Evangelical Leaders Caught Up in the Feminist Agenda
A week ago Tuesday, while speaking to The Master’s Seminary student body, John MacArthur stated:
“There seems to be less and less willingness to fight these days among many evangelical leaders. They seem to be capitulating to whatever the whims of the culture happen to be. And that is because we now are into about the fourth decade of pragmatism and it has sucked all the masculinity out of so many men who are unwilling to take a strong stand when it may be unpopular.
“Caught up in the feminist agenda are evangelicals who don’t want to offend people because they’re pragmatic and they’ve sold their souls to pragmatism in ministry so they become part of the #MeToo or #YouToo, or this race or that race, or this identity or that identity. They lose the fierceness that is required in defending the faith.”
Reflecting on his own personal battle for truth and biblical authority, MacArthur said:
“I don’t think I really understood in seminary how relentless this battle would be, and how much discernment it would take, and how it would affect relationships. How many relationships eventually look like they’re going the right direction but are eventually sacrificed to an unwillingness to do battle. And you wind up at the end of your life being stripped of people who at some point gave in to the other side and the ranks get thinner and thinner. I’m living in that era. I watch my life as it comes to an end being stripped of relationships with many, many evangelical leaders because at some point, they’re unwilling to stand where I stand.”
After recounting his own involvement in the charismatic and lordship salvation controversies, the aged radio preacher and seminary chancellor emeritus declared:
“Now the enemy is inside the church in ways that I’ve never seen it.
“Always you’re surprised by who all of a sudden defects. And what causes that? Well briefly, ‘Certain persons have crept in unnoticed.’ Persons of influence, teachers in seminaries, writers, theologians, but false teachers. That is, they’re inside the Christian wall. They’re part of the church. They’re supposedly representatives of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Millions of Christians are suffering persecution across the world, some of them being buried alive or beheaded for their faith including children and yet we, as Christian Evangelicals, are often afraid of posting a Christian post on our Facebook pages for fear it might offend someone including offending those within our own church even when we know it’s the truth. Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). Don’t be ashamed of any of God’s Word and sharing them with others; for they are life!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
25 thoughts on “Evangelical Leaders Caught Up in the Feminist Agenda”
People need to go with what’s right, not what’s popular! What feels good isn’t always what does good… Sad people would rather go with the tide of popular ideologies than hold fast to what has been right all along.
This is why I am now orthodox. I was southern Baptist. I believe the SJW’s are a scourge from God to drive the Christians to the orthodox church. Sola scriptura and sola fides are no match for crying teenage girls on tv. We need the faith of the saints and the martyrs of two millennia to withstand the onslaught.
Lori,
Do you believe the “me too” movement can be applied to the Church? I do not think my pastor is evil and has “crept in” as MacAurthur says, but he does support the “me too” movement. He says it is an example of men who are not Godly, faithful, or courageous. He used the “me too” movement to give a sermon on how young men should be chaste, respectful, and on the search for a Godly wife, and that husbands should spiritually lead their wives in these painful matters and teach their daughters to not be ashamed to report harassment or sexual abuse. He also encouraged men to protect women, believe women, and encourage their friends to do the same. He also encouraged women to report abuse to their husband and the police, and children to their parents. All of these were backed up by scripture.
I attend a Bible church that is not neutral or lukewarm on many matters! So I am confused as to how the “me too” movement would be considered anti-Christian.
Do you think MacAurthur speaks for all believers? Or that he just has a unique mindset that may be interesting to some Christians to explore?
Good words from Dr. MacArthur. I very much appreciate his boldness and his long-term fidelity to the faith. What he says is so unfortunately true.
I do, too, Diana. I used to attend his church once in a while with a friend of mine when we were in college – a LONG time ago! He definitely loves the Word of God and is not afraid to speak truth.
Your pastor is on the social justice bandwagon. Why bring up a godless movement to speak truth? The #metoo movement has nothing whatsoever to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It flows from the feminist movement that is out to prove that women are superior to men. Your pastor preaches to “believe women”? Like simply believe the women who tried to take down Judge Kavanaugh with zero evidence and the many men who are losing most of what they have for false allegations with no evidence? This is nonsense.
Women aren’t superior to men. They lie and cheat just as men do. In fact, women physically abuse men. I know women who have done this to men. Yes, men and women who do this are both bad and wrong but to create a whole movement just for women against men has led to a lot of division and little healing. Your pastor needs to stick to preaching the Gospel; for this is what convicts and changes people, not made-up movements that are only another name for “women’s rights” that have helped destroy this nation.
Thank you for posting this. I needed the encouragement. Like so many others, I have lost so many friendships because of standing for the Faith. The hardest part, I think, is that these friends were once, at least seemingly, on the narrow path. However, now they serve the world, they have abandoned sound doctrine. They have always been the one to end the friendship because my husband and I have stood on Scripture. We have always wanted to continue our friendship for the purpose of pointing these friends to the truth of God’s Word. It is easy to start questioning yourself, when you see person after person abandoning the Faith. And it makes the friendships with true believers all the more precious.
If your pastor brought up “me too” movement for the purpose of teaching the body of Christ proper behavior and proper ways of addressing sin within the body of Christ, then he was correct to do so. Pastors using cultural terms and topics in order to edify the body of Christ are not in the wrong as long as they are pointing Christians to the word of God and sound Doctrine. Which it sounds like he was doing. Even the Apostle Paul used Greek culture including terms from a popular Greek play of the day and referencing temples found in Greco-Roman communities to point people to the gospel. He was not glorifying or legitimizing these cultural references or Pagan practices, rather he was using them as a starting point to a conversation to point people to Christ. It sounds like that’s what your pastor was doing. Using the cultural references of our day to start a sermon to help Believers understand the need for holy living
sorry , but I cannot side with a denomination that puts tradition ahead of scripture and if you know church history you will know some of the traditions were wrongly based on ignorance of the truth at the time
The “Me Too” movement has only brought down men more. The intentions might of been good at first but its totally taken away godly masculinity. It has no biblical ground and does more harm than good.
Lori, your reply to Kate was more on point than the article, though the article is accurate also. Meaning, while it called out effeminate men, it did not address the ills of the western female. A TV preacher a long time ago, did a sermon titled “Who Will Tell the Women…they’ve lost their purity?” “No one”. THAT is the only one I’ve ever heard addressed to women. The way to safely address the ills of women is to address men’s shortcomings or cowardice. Love the article and please keep speaking out!
I don’t have a Facebook account, so does that mean that because I’m not putting a Christian post on social media that I don’t engage in I’m ashamed of Jesus? I’ll share the power of the gospel of Christ to anyone willing to hear it, but I’m not sacrificing my stance on social media usage to appear relevant.
On the contrary, our family’s attempt is to be set apart, which, for my husband and me, means that we don’t take time to participate in Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and our teens post on their IG accounts very rarely.
Even with the best of intentions, even Christians are simply contributing to the argumentative noise on all these social
media sites, which also perpetuates the use of screens in an effort to keep up with it all.
We prefer a 1 Thessalonians 4:11 approach to living. God is faithful, and if we earnestly and prayerfully seek opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers, He will provide opportunities with three-dimensional people, I have no doubt!
When at home, engage at home. Don’t fall into the trap of having a phone in your hand at all times-it can become an addiction. My concern is SAHM’s are trading in working outside the home for divided attention to their screens IN their homes. What will our children remember of our time together?
As wives and mothers, our days and evenings are full at home with work, training, prayer and Bible study. Our minutes are precious-carefully scrutinize what online presence you allow in your home, in your mind, and on your clock! I’ve narrowed down Christian blog reading to around 3, and enjoy listening to several speakers on YouTube that I’ve been introduced to on this blog-John MacArthur being a favorite.
If our convictions are biblical-peace should abound when we apply those principles to our life, and I don’t say that capriciously. I’ve been in the midst of the worst traumatic storm in my life, yet due to surrender and full reliance on the Lord, my only desire is His glorification. I believe part of the peace I’ve experienced is existing sans social media. With a husband, 4 children, parents, extended & church family, friends & neighbors, it simply isn’t needed, and I certainly don’t need it to share the Good News! My prayer list is more than full, and I’m convicted daily of Biblical womanhood here by Lori. Her ministry may necessitate social media usage-mine doesn’t.
young men should be chaste – yes
respectful – yes
on the search for a Godly wife – yes
husbands should spiritually lead their wives – yes (in ALL matters)
teach their daughters to not be ashamed to report harassment or sexual abuse – yes
encourage men to protect women – yes (for those few women who still act like women)
believe women – absolutely NOT – (unless there is sufficient proof of their claim)
encourage women to report abuse to their husband and the police – yes
and children to their parents – yes
Half (virtually all) of what women call “abuse” these days is nothing but their “feelings” being hurt or their goofball beliefs (personal preferences) being violated.
But to use the #metoo movement in a positive light in a sermon is absolutely positively 100% unconscionable and this is EXACTLY the kind of weak minded, low testosterone, (lousy excuse for a so-called) man (of God) that MacArthur is speaking of. May God open his eyes to the truth and may he repent of his false teachings.
Following the Reformation, many brave and wise men opposed the Catholic Church for compromising with paganism. Now the Protestant Church that they fought to establish brazenly compromises with worldliness – it is no better. Because of this, Christianity and Christians have been exposed to mockery and derision as hypocrites. The Word of God is blasphemed because of our behavior. The church is in desperate need of revival!
I really like to listen to Dr. MacArthur’s Grace to You on the radio. One of my favorite programs.
Great points, TM! I know that most women are on social media and whatever we are on or however we are living our lives, we need to be pointing others to the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am thankful we didn’t have smart phones and Internet when I was raising children. It’s tough for them to know how to control time spent on it. Husband, children, and homes must be their first priority. You are a wise woman.
That’s true but thankfully, John MacArthur is bold in speaking out against feminism and speaking for biblical womanhood in other sermons.
I would be disgusted if my pastor held up as good the #metoo movement or feminism or anything else that is instrumental in tearing down our country and keeping the battle between the sexes alive and well. It has no place in the Church. He could have easily spoken the truth of Scripture without bringing in a godless movement.
It doesn’t sound like he was holding it up to Scripture, but rather addressing it from a Biblical perspective. The me too movement is awful, no doubt, but in order to address it and teach the body of Christ how to deal with all sides of the issues, a pastor isn’t wrong to mention it by name. It doesn’t sound like he is glorifying it.
She wrote in her comment that her pastor “supports the #metoo movement.” How any Christian, especially a preacher of the Word, can support this godless movement is tragic. It heals and helps no one. All it has caused is more division and more pain.
Yes to all of this!
“Believe women” is the most destructive social movement ever.
It’s good to encourage women to report abuse and support them to do so. But it is so wrong to believe women just because they’re women, because this tool is the most powerful weapon at our disposal and it’s so easy for some women to choose to lie to destroy men. Listen to women, absolutely. But don’t convict a man solely on their word.
Thank you so much for your wise perspective on the ills of social media, especially Facebook, and for your advice on how women should be serving their families instead. You eloquently describe how a keeper of the home is to occupy herself at home. Your words are an encouragement to me. Life is so much more peaceful and fulfilling when I focus on God’s desires for me to be a good wife. I don’t need to hear the noise of the universe, only God’s clear message in the Bible. I also find a handful of Bible teachers like John MacArthur and Lori teach me how to live out God’s calling. Your family and friends are blessed to have you in their lives.
None the less the Orthodox and Catholic traditions get gender roles right. They get social justice right as well. And they do so without heavy emphasis on Tithing and ripping off the faithful. I have begun attending a High Anglican Church after attending a few Evangelical churches and its so lovely to be fed the word of with reverence and praise with hymns. No yelling, screaming, pumping music and dancing around. And no one getting up to try and push Tithing that has no mention whatsoever in the New Testament. Yes these Churches value tradition, yes they have images and beautiful church structures but I think their survival is in the eternal word of our Father. For any dissatisfied Evangelical please try attending a mass or Conservative eucharist service. You might actually have the time to hear the word of God without it being drowned in music and theatrics and you might find a place to pray.
Well the Orthodox and Catholics might get gender roles and social justice and who knows, many other things “right” but I know the Catholics for sure do not get salvation right.
I am not positive what the many variations of Orthodox believe, but I know that at least the Eastern Orthodox do not get salvation right (they believe in works) and the others are doubtful as well.
If you do not get “salvation” right, it really does not matter what else you might get “right”. Once you die, you are going to spend eternity in hell.
Salvation is through “Faith alone in Christ alone”. Yes, Sola Fide! Period. No Works!
(Ephesians 2:8-9) – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
(John 14:6) – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me”.”
The faith of the saints and the martyrs and church traditions “can” be a positive and useful thing, but it is NOTHING in comparison to the very foundation that everything else is built upon. “Faith alone in Christ alone”. Any other belief than that, will lead you to one place and one place only… an eternity in HELL.
Your pastor really lost me at “believe women”. It’s such a ridiculous premise that a woman would never lie. Just because being sexually assaulted and is a very serious thing doesn’t mean that women won’t lie or exaggerate about it. It’s a horrible thing for someone to do, but it happens, probably far more often than any of us think.
Below is an abridged excerpt from this article: https://www.creators.com/read/michelle-malkin/10/17/beware-the-rape-allegation-bandwagon
“Brent Turvey, a forensic scientist and criminal profiler who heads the Forensic Criminology Institute, is author or co-author of 16 criminal justice books, including textbooks on rape investigation, crime reconstruction, behavioral evidence analysis and forensic victimology.
Turvey’s recent book, written with retired NYPD special victim squad detective John Savino and Mexico-based forensic psychologist Aurelio Coronado Mares, is “False Allegations: Investigative and Forensic Issues in Fraudulent Reports of Crime.”
Based on their review of decades of scientific literature, Turvey and his colleagues explode the “2 percent myth” peddled by politicians, victims’ advocates and journalists “claiming that the nationwide false report rate for rape and sexual assault is nonexistent.”
“This figure is not only inaccurate,” Turvey and his co-authors conclude, “but also it has no basis in reality.”
Published research has documented false rape and sexual assault rates ranging from 8 percent to 41 percent. Savino notes that in his NYPD’s Manhattan Special Victim Squad, “our false report rate was in the double digits during all of my years. Sometimes, it was as high as 40 percent.””