Too Late for Grace: A Review of the Christianity Today article, the Aftermath, and the Present Elder Exodus, Part 1
A rare treat, but I had been rendered speechless in the wake of the Christianity Today article published February 9, 2023. It was so wonderfully crafted, weaving in the many interviews of past members and current victims, as well as providing some much appreciated context surrounding Hohn Cho’s departure last year. Then, reading the response from the GCC “Elders” (Phil Johnson, really, as the elders do not convene that quickly to pen something), which was a double-down to the double-down we have seen in the last year since The Roys Report dropped the Eileen Gray story. To the MacArthurite Youtube set “walking back” their previous conclusions quicker than Homer Simpson into the tall shrubbery of their own obscurity.
Dear Reader, we have turned the page. It’s a new chapter. Hell, it’s a new book and we are writing it. At the Grace Community Church campus, every day there is news. The elders called an emergency meeting and John was in attendance, looking very sick and frail (similar to the January 2021 Clarity sermon, if you recall). This was one of those situations where an email would not do. Christian notables, many of whom had not really said much about Grace Community church, good or bad, were now speaking about Grace’s “apparent patterns of abuse” and that a third-party “investigation” should be conducted. Publicly, the elders will say they do not read The Roys Report, but that is a lie. If you saw our emails, you would also not be surprised to know the elders who read this humble, yet profoundly ungodly blog, agree with much of what is written, but did not agree with the way we “go about things”.
In the days, weeks to come, note who and when these elders are leaving, not just to resign from the Elder board, but to depart from Grace altogether after decades-long attendance. It is not easy though. Some of these men are on the boards of GCC-affiliated organizations such as the Children’s Hunger Fund, TMAI, Grace Advance, The John Mac Charitable Trust, TMUS, et al. While some of them live in homes that are owned by the church, but they are living in rent free (the Vuolos for instance, but put a pin in that story for now. But, for your interest, here is a story by the Sun https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7370124/jinger-duggar-church-grace-community-threats-abuse/)
John is, allegedly, undergoing daily dialysis and his wife, Patricia, sadly has dementia and lives in Colorado where she is receiving care. We always liked Patricia and wish her the best. Though I cannot understand why they will not tell the church of the health of their pastor and his wife, but being on this side of Grace and having attended another church, it is by comparison odd in the light of Scripture not to let even the church know. I had given up trying to make sense of it long ago.
Okay, fine. It’s pride. John was the most prideful man I had ever known. He was never wrong. He never walked back a damn thing, but instead gaslit, fired, ostracised, ignored and alienated his contemporaries. They knew that they had to genuflect and acquiesce and agree with whatever stand that MacArthur wanted to take or that would mean the end to their ministry, standing, ghostwriter contracts (Iaian Murray, mate…there’s still time to make this right), positions on the Legacy Standard Bible translation team, leaderships position at Grace and so on and on.
So, now that John has taken ill, those remaining are sharpening their swords for an all out turf war. Think more West Side Story and Anchorman, than the Battle for Middle Earth.
In the next story, I hope to analyze, bit by bit, the CT story, but for now, it is always such a bittersweet thing to review a story like this without thinking that:
- There are many current cases of abuse at Grace; families who are being dissuaded from seeking refuge even now. Psychologically, spiritually weakened and vulnerable members of your church need your help, what are you doing about it?
- If only the internet existed 20 years ago in the form it does today, and while I certainly believe in the Sovereignty and timing of God’s will, it just pierces the soul with regret for what might have been.
- The turnaround between what happens to what is known is decades-old. So, consider stories which happened in the ’00s, ’10s will take time and distance for those families to be put on solid ground, even psychologically, before they can tell their story…if and when they do.
When you add the abuses at TMU and Grace Day School as well…the CT story is regarding the counseling department at GCC. There will be a line of people circling the globe ten times over to talk about how they no longer recommend John MacArthur or Grace Community Church, people leaving Grace Advance Churches, selling their MacArthur Study Bibles, and removing their TMS degrees from their C.V. I can assure you, this happened before Covid with the academic probation situation, but now more so in the light of this new and ongoing stiff-necked and petulant treatment GCC continues to dole out at earnest inquiries.
- Hohn Cho got scrubbed from the GCC website…because that’s what heroes do. #ForgetIt?ForgetYou.
- Oh, and lawsuits…lots of lawsuits. They’ll be selling their real estate holdings all over the Valley to pay for these.
