The End of an Era
John MacArthur passed away last week. Like many others, he played a significant role in my life. I grew up listening to his messages on the radio, cassette, and later online. His preaching was direct, precise, and thorough. He preached through every verse of the New Testament at Grace Community Church, though his messages extended beyond there. His preaching reached around the world through Grace to You, the church's broadcast ministry. That’s how I heard a preacher from California in St. Louis, and I am deeply grateful. His writings, mainly derived from his sermons, were also invaluable. Books such as The Gospel According to Jesus, Rediscovering Expository Preaching, and Our Sufficiency in Christ, along with his commentaries, presented deep theological principles in remarkably accessible ways. He was a model expositor, and his dedication to training faithful preachers through The Master’s University and Seminary had a profound impact on many churches across the country and around the world. I am truly grateful for John MacArthur.
His death prompted me to reflect on all the reformed public figures who have recently gone to be with the Lord. R.C. Sproul (1939-2017), J.I. Packer (1926-2020), Tim Keller (1950-2023), and now John MacArthur (1939-2025) are all gone. My theology wouldn’t be what it is without these men, and of course, John Piper, who thankfully remains with us. The influence of the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” movement cannot be separated from these men. I think that’s significant, and even positive. Of course, none of them is without flaws. I disagree with some aspects of their respective theologies. I also don’t like how certain situations were handled in their ministries. I understand and agree with many of those who argue that Christian celebrity culture and the conference circuit of the mid-2000s and 2010s were not ideal. Still, the impact of these pastor-theologians (MacArthur, Keller, and Piper) and theologian-pastors (Sproul and Packer) is important to recognize. Indeed, several themes wove these men together. To name a few:
The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of Scripture.
The Centrality of The Penal Substitutionary Atonement of Christ.
The Necessity and Priority of the Local Church in the Plans and Purposes of God.
The Biblical Reality and Spiritual Vitality of a Calvinist Soteriology.
The Immense Eternal Value of Expository Preaching.
The Responsibility of Christians Toward Evangelism, Missions, and Cultural Engagement.
These men disagreed on some things. But they agreed on much more. And while it seems that we can no longer be together for the gospel, these pastors and theologians remind us of a day when we could. There was a time when leading pastors and Bible teachers set aside other things to share any opportunity to encourage and equip fellow pastors. And despite the weaknesses of conference life and Christian celebrity, the model of collegiality proved helpful for a pastor like me. John MacArthur’s death symbolizes, for me, not only the end of a faithful preaching ministry but also the conclusion of an era marked by non-partisan gospel focus. It’s heartbreaking.