Grace to Who?

John MacArthur recently held a conference specifically to attack “Charismatic” Christians.  The conference called “Strange Fire” was on October 16-18, 2013 at Grace Community Church, Southern California.

John MacArthur is the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969.  He has written or edited more than 150 books including a commentary series on the Bible and a study Bible called the “John MacArthur Study Bible”.  He is very precise and careful with words and is known as a very serious exegetical scholar and preacher.  He also started his own Seminary called “Masters Seminary”.  John MacArthur oversees a multi-million dollar enterprise with his church, broadcasting and writing.

He previously wrote a book titled “Charismatic Chaos” in 1992 and has just published another book against Charismatic’s title “Strange Fire” in 2013.  The conference is also called “Strange Fire” and was also used as a platform to launch his latest book. His ministry, broadcasting and publishing, is done under the name “Grace to You”.  The purpose of this seminar was to attack Charismatic believers.

Because of John MacArthur’s global popularity, what he says has considerable influence in many circles.  Rather than refute or give my opinion of what he said, I think it is far more effective to just quote him directly. During this televised, webcasted and globally watched seminar John MacArthur, now 74 years old, made the following statements:

“The Charismatic movement [implied: as such] has made no contribution to biblical clarity, interpretation, or sound doctrine. We’ve had an accurate biblical interpretation and sound doctrine long before the Charismatic movement happened, going all the way back to the Apostles, a clear stream of truth. The Charismatic’s haven’t added to that, but have brought chaos, confusion, misinterpretation.”

“. . . the movement is loaded with non-Christians, who don’t know God, who are involved for carnal reasons/desires and emotional experiences.”

“What is the work of the Holy Spirit? He convicts, regenerates, illuminates, justifies, sanctifies, adopts, baptizes, indwells, guides, empowers, delivers, produces fruit, secures us. What Scripture doesn’t say is that the Holy Spirit knocks us down, makes us laugh in a silly way, amps up our body heat, gives us hiccups and convulsions, causes us to fall down, to speak gibberish, and to speak with primal sounds. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”

“One of the follies of the Charismatic movement is to say, ‘The Holy Spirit is leading me,’ or ‘directing me.’ You have no way to know that.”

“Much of the movement is actually anti-Christ. Stories about visions of Jesus are terrifying to me. Some have proclaimed Him dressed as a fireman. Others have seen Him 900 feet tall. Others meet with Him regularly in the bathroom. Some have seen Him dancing on the garbage dump. Others have seen Him sitting in a wheelchair in a convalescent home. Some have taken long walks with Him on the beach.”

“If this movement can embrace Catholicism it’s not a movement of the Holy Spirit. Roman Catholic theology is corrupt; it preaches a false gospel. The spirit behind this charismatic renewal is not the Holy Spirit.”

“Nine out of Ten Pentecostals live in poverty. Over 90% of Pentecostals and Charismatics in Nigeria, South Africa, India, and the Philippines believe that God will grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith. It’s more morally reprehensible than Las Vegas because they associate it with religion.”

“But you have to understand, this other stream of evangelicalism goes back to about 1966, when the hippies came out of San Francisco, joined Calvary Chapel, and we had the launch of an informal, barefoot, beach, drug-induced kind of young people that told the church how we should act. Hymns went out. Suits went out. For the first time in the history of the church, the conduct of the church was conformed in a subculture that was formed on LSD in San Francisco and migrated to Southern California.”

“If you say you’re a Continuationist, you give credence to the Charismatic movement.”  (A ‘Continuationist’ is a word invented by MacArthur which describes a person who believes everything in scripture can happen today, especially miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. John MacArthur is saying that anyone who is not a cessassionist is supporting Charismatics)

“All things God has deemed for us to know for life and godliness are on the pages of Holy Scripture. No new revelation is required or allowed.”

“People who have any connection to Judaism and Christianity have a connection to philanthropy. It is a striking anomaly, however, that there is essentially zero social benefit to the world from the charismatic movement.”

On Charismatic worship: “It’s mindless emotional hysteria. It’s not about worship. Worship only goes high when understanding goes deep. The deeper your understanding of the truth of God, the higher your worship goes. Worship is directly correlated to understanding. The richer your theology, the more elevated your worship becomes.”

Specifically about Jesus Culture music. “That has nothing to do with Christianity.  Nothing to do with God. . . I think there inviting a spirit, but not the Spirit of God. This is paganism.”

“We are not trying to divide the body of Christ.  We are trying to identify it and show that these people [Charismatics] are not part of it.“

John MacArthur put the number of “Charismatics” at about 500 million followers world-wide. He claims that there are two streams of thought, one is his Reformed Calvinisitic Cessassionists followers of the Puritan Westminster Catechism, and the other stream are the Pentecostals and Charismatics from the 1900’s.   It is estimated that there are less than 50 million people who hold to some form of Calvinism in the world.

People and groups attacked by name at the Strange Fire Conference:

• Benny Hinn (Benny Hinn Ministries; b. 1952 airs a program called “This Is Your Day” focusing on miracles and the Holy Spirit.)
• Jack Hayford (A prominent Foursquare pastor, pastor of Church on the Way in California; b.1934; Chancellor of The King’s University)
• Church on the Way (A prominent Foursquare megachurch in Van Nuys, California)
• S. David Moore (Wrote a book with Jack Hayford called “The Charismatic Century: The Enduring Impact of the Azusa Street Revival“)
• Kenneth Copeland (TV Evangelist from Texas of “Kenneth Copeland Ministries”; b.1936.)
• Author of “Heaven is for Real” (Todd Burpo.  A book about a boy who reported visiting heaven.)
• Creflo Dollar (TV Evangelist and pastor of World Changers Church in Fulton Country, Georgia; b.1962)
• TD Jakes (Pastor of megachurch “The Potter’s House” in Dallas, Texas with 30,000 members; b. 1957)
• Joel Olsteen (Pastor of Houston, Texas megachurch called “Lakewood Church”; b.1963)
• Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
• Pope Francis (Current Roman Catholic Pope; b. 1936)
• Charles Parham (early charismatic pastor; 1873-1929; known for tongues as sign of baptism of Holy Spirit)
• C. Peter Wagner (Founder of Wagner Leadership Institute; b. 1930; long-time professor Fuller Theological Seminary)
• Jack Deere (Dallas Theological Seminary professor who wrote about the Holy Spirit)
• Aimee Semple McPherson (Founder of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel; 1890-1944)
• Kathryn Kuhlman (Healing evangelists; 1907-1976)
• Jimmy Swaggart (TV Evangelist; b.1935; Former Assembly of God pastor)
• Jim Bakker (TV Evangelist; b. 1940; Started PTL Club; Minister with Assembly of God)
• Lonnie Frisbee (Jesus people movement of the 1960-70s; 1949-1993)
• Vinyard Movement (A So. California based church which spread worldwide under John Wimber)
• Calvary Chapel churches (Started in 1965 by Chuck Smith in Southern California)
• Hillsong (Australian mega-church in Sydney, Australia and is part of Assembly of God, pastored by Brian Houston)
• Jesus Culture (Worship ministry of Bethel Church led by Banning Liebscher founded in 1999)
• Bethel Church in Redding, CA (Pastor Bill Johnson; formerly part of Assembly of God)
• Kim Walker of Jesus Culture (Recording artist)
• Louie Giglio (Pastor of Passion City Church; b. 1959)
• John Piper (Calvinist pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota; b.1946)
• Bill Johnson (Pastor of Bethel Church, Redding, CA; b.1951)
• Wayne Grudem (Wrote a Systematic Theology; general editor of ESV Study Bible; holds to Calvinism but also Charismatic belief; b. 1948)
• Sarah Young (? no information)
• Michael Brown (Key leader in Brownsville revival in the 1990s; Assembly of God Church)
• Cindy Jacobs (Prophetess and former missionary to Nepal)
• Mike Bickle (Leader of IHOP-Kansas City: International House of Prayer; b.1955)
• Paul and Jan Crouch (Presenters at TBN -Trinity Broadcasting Network; Jan, b. 1938; Paul, b. 1934; both came from Assembly of God)
• Todd Bentley (Canadian Evangelists involved in Lakeland Revival in Florida in 2008; b. 1976)
• John Crowder (“Mystic” who has a past history of drug use; ministry “Sons of Thunder”)
• Rick Joyner (Leader of Morningstar Ministries, writer and prophet)
• Beni Johnson (wife of Bill Johnson; Intercession leader at Bethel Church, Redding, CA)
• Smith Wigglesworth (British writer and early Pentecostal evangelist; 1859-1947)
• Kansas City Prophets (Bill Hamon, Rick Joyner, Paul Cain, Bob Jones, Mike Bickle, James Goll, John Paul Jackson, Lou Engle)
• Bill Hamon (Christian International School of Theology)
• James Goll (Founder of “Prayer Storm”, prolific author and teacher; b. 1952
• John Paul Jackson (Co-founder of Daystar Television and Streams Ministries. Special focus on interpretation of dreams.)
• Lou Engle (Ministry called “The Call” which has large prayer rallies for young people.)
• Toronto Blessing (Toronto Airport Vineyard Church)
• Randy Clark (Pastor who was instrumental in Toronto Revival, later headed Vineyard church. Has a ministry called “Global Awakening”.)
• Paul Cain (Old Pentecostal Evangelist; b.1929)– (John MacArthur even accused of being a drunkard and sodomite)
• Lance Wallnau (Teacher, writer and coach known for “Seven Mountains Strategy” based in Dallas, Texas).
• Bob Jones (Prophet from Kansas City; had a death experience in 1975)
• John Wimber (Founder of Vineyard Church; 1934-1997)
• C. Sam Storms (A Charismatic Calvinist theologian and pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City; b. 1951)
• Mark Driscoll (Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle Washington, founder of Acts 29 Network; Author; b. 1970)
• Marcus Lamb (TV Evangelist; co-founder and CEO of Daystar Network; b. 1957)
• Quakers (Religious Society of Friends; founded by George Fox in the 17th century in England.)
• George Fox (Key Quaker leader in the 1600s)
• Kenneth Hagin (Founded RHEMA Bible School; Founder of “Word of Faith” Movement; 1917-2003)
• Fred Price (Founder of  Crenshaw Christian Center; “Ever Increasing Faith” TV broadcast ; b. 1932)
• Rodney Howard Brown (Revival Ministries International, b. 1961; From South Africa; Had considerable influence with Randy Clark as well; John MacArthur refers to as a “mind-controller and demonic”).

It is interesting to note when researching the names, many of the names are contemporary pastors to John MacArthur and of similar age (70s and 80s).  Also, many of these people are also pastors of mega-churches in the same geographical area (Southern California) as John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church.  Maybe some rivalry there? The names of people highlighted also include several well-known pastors and theologians who hold a Calvinist doctrinal view, yet not cessassionist and are charismatic.  The names of those who were individually and publically attacked represented a broad variety of Christian groups and have extensive differences in doctrine as well.

It appears that John MacArthur simply labels anyone “Charismatic” who does not agree with his very narrow theological views on hyper-Calvinism, cessassionism, premillennial eschatology and legalistic following of the Westminster Catechism.  Indeed, it is a very small group of people who fit into his theological ivory tower.  Those who spoke with him at the “Strange Fire” Conference included: R.C. Sproul, Conrad Mbewe, Steve Lawson, Tom Pennington, Phil Johnson, and Todd Friel.

John MacArthur’s radio program is titled “Grace to You”, but maybe should be better titled “Grace to who?” Apparently, few qualify.

Podcasts viewed at http://www.tmstrangefire.org/and transcripts read at http://thecripplegate.com