This young pastor disliked MacArthur and his approach until the Covid pandemic shut down churches. Then, the scales fell from his eyes:
May we all be uncool and not nice when the cultural arsonists rear their ugly heads. In a world at war with God, let us be called fools for Christ. Let us offend those who offend God so that they may come to salvation.
The church doesn’t need more cool pastors. It needs men who are willing to be hated for the truth. We need men like Pastor John MacArthur. Pastors who are willing to offend. The battles Pastor MacArthur faced were unique to his time and his generation. What is coming will require a new approach, but I hope for all of our sakes it looks old.
We don’t need novel strategies when it comes to ministry. We just need to get back to the basics. We need to get back to the Bible. Defending truth in the public square is loving your neighbor. Warning against lies that destroy souls is gospel work. The idea that cultural confrontation and gospel proclamation are mutually exclusive is itself a modern invention.
Pastors should model the courage of Pastor MacArthur today. We need men who are trained in how to resist the mob and stand for the truth. We need ministers who champion God’s Word and reject any attempt to tone down our message.
This isn’t about recovering a golden age but building for the next one. This isn’t reactionary nostalgia. It’s about facing this age faithfully. We need to assess the field of battle with a sober mind and aim to finish the race well.
This age won’t be won with relevance. It will be won with righteousness. We will not tame the barbarians at the gate with cleverness. The moment demands courage, and thank God for the model of courage that we had in Pastor MacArthur.
Pastor McArthur was a courageous and shining light toward a true gospel. Oh, if there were more of him..
Indeed, we need more like him, Fred. Maybe his passing will command the attention of some younger pastors and seminarians.