Posted on 07/16/2014 2:00:44 PM PDT by Morgana
In the wake of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s recent decision to celebrate same-sex “marriages,” celebrity pastor John MacArthur of “Grace to You” has come out with some strong statements condemning “false churches” that abandon Biblical teachings against homosexual behavior.
“They have no allegiance to the Bible,” MacArthur told The Blaze online news service. “You go back to every one of those seminaries … for a century [they] have been deniers of biblical authority, they have no relationship to scripture, they are the apostate church, they are Satan’s church.”
While it seems clear MacArthur was implying that self-professed Christians who accept gay “marriage” are doing Satan’s work, not necessarily worshiping the devil, it is worth noting that the actual Satanic Temple of America has called same-sex “marriage” one of its “sacraments.”
MacArthur, who is Baptist, believes in the teachings of John Calvin regarding the inerrancy and literal truth of Scripture. The PCUSA also has its roots in Calvinism, but in 1967 the church updated its precepts to distance itself from Calvin and adopted a more flexible view of Biblical truth.
During a 2001 debate over whether the denomination would permit the ordination of openly homosexual pastors, PCUSA officials said, “We acknowledge the role of scriptural authority in the Presbyterian Church, but Presbyterians generally do not believe in biblical inerrancy. Presbyterians do not insist that every detail of chronology or sequence or pre-scientific description in scripture be true in literal form. Our confessions do teach biblical infallibility. Infallibility affirms the entire truthfulness of scripture without depending on every exact detail.”
In his interview with The Blaze, MacArthur lamented the cultural decline of mainstream denominations like the PCUSA, and said their watered-down approach to theology is a major factor in the increasing secularization of America, which he argues was founded on “cultural Christianity.”
Click "like" if you want to defend true marriage.
According to MacArthur, the historical “cultural Christianity” of Americans has long been a stabilizing force for society. It didn’t mean that everyone belonged to the same church or worshiped exactly the same way, but it did mean that the culture as a whole had a shared set of values and generally believed they would have to answer to a higher power in the afterlife.
The founding fathers, MacArthur told The Blaze, “knew you couldn’t compel people to goodness” unless the majority of people believed in God. But in our increasingly agnostic society, the very idea of “goodness” is open to debate.
I do not always agree with MacArthur, but here he is absolutely correct.
not necessarily worshiping the devil
To the author of this article: Actually they do worship the Devil, they may not acknowledge this but it’s Biblically accurate to say that those who aren’t born again by Christ are still under Satan’s power..
I don’t know the guy or how often he is wrong but this is right on.
Marriage can only be between man and woman, period. Anything else is a blasphemous construction.
I’ve always respected John MacArthur. He never shies away from speaking his mind based on his knowledge of the Bible.
PCUSA is also pro Palestinian. So yes, call it “satanic” or “heresy” or “wrong” or whatever you want, but what they are doing can no longer be called Christianity.
“...not necessarily worshiping the devil”
Which is more of an insult to God’s word: a Satanic congregation that openly worships Lucifer or an institution that claims to be a Christian Church but mocks the many biblical verses on the abomination of homosexuality?
This is not a question I can answer.
The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'
But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"--Matthew 13:24-30
John MacArthur is the simply the best, most conscientious, Bible teacher I have come across. And he has 40+ years of sermons, on all manner of subjects, on his website. Here is a link to it: www.gty.org
Wow, the writer of the article is all over the map.
However, MacAuthur is correct on this one.
You simply CANNOT compromise on sin.
Christ will have the final say - I knew you not, you are cast away in the lake of fire. It is sad when entire church denominations are led astray by false teachers and false teachings. The Old Testament has a good story about two cities that did what would be synomous with Sodomy. Sodom and Gomorah. Homosexuality is abomination and a sin. It is not natural for males to be wioth males and females to be with females. Procreation takes place with a man and a woman not a man/man or woman/woman.
#2, without question.
If it isn't Christianity, the only other option is satanic.
some denominations and religions are more overtly so, and some less, but the source is the same.
If it's not of God, it's of the enemy.
John MacArthur is a good guy...the real deal....and solid in his convictions!
I wonder if God believes in “a more flexible view of Biblical truth”? What an insult to God.
You don`t have to be a Christian or even know anything about it to know sodomy is wrong, it is against nature.
It shows their hate for God.
I vaguely recall that there was something that I disagreed with him about - but I can't remember what it was. As you said, he is correct on these comments: Denominations that allow and approve of Sodomite 'marriages' (which is an abominable use of the word) are churches that serve Satan.
I remember seeing a clip of him (I believe from Word Pictures - CrossTV) from a Larry King show where he answered the tough question - 'Is Salvation only through Jesus Christ'? People often get squishy on that question when they are surrounded by people of other religions -- as was MacArthur during this interview -- but he stood his ground on the rock and stated clearly what it was - Salvation through Christ alone. As Jesus said, 'I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh to Father except through me'.
I also remember there was a controversy around 20 years ago about people saying they could have Christ as their Saviour, but not as their Lord. Kind of similar to this present issue -- IF Christ is your Saviour, He is also your Lord -- and it is your duty to obey Him fully.
So, I remember I agree with him on these important issues, but I have vague memory of something I took issue with (probably some petty difference) -- but he is definitely a good speaker and expositor of Scripture.
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