"Having bequeathed a huge body of scholarship and Biblical exegesis to his subsequent generations, John MacArthur can now count for himself the angels on the heads of pins."
"John McArthur, the de facto leader of one of American Protestantism’s major contemporary wings, died on July 14, 2026, at the age of 86. The son and grandson of preachers, MacArthur was the author of more than 150 books and pamphlets; was still active in the pulpit of his church, Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, California, and head of his Master’s University and Master’s Seminary; and hosted a daily radio program/media ministry, Grace To You.
"For all of MacArthur’s religious activity, including recent “road show” appearances with fellow Fundamentalist and Reform figures, he broke into prominence in the mainstream culture during the panic-ridden COVID days. He steadfastly refused to obey the commands of county and state to close his church, halt services, and institute a mandatory mask-wearing policy. He said that if he were arrested, he would begin a prison ministry when incarcerated. Grace Community eventually was compensated by Gavin Newsom’s California and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to the tune of $800,000.
"This action represented MacArthur’s evolving involvement in politics, which included a statement that all “real Christians” should vote for Donald Trump. Ben Shapiro, on his podcast following MacArthur’s death, paid tribute to a sincere friend and sincere believer in his spiritual foundations. Shapiro recalled how, in one interview, MacArthur spent a full 30 minutes lovingly explaining the Gospel to him, attempting religious conversion. Shapiro, a Jew, was not convinced, but acknowledged MacArthur’s clear respect and concern for the condition of people’s souls.
"In his role as a Bible scholar, he produced a Study Bible, the Legacy Standard Bible, basically an update of the New American Standard version. It has sold more than 2 million copies and has been translated into two dozen languages.
"Through such activities, John MacArthur became prominent beyond his spiritual base, which could roughly be characterized as Reformed. His influence indeed bled far, with his books, appearances, and pulpit activity; assiduously, he taught in weekly sermons the entire Bible, verse by verse, totaling decades of methodical messages. Otherwise, MacArthur’s theology was difficult to label: He was born Baptist; attended Bob Jones University and Biola University; adopted elements of Calvinism, even hyper-Calvinism, including predestinarianism and a pre-millennial eschatology. If a distinction must be drawn, John MacArthur was more a teacher than a preacher" . . .
Rick Marschall is a historian, critic, and commentator, and the author of 75 books, including Christian and apologetic books published by Thomas Nelson, FaithWords, etc. He was a member of the editorial team for the revision of the 1599 Geneva Bible. His weekly Christian/music blog has been published for 15 years: MondayMinstry.com/blog
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