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, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen 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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