squatting than standing.
