Evangelical luminary John MacArthur died recently. A graduate of Bob Jones University, MacArthur was a rigid Fundamentalist; an odd mixture of dispensationalism and Calvinism. MacArthur tended to attract undying devotion from some and hatred from others. There was a time when I was a MacArthur fan, but I now see how harmful his preaching and social pronouncements were. His use of church discipline against “erring” members was cultic, to say the least. That said, this post is not an exposé of MacArthur.
I want to focus on the last hours of his life. Why? Evangelicals are notorious for deathbed testimonies of God’s nearness and peace. I have read such stories detailing deathbed testimonies that are, quite frankly, beyond belief. If you are a former Evangelical, you likely have read biographies detailing dying declarations of devotion and love for Jesus, complete with Bible verses. So it was with MacArthur. Those around him at the end say he was praising Jesus, talking about Heaven, quoting Bible verses. and proclaiming he was ready to go. According to news reports, MacArthur, a pastor’s son, said he didn’t fear death — the result of a lifetime of Evangelical indoctrination and conditioning. We have to take their word for it, because, as far as I know, no recording was made of MacArthur’s dying declarations.
The people in the room with MacArthur knew they had a legacy to protect. If MacArthur had said that Jesus was far from him or he feared death, do you really think that would have been reported? Of course not. There’s a multimillion-dollar corporation to protect. So, forgive me if I turn a skeptical eye towards reports of MacArthur’s dying declarations. I have read enough Evangelical biographies to know how such things are grossly exaggerated. How can it be otherwise? If preachers end up dying like the unwashed, uncircumcised Philistines of the world, congregants might question claims about the nearness of God at death and the promise of life after death.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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‘…died with jesus’ name on his lips…’ I’ve had more than one x-tian friend tell me of a dying relative who became terrified in their last hours. They’d jesus-ed their socks off all their lives but were now fearful they hadn’t done enough, and hell awaited them. Wouldn’t you think their loving heavenly father would be there reassuring them too? MacArthur, after death, we rot six feet underground, and you were deluded till your very last breath believing that god exists, cares and was ‘calling you home’ to your eternal reward.
My experience of being with those who are close to death is that they are usually unconscious for several hours beforehand. In this state they’ve nothing at all to say.
Yes, and sometimes they can’t talk because they are drugged up to help them with their pain and/or to keep them from hurting themselves.
If that’ story is what makes his family feel better, fine. Whatever.
My grandfather had 2 brothers who weren’t Christians, or were not “good” Christians. Whatever that definition was, I knew as a child that Uncle John definitely wasn’t “saved”, and Uncle Taylor supposedly wasn’t either even though his wife was. I remember when Uncle John died, my mom and grandpa told me that Uncle John got saved before he died. I was skeptical because I knew a few weeks before he died, he got disoriented and cut his hand badly (he lived alone), and his niece found him bleeding badly and confused when she did a wellness check. That prompted him to move in with his sister and brother-in-law who proceeded to bring in a lawyer to change Uncle John’s will so that they gor everything instead of his assets going to the sister and remaining brothers equally. It was quite the family scandal. Anyway, teen ObstacleChick surmised that poor confused Uncke John was coerced into getting “saved” so that the family could feel better. I didn’t buy it. Uncle John was a single army veteran who, despite poor education, was well-read and could discuss a number of topics better than most in the family. He also had PTSD and alcohol abuse issues, but otherwise I liked him.
Uncle Taylor was another story. He also had alcohol abuse issues. I found out decades later he had sexually abused at least one of his sons. He and his wife divorced for a few years, but they got back together when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. She was an LPN and was able to run the dialysis machine they had in their home (which was next door to where I lived with my grandparents). What i didn’t like about Uncle Taylor was that he disowned his son (whom he had sexually abused as a child) after his son came out as gay, and I didn’t like that – I liked our cousin – he was one of the best people in the family. Anyway, supposedly Uncle Taylor “got saved” before he died. Whatever.
If that’ story is what makes his family feel better, fine. Whatever.
My grandfather had 2 brothers who weren’t Christians, or were not “good” Christians. Whatever that definition was, I knew as a child that Uncle John definitely wasn’t “saved”, and Uncle Taylor supposedly wasn’t either even though his wife was. I remember when Uncle John died, my mom and grandpa told me that Uncle John got saved before he died. I was skeptical because I knew a few weeks before he died, he got disoriented and cut his hand badly (he lived alone), and his niece found him bleeding badly and confused when she did a wellness check. That prompted him to move in with his sister and brother-in-law who proceeded to bring in a lawyer to change Uncle John’s will so that they gor everything instead of his assets going to the sister and remaining brothers equally. It was quite the family scandal. Anyway, teen ObstacleChick surmised that poor confused Uncke John was coerced into getting “saved” so that the family could feel better. I didn’t buy it. Uncle John was a single army veteran who, despite poor education, was well-read and could discuss a number of topics better than most in the family. He also had PTSD and alcohol abuse issues, but otherwise I liked him.
Uncle Taylor was another story. He also had alcohol abuse issues. I found out decades later he had sexually abused at least one of his sons. He and his wife divorced for a few years, but they got back together when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. She was an LPN and was able to run the dialysis machine they had in their home (which was next door to where I lived with my grandparents). What i didn’t like about Uncle Taylor was that he disowned his son (whom he had sexually abused as a child) after his son came out as gay, and I didn’t like that – I liked our cousin – he was one of the best people in the family. Anyway, supposedly Uncle Taylor “got saved” before he died. Whatever.
All religion is nothing more than a practical joke the adherents play on themselves. Fairytales aren’t true.