Megachurch pastor John MacArthur dead: 'His faith became sight'
"This evening, his faith became sight. He faithfully endured until his race was run," Grace to You, the media ministry he founded, posted on X Monday night.
MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in the working-class community of Sun Valley since 1969, contracted pneumonia last week, associate Pastor Tom Patton told the congregation at a July 13 service.
"He was admitted into the hospital and may be in the presence of the Lord soon," Patton said. "We place our dear pastor at the feet of the glorious savior, whom he has served so faithfully for so many years and now awaits his final command to be in his presence forever."
MacArthur, like some other preachers across the U.S., catapulted into the public spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic when he hosted large gatherings despite city policies to limit congregations to small numbers outside.
MacArthur is survived by his wife Patricia, their children, 15 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
USA TODAY has reached out to Grace Community Church.
Jimmy Swaggart dead at 90: Televangelist dies weeks after going into cardiac arrest
Pastor John MacArthur's death draws reaction
The announcement of MacArthur's death drew an outpouring from those that followed him
"He was my spiritual father as a teen in 1979," Randy Robertson posted to the announcement of the death on Facebook. "Under his expository preaching on Sundays and Wednesdays the foundation of my new faith was firmly established."
Adam Boyer added, "Praise the Lord for an exemplary life of faithfulness and service to Christ, whom he is now seeing face to face. Every day I want to be more like the man John MacArthur was."
Happy birthday, Pastor John! pic.twitter.com/57XnGc8tjY
Pastor MacArthur's diagnosis comes days after televangelist Jimmy Swaggart died
The news comes after the weekend the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart was buried in Louisiana.
A global televangelist in the 1980s before an adultery scandal diminished his influence, died on July 8 in a Baton Rouge hospital.
Swaggart, who was 90, never regained consciousness following a heart attack in his home June 15.
His publicist told USA TODAY he died surrounded by family and loved ones.
This story has been updated
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
John MacArthur, influential evangelical preacher, dies at 86
The Rev. John MacArthur, an influential and exacting evangelical preacher, died Monday at the age of 86. He led Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sun Valley for more than five decades. The church announced his death on its website, praising his "56 years of faithful ministry." On Sunday, Tom Patton, one of the church's pastors, told the congregation MacArthur had been hospitalized with pneumonia. MacArthur made news during the coronavirus pandemic for flouting Los Angeles County's health orders by holding indoor services for hundreds of congregants and refusing to enforce masking and physical-distancing requirements. Well before then, his influence had spread far beyond Southern California, where he grew up and took the helm of his nondenominational congregation at age 29. His Grace to You broadcast ministry circulated his theologically conservative teachings while his many books, including the popular MacArthur Study Bible, were translated into dozens of languages. "His legacy as a pastor and teacher in the faith will continue to inspire many generations to come," said Jonathan Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University, where MacArthur had given the convocation address. Dressed in a suit and tie, he eschewed pop culture references and emotional appeals from the pulpit, even as they became mainstays of modern evangelicalism. His followers lauded him for his expository preaching, in which he walked them through Scripture line by line. He wanted his sermons to be timeless explanations of the Bible as he interpreted it. "He could get more out of a Bible verse than anyone I've ever known," evangelical leader Franklin Graham wrote on social media. He called MacArthur one of "America's great Bible teachers." He was "a lion of the pulpit," wrote the Rev. Al Mohler, a Southern Baptist leader, for the evangelical World magazine. "He was a preacher God used to make other preachers better preachers." MacArthur was unafraid to stir controversy for the sake of his beliefs, even deriding fellow evangelicals for what he saw as incorrect teachings and theology, including the growing charismatic wing of Christianity. He was an outspoken proponent of complementarianism – the belief that men and women have different roles and women should not be pastors. He publicly rebuked two influential evangelical women: the popular Bible teacher Beth Moore and the Rev. Paula White-Cain, a spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump. During a packed, indoor Sunday morning service at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, MacArthur told applauding congregants that they were not meeting to be rebellious, but because "our Lord has commanded us to come together and worship him." The county and the church traded lawsuits, with the latter arguing the COVID-19 mandates violated their constitutional right to religious freedom. In August 2021, the county's board of supervisors voted to pay Grace Community Church to settle the lawsuit — an outcome MacArthur hailed as a "monumental victory." The church has also weathered allegations related to its handling of abuse allegations and its treatment of women leaving abusive marriages. MacArthur hailed from a long line of pastors, including his father. As part of his ministry, he helped train future church leaders through the Master's University and the Master's Seminary, both in Southern California. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his four adult children, Matt, Marcy, Mark and Melinda, along with 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. The church statement described him as a "beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather" and asked for prayers on his family's behalf. MacArthur had suffered from health problems in recent years, including heart and lung procedures. "Even in recent years, though beset with health challenges, he persisted in teaching, leading, and investing in the ministries the Lord had entrusted to him," the church statement said. MacArthur spoke about his ill health in a video message to a church leadership conference earlier this year. "I realize I'm on the last lap," he said. "That takes on a new meaning when you know you're on the short end of the candle. I am all thanks and praise to God for everything he's allowed me to be a part of and everything he's accomplished by his Word in these years of ministry."
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
I compared McDonald's long-awaited Snack Wraps with Popeyes' chicken wraps. Both were delicious, but one is poised to win the wrap battle.
McDonald's Snack Wraps are back on menus after being discontinued in 2016. Popeyes offers its own version of the iconic wraps. I compared both chains' chicken wraps and was torn about which wrap was most worth ordering again. The Snack Wrap is officially back after years of anticipation. McDonald's Snack Wraps returned to nationwide menus on July 10 after almost a decade of fans begging for their comeback. The wraps, which are a fan-favorite among McDonald's customers, disappeared from many menus in 2016 before being officially discontinued by the chain in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to downsize menus. Since then, other chains, from Burger King to Popeyes, have released their own chicken wraps to fill the void for customers still hungry for the beloved Snack Wraps. And now, it's an all-out chicken wrap battle. Upon the release of McDonald's new Snack Wraps, Popeyes — which launched its own lineup of wraps in June — advertised a promotion to give away a chicken wrap with any purchase of $5 or more until July 13. Both chains' wraps have a similar price point. But which chain is poised to win the wrap wars? I tried McDonald's and Popeyes' lineup of chicken wraps to determine which one was most worth snacking on. Here's how they compared. McDonald's Snack Wraps returned to menus last week. They are priced at $2.99, excluding tax. The paper wrapper showed what kind of wrap was inside, either the spicy version or the ranch version. The Snack Wraps featured a thick tortilla. Both the spicy and ranch Snack Wraps are made with McDonald's new chicken tenders, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese. The ranch version appeared on McDonald's original lineup of Snack Wraps. This time, however, it's made with the chain's new chicken tenders, which launched in May. The ranch sauce was rich and flavorful, and coated every inch of the chicken tender, tortilla, and toppings. The ranch wrap tasted light, but still had a substantial amount of flavor. The creamy ranch balanced out the fresh-tasting lettuce and the crispy chicken tender, while the tortilla held it all together for easy snacking on the go. The spicy Snack Wrap is made with a new spicy-pepper sauce. This is the newest iteration of the Snack Wrap. When Snack Wraps first left the menu in 2016, they were available with a ranch or honey-mustard sauce. When I opened this wrap, a pretty generous amount of sauce was slathered on the chicken tenders, shredded cheese, and shredded lettuce. The chicken tender was crispy, while the lettuce added freshness. I was impressed by the size of these wraps. Despite being snack-sized, I found one of the wraps filling enough for a quick and easy lunch. The spicy sauce did pack a punch — it didn't leave my mouth tingling from the heat, but it had enough kick to justify the spicy name. That said, I wish there had been more sauce. Some bites were completely dry and lacked any of the spicy, savory sauce. I could see why the McDonald's Snack Wraps are so popular. For a quick, reasonably healthy lunch, these wraps deliver. Crispy chicken, bold flavors, and a budget-friendly price — no wonder fans have been demanding their comeback for years. I tried Popeyes' lineup of wraps to see if they could hold a candle to the iconic Snack Wraps. The wraps are priced at $3.99, excluding tax. They're available in three different flavors: classic, spicy, and honey mustard. Popeyes doesn't have custom wrappings for each kind of wrap. Instead, the different flavors were written in pen on the paper wrapping. Like the Snack Wraps, these chicken wraps come in a tortilla. However, I preferred the one used at McDonald's. While the McDonald's tortilla was thick and held the wraps together perfectly, the wraps I got from Popeyes were made a bit more haphazardly. I was worried that if I were truly on the go, they might fall apart. The classic chicken wrap from Popeyes is made with mayonnaise. The wrap is made with one of Popeyes' chicken tenders, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, lettuce, and pickles. The classic wrap's flavor profile, thanks to the mayonnaise and crunchy pickle slices, somewhat reminded me of the chain's famous chicken sandwich. The wrap could have used a touch more flavor. While I thought the chicken tender was crunchy and juicy, and I loved the addition of the pickles, the mayonnaise lacked flavor compared to McDonald's ranch-smothered wrap. Popeyes also has a honey-mustard version. McDonald's used to sell a honey-mustard version of its Snack Wrap, but that flavor didn't make its way back onto menus this time around. I loved the slightly spicy flavor of the honey-mustard wrap. The pickles and tangy honey mustard packed a lot of flavor into this wrap, while the chicken tender was thick and filling. I would love to see McDonald's bring back a honey mustard version of its Snack Wrap to compare the two. Overall, I preferred Popeyes' spicy chicken wrap to McDonald's Snack Wrap. But the tortilla let me down. While the McDonald's tortilla was thick and had a wheaty flavor, the Popeyes tortilla tasted noticeably dry and bland. However, when it came to the other elements of the spicy wraps — from the lettuce to the amount of sauce — I thought Popeyes far surpassed McDonald's. The spicy sauce completely coated every inch of the wrap. It packed enough heat to be both flavorful and manageable, and the pickles added the perfect balance of texture. Out of all five wraps I tried from both chains, this is the one I'm dying to order again. The chicken wraps from Popeyes did measure up to the Snack Wraps, but fell short in a few areas. While I'm still dreaming about Popeyes' spicy chicken wrap, the chain overall fell short compared to McDonald's in terms of value and the quality of the tortilla used in the wraps. Popeyes' chicken wraps cost $1 more than the Snack Wraps, but they're pretty comparable in terms of size and ingredients. I liked the addition of pickles in the Popeyes wraps and the sheer amount of sauce used in the spicy wrap, but it wasn't enough to justify the higher price tag. While I'll definitely order both chains' chicken wraps again, I walked away thinking that the Snack Wrap is iconic for a reason. Other chains' attempts to replicate its magic are in for an uphill battle.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Influential evangelical preacher John MacArthur dies at 86
The Rev. John MacArthur, an influential and exacting evangelical preacher, died Monday at the age of 86. He led Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sun Valley for more than five decades. His ministry announced his death on social media. On Sunday, Tom Patton, one of the church's pastors, told the congregation MacArthur had been hospitalized with pneumonia. MacArthur made news during the coronavirus pandemic for flouting Los Angeles County's health orders by holding indoor services for hundreds of congregants and refusing to enforce masking and physical-distancing requirements. Well before then, his influence had spread far beyond Southern California, where he grew up and took the helm of his nondenominational congregation at age 29. His Grace to You broadcast ministry circulated his theologically conservative teachings while his many books, including the popular MacArthur Study Bible, were translated into dozens of languages. Dressed in a suit and tie, he eschewed pop culture references and emotional appeals from the pulpit, even as they became mainstays of modern evangelicalism. His followers lauded him for his expository preaching, in which he walked them through Scripture line by line. He wanted his sermons to be timeless explanations of the Bible as he interpreted it. 'He could get more out of a Bible verse than anyone I've ever known,' evangelical leader Franklin Graham wrote on social media. He called MacArthur one of 'America's great Bible teachers.' He was 'a lion of the pulpit,' wrote the Rev. Al Mohler, a Southern Baptist leader, for the evangelical World magazine. 'He was a preacher God used to make other preachers better preachers.' MacArthur was unafraid to stir controversy for the sake of his beliefs, even deriding fellow evangelicals for what he saw as incorrect teachings and theology, including the growing charismatic wing of Christianity. He was an outspoken proponent of complementarianism – the belief that men and women have different roles and women should not be pastors. He publicly rebuked two influential evangelical women: the popular Bible teacher Beth Moore and the Rev. Paula White-Cain, a spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump. During a packed, indoor Sunday morning service at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, MacArthur told applauding congregants that they were not meeting to be rebellious, but because 'our Lord has commanded us to come together and worship him.' The county and the church traded lawsuits, with the latter arguing the COVID-19 mandates violated their constitutional right to religious freedom. In August 2021, the county's board of supervisors voted to pay $800,000 to Grace Community Church to settle the lawsuit — an outcome MacArthur hailed as a 'monumental victory.' The church has also weathered allegations related to its handling of abuse allegations and its treatment of women leaving abusive marriages. MacArthur hailed from a long line of pastors, including his father. As part of his ministry, he helped train future church leaders through the Master's University and the Master's Seminary, both in Southern California. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his four adult children, Matt, Marcy, Mark and Melinda, along with 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. MacArthur had suffered from health problems in recent years, including heart and lung procedures. He spoke about his ill health in a video message to a church leadership conference earlier this year. 'I realize I'm on the last lap,' he said. 'That takes on a new meaning when you know you're on the short end of the candle. I am all thanks and praise to God for everything he's allowed me to be a part of and everything he's accomplished by his Word in these years of ministry.' ___ Associated Press writer Deepa Bharath in Los Angeles contributed. ___
