Read on Twitter
1. So listen, I am not surprised by Macarthur’s persecution complex or his decision to defy the government when it’s convenient for him while at the same time chastise black people fr protesting racial injustice alongside dehumanizing women. It’s in his Fundamentalist DNA.
2. MacArthur has never been an “evangelical” as far as tradition goes, he’s always been a fundamentalist who was merely embraced by evangelical leaders due to preaching gifts. Reformed Evangelicalism has given him cover for yrs, but he’s always had right foot in Fundamentalism.
3. To understand what I mean, you have to travel back in time to Scopes trial where a decision needed to be made regarding direction of church after it took an “L” in courts & evolution began being taught in schools, indoctrination power went into secular hands; all power lost.
4. Fundamentalism lost a huge “battle” against “the culture”, & it had to find another source of power in order to win “the war”. White Fundamentalists decided best way to do this was to rebrand, and to approach culture from a more “friendly” posture, & seek power thru politics.
5. White fundamentalist sought to win “culture war” thru weaponizing Bible; seeking to enforce & conform secular society to under it.
Evangelicals knew they lost that battle & best posture forward was to win thru asserting itself as Moral center of nation. The “Moral Majority”.
Evangelicals knew they lost that battle & best posture forward was to win thru asserting itself as Moral center of nation. The “Moral Majority”.
6. Side note: the black fundamentalist church chose an entirely different route. It recognized it could never have political or social power & so it ultimately chose to move on thru social activism. Found power in being the voice of the marginalized & thru loving neighbor.
7. You should’ve picked up on it, fundamentalism was extremely patriarchal while also socially disengaged while evangelicalism was much more engaged with culture, even movements like 1st & 2nd wave feminist movement. The patriarchy died down, but in fundamentalism it reigned.
8. Race relations for white fundamentalists also remained in the dark ages as it still operated out of a reductionistic gospel of Hyper-individualism. This is why men w/ one foot in Fundamentalism like Billy Graham & one foot in Evangeicalism were so profoundly inconsistent.
9. So back to MacArthur, he is the Pope of an entire sub-movement within evangelicalism seeking to take evangelicalism back to fundamentalism. Funda-evangelical pastors abound, largely influenced by Fundamentalist seminaries like Masters that are co-signed by Evangelical leaders.
10. For Macartgur, being anti-culture or anti-society is a badge of honor. That’s how he’s discipled his sheep. The worldview goes:
“Christians are in a ‘culture war’ & we must fight against the culture whenever we feel it is encroaching on our religious privilege”.
“Christians are in a ‘culture war’ & we must fight against the culture whenever we feel it is encroaching on our religious privilege”.
11. Part of Fundamentalism is hyper-literal reading of biblical texts & tho I’ve been helped over the yrs by MacArthur’s exegesis/expositions, it shouldn’t surprise us that he takes a hyper-literal reading of ‘the church’ & is willing to violate Romans 13 & risk lives to gather.
12. Final thought. I’ve most of MacArthurs books. I don’t hate my older brother by any means. However, w/ all attention he is currently getting, there are other issues related to him worth looking into.
-Spiritual Abusive practices.
-handling of rape allegations on campus.
-Spiritual Abusive practices.
-handling of rape allegations on campus.
