Microblog: The Modern Day Pharisee Playbook — Asserting Authority They Do Not Possess
It’s been a strange few weeks. A Trump indictment, not surprising. Fires in Hawaii, devastating to see and the Essential Church movie premiere. For those that may not know, the Essential Church was a documentary put out by Grace Productions, the filming department of Grace Community church. It was meant to chronicle the “win” and court battle which Grace Community Church found themselves in against the tyrants that be. I have not seen it yet, but I had seen a few interviews with the Grace notables, including the Director Shannon Halliday. In order to properly review it, I’ll have to watch it frame by frame and I don’t know about you, but there’s a half a hundred things I’d rather do than watch that utter vanity project, or in the words of a recent Baptist News article, “hagiography”.
One of the things that did strike me as odd is that Halliday stated that it was his idea for the documentary and that he had brought it to John and the elders. The other being that, according to imdb, this was the only movie that he has directed (and written, more on that). Three minutes into one interview, Halliday spoke about how he spent some time demonstrating that the elders were unanimous in their decision to open, then speaks about those elders who left over it. It is a contradiction in essentials, no pun intended.
Let’s go over the timeline, once more…with feeling.
July 16th, 2020: Grace Community Church meets in the large tent, John MacArthur preaches (the July 13th directive from the Safer Los Angeles Health Order allowed for outdoor worship)
July 24th, 2020: The “Statement”* was published on Grace’s website, which was allegedly composed by all 40+ elders in complete unanimity
*Composed by Phil Johnson, Elder (I can count on one hand the elders who may have wanted to open, and who could have written such a declaration, but the ongoing refrain from Jenna Ellis, and others is that Grace Elders all agree on everything. I have never seen any committee function this way. One, but that was in 1930’s Germany).
July 26, 2020: Grace Community Church defies the State and County order by opening in-person services
Let’s make a few things clear: Agree or disagree with MacArthur’s decision to open, from Scripture, where did he have the authority to speak from the pulpit in July 2020 telling the other pastors and churches to do the same? We joke about him being the Evangelical Pope, but he apparently believes his own reviews.
And to later say that if you did not open up your churches, then you were not a true church? James Coates, would imitate John MacArthur in interviews, also vocalizing the same sentiment: if you didn’t open your church, then you weren’t a true church.
Got guilt? — John MacArthur wants you to be offended and “feel guilty”
For as much as John MacArthur despises the Catholic Church, he is definitely channeling it in these last few years. Before the Essential Church premiered at Grace Community church week before last, John MacArthur said these words:
I wanted some pastors and leaders to see this [the Essential Church movie] and feel guilty. (Applause)
No one could be surprised when MacArthur said this. He views himself as “faithful” and his Church as the “the most persecuted church in the United States”. Persecution used to look like SWAT team raids, imprisonment, but at Grace Community Church it was Fox News interviews, Tee times at Riviera Country Club, Dinners at the Johnathan Club, and firing anyone and everyone who didn’t maintain the Covid hoax narrative.
As the victims of Grace Community Church queue up, and I’m both grateful and saddened to see so many, this is John’s legacy: lying about Covid when he didn’t have to, failure to minister to his church, and holding the door for the abused.
No, John, you should feel guilty.
Cost of production for the Essential Church: $$$millions$$$
Money used to minister to neighbors, walk-ins, and/or food banks: $0
