- BrentDetwiler.com

I’ve posted 369 articles on my blog since August 3, 2011. This is the most important one! You can download it here. It is not the most important personally but missionally. What I have walked through with C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Churches, Inc. is far more personal. Let me explain.

In this article, you will find a six-page letter to Al Mohler, Mark Dever, and Ligon Duncan regarding John MacArthur and Phil Johnson. It summates my mission over the last ten years to see biblical standards of righteousness applied to men in ministry. I hope you give it special attention. It is my “mission statement.”

What follows is a shocking story about the vain-glory of John MacArthur and the vicious bullying of Phil Johnson. These men should not be in ministry. I know that sounds outlandish. You will understand once you’ve read the article.

This is another test for Christian leaders across America. They failed to study the evidence against CJ. Mahaney and hold him accountable. Instead, they treated him with godless partiality and favoritism. It brought about great ruination. How will they respond this time? Has anything been learned? Has anything changed?

Here are the succinct and audacious claims of John MacArthur as told to his church on August 20, 2017. He is probably the best known pastor, author, and Bible teacher in all of evangelical Christianity. None of these claims are true! They are all fabrications!

“I was in the room when Martin Luther King was assassinated with those Black leaders. We went to Memphis, and I stood on the blood spots on that motel with those men. And I stood in the little bathroom on top of the toilet where James Earl Ray shot him out the window. Those men were my friends.”

These four sentences contain five audacious lies that John MacArthur has repeatedly told over the past 12 years. Here is what the evidence clearly shows.

1. He was not in the NAACP office of Charles Evers with John Perkins in Jackson, Mississippi when Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

2. He did not go to Memphis with Evers and Perkins the evening of April 4, 1968 when King was killed.

3. He did not stand on Kings’ blood spots on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel with Evers and Perkins.

4. He did not access the boarding house bathroom used by James Earl Ray across the street or stand on the toilet he claims was used to fire the fatal shot out the window.

5. He was not a friend of civil rights leader, Charles Evers.

I have written John MacArthur and Phil Johnson in private asking them to repent. MacArthur did not respond. Johnson did in an arrogant and condescending manner (more on that later).

I have also brought these fabrications and the vicious cover-up to the attention of their elders at Grace Community Church and asked them to contact me. They have been unresponsive. I have also brought these matters to the attention of other leaders and asked for their involvement. None has been willing to get involved.

The question is, “Will anyone study the evidence and take disciplinary action?” Or is this going to be a C.J. Mahaney repeat? Will the author of The MacArthur Study Bible and The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (34 volumes) be held to account for what he has taught millions of people or not?

The issue of credibility was brought out by journalist, Paige Rogers in her article, Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying. She is referring to civil rights leader, Charles Evers. The article was written for the NOQ Report and posted on February 4, 2019. NOQ stands for News, Opinions, Quotes.

She summarized the article in the first two paragraphs.

“Civil Rights icon Charles Evers – brother of murdered Civil Rights activist, Medgar Evers– is hoping to set the record straight, requesting that radio Bible teacher, best-selling author, seminary president, and mega-church pastor John MacArthur stop “lying” about being with Charles Evers on the night that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

“Testimony from Charles Evers and fellow Civil Rights icon, John Perkins – in concert with official reports from the Memphis police, the FBI, and the Congressional investigation into Dr. King’s assassination – are incongruent with Pastor MacArthur’s statements of the events of April 4, 1968, when Dr. King was shot.”

I have meticulously researched every facet of Rogers’ article in order to verify assertions or discover errors in what she has reported. In the process, I discovered additional evidence and information that supports her case. I found no errors. I thought the article was skillfully written, well-researched, and displayed no obvious bias in judgment. People should read it and judge for themselves.

My article builds upon her article and reiterates the primary source material she cited. I didn’t know Paige Rogers before her article came out. Since it came out, I’ve asked her various questions and she has graciously answered them as able.

John MacArthur introduced his narrative for the first time at the Desiring God 2007 National Conference with John Piper during a message entitled “Certainties that Drive Enduring Ministry.” Here is my verbatim transcription of the relevant comments within the broader context. I’ve added underlining for focus and emphasis.

ACCOUNT 1

Certainties That Drive Enduring Ministry (Part 2)
John MacArthur
Desiring God 2007 National Conference
September 29, 2007

Minutes 31:38-33:36

And in the end the ultimate disposition of your life as to discipline and reward is totally in his hands and his hands alone. You are a slave. I was talking about this a few weeks ago over in, somewhere in North Carolina. It was at Wake Forest University. And a gracious guy stood up and he said, ‘You know, I come from the African American church and I’m not, I’m not, I’m not sure this would go over real big – this slavery idea.’

And I said, ‘Well you know what, I understand that.’

Look, I was down in the South, I was down in the South in the office of Charles Evers – the brother of Medgar Evers – when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. I was in Jackson, Mississippi with some leaders down there and they actually put me in a car and took me to Memphis and put me, they took me into the building where James Earl Ray shot him. Put me up on the, I climbed up on the toilet to look through the window where he held the gun. I know those people, I’ve known them through the years and ministered there. I understand all the pain and agony of that in the past.

But I said to him [the man at Wake Forest], ‘For you that’s a memory, for the people living in the New Testament that [slavery] was now! That was their reality.’”

And as abused as it was in many cases for some people it was the best of all worlds. A perfectly benevolent, loving and gracious master, who meets all your needs and gives you complete protection. What else could you ask for? But it is the metaphor for the Christian.

This is the first occasion John MacArthur told this story. It was 39 years after the events supposedly occurred.

A little history before proceeding. Martin Luther King was shot on April 4, 1968 at 6:01 p.m. while standing on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital. James Earl Ray was found guilty of firing the fatal shot from the bathroom window of a boarding house about 100 yards away.

The assassination occurred in 1968. MacArthur is telling this story for the first time in 2007. He has never written about it and never mentioned it in any sermon before 2007. Why the 39 years of abject silence?

This account is the incipient version. The story grows over the next 12 years but here are his initial claims.

1. He was “in the office of Charles Evers” “with some leaders” when Martin Luther King was assassinated. Evers was the head of the NAACP (i.e., the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in Mississippi. His office was in state capital of Jackson. There is no mention of John Perkins by name as one the leaders. That is added in the next version.

2. Evers and the leaders “actually put me in a car and took me to Memphis.” MacArthur implies this occurred when they received the news. In a later account, he makes it explicit. They traveled to Memphis the night of King’s death.

3. Evers and the leaders “took me into the building where James Earl Ray shot him.” MacArthur implies this occurred upon their arrival in Memphis. In a latter account, he makes it explicit.

4. Once in the bathroom, he “climbed up on the toilet to look through the window where he held the gun.” He claims it was necessary to stand on the toilet in order to look out the window across to the Lorraine Motel. In this initial account, he makes no mention of visiting the blood scene on the balcony.

Sixteen months later, John MacArthur does an interview with executive pastor, Rick Holland on the occasion of his 40^th anniversary as the senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. A lot of new information is added to his story including the presence of John Perkins in Charles Evers’ office and Perkins’ part in taking MacArthur to Memphis. I’ve included background material about their relationship for context.

ACCOUNT 2

A Retrospective on 40 Years: John MacArthur with Rick Holland
January 25, 2009

Minutes 1:12-2:54; 4:07-5:59

RICK: We just elected a first black President and it’s raised the whole issue again of civil rights in our country. And some of the folks might not know that you had a very interesting brush with the Civil Rights Movement at a very significant time in history. Why don’t you talk about that?

JOHN: Yeah, before I came to Grace Church when I was a seminary student, I came to know a man named John Perkins. John Perkins came to Christ after a very, very troubled childhood. He was raised in Mississippi. He saw his brother killed by Ku Klux Klan men before his very eyes in the street. And John, as a result of that, had a lot of bitterness in his heart, but when he came to Christ all of that was swept away and he started attending my Dad’s church and I got to know him and grew to love him and his wife Vera Mae.

Well in the purposes of God he returned to Mississippi to a little town called Mendenhall, and Mendenhall, Mississippi south of Jackson and he started a ministry there. He started a school there. He started a church. Started a little co-op for people to buy things and really helped that little community of Mendenhall. This was right at the time when Civil Rights Movement really exploded and John asked me if I would come to Mississippi and if I would preach, if I would go out to the black high schools which were totally segregated and always on the other side of town, and if I would preach and do some gospel ministry in these high schools around Mississippi. So I said, “Absolutely, I’d love to do that.” …

Well it was during those times that I was there and I will never forget, I can’t tell you the whole story, but I’ll never forget one night, I was in the middle of Jackson, Mississippi in the office of a man named Charles Evers. Charles Evers had a brother named Medgar Evers. Medgar Evers was the first martyr of the Civil Rights Movement. He was the first person killed. Charles became the first black mayor...the first black mayor in the south at Fayetteville, Mississippi. He was a friend of John’s and I had come to know him. And we were sitting there and he was trying to explain to me that night in Jackson what was going on. Now remember, I was a very young guy, I had become immersed in that culture, grew to love those people. And Charles was talking and a man burst through the door and said, “Martin Luther King has been assassinated.” That happened that night while I was there with Charles and John and some others.

And the immediate issue was that there were serious things going on in the street in Jackson and they were trying to get me out of there because I was as pale as a ghost. And here we were worried what might happen to me. And so they escorted me. And then they said, “You know, we’re going to go to Jackson [sic, they were in Jackson]. We want to, we want to go, we’re going to Memphis, we want to see what happened.

So they took me. And in those days the police weren’t nearly as protective, forensics hadn’t developed to what they had and they didn’t necessarily protect crime scenes. So we went to the motel, up to the landing, saw the blood where Martin Luther King had been shot just hours before by James Earl Ray. I actually went to the little building opposite the motel, went up on the second flood, stood up on the toilet and looked out the window where James Earl Ray had shot him. And I was there at that very, very, very crucial time.

Here is what MacArthur adds to his story.

1. He says, “I will never forget…I’ll never forget one night.” That is the night of April 4, 1968. Not some other night or in the following days or weeks.

2. He claims Medgar Evers, Charles’ younger brother, “was the first martyr of the Civil Rights Movement. He was the first person killed.” This adds gravity to his account but is entirely untrue. Medgar was killed in 1963. He was far from the first person killed. In fact, Medgar was drawing attention in his public protests to earlier martyrs like Herbert Lee who was murdered in 1961.

3. Charles Evers was the first black mayor of an integrated town (i.e., a not all black town) in the South at Fayette, Mississippi (there is no Fayetteville in Mississippi).

4. MacArthur claims Charles Evers “was a friend of John’s and I had come to know him.” In other words, he had come to know Charles on a personal basis. They shared a relationship. Therefore, “We were sitting there and he was trying to explain to me that night in Jackson what was going on.”

5. MacArthur is the “very young guy” at 28 years of age. He is receiving personal instruction and attention. It was no casual acquaintance or first time introduction. John MacArthur was in Charles Evers’ NAACP office with top civil rights leaders because he had come to know him through John Perkins. He was the only white man in their company.

6. In this second account, MacArthur makes a new and emphatic claim about how he, Evers, Perkins, and “some others” heard about the assassination. “And Charles was talking and a man burst through the door and said, ‘Martin Luther King has been assassinated.’ That happened that night while I was there with Charles and John and some others.”

7. MacArthur also claims Evers and Perkins “were trying to get me out of there” (i.e., out of Jackson) “and so they escorted me” because they “were worried what might happen to me” as a pale white man. They also decide “we’re going to Memphis, we want to see what happened,” “so they took me.”

8. In this second account, MacArthur adds that he, Evers, Perkins and “some others” “saw the blood where Martin Luther King had been shot just hours before” on “the landing” (balcony) of the Lorraine Motel because “police…didn’t necessarily protect the crimes scenes.” In other words, this group of men had no problem accessing and viewing the blood pool left by the "laceration of vertebral artery, jugular vein, and subclavian artery, right” just hours before because the crime scene of the great civil rights leader was supposedly unprotected.

9. In addition, these men were able to walk over to the boarding house, go up to the second floor bathroom, and enter the crime scene without any hindrance from the police. MacArthur reiterates how he “stood up on the toilet and looked out the window where James Earl Ray had shot him.” To cap off this account for his live audience at Grace Community Church in 2009, he exclaims “And I was there at that very, very, very crucial time.”

The third account is found in MacArthur’s official biography by Iain Murray. Murray co-founded the Reformed publishing house, the Banner of Truth Trust, which published John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock. He has written some excellent books, histories and biographies but he did not research MacArthur’s account of April 4, 1968 by his own admission.

ACCOUNT 3

John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock
Iain H. Murray
The Banner of Truth Trust (Publisher)
May 1, 2011

A second Crusade took place from March 31 to April 6, 1968. While it was being planned no one anticipated that the dates would coincide with a crisis in the Civil Rights Movement. On the night of April 4 John [MacArthur] was in Jackson, Mississippi, talking with a group that included John Perkins and Charles Evers, the black mayor of Fayetteville, whose brother was regarded as the first martyr of the Civil Rights Movement. John, the only white person present, described himself later as a very young guy, who had grown to love these people and their culture. As they were discussing events a man burst into the room with the news, ‘Martin Luther King has been assassinated.”

The group’s reaction was to drive through the night to Memphis, the scene of the murder, and John went with them. As they left the house in Jackson he needed the care of his friends, lest he became a target for the anger of the black crowds already on the streets outside. At the motel in Memphis, where the civil rights leader had been shot only hours before, they found no police guard on the crime scene, and there was ready access to the landing stained with King’s blood. Recalling that crucial time, John was to say: “I actually went to the little building opposite the motel, went up on the second floor and, standing on a toilet, looked out the window from which James Earl Ray had fired the shot that killed him. (pp. 26-27)

Murray did not research these claims. He relies on the previous account and personal conversations with MacArthur. As a result, he passes on a lot of erroneous information. Paige Rogers contacted Banner of Truth Trust and asked, “Did Iain Murray verify the claims published in his book? If so, what corroborating evidence was found?” Murray wrote her back, “Thank you for your letter to me via Banner Of Truth publisher’s. I had that information direct from John MacArthur in personal conversation. Sorry, that is all I know.” MacArthur did not provide him any evidence and Murray did not verify his account.

Here are observations from Murray’s account.

1. Murray did not research these claims. He relies on the previous account and personal conversations with MacArthur. As a result, he passes on a lot of erroneous information. Paige Rogers contacted Banner of Truth Trust and asked, “Did Iain Murray verify the claims published in his book? If so, what corroborating evidence was found?” Murray wrote her back, “Thank you for your letter to me via Banner Of Truth publisher’s. I had that information direct from John MacArthur in personal conversation. Sorry, that is all I know.” MacArthur did not provide him any evidence and Murray did not verify his account.

2. Murray contradicts himself. The group drove “through the night” but was at the crime scene “only hours” later. Memphis is a 210 mile trip on I-55 which was completed in 1955. Google Maps says it takes a little over 3 hours to drive.

3. MacArthur makes himself the center of concern and attention in his biography. This is the first explicit reference to being “the only white person present.“ He “needed the care of his friends, lest he became a target for the anger of the black crowds already on the streets outside.” He was in grave danger according to his account. He calls Charles Evers his caring friend.

4. MacArthur and the entire group of men were able to access the area without any difficulty including “the landing stained with King’s blood” because “they found no police guard on the crime scene” “only hours” later. They had easy access to the Lorraine Motel according to MacArthur.

5. For the same reason, MacArthur “actually went to the little building opposite the motel, went up on the second floor and, standing on a toilet, looked out the window from which James Earl Ray had fired the shot that killed him.“ There was no hindrance from the police. This is the third consecutive mention of “standing on a toilet.”

6. This official account in his biography was published May 1, 2011. There is no turning back. It is set in print for all time. John MacArthur “was there at that very, very, very crucial time.” If not before the book came out, John Perkins and his family now know this is the story MacArthur was putting forth.

The fourth telling of the story occurred during the E. Y. Mullins Lectures on Preaching at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY where Al Mohler is President. “This lectureship is named for one of the great statesmen/theologians in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention, former president of SBTS and the SBC, Edgar Young Mullins” (Steve Weaver).

You can watch the message here. MacArthur did the same lecture series in 2012. He is back in 2014. The comments about John Perkins and the events of April 4, 1968 were made at the beginning of the message. Perkins is in attendance. Below is my transcription. This account was not included in the article by Paige Rogers.

ACCOUNT 4

John MacArthur
Mullins Lectures
Fall 2014
Session 1 - Genre of Parables

Minutes 0:00-2:38

“So this is not keep coming back [for lectures] until you get it right? I have to say word about John Perkins. It was just a precious moment to see you John. I have such vivid memories. When I was very young, just out of seminary, the civil rights movement was flourishing, John invited me down to Mendenhall, Mississippi. I think I came down six years in a row over periods of time. We had some amazing adventures. Because of my association with him, the sheriff hauled me into jail and he said, “We are fining you for doing what you’re doing.” I said, “I’m preaching the gospel.” I was going around with you to the high school. And he said, “Well we are fining you.” I said, “How much?” He said, “How much you got?” [laughter] He took all my money which wasn’t a whole lot.

I don’t want to take the time to give you the history of this but John and I with Charles Evers, who was, I think he was the first mayor in the south, black mayor in the south. Is that true? I think I remember that. [Perkins: “First mayor of an integrated city.”] Of an integrated city. And his brother was Medgar Evers who was the first martyr of the civil rights movement. Charles and John and I and a couple other guys were in Jackson Mississippi. We were up in a room and we were talking. I was the only white person in there. And a guy burst through the door and said Martin Luther King had been shot. And everything went crazy. And they tried to get me out of there because I stood out you know like a snow man [laughter] and hustled me through Jackson and put me in a car and we went to Memphis, remember. And I climbed up, I went up the second floor building of that little old building. I climbed up on the toilet, and I looked out the window where James Earl Ray stood when he shot Martin Luther King. And then we went up to the balcony where he died and saw the blood scene there. Amazing moment. Amazing moment. John has been faithful through the years to the gospel, to his people, wonderful to see you.”

Here is what we learn.

1. MacArthur reiterates being with Charles Evers and John Perkins. “Charles and John and I and a couple other guys were in Jackson Mississippi. We were up in a room and we were talking. I was the only white person in there.” In the second account he said, “I was there with Charles and John and some others.” “Some others” changes to “a couple other guys.” This is a small group of black men with only one white man present.

2. Once again he refers to the dramatic entrance and exclamation – “And a guy burst through the door and said Martin Luther King had been shot [not killed].” King was shot at 6:01 p.m. The news immediately spread around the nation. In Accounts 2 and 3, MacArthur said the man declared, “Martin Luther King has been assassinated.” King died at 7:05 p.m. This may be a contradiction in his accounts.

3. Then MacArthur adds new information. “And everything went crazy. And they tried to get me out of there because I stood out you know like a snow man and hustled me through Jackson and put me in a car and we went to Memphis, remember.” It was bedlam. Once again, MacArthur highlights the danger he was in because he “stood out you know like a snow man.” He also adds important new details in this fourth account. They “hustled me through Jackson and put me in a car and we went to Memphis.” Evers and Perkins took immediate action before trouble broke out. John MacArthur is a major concern because he is a white man. Everyone is focused on him. MacArthur has never explained why it was safer for him in Memphis than Jackson. There were riots in both cities. Also take note, Evers and Perkins personally put him in a car and together they went to Memphis. It is implied, Evers, Perkins and MacArthur were in the same vehicle.

4. For the fourth time, MacArthur talks about standing on the commode. It is the most cited and prominent detail in his accounts – something he distinctly remembers. “I climbed up on the toilet, and I looked out the window where James Earl Ray stood when he shot Martin Luther King.” He also reiterates for the fourth time, that Ray shot King while standing on the toilet in order to shoot out the elevated window.

5. Then he adds this chronological detail. “And then we went up to the balcony where he died and saw the blood scene there. Amazing moment. Amazing moment.” In other words, he, Evers, Perkins, and others went to the boarding house first upon their arrival in Memphis. After visiting the crime scene, they freely went over to Lorraine Motel. This appears to contradict the chronology found in the second account which implies they went to the Lorraine Motel first.

Three weeks after his lecture series at “Southern Seminary” (i.e., the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) he is does a question and answer session at his own Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA with Austin Duncan, one of the pastors. MacArthur is asked a question about whether it is wrong for a Christian to engage in civil protest. You can find the full length session here. Below are his comments regarding John Perkins.

ACCOUNT 5

Question & Answer Session with John MacArthur
Grace Community Church
Fall 2014

AUSTIN: All right, let’s go. Let’s talk about some current issues. This is under the pastoral category. One of the issues is this, “In light of the Michael Brown verdict, is protesting wrong for a Christian? Are we to exercise our freedom of speech?” And then this, “How can we share Christ and glorify God in this situation?”

MACARTHUR: When I was back at Southern Seminary, it was really interesting. I was back there three weeks ago, and I was doing a series there. When I came in to do my opening message in this series at Southern in Louisville, there I saw in the front row, John Perkins. John Perkins is a black man and John Perkins is 86 or something like that now. John had been there the day before, and he stayed because he wanted to see me. He wanted to see me. So when I walked in to take a place in the front row waiting to preach, he came out of the second pew.

The place was full of people. He walked up to me, and I walked up to him. I threw my arms around him, and I just held onto him for a long time, and he held onto me. We just kind of talked in each other’s ears. There was so much emotion, so much love and affection that we had for each other because we go back so far. People were stunned by that because they don’t necessarily know that part of my life.

So we had a lunch afterwards with the leadership of Southern Seminary, and they were all in there. John said, “Let me tell you about my experience with John MacArthur,” he calls me in his Mississippi drawl, John MacArthur. When I was a student, when I was a kid in seminary, I went back there and I worked with him in Mendenhall, Mississippi, before the civil rights movement had really changed America. It was at the heart of the civil rights movement. It was a devastating time.

I happened to be in Jackson with all the black leaders when Martin Luther King was assassinated. I was in the room with all of them. I was the only white guy, but I was there preaching in all the black schools everywhere and living in John and Vera’s house with their family. It was so interesting because John reminded me at the table of something I’d forgotten. He said, “When Martin Luther King was killed, we had to go preach the next two days. We had to go preach in black high schools.” He said, “While the world was trying to figure out what was happening, the black kids were weeping. Every high school we went to,” he said, “the black kids were weeping because of the death of Martin Luther King.”

Here’s what we learn from the fifth account.

1. MacArthur “happened to be in Jackson with all the black leaders when Martin Luther King was assassinated. I was in the room with all of them.” MacArthur doesn’t explain why he is in Jackson in the room (i.e., in Charles Evers’ NAACP office) “with all the black leaders” of the civil rights movement. He just “happened to be” there as “the only white guy.” Jackson is 40 minutes from Mendenhall where Perkins lived.

2. In account one, he was with “some leaders,” account two with “some others,” account three “with a group,” account four with “a couple other guys.” Now he is with “all the black leaders.” MacArthur has never identified the other civil rights leaders he was with the evening of King’s murder or on the trip with him to Memphis. This was an evening meeting. King died at 7:05 p.m.

3. In this account, he makes no mention of a trip to Memphis. But he does add, “When Martin Luther King was killed, we had to go preach the next two days. We had to go preach in black high schools.” That is very odd. King was killed on a Thursday. That means he was preaching in black high schools on a Saturday. It also means their supposed visit to Memphis was short lived and they did not stay for the daytime viewing and memorial service on Friday with Coretta Scott King in attendance. Is the same true for “all the black leaders” with them? Did they all come back to Jackson? And then did Perkins and MacArthur continue on to Mendenhall?

[Update (Mar. 12, 2021): MacArthur did not go to Memphis on April 4 with black leaders including Evers and Perkins. He went into the black high schools with Perkins on April 5 and April 6. So did his four white friends from California who ministered with him. That included David Nicholas. After their two days of ministry on Friday and Saturday, they went to Memphis without Evers or Perkins on Sunday, April 7 or soon thereafter. In his biography of MacArthur, Iain Murray records on page 26, “A second Crusade took place from March 31 to April 6, 1968.”]

The sixth account of record occurred three years later during an open question and answer session with an audience from Grace Community Church on August 20, 2017. Someone asked MacArthur about his “view of Charlottesville, Virginia.” You can read the transcript and listen here.

Here are the relevant comments with background for context.

ACCOUNT 6

Question & Answer Session with John MacArthur
Grace Community Church
August 20, 2017

Minutes 43:25-45:35

AUDIENCE: So with that being said, “What is a biblical and Christ-proclaiming view of Charlottesville, Virginia and all that’s happened recently?”

JOHN: Sure. I’ll give you a biblical view of it. The human heart is desperately wicked, and the human heart is hostile toward God, and self-centered, and proud, and selfish, and angry. What Charlottesville simply demonstrates is that fallen humanity is corrupt. All I see in that is the justification of anger.

Look, that’s not about slavery. That’s not about something that happened 200 years ago. That’s an opportunity for angry, hostile, self-willed, selfish people to explode and feel good about it, because they can get away with it when there’s enough of them, too many of them to stop. No one tolerates white supremacists.

When I was down in Mississippi years ago, I was arrested by those kinds of people for preaching the gospel in black high schools, and I was put in jail, and they took all my money away. I know that. I was with black leaders in Jackson, Mississippi when Charles Evers, Medgar Evers brother – Charles was the first black mayor in the South, Charles. His brother Medgar was the first martyr of the Civil Right Movement, he was killed. I was in the room when Martin Luther King was assassinated with those black leaders. We went to Memphis, and I stood on the blood spots on that motel with those men. And I stood in the little bathroom on top of the toilet where James Earl Ray shot him out the window. Those men were my friends. That was my community. I couldn’t buy groceries in that town when I got back in Mendenhall, Mississippi. I couldn’t eat in a restaurant.

[Update (Mar. 12, 2021): John MacArthur was never arrested for preaching the gospel or anything else. Nor was he put in jail and no one took all his money away. These are lies according to his friend, David Nicholas who was with him at the time.]

This sixth account is important for the succinct summary it provides and a couple details it adds.

1. The summary. One, he was “in the room” (i.e., the NAACP office) at the time of King’s assassination. Two, he was with “those black leaders” (e.g. Charles Evers, John Perkins). Three, they all went to Memphis. Four, they all went to the Lorraine Motel. Five, they all went to the boarding house bathroom. Six, they were all his friends.

2. Once again, MacArthur refers to all these black leaders, including Charles Evers, as his friends. They are not mere acquaintances. This is an important detail (more later).

3. Not only did MacArthur stand on “the toilet,” we learn he also “stood on the blood spots” of Martin Luther King. This is a reference to the blood pool. It was very large. He didn’t view the blood scene from a respectful distance, he stood on it. So did the black civil rights leaders according to his account.

The seventh and final account comes from a blog post written by MacArthur last August on the Grace to You website regarding his concern for the social justice movement in the evangelical Church. Here is the relevant excerpt with some context.

ACCOUNT 7

Social Justice and the Gospel
John MacArthur
August 13, 2018

I spent a lot of time traveling through rural Mississippi with my good friend John Perkins, a well-known black evangelical leader, preaching the gospel in segregated black high schools. …

I was again ministering in Mississippi with John Perkins and a group of black church leaders in April 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. One of the men leading our group was Charles Evers, head of the Mississippi NAACP. (His brother Medgar had been killed in 1963 by the KKK.) When news of Dr. King’s murder broke, we drove to Memphis—and literally within hours after Dr. King was assassinated, we were at the Lorraine Motel, standing on the balcony where he was shot. We were also shown the place where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot. …

Over the years, I’ve fought a number of polemical battles against ideas that threaten the gospel. This recent (and surprisingly sudden) detour in quest of “social justice” is, I believe, the most subtle and dangerous threat so far.

New elements are added to MacArthur’s story and previous ones poignantly reiterated.

1. He claims for the first time he was “ministering” with “a group of black church leaders in April 1968,“ not just John Perkins. In context, that ministry was related to preaching the gospel in high schools.

2. MacArthur writes, “One of the men leading our group was Charles Evers, head of the Mississippi NAACP.” He refers to this group of gospel preaching church leaders as “our group.” These men were a ministry team working together and one of their leaders was Evers according to MacArthur. This claim expands upon his supposed friendship with Evers. They were in ministry together.

3. Once again, MacArthur claims he drove to Memphis with Evers and “literally within hours” were on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. He writes, “When news of Dr. King’s murder broke, we drove to Memphis.” There was no delay. They left immediately.

4. After going to the Lorraine Motel, MacArthur adds this new twist to the story. “We were also shown the place where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot.” In other words, they were taken to the most crucial crime scene – the boarding house bathroom. By whom? Presumably law enforcement. This would have been between 10:00-11:00 PM.

5. In this account, they go to the Lorraine Motel first, which is natural. You’d want to see where Martin Luther King died first. Then they were taken to the boarding house. In Account 4, however, MacArthur expressly says then went to boarding house first, then to the motel. This is a contradiction.

6. And lastly, he specifically claims they were shown “where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot.” There is absolutely no ambiguity. Ray fired the shot while standing on a toilet. This is the same toilet MacArthur was allowed to stand on just hours after the assassination according to Accounts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.

The seven accounts were shared over the last 12 years. Account 6 gives this condensed summary. None of it is true.

“I was in the room when Martin Luther King was assassinated with those black leaders. We went to Memphis, and I stood on the blood spots on that motel with those men. And I stood in the little bathroom on top of the toilet where James Earl Ray shot him out the window. Those men were my friends.”

In the fall of 2018, Brannon Howse interviewed the “iconic civil rights leader,” Charles Evers. Howse is averse to John MacArthur. The video can be found here or in the article by Paige Rogers under the subheading “Stop telling that lie!” Those are the words of Charles Evers to John MacArthur.

I’ve transcribed this crucial interview which is 7:55 minutes long. There were a few comments made by Evers, I was not able to make out. Those are indicated by … in the transcript. I’ve added underlining and notes in brackets [ ].

Interview by Brannon Howse with Charles Evers Regarding John MacArthur
Fall 2018

Howse: Hi Mr. Evers.

Evers: That’s me.

Howse: Thank you again for agreeing to do this quick interview.

Evers: Okay.

Howse: I am going to be very specific in my questions so that we can document.

Evers: Okay.

Howse: So, I am going to read right from a transcript dated January 25, 2009. Dr. John MacArthur, who is a pastor in California, has been telling a story that involves you going back to at least 2009 [actually 2007] and up to recently August 13, 2018. On a transcript, on a transcript dated January 25, 2009, this is what he said and it is on video. Quote:

“Well it was during those times that I was there and I will never forget, I can’t tell you the whole story, but I’ll never forget one night, I was in the middle of Jackson, Mississippi in the office of a man named Charles Evers. Charles Evers had a brother named Medgar Evers. Medgar Evers was the first martyr of the Civil Rights Movement. He was the first person killed. Charles became the first black mayor in the south at Fayetteville, Mississippi. He was a friend of John’s [John Perkins], and I had come to know him. He was sitting there and he was trying to explain to me that night in Jackson what was going on. Now I remember, I was very, a very young guy, I had become immersed in that culture, grew to love those people. And Charles was talking and a man burst through the door and said, “Martin Luther King has been assassinated.” That happened that night while I was with Charles and John and some others.”

[cf. Account 2, A Retrospective on 40 Years: John MacArthur with Rick Holland, Jan. 25, 2009]

End quote. Dr. Evers, do you know John MacArthur?

Evers: No.

Howse: Never heard of him?

Evers: I may know him if I see him. I don’t know, I meet obviously so many thousands of people. Not that I know of. I know that didn’t happen… I know when I heard about Martin I was headed to Natchez [in Mississippi], in my car driving, and my … called me and told me that Dr. King had been shot. And I said, “Oh, what! Oh, hell, that can’t be.” … He’s dead. Killed him. I turned right around and go straight back … I don’t know him.

Howse: So, you don’t know him? But you are saying that your office called you while you in the car on your way to Natchez. Now that was in 1968.

Evers: Yea.

Howse: And your office called you. So I am assuming even in that day, you had one of the car phones that they did have.

Evers: Yea. Yea. Them car phones. Right.

Howse: And so when your office called you on the car phone you turned around went back to Jackson and then what did you do?

Evers: Right. I prepared and went on to Memphis … the next day.

Howse: Went to Memphis the next day?

Evers: Yea.

Howse: Okay, because in.

Evers: By myself…

Howse: I’m sorry, say that one more time.

Evers: I said he would be lying. There was nobody with me.

Howse: So nobody was with you?

Evers: No. When I went to Memphis. No I drove myself.

Howse: So you drove by yourself to Memphis.

Evers: Yes, I always drive. … I do my own driving.

Howse: And when you found out about the death of Dr. King you were in your car; you were not in your office with John Perkins or John MacArthur?

Evers: No, no. I was in my car. I was on my way to Natchez.

Howse: On your way to Natchez?

Evers: Yes on my way to Natchez. Called me. …. They shot Dr. King. … I thought, “They can’t kill him.” And said, “Aw, hell! He’s dead.” And I turned around …. God… and I turned around and came back to Jackson. And got me some cloths in my house. … I drove to Memphis. Now ain’t nobody with me – period – in no office.

Howse: So there was nobody with you in your office. Is that what you are saying sir?

Evers: No, no. I don’t know anything about that [i.e., John MacArthur’s claims of being with Evers in Evers’ NAACP office]. I wasn’t in my office. I was driving to Natchez!

Howse: In August of this year, 2018, Dr. John MacArthur writes, quote.

“I was again ministering in Mississippi with John Perkins and a group of black church leaders in April 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. One of the men leading our group was Charles Evers, head of the Mississippi NAACP. (His brother Medgar [Evers: Yes.] had been killed in 1963 by the KKK.) When news of Dr. King’s [Evers: Right.] murder broke, we drove to Memphis—and literally within hours after Dr. King was assassinated, we were at the Lorraine Motel, standing on the balcony [Evers: No.] where he was shot. We were also shown the place [Evers: No.] where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot.”

[cf. Account 6, Social Justice and the Gospel by John MacArthur, August 13, 2018]

End quote. [Evers: No.] Is that a true statement [Evers: No.] by Dr. John MacArthur?

Evers: I don’t know what he knows, but I know I wasn’t—it wasn’t, it’s not true about me because I didn’t know, I don’t know the stuff he’s talking about.

Howse: So you don’t what he is talking about? You did not go to Memphis with John MacArthur?

Evers: Oh no! Hell no!

Howse: So just to clarify in closing, John MacArthur states on numerous occasions, he was in your office in Jackson in April of 68 talking to you along with John Perkins when a man burst through the door and announced.

Evers: That’s a lie. That’s not true. That’s a lie. That’s not true.

Howse: Did you just say that is a lie?

Evers: Yes sir…it’s a lie! … I was driving to Natchez when I heard about it. Back in those days we had those ol’ flat car phones, you know the kind that you can sit on the floor of your car. [Howse: Yes.] And my phone rang. And my daughter, and my secretary, one of my secretaries called and told me … Martin had been shot. “Oh, hell!” And I turned around and came back to Jackson. … I said, “They can’t kill Dr. King!” “No, Mr. Evers, he’s dead.” … I was by myself! Ain’t no body with me!

Howse: So you didn’t even go to Memphis with John Perkins?

Evers: No!

Howse: Hm, but you, I know it is a guess on your part, do you find a reason why someone would make this story up? Have you found it common for people?

Evers: I have no idea. No sir. I have no idea. It is not true. I did not go nowhere with John [Perkins].

Howse: So in closing just for the record, you have documented in your book, Have No Fear, written in 1998 [actually, it was released Dec. 1996], that you were on your way to Natchez when you heard the news, they called you on a car phone that you had in 68. And you turned around and went back to Jackson. You got some cloths and you went up to Memphis by yourself. You were not in your office.

Evers: Right! No, I wasn’t in my office. No.

Howse: Okay. Well, I want to thank for clarifying this because this is a story that has been told over and over by John MacArthur.

Evers: Well, tell him to stop telling that lie cause I don’t know him that I know of. I may know him if I see him. …. Such a silly thing like that. I don’t know the man.

Howse: And when you say, “Tell him to stop telling the lie,” the lie is that he was with you when the news broke that Dr. King was killed.

Evers: Right. Right.

Howse: That’s a lie?

Evers: That’s a lie! ‘Cause I was driving my car.

Howse: Wow. Well this is a history he has put out over and over and I really appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight and to document the accurate history So, I want to thank Mr. Evers for your time.

Evers: You’re quite welcome. Any time.

Howse: Thank you sir.

Evers: One thing about my mama. I grow up in the Church of God in Christ, and the truth will set you free. Just tell the truth. You can remember the truth. You can’t not remember a lie.

Howse: Well thank you for telling the truth today and letting us record this conversation so we can set the record straight.

Evers: Okay. Alright.

Howse: Thank you sir.

Evers: You’re welcome.

Howse: Bye, bye.

Charles Evers is 96 years old - the same age when he did the interview last Fall [2018]. There are some signs of memory loss or confusion in the interview but three things are certain. First, he was not in his NAACP office with Evers and Perkins when he got the news. Second, he did not take a trip to Memphis with Evers and Perkins. Third, he did not visit the crimes scenes with Evers and Perkins.

[Update: Evers died July 22, 2020.]

Twenty-six years ago at age 70, Charles Evers started working on his memoirs with Andrew Szanton. Here’s an excerpt from Szanton’s biography on Wikipedia.

Andrew Szanton (born in Washington, D.C. in 1963) is an American collaborative memoirist. … A successful ghostwriter and memoir coach commonly performs a range of tasks: mastering whatever published material is directly relevant to telling the life story; helping the memoir subject to gather and evaluate family letters, manuscripts and photos; interviewing family, friends, and colleagues; and perhaps most important of all, seeing the essential patterns of the life, and helping the subject eloquently trace those patterns through their life. … Andrew Szanton honed his approach to memoir writing for a number of years as an instructor at the Extension School of Harvard University. A 1985 graduate of Princeton University, Andrew Szanton worked for several years as an oral historian for the Smithsonian Institution before becoming an author.

Together, Evers and Szanton wrote a book titled Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story (1996). I have read it. I have also talked to Szanton and corresponded with him. He worked very hard on the memoir for 3½ years.

The introduction by Szanton is called “Collecting History: A Collaborator’s Introduction.” Here are some excerpts I find relevant.

“Most people recall life with the best mix of passion, precision, and wisdom within a decade of their sixty-fifth birthday. In 1992, when I first spoke to Charles Evers, he was seventy.” (xiii)

“Charles Evers is a gifted storyteller. When I seemed skeptical of his stories, he would say, “Check me. You collect history. Whatever I say, check the record.” The record almost always bore him out. The few times it did not, he cursed his memory and quickly accepted correction.” (xv)

“I have assembled this memoir under careful ground rules. I have formally interviewed Evers perhaps forty times over the course of three years. I have read his published writings and all of his major interviews… From all these sources, I have stitched together this book.” (xv)

“Charles Evers expects his friends to work hard, to freely pay the price. In assembling this book, I hope I have done that. … Charles Evers often voices a simple credo: “We all have a job to do.” For the last three and a half years, this has been mine.” (xviii)

Chapter 21, “Losing Martin, Losing Bobby” is worth the price of the book. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were close friends of Charles Evers and they were murdered within two months of each other. The chapter recounts the grievous and emotional impact upon Evers. It also provides a historical account.

In the book, this is how Evers heard about King being shot and later dying. It is diametrically opposed to the fabricated story told by John MacArthur. Some details differ with the Howse interview above.

Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story
By Charles Evers & Andrew Szanton
Chapter 21: Loosing Martin, Losing Bobby

On the evening of April 4, 1968, I was driving Highway 28 to Natchez. I had the radio on, but my mind was on that night’s rally in Natchez. The next day I was supposed to fly to Memphis to help Martin with a Negro garbage strike there. Suddenly a white [man’s] voice came on the radio: Martin had been shot in Memphis. He’d been staying at the Lorraine Motel. He’d walked out on the motel balcony for a breath of fresh air and got drilled by a dirty sniper. I started praying he’d be alright.

In Natchez, I went straight to Mamie Lee Mazique’s house. Everybody there was hugging the radio. Trying to catch news of Martin’s condition. After the rally that night, we learned Martin had been shot flush in the face with a high-powered rifle. He was dead. Lord, that hurt to hear. (p. 223)

I consider this the definitive record of events for three reasons. First, it was published in 1996 when Evers’ memory was strong. Second, it was checked for accuracy by Szanton at the time. Third, Mamie Lee Mazique and “everybody…hugging the radio” would have corrected the account if it was faulty.

Mamie Lee Mazique was a friend of Evers and a significant figure in the civil rights movement in Natchez, Mississippi. Evers talks about her role on pages 187-188 in his book. She died in 2017. You can read her obituary here.

Later in this article, I will address some erroneous statements made by Evers in recent years but this much is absolutely certain – Charles Evers was not in his NAACP office in Jackson, Mississippi with John MacArthur when he got word of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

That means there was no tutoring, no ministry meeting with church leaders, no man bursting into the office, no being hustled through Jackson, no being put in a car and traveling to Memphis, no standing on the blood and no standing on the toilet because there was no Charles Evers! He doesn’t even know John MacArthur!

I asked Andrew Szanton about these events. He has no recollection of Evers talking about any of them. That’s why none of them are in the book. He said, “I don’t think any of those things occurred.”

If any of those things did occur, Evers would certainly have told Szanton and they would have been headliners in the book. Have No Fear is full of extraordinary details provided by Evers including those about the private funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta on April 9 (see pp. 225-226). If five days earlier, he traveled to the Lorraine Motel, stood on the blood of his dear friend, and was taken to the boarding house bathroom; you would know all about it in the book!

The interview by Howse is so important in this regard. He quotes MacArthur’s account to Evers.

“When news of Dr. King’s murder broke, we drove to Memphis—and literally within hours after Dr. King was assassinated, we were at the Lorraine Motel, standing on the balcony where he was shot. We were also shown the place where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot.”

Then Howse asks Evers, “Is that a true statement.” Evers responds, “No. … It’s not true about me. … I don’t know the stuff he’s talking about.” MacArthur’s story is a complete hoax.

I also asked Szanton if Evers ever talked about his supposed mentee, ministry associate, and friend, John MacArthur. I asked, “Did he ever reference John MacArthur in his conversations with you?”

Szanton’s response, “I can say that I don’t recall the name ‘John MacArthur’ ever coming up, either in my discussions with Charles, or in my research.”

He also added this comment.

“The below statement by Mr. MacArthur seems to me quite wrong:

‘Medgar Evers was the first martyr of the Civil Rights Movement. He was the first person killed.’

“As Charles and Medgar would be the first to say, there were many martyrs to civil rights before Medgar – that’s what Medgar was trying to do in the late 1950’s and early ‘60, to publicize the assassinations of men like Herbert Lee.”

In the Fall 2018 interview with Howse, Evers says he went to Memphis by himself the next day.

Howse: And so when your office called you on the car phone you turned around went back to Jackson and then what did you do?

Evers: Right. I prepared and went on to Memphis … the next day.

Howse: Went to Memphis the next day?

Evers: Yea.

I seriously doubt Evers went to Memphis the next day. Remember what he said in Have No Fear?

“On the evening of April 4, 1968, I was driving Highway 28 to Natchez. I had the radio on, but my mind was on that night’s rally in Natchez. The next day I was supposed to fly to Memphis to help Martin with a Negro garbage strike there.”

He remembers this detail but there is nothing else in his 1996 book about taking the “supposed” flight or traveling by car to Memphis. I think he is confused in his Howse interview in 2018. He was occupied in Jackson – there was violence in the streets that could grow. His plans changed. He did not drive to Memphis the night of April 4, 1968 or fly to Memphis the next day.

Warren Throckmorton, a college psychology professor, interviewed Deborah Perkins (John’s daughter) and Charles Evers separately on March 19, 2019. He wrote about it in John Perkins’ Daughter: Charles Evers’ Statement is Accurate. In the article, he says this about Evers’ recollection of a trip to Memphis.

“He repeated his claim that he did not remember John MacArthur, and he did not remember going to Memphis that night. He added that he might have gone to Memphis within days of the murder but he didn’t remember for sure.”

If Charles Evers went to Memphis on Friday, April 5 (“the next day”), he would remember the viewing and memorial service with Coretta Scott King. And I doubt he went “within days of the murder” since he attended the two funeral services for Martin Luther King in Atlanta four days later on Tuesday, April 9. As pointed out before, there is no mention of any trip to Memphis in his 1996 book.

Funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.

The first memorial service following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, took place the following day at the R.S. Lewis Funeral Home in Memphis, Tennessee. This was followed by two funeral services on April 9, 1968, in Atlanta, Georgia, the first held for family and close friends at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King and his father had both served as senior pastors, followed by a three-mile procession to Morehouse College, King’s alma mater, for a public service.

Service in Memphis

After the shooting, King was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at St. Joseph's Hospital and was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. King’s closest aides contacted Robert Lewis Jr.—a local funeral director who had coincidentally met King two days prior—to retrieve his body and prepare it for viewing.

Coretta Scott King arrived in Memphis the following morning on a plane personally arranged by Robert F. Kennedy. Hundreds began arriving at the funeral home, where a viewing and memorial service took place. Ralph Abernathy offered a prayer, while tears streamed down Andrew Young's face. Time Magazine wrote:

In Memphis, before it was carried south toward home, King’s body lay in state at the R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home in an open bronze casket, the black suit tidily pressed, the wound in the throat now all but invisible. Many of those who filed past could not control their tears. Some kissed King’s lips; others reverently touched his face. A few women threw their hands in the air and cried aloud in ululating agony. Mrs. King was a dry-eyed frieze of heartbreak.[1]

Later that day, police and National Guardsmen escorted the long procession of cars which carried King’s body to the airport for the flight to Atlanta.[1][2][3]

This much we know with absolutely certainty. After Evers got word of King’s death in Natchez, he returned to Jackson “to quell scattered violence that threatened to mushroom into a riot.” He did not go to Memphis with John MacArthur and arrive within “just hours” of King’s assassination.

Here is the historical documentation that proves the point. It comes from two different newspapers, The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi and The Greenwood Commonwealth in Greenwood, Mississippi. The newspaper articles were written the day after the assassination. Evers had his hands full. Here are the relevant excerpts. The underlining is mine.

Newsman Attacked at Jackson State
By Charles Smith
Clarion-Ledger City Editor
April 5, 1968

“You are in the wrong end of town,” a Negro youth yelled Thursday night as newsmen drove on Lynch Street near Jackson State College.

Shortly after the death Negro leader Martin Luther King, groups of young Negros began gathering on street corners on the four-lane thoroughfare that runs through the campus of the college [Jackson State], scene of a riot in May 1967.

City policemen and campus security officers moved quickly to seal off the campus of the Negro College.

The automobile of Associated Press newsman John Pearce was overturned and burned.

Pearce said he watched from a window at the Negro Masonic Temple as a group destroyed the auto.

He had been attending a meeting called by Charles Evers, state field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Evers and Negro ministers had called the rally in an attempt to calm the Negro community.

Evers said he told the Negro meeting there must be no violence “because we didn’t want to discredit what he (King) died for…violence would discredit what he and Medgar lived.”

Evers brother, Medgar Evers, was assassinated here in 1963. He was state NAACP field secretary at the time.

About a dozen Negro ministers joined with Evers in efforts to head off violence which they had felt might flare in resentment against King’s death.

They asked the crowd to stay out of town and out of the Business Area Friday and appealed to students not to go to school.

He [Evers] said it would be a day of mourning in behalf of King.

I assume Evers arranged “the Negro meeting” with “about a dozen Negro ministers” using his car phone on his trip back to Jackson from Natchez – a drive that takes 1 hour 49 minutes under normal circumstances. The only white person at the meeting was John Pearce, a newsman for the Associated Press. There is no sign of the “snow man,” John MacArthur. After the meeting, these Negro ministers joined Evers at the rally. All of this took considerable time and there was grave concern for escalating violence.

Jackson Store Fire Target
The Greenwood Commonwealth
April 5, 1968

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A white-owned supermarket in a Negro section was firebombed early today despite a plea from Negro leader Charles Evers for nonviolence in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Firemen quickly controlled the blaze in the New Deal Grocery. No one was injured.

Evers joined city police Thursday night [April 4] to quell scattered violence that threatened to mushroom into a riot. A force of 50 policemen, armed with shotguns and carbines and wearing riot gear, swept bustling, four-lane Lynch Street clear of groups of Negroes.

Evers also “joined city police” the night of the assassination. It was a dangerous situation – “50 policemen, armed with shotguns and carbines and wearing riot gear.”

Early the next day, “a white-owned supermarket in a Negro section was firebombed” despite the plea from Evers for nonviolence. With all of this happening, I don’t believe the responsible Evers, head of the NAACP in Mississippi, would leave Jackson to visit Memphis in Tennessee, three hours away. He had to be closely monitoring the volatile situation in his home town and home state during a day of mourning called for by him.

This much is absolutely certain, Charles Evers did not leave Jackson with John MacArthur immediately after “a man burst through the door” of his NAACP office and arrive in at the Lorraine Motel a few hours later!

John Perkins has also told his account of how he heard about the assassination of Martin Luther King. It is in direct conflict with John MacArthur’s account.

Here is a little background on Perkins.

John M. Perkins

“Born in 1930 in New Hebron, Mississippi, John Perkins’ mother died of pellagra when he was just seven months old. Her death was brought about by starvation. Abandoned by his father, he was raised by his grandmother and extended family, who worked as sharecroppers. In 1947 he moved from Mississippi at the urging of his family, who worried that he might be in danger following the fatal shooting of his brother, Clyde, by a police officer. He settled in southern California, where in 1957 he underwent a conversion to Christianity following his son Spencer’s inviting him to attend church.

“In 1960 he moved with his wife (Vera Mae Perkins) and children from California to Mendenhall, Mississippi, which neighbors his childhood hometown of New Hebron. There, in 1964, he established Voice of Calvary Bible Institute. … In the fall of 1969, Perkins became the leader in an economic boycott of white-owned stores in Mendenhall. On February 7, 1970, following the arrest of students who had taken part in a protest march in Mendenhall, Perkins was arrested and tortured by white police officers in Brandon Jail.”

I’d also recommend a remarkable article from the Jackson Free Press magazine about Perkins’ life and ministry. It is titled, Radical Faith: The Revolution of John Perkins by Jessica Kinnison (Dec. 17, 2008). You can also read here about the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation in Jackson.

On the 50^th Anniversary of King’s death last year, Perkins did an interview with Issac Adams at United? We Pray. Adams is also a pastoral assistant at Capitol Hill Baptist Church with Mark Dever.

“United? We Pray is a podcast that calls for prayer about racial divisions in churches. We want to encourage Christians, who are laboring to see racial unity and justice, to rely upon God in prayer.”

Here are the relevant comments in context.

Stopping by Ephesus: Reflection 50 Years After MLK Jr.’s Assassination (w/ John Perkins)
Recorded April 4, 2018 / Posted April 11, 2018

Adams: What was it like when Martin Luther King was shot? What was happening? Who were you with? Describe that for me. (Minutes 5:40-5:48)

Evers: Now I came back primarily to come back to my home town [New Hebron] and home area community [Mendenhall] to share the gospel with those rural people that I had grown up with but I had never heard the clarity of the gospel because my family was bootleggers and sharecroppers and so I had missed it. But I had come to faith through the influence of my own little son [Spencer] who had went to some Good News Club and had heard the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. And so I am back there, starting my life work. And I ended up for nine solid years almost, preaching the gospel in the rural area, no body basically knew about it, but my friends in California [especially Jack MacArthur, John’s father]. And I was out in one of these schools, teaching and learning both the gospel, and learning the history and behavior of black people ["learning" means explaining].

And so when I got in that evening from my rural school, I was getting called on the phone, but also at the same time, when I got there, some children and another lady in the community ran out to meet me. They saw me and they said, “I just heard it on the news that Martin Luther King was dead.” (Minutes 7:31-9:05)

Issac Adams specifically asked, “What was happening? Who were you with?” There is no uncertainty. The answer is explicit.

When Perkins arrived home “that evening from my rural school” “some children and another lady in the community ran out to meet me” with “the news that Martin Luther King was dead.” He was also “getting called on the phone,” that is, his home phone. Perkins lived in Mendenhall. The rural town is 33.5 miles southeast of Jackson; a 40 minute drive away. He was not in Charles Evers’ office with John MacArthur and other black leaders and he did not make a trip that evening to Memphis with them.

This was confirmed to Warren Throckmorton during his March 19, 2019 interview with Deborah Perkins, John’s daughter, who spoke with his authorization. This is from his article.

John Perkins’ Daughter: Charles Evers’ Statement is Accurate
March 19, 2019

I was able today to speak to Deborah Perkins, one of John Perkins’ daughters, who said she was empowered to speak for her father on this matter. I asked if John Perkins had gone to Memphis within hours of MLK’s murder. She said, “That’s not a comment we can offer a comment on.” She added, “Charles Evers has already commented on that. He already said that wasn’t right.” I asked, “So, do you think Charles Evers’ statement is accurate?” Ms. Perkins said, “Yes, Charles Evers’ statement is accurate if he made it.”

Deborah Perkins is referring to Evers comment in his Fall 2018 interview with Howse.

Evers: That’s a lie. That’s not true. That’s a lie. That’s not true.

Howse: So you didn’t even go to Memphis with John Perkins?

Evers: No!

Howse: Hm, but you, I know it is a guess on your part, do you find a reason why someone would make this story up? Have you found it common for people?

Evers: I have no idea. No sir. I have no idea. It is not true. I did not go nowhere with John [Perkins].

Here are the indisputable facts.

Charles Evers was in his car on a trip to Natchez, MS when he got word Martin Luther King had been shot. He was in Natchez when he learned King had died. He was not in his NAACP office in Jackson, MS.

John Perkins was at his home in Mendenhall, MS when he got word from neighbors and calls on his home phone that Martin Luther King Jr. had been killed. He was not in Evers’ NAACP office in Jackson.

Perkins mentions MacArthur was with him in Mississippi when King was killed in one of his books but that is all. Here is the relevant section.

Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development
John M. Perkins
July 1, 1993

God opened a marvelous opportunity for Vera Mae and me to go into the public schools and share the gospel with 15,000 students every month. At the time, the civil rights struggle was beginning, and Vera Mae and I and our neighbors were involved. There were young men who brought teams of young folks to help us, like John MacArthur Jr.; they became involved in the struggle, too. In fact, John was with me in Mississippi in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. I witnessed how his life was challenged as he understood racism and bigotry anew, as it was inflicted on him, a former Bob Jones University student. And through all this I, too, was struggling with the reality of knowing God’s reconciling love while in the middle of all this hate.

Somehow in the midst of all the racial chaos the Mendenhall Ministries began. John MacArthur Jr., along with Dave Nichols, the registrar of Los Angeles Baptist College (now Master’s College), helped me get young people, like Dolphus Weary and his future wife, Rosie Camper; Artis Fletcher and his future wife, Carolyn Albritten, and my own kids, in Christian colleges. (p. 14)

John MacArthur, and especially his father, Jack, greatly benefitted the life and ministry of John Perkins.

Jack MacArthur

From 1942 until his death, [Jack] MacArthur hosted the “Voice of Calvary” radio program. Between 1956 and 1983, the program was adapted for television. MacArthur supported the ministry of John M. Perkins, so Perkins named the ministry Voice of Calvary, a nod to MacArthur’s radio program.

John M. Perkins

In 1960 he moved with his wife (Vera Mae Perkins) and children from California to Mendenhall, Mississippi, which neighbors his childhood hometown of New Hebron. There, in 1964, he established Voice of Calvary Bible Institute.

There is no other mention of John MacArthur in the book, Beyond Charity. Perkins mentions MacArthur was in Mississippi but nothing more. There is absolutely no mention of the NAACP office, a trip to Memphis, the Lorraine Motel, or the boarding house in the book. In fact, Perkins has never written about or spoken about any of the things MacArthur claims they experienced. The same is true for Charles Evers.

If you believe MacArthur, then you must believe Perkins and Evers were totally disinterested in talking about or writing about the “amazing moment…amazing moment” “at that very, very, very crucial time” even though they have written books, given lectures, done interviews, etc. about every facet of their lives over the last 50 years.

“So we went to the motel, up to the landing, saw the blood where Martin Luther King had been shot just hours before by James Earl Ray. I actually went to the little building opposite the motel, went up on the second flood, stood up on the toilet and looked out the window where James Earl Ray had shot him. And I was there at that very, very, very crucial time.” (Account 2)

“I climbed up on the toilet, and I looked out the window where James Earl Ray stood when he shot Martin Luther King. And then we went up to the balcony where he died and saw the blood scene there. Amazing moment. Amazing moment.” (Account 4)

Let’s be clear. No one – not Evers, Perkins, or any other black leader – has ever told the story, or any aspect of the story, put forth by MacArthur. In fact, Evers and Perkins have told completely different stories in contradiction of MacArthur. Furthermore, Evers has called MacArthur’s account a lie and Perkins agrees with Evers per his daughter, Deborah Perkins, who is Co-President of the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation.

[Update (Sept. 5, 2019): Warren Throckmorton reported today there is no reference by John Perkins in his 1976 biography, Let Justice Roll Down, of any trip to Memphis with MacArthur or anyone else in 1968, or standing on the Lorraine Motel balcony, or entering the board house bathroom. Those events would have been monumental in Perkins’ life if they happened and included in his early autobiography.]

MacArthur claims he was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel within hours of getting the news of King’s death. The news of his shooting at 6:01 p.m. was already out. The news of his death at 7:05 p.m. broke immediately. According to MacArthur, they left for Memphis upon hearing the news. Memphis is a three hour drive from Jackson. They would have arrived soon after 10:00 p.m.

“So we went to the motel, up to the landing, saw the blood where Martin Luther King had been shot just hours before by James Earl Ray.” (Account 2)

“At the motel in Memphis, where the civil rights leader had been shot only hours before, they found no police guard on the crime scene, and there was ready access to the landing stained with King’s blood.” (Account 3)

Upon their arrival at the Lorraine Motel, “They found no police guard on the crime scene.” That is contradicted by the Memphis Police Department Homicide Report (MPDHR) dated July 22, 1968. Investigators were at the motel crime scene until 11:00 p.m.

More importantly for sake of argument, the crime scene at boarding house was under guard overnight because it was being protected from forensic contamination. There was more work to do in the day time hours of April 5.

Moreover, extraordinary care was taken in processing and preserving the crimes scene the night of April 4. No one “climbed up on the toilet” or “stood on top of the toilet.” That is clearly documented in Rogers’ article. She cites the Homicide Report in screen shots. I have transcribed the same material below for easy reading. The underlining is mine. “422 ½ So. Main” is the address for Bessie Brewer’s Boarding House used by James Earl Ray. See a photo and description of the boarding house here.

Homicide Division Report
Criminal Investigation Division
Memphis Police Department
Memphis, Tennessee
July 22, 1968

During the time that all the measuring was done at 422 ½ So. Main, it should be noted that Mr. John Carlisle and Larry Hutchinson the investigators for the Attorney General’s office were on the scene, and were observing and acting as advisors, also, to the Homicide Bureau. Also at this time, various agents from the FBI office in Memphis, arrived on the scene, and acted as observers, and advisors. One of these at the scene of 422 ½ So. Main was Special Agent Teeten. It shou1d also be noted that Capt. Nick Carimi of the Memphis Police Department’s Bureau of Identification processed the bathroom for fingerprints before measurements were taken in the bathroom, and no measurements were taken anywhere, in the bathroom, or the assailant’s room, until after it had been processed completely for fingerprints, and even though it had been processed the measurements were taken with care, so as not to disturb it, in case we needed to process it at a later time. (pp. 12-13)

On April 4, 1968 at approximately 11:00 PM, Capt. R. A. Cochran, Capt. R. L. Williams, Lts. Glynn King, T. H. Smith, Det. R. R. Davis, Attorney General’s Investigators John Carlisle and Larry Hutchinson had completed their investigation of the scene at the Lorraine Motel, and also at 422 ½ So. Main, and after posting Lt. G. E. Dandridge and Det. Aylor in the hallway at 422 ½ So. Main to protect the scene for further processing these investigators left the scene and proceeded to the Homicide Bureau offices. (p. 18)

Here is MacArthur again.

“And in those days the police weren’t nearly as protective, forensics hadn’t developed to what they had and they didn’t necessarily protect crime scenes. … I actually went to the little building opposite the motel, went up on the second flood, stood up on the toilet and looked out the window where James Earl Ray had shot him.” (Account 2)

Anyone interested in the facts about securing the crime scenes and the general area should read the first 18 pages of the 64-page report by the Homicide Bureau for the Memphis Police Department cited above. You can also scan the 185-page report by Federal Bureau of Investigation (April 17, 1968) for their highly detailed investigation which was done with great care and professionalism. MacArthur’s comments are highly offensive to all the law enforcement agencies involved (and completely untrue) in the Martin Luther King Jr. investigation.

With absolute certainty we can say MacArthur did not enter the crime scene at the boarding house bathroom.

And then there is his claim that he climbed up on the toilet in order to look out the window from which James Earl Ray fired the fatal shot

“I climbed up on the toilet to look through the window where he held the gun.” (Account 1)

“I…stood up on the toilet and looked out the window where James Earl Ray had shot him.” (Account 2)

“Standing on a toilet, [I] looked out the window from which James Earl Ray had fired the shot that killed him.” (Account 3)

“I climbed up on the toilet, and I looked out the window where James Earl Ray stood when he shot Martin Luther King.” (Account 4)

“And I stood in the little bathroom on top of the toilet where James Earl Ray shot him out the window.” (Account 6)

This rendition is impossible! Here’s why.

1. There is no window above the toilet to look out.

2. The toilet is on one wall. The window is on another wall.

3. You cannot see the balcony of the Lorraine Motel standing on the toilet.

4. You can only see the balcony looking out the window.

5. You don’t need to stand on anything to look out the window. “The window sill was measured from the floor to the top of the sill, and found to be 4 foot 11 inches.” (MPDHR, p. 12)

6. No investigation has ever reported, or any person ever claimed, James Earl Ray shot from the toilet.

7. The bathtub in near the only window in the bathroom. Not the toilet.

"The bathtub was examined, and in the bottom was noted several dirty smears, that appeared as though someone had been standing in the bathtub in their shoes. In looking east out of the window it was determined that you could get a clear view from the window to the spot where Dr. King had been standing at the time he was shot.” (MPDHR, p. 12)

Here are the irrefutable facts. It was physically impossible to see the balcony standing on the toilet and there was no window above the toilet. This would be manifestly clear to anyone who actually entered the bathroom and looked out the window.

Go to this link for numerous photos of the bathroom, boarding house, motel, etc. They are extremely helpful in understanding what I am saying.

Paige Rogers’ article, “Civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying” was posted on the NOQ Report on Monday, February 4. It was a masterful piece of reporting based upon careful research and written in a respectful manner. In her polite way, she concluded, “These remarkably detailed accounts [by John MacArthur] are irreconcilable with the testimonies of Charles Evers and John Perkins.”

The article should be read by everyone. It was brilliant. It was devastating. Therefore, it had to be killed quickly! MacArthur’s reputation depended upon its swift destruction. Therefore, Phil Johnson attacks with a vengenace! He is John MacArthur’s hatchet man. I will fill out his biography later.

First, he verbally assails Paige Rogers’ character and her journalistic skills. Second, he redirects attention away from MacArthur to Brannon Howse. Third, he conspires with MacArthur in covering up lies by telling more lies. Fourth, he instructs people to ignore the article. Johnson is mean and he is crooked!

Here’s the lead-up. Rogers and the NOQ Report published the article in conjunction with Black History Month on the first Monday in February. She originally planned to release it in December but the research went longer than expected. Its release was not timed to interfere with the upcoming 50^th anniversary of John MacArthur’s first sermon and start of ministry at Grace Community Church.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
This week is the 50th anniversary of John MacArthur’s first sermon as pastor of Grace Community Church. You won’t want to miss today’s episode of Grace to You: https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace-to-you/listen/the-history-of-grace-to-you-part-1-739735.html …
11:58 AM - 4 Feb 2019

Sam Jones‏ @SamJone217 Feb 4
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_ @TomBuck
Can we get a comment to clarify the recent article that is claiming (and has substantial evidence) that @johnmacarthur has been lying about his MLK story?
12:54 PM Feb 4, 2019

Susan J‏ @SJP721 Feb 4
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
Before the celebration gets too big, you really need to respond to this article about the MLK incident. It is overshadowing the 50 year party.
2:30 PM Feb 4, 2019

Later in the day, Johnson put out this tweet followed by his official response to the “Article Questioning John MacArthur’s Truthfulness.”

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson
I’ve been tied up with stuff today and this is my first chance to reply to the little croaking chorus of usual suspects who want so badly to call John MacArthur’s integrity into question. If you haven’t seen the article in question, ignore this. In case you have, here’s my reply:
5:17 PM - 4 Feb 2019

In the providence of God, Johnson was delayed in responding until 5:17 PM Pacific Time. The article had already been read by many people around the country. He starts off by mocking “the little croaking chorus of usual suspects.” A figurative reference to worthless frogs. Then he impugns their motives. They “so badly” want to discredit MacArthur. That doesn’t fit Paige Rogers. Based on these false accusations, he exhorts his followers not to read her article.

After the tweet, he posts a formal response under the interrogative heading about MacArthur’s truthfulness. I’ve put Johnson’s response in bold italics below. I’ve added commentary after each of his paragraphs and sectioned them off with ##.

“What’s Your Response to that Article Questioning John MacArthur’s Truthfulness?”
By Phil Johnson

This is a hit piece poorly diguised as a serious investigative report and posted online by people who obviously have a long-standing agenda to discredit John MacArthur. (Look at the author’s Twitter history)

Comment: This is typical of Johnson. He attacks the messenger and distorts their message. He calls it a “hit piece.” That is, “a published article or post aiming to sway public opinion by presenting false or biased information in a way that appears objective and truthful.” Of course, that is precisely what Johnson is doing in his response. He is the guilty party. In reality, the article by Rogers is “a serious investigative report.” Just read it. The only thing “poorly disguised” are Johnson’s words. He is lying about its lack of credibility. Furthermore, there is nothing in “the author’s Twitter history” that suggests “a long-standing agenda to discredit John MacArthur.”

The man in the interview asking Mr. Evers leading questions is Brannon Howse. His voice has been digitally altered in a failed attempt to disguise his identity. It is nevertheless clear who is asking the questions and at times even trying to coax specific answers. Howse is the engineer of a tenacious campaign to impugn John MacArthur at all costs. For almost two years he had gone out of his way to give maximum publicity to practically every critical article, Tweet, or comment he can dig up.

Comment: Brannon Howse has not publicly identified himself as the person who did the interview with Charles Evers. He has remained silent. I am told there are concerns for his family’s safety. It appears he tried to conceal his voice by changing the speed of the recording. Regardless, the interview stands. It was not altered or edited. It is one continuous conversation. He asked direct questions related to two of MacArthur’s accounts. He asked follow-up questions based on Evers’ response which surprised him at times. I didn’t find his questions “leading.” I found them precise. Nor did I observe him “trying to coax specific answers.” Johnson tries to makes the evil Howse the central figure behind Rogers’ article but that is altogether false. Moreover, Rogers is not part “of a tenacious campaign” “engineered by Howse” “to impugn John MacArthur at all costs.” There is no evidence to support the bizarre allegation by Johnson.

It’s frankly not the least bit surprising that John Perkins would decline to give an interview to Brannon Howse for a hit piece targeting John MacArthur.

Comment: To date, John Perkins has declined to give an interview to anyone. Instead, he has directed his daughter Deborah to speak on his behalf.

I asked John McArthur about Mr. Evers’s account. His reply: “I’m not surprised he doesn’t remember me. I was just a young unknown. I have never said I was in the car with him. But I was absolutely with that group of men who traveled to Memphis.

“I have great love for John Perkins and genuine respect for Charles Evers. I am honored to have been in their presence on that monumental occasion, but with all the trauma, I’m not surprised Charles Evers doesn’t remember me. However, my relationship with John Perkins has continued through the years.”

Comment: This is pure deception by MacArthur. He claims Evers doesn’t remember him for two reasons. One, he “was just a young unknown.” Two, Evers suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. That’s crazy. Not Evers! Two months after King’s assassination, he was standing five-feet away from his close friend, Bobby Kennedy, when he was shot by Sirhan Bishhara Sirhan. He vividly remembers all the traumatic details in his book, Have No Fear.

And MacArthur wasn’t young. He was about to turn 29. He certainty wasn’t unknown according to all his accounts. All the references below to “they” or “we” have primary reference to Charles Evers and John Perkins.

“They actually put me in a car and took me to Memphis. … They took me into the building where James Earl Ray shot him. … I know those people, I’ve known them through the years and ministered there.” (Account 1)

“He [Evers] was a friend of John’s [Perkins] and I had come to know him [Evers]. And we were sitting there and he was trying to explain to me that night in Jackson what was going on. … They were trying to get me out of there because I was as pale as a ghost. …And so they escorted me. … So they took me [to Memphis]. … So we went to the motel, up to the landing, saw the blood.” (Account 2)

“John [MacArthur] was in Jackson, Mississippi, talking with a group that included John Perkins and Charles Evers … John, the only white person present … were discussing events. … The group’s reaction was to drive through the night to Memphis…and John went with them. … As they left the house in Jackson he needed the care of his friends.” (Account 3)

… And … ” (Account 5)

“I was in the room when Martin Luther King was assassinated with those black leaders. We went to Memphis, and I stood on the blood spots on that motel with those men. Those men were my friends.” (Account 6)

“One of the men leading our group was Charles Evers. … We drove to Memphis. … We were at the Lorraine Motel, standing on the balcony where he was shot. We were also shown the place where James Earl Ray stood on a toilet to fire the fatal shot.” (Account 7)

The reason Charles Evers doesn’t remember John MacArthur is because none of these things ever occurred. They are all made up!

More importantly, Charles Evers doesn’t remember any of these things regarding himself! There was no man bursting into his office. There was no trip to Memphis that night with civil rights leaders. There was no standing on the blood of Martin Luther King. There was no visit to the boarding house.

MacArthur lies by saying he was an “unknown” when it is clear in his accounts he was a well-known to Evers. He also lies in an attempt to cover his tracks by claiming “all the trauma” to Evers led to a complete loss of all memory. Finally, he continues to lie with his dogmatic assertion, “I was absolutely with that group of men who traveled to Memphis.” No he wasn’t! Evers and Perkins have repudiated his claim in no uncertain terms.

Here’s what I’d like to ask MacArthur. “Well John, tell us, who else was in ‘that group of men’? I’d like to talk with them. Then again, you probably can’t remember from all the trauma you suffered being the only white guy in danger for his life.”

As the hit piece acknowledges, John MacArthur has recounted this story numerous times over the years, and his accounts are all consistent. Would anyone retelling something that happened decades ago recall every detail perfectly? Probably not. James Earl Ray fired the shot from a bathroom window, as John MacArthur said. Was he [Ray] standing in the bathtub rather than on the toilet? Apparently. Would that fact have been know by someone visiting the scene [MacArthur] before the full investigation was complete? Not necessarily.

Comment: “The hit piece” rattled MacArthur and Johnson. More lies were in order. Now MacArthur can’t “recall every detail perfectly” like whether James Earl Ray was “standing in the bathtub rather than on the toilet.” But from the first time MacArthur told his story at the Desiring God Conference in 2007, he has never wavered on his recollection of the toilet. That was 12 years ago. He was 68 years old. There were no memory issues then!

“They took me into the building where James Earl Ray shot him. … I climbed up on the toilet to look through the window where he held the gun.” (Sept. 29, 2007)

Two years later, MacArthur testifies to his complete recall of all events starting with the meeting in the NAACP office to standing on the toilet in the boarding house bathroom. These were memories he could “never forget.” He doesn’t tell Grace Community Church “the whole story” but he remembers the whole story.

“Well it was during those times that I was there and I will never forget, I can’t tell you the whole story, but I’ll never forget one night.” (Jan 25, 2009)

Then Johnson adds this deceitful twist. It is laughable.

“Would that fact have been known by someone visiting the scene before the full investigation was complete? Not necessarily.”

Yes necessarily! It required no investigation. That’s why there never was one to determine if James Earl Ray shot from the bathtub or on the toilet. The latter was physically impossible! If you read the homicide report, you know investigators immediately determined the shot was fired from the window right above the bathtub.

“That fact” would have been readily apparent to anyone visiting the scene. The toilet was NEVER a consideration! It didn’t take a “full investigation.” It was a no brainer! The same is true today for tourists visiting the historic site. Johnson is introducing doubt by introducing a dichotomy he knows is false. Johnson is a deceiver. He continues the con.

In any case, the story itself is no invention, and to suggest that John MacArthur is “lying” about a detail that he may simply remember incorrectly from 51 years ago is unwarranted.

Comment: I taught Systematic Theology for 30 years. One of my goals was helping students learn how to examine the strengths and weaknesses of any theological argument in light of Scripture. For example, what Scriptures are omitted, included, or taken out of context in making one’s doctrinal case.

Johnson reduces MacArthur’s “lying” to one “detail.” Was it the bathtub or the toilet? He omits all the other lies! The reader has no idea all the other detailed evidence of lying in Paige Rogers’ article. Is John MacArthur truthful? It comes down to one debatable and irrelevant detail according to Johnson. That is intentional deception.

Furthermore, the charge of “lying” came from Charles Evers and it didn’t concern a commode! It concerned whether he was with MacArthur when he got news of King’s assassination. The answer from Evers. “Tell him to stop telling that lie!”

Finally, Johnson plays the memory card. Remember, MacArthur’s most repeated memory was “climbing” and “standing” and “looking out the window” from the commode just like James Earl Ray. But maybe he forgot he actually stood in the bathtub and climbed out of it!

Johnson also uses fake math to pull off this stunt. He says, it was “51 years ago.” He is deceiving his readers again. MacArthur didn’t start telling his bogus story in 2019 (51 years from 1968). He started telling the commode story in 2007 (39 years from 1968). Johnson know this. He is no dummy. He is covering up MacArthur’s lying and invented story with even more duplicity.

END

Johnson continued his sustained verbal attacks on Paige Rogers for weeks. Here are a few examples. He is a wretched individual.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @BamaTrolley
There have been a few similarly sleazy campaigns over the years. Anyone trying to pass off a such a stunt as “journalism” will be impervious to facts & dull to the embarrassment of being shown for what he/she really is. In my judgment what utterly discredits this one is… 1/2
9:47 AM - 28 Feb 2019 from Santa Clarita, CA

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_ @BamaTrolley
1/2 not Paige’s lies; not merely that her “exposé” hinges on cynical innuendo & evil speculation; but rather that we all know Brannon Howse is the real perpetrator behind her, & he’s afraid to come out & show his face.
9:48 AM - 28 Feb 2019 from Santa Clarita, CA

Johnson knows many of his Twitter followers despise Brannon Howse so he continues to create a conspiracy theory that Howse “is the real perpetrator behind her.” That is simply not true. He uses this guilt by association to claim she is part of a “sleazy campaign” and this “utterly discredits” her work. Johnson is grasping at straws.

More importantly, notice what he says about Paige Rogers. It is vile and vicious. He accuses her of “trying to pass off a such a stunt as ‘journalism.’” That is absurd. Her article is a serious piece of journalism based upon incontrovertible evidence. Of course, Johnson never links to the article. Instead, he must tell people to ignore it lest he be exposed!

Johnson continues his verbal assault. Rogers is “impervious to facts & dull to the embarrassment of being shown for what…she really is.” A liar! Of course, the charge is baseless and Johnson has never provided any “facts” or proofs because they don’t exist. He is the one who is impervious to the truth and dull of conscience.

He ends with the charge that her “exposé” hinges on cynical innuendo & evil speculation.” An exposé is “a formal statement of facts” or “ an exposure of something discreditable.” Hinges means “to be contingent on a single consideration or point.” In other words, her exposé is scandalous. It is solely based upon cynical innuendo (i.e., sneering insinuations) and evil suspicions (not facts or evidence). Johnson knows that is not true but he has no problem making up a false narrative like his boss to deceive people.

Johnson’s devotees followed his example and he would retweet their misinformation and outlandish condemnations. Here is one example among scores. It comes from Chris Hohnholz three days after the article was published. Rogers is a “gossip rag scandal reporter,” not a “real researcher.” To this Johnson replied, “Exactly.”

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_ Feb 7
Phil Johnson Retweeted Chris Hohnholz
Exactly.
Phil Johnson added,
Chris Hohnholz @ChrisHohnholz
This is the difference between gossip rag scandal reporters and real researchers. Someone actually concerned with the facts would have researched all the reports they could find to determine what events looked like that day.
2:22 PM - 7 Feb 2019 from North Carolina, USA

The statement by Hohnholz is ludicrous. Rogers did three months of extensive research to ascertain the facts and found them in “all the reports” she quotes and sources she cites. She is expert in knowing “what events looked like that day” when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The only “gossip rag scandal” reporting is by Johnson and his blind followers.

This is not the first time I have observed the deceit, hypocrisy, arrogance, and belligerence of Johnson. No one is holding him accountable at Grace Community Church. Here is an excerpt from my blog post in June 2017. He was defending C.J. Mahaney and defaming me. I quickly learned he glories in mocking and exalts in bullying. I think he is sadistic – he finds pleasure in his taunts and verbal assaults upon others. Note what he says about most survivors of spiritual abuse. It is hateful and obscene.

John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins
Friday, June 30, 2017 at 3:54 PM

As I interacted with Phil and observed his interaction with others, I became increasingly concerned for his deceit and belligerence. Here is an example of the latter. He is describing those who self-identify as victims of spiritual abuse. He is oblivious to his hypocrisy. What he accuses them of, he is guilty of.

Phil Johnson The problem with this particular swarm of rancor monsters is that there are lots of people who self-identify as victims of “abuse” when in reality they just despise all authority, starting with the authority of Scripture. They profess to hate bullying, but their actions betray an eagerness to berate, accuse, and impute the worse possible motives to anyone who fails to affirm their omni-directional resentment. It is a potent flavor of spiritual abuse all its own, and it is as sick as any other form of spiritual abuse.

My heart goes out to *real* victims, but the survivor-blog community is heavily populated with people who are the Bruce Jenners of spiritual abuse. I’m not inclined to legitimizes their resentment, any more than I’m inclined to lend Bruce the artificial “dignity” of calling him a “she.”
April 15, 2016 at 3:40 pm

While I wanted to engage Phil on various concerns, I decided to keep it simple and focus on one important example of deceit that came up in the FB conversation. If successful in helping him, I hoped to raise other issues. Therefore, I wrote him in private about his claim that he personally interacted with multiple victims of sexual abuse in Sovereign Grace Ministries, which he did not. It was a bold-faced lie that he used to claim there was no evidence showing C.J. Mahaney participated in a conspiracy to cover up the sexual abuse of children by not reporting suspected abusers to law enforcement.

This is also a telling exchange between Phil Johnson and J.D. Rucker, the Editor in Chief (EIC) of the NOA Report.

https://twitter.com/NoqReport/status/1093575832725901312
NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
Peculiar that nobody from the JMac [John MacArthur] camp has contacted our EIC following his request to hear the story from both sides. Lots of Tweets bickering, but no direct emails. We really want to hear all sides.
2:22 PM - 7 Feb 2019

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @NoqReport
Interesting strategy: publish a sleazy hit piece featuring a cheesy “interview” with leading questions and an electronically disguised voice, THEN claim you want to hear both sides. I’d have given you all the info you wanted if you’d contacted us BEFORE smearing JM. Now:
6:24 PM - 7 Feb 2019

[Note: Paige Rogers contacted John MacArthur’s personal assistant BEFORE the article was published and requested to speak with him about her findings. He never responded to her request.]

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
Classy.
7:58 PM - 7 Feb 2019

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
FollowFollow @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @NoqReport
It’s a good bit more “classy” than the hit piece you published. If you had any idea what simple human dignity entails, you’d be ashamed.
8:08 PM - 7 Feb 2019 from West Palm Beach, FL

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
It’s unfathomable that a man who claims to be Christian would attack me for not having “simple human dignity.” Your choice of attack style is telling.
8:35 PM - 7 Feb 2019

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @NoqReport @Phil_Johnson_
We published an article from an unpaid member of our staff who said she’d thoroughly investigated the incident in question. The article seemed to indicate she did her due dilligence. I did not know how [who] Brannon Howse was until the last two days. Now, I’m seeking answers.
8:36 PM - 7 Feb 2019

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @NoqReport @Phil_Johnson_
Instead of offering answers, you choose to personal attack me. You don’t know me any more than I know you. But what I’m learning from your unwillingness to discuss it and your insistence to make personal attacks is very discouraging.
8:38 PM - 7 Feb 2019

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @NoqReport @Phil_Johnson_
If you believe based on reading the story that it’s inaccurate, I’m open to hearing why. But to say we shouldn’t have published a story that appeared to be extremely well-researched and sourced just because it accuses your boss of something is poor form on multiple levels.
8:39 PM - 7 Feb 2019

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @NoqReport @Phil_Johnson_
I deal with Christian leaders regularly, and I’ve found them to be some of the most open and reasonable people on the planet. You’ve chosen to attack me personally because of a choice that any other publication would have made. And when I request a discussion, you go to Twitter.
8:41 PM - 7 Feb 2019

NOQ Report‏ @NoqReport
FollowFollow @NoqReport
Replying to @NoqReport @Phil_Johnson_
I don’t have your army of followers who feel righteous cheering on your personal attacks against me. I asked for communication and you turned vile in response. I’ll admit, it’s not what I expected from JMac’s crew.
8:46 PM - 7 Feb 2019

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
FollowFollow @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @NoqReport
Really? Even after you trashed him in the eve of his 50th anniversary in the pastorate? I haven’t been “vile”; just candid. Nothing I’ve said to you has been inappropriate.
9:31 PM - 7 Feb 2019 from West Palm Beach, FL

“Nothing I’ve said to you has been inappropriate.” That is frightening. Johnson has no self-awareness. He is devoid of the Holy Spirit. There is no conviction of any sin against J.D. Rucker or Paige Rogers.

In concert with Johnson, fellow-elder and fellow-blogger Hohn Cho attacks the NOQ Report (i.e., J.D. Rucker, the editor in chief), Rogers, and Howse. He also plays the persecution card. Cho’s article is another despicable attempt to deceive readers by discrediting the messengers. He is a lawyer, elder at MacArthur’s church, and blogs with Johnson at PyroManiacs.

Here are few excerpts. I’ve added comments in brackets [ ].

Five Decades of Faithfulness Will Inevitably Come under Attack
Hohn Cho
February 4, 2019

This week at Grace Community Church and beyond, we are celebrating faithful ministry from the same pulpit by Pastor John MacArthur for the incredible period of 50 years. … And of course, it is inevitable that any Christian engaged in public ministry over five decades of faithfulness will come under attack. We can see this throughout church history, and also in Scripture, which warns in John 15:19 that precisely because God has chosen the faithful out of the world, the world will hate us. …

[Note: The story by Paige Rogers was not an attack. She had a high regard for MacArthur and was shocked by what she discovered after following up a tip she received in November 2018. Nor is it about hate.]

The latest “controversy” is brought to us by a website that even upon cursory inspection appears to be, shall we say, of questionable repute. … I’m not going to dignify the hit piece with a link, but the essence of the claim is that MacArthur lied about his associations and experiences during the Civil Rights Movement.

[Note: The NOA Report is a reputable internet news company. It is not of questionable repute. That is pure slander and totally baseless. Not only will MacArthur, Johnson, Hohn, et al. destroy individuals, they will seek to harm businesses if necessary to suppress the truth. Hohn is devious like Johnson. He provides no link to “the hit piece” because he doesn’t want anyone reading the evidence and discovering it is any but a hit piece. He also waters down the lies told by MacArthur.]

That the article author [Rogers], as well as Charles Evers’ “interviewer” [Howse] … would manufacture this fake “controversy” in their continuing, axe-grinding grudge against MacArthur is no surprise, given their incorrigibly vitriolic hostility toward him in recent years.

[Note: Rogers has been none of the above! You won’t find any “incorrigibly vitriolic hostility” toward MacArthur in her articles. Hohn is a slanderer and false witness and of course, he provides no evidence. Howse may have an axe to grind but he did not “manufacture this fake ‘controversy’”. He simply interviewed Charles Evers and that was but one piece of evidence used by Rogers.]

You see the same kind of conduct by those who worked directly for Johnson at Grace to You. For instance Fred Butler. He too attacks Paige Rogers.

Fred Butler

Fred is a graduate of Arkansas State University and The Master’s Seminary. He currently lives in the LA area and works at Grace to You, the radio ministry of John MacArthur, where he has the honor of coordinating and directing the volunteer ministries. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children and are all actively involved at Grace Community Church.

Fred created the blog, Hip and Thigh, in 2005 to have an outlet for his opinions both theological and secular. Since he began blogging, he has amassed hundreds of entries addressing such topics as creationism, apologetic methodology, atheism, homosexuality, and everyone’s favorite, King James Onlyism.

Fred Butler posted an article on his blog four days after Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying was published. He calls the author, Paige Rogers, a “sycophant.” Johnson gives it his full endorsement.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
FollowFollow @Phil_Johnson_
Fred on the yellow journalism hit piece targeting John MacArthur that was published earlier this week:
11:45 AM - 8 Feb 2019 from Palm Beach Gardens, FL

This time Johnson refers to Rogers’ efforts as “yellow journalism.” Here’s a definition.

“Yellow journalism and the yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion.”

Butler titles his article, “Worldview Fail.” That is a dig on Brannon Howse who calls his website, Worldview Weekend. Here are a few excerpts

Worldview Fail
Fred Butler
February 8, 2019

Conspiracy provocateur and vitamin supplement grifter, Brannon Howse, continues his personal campaign of humiliating failure. His latest attempt was a blinding pyre [i.e., fire] of self-immolation [i.e., sacrifice] that was wildly entertaining to behold.

In his pursuit to discredit the 50 year ministry of pastor John MacArthur, Howse manufactured a fake scandal that rivals the hacks at Buzzfeed News that involves him misleading Civil Rights icon, Charles Evers, in a phone interview and then dispatching one of his social media toadies to write up a deceptive report about it that was debunked within a matter of hours. …

The audio interview [of Charles Evers] was added to a larger fake news report written up by one of Brannon’s social media sycophants [i.e. servile self-seeking flatterers] and posted on an ad heavy screaming eagle patriot style website [i.e., The NOQ Report].

The tactics and language employed by Butler mirror the tactics and language employed by Johnson who applauds and retweets the article. Butler wants us to be wildly entertained as Howse sacrifices himself in a blazing fire. And he wants us to revel in calling Rogers a “social media sycophant” who wrote “a deceptive…fake news report” that Johnson “debunked within a matter of hours.”

Brandon Howse had nothing to do with “dispatching” Rogers to write the article. Butler is passing on the same conspiracy theory as Johnson. Rogers responds to these slanders in an article posted on The GK Podcast Network run by Jeff Dornick. Dornick introduces the article with this comment. I completely concur.

“The blowback from the John MacArthur defenders has been strong and extensive. There’s been so many accusations and hit pieces seeking to not only discredit the story, but to discredit Paige as a journalist, as well as pose conspiracy theories about ‘who is really behind the story.’

“As I’ve explained in previous articles, this is standard procedure with this crowd. Instead of discussing and debating the merits of the story, the focus becomes on the person and how to discredit him or her. Why is this done? If you can discredit the person, the story goes down with them. It doesn’t matter what’s true or false. This is a deflection tactic that I’ve seen used over and over.”

Dornick leads off the article with a question. Rogers responds. People should read the entire article to appreciate her talents as a writer. Here are some excerpts.

Paige Rogers Responds to the Smear Campaign by John MacArthur's Staffers
Posted: February 13, 2019
Updated: February 28, 2019

Some of the claims made by those defending John MacArthur are that this is a “hit piece” and a “smear campaign” to destroy MacArthur by Brannon Howse. How do you respond to that claim?

First of all, I thought I knew the lengths to which the mind will go to reason away unwanted information. Boy! I was naive!

It never occurred to me, not once, that people who claim Christ would be so careless, libelous, or unedified enough to go so far as to give authorship credit for my article - my months of labor, my months of research, my months of time, my months of emotional and intellectual toil - to another person who in no way wrote my article. …

Not only has my labor and authorship been fallaciously accredited to someone else, but I have been sanctimoniously relegated to a nameless “sycophant” by members of Pastor John MacArthur’s own team. …

Second, it is an impossibility for Brannon Howse to have manufactured a report that I WROTE, because Brannon Howse is not my tipster. Let me say that again: I did not receive the tip about this topic from Brannon Howse. Period.

[Note: Roger’s received creditable information about MacArthur’s fabricated story from a person totally unrelated to Howse in early November 2018. That is when she starting investigating.]

How can anyone possibly manufacture a story which (1) he did NOT write (2) for an author he did NOT tip off? …

Finally, the “hit piece” charge is so transparent that it might be comical… were it not so mean-spirited and unambiguously impotent. …

Nothing stated in the article has been proven erroneous. The article lacked the opinion of the author, presented well-documented evidence for fact-checking, and continually posed questions of the reader, as opposed to opinionated assertions which would thus classify the article as commentary. …

This past week has been quite illuminating.

Clearly, I can no longer expect men like Phil Johnson or Fred Butler - men who have displayed an unabashed, gleeful, sinister eagerness to bear false witness against me and my work with claims of “yellow journalism” and “sleaze ball hit piece,” as well as libelous, dehumanizing, demoralizing labels such as “sycophant” and “fake news friend” - to appreciate the importance of truth, honesty, or integrity. Basic human decorum, as well as the notions of kindness, decency, grace, and class appear to be wholly foreign to far too many.

Rogers is absolutely right. First, these men should be fired. Second, they should return to ask forgiveness. Third, they should publicly confess. Their conduct is reprehensible.

Fred Butler posted his “Worldview Fail” article on February 8, 2019. That same day, an Andrew Rizko posted it on my Facebook page. Then I was asked what I thought about it. I wrote a succinct critique. Butler was alerted and responded to me – “There isn’t any ‘evidence’ against MacArthur. Good grief.” I confronted him for “dodging the evidence.”

My Facebook Page

Andrew Rizko https://hipandthigh.wordpress.com/.../macarthur.../...
HIPANDTHIGH.WORDPRESS.COM
Worldview Fail
Friday, February 8, 2019 at 9:19 AM

Cody-Christy Wildman Any thoughts on above article Brent Detwiler?
Friday, February 8, 2019 at 6:06 PM

Brent Detwiler I may address the whole situation in the future so brevity for now. In a nutshell, the article [by Butler] does NOT address the evidence against MacArthur. It attacks the interviewer and the author but doesn’t not address the evidence. For instance, Evers and Perkins have flatly contradicted MacArthur’s account of a man bursting into Evers’ NAACP office in MacArthur’s and Perkin’s presence exclaiming MLK had been assassinated. They did NOT hear the news that way according to ALL their accounts.

Or for example, MacArthur claims he stood on the toilet in the boarding house across the street from the motel from which James Earl Ray shot his rifle. Big problem! NO one and NO investigation has ever said Ray shot from the toilet. Why? Physically impossible! The toilet was not by the window. Anyone who was actually in the room would know this to be true. MacArthur was never in the room.

One more example, the boarding room was on complete lock down for three days. It was an active crime scene! It was guarded. Not true of the motel balcony because later that night investigators finished their work on the balcony at 11 pm because the bullet was found in Martin Luther King’s neck during the autopsy. The balcony was cleaned up. Not true of the boarding room. MacArthur had no access to it and Evers and Perkins have never talked about being in the boarding room.

Most of MacArthur’s story is fabricated. That is why he is in hiding and won’t take questions from the investigative journalist who has tried to contact him. She is not a sycophant. What despicable language to describe her and her work but that is all Johnson and his supporters can do. They can’t be decent and they can’t address the evidence and they can’t answer questions because they are covering up for John MacArthur.

I agree with Charles Evers, “Stop telling that lie.” (about MacArthur claiming he was with Evers when Evers heard the news). But I also disagree with Charles Evers (tongue-in-cheek). It was more than one lie! I think he would agree!

More to be said at a later time. People who want to know how Johnson and MacArthur operate should read this article. You will find it shocking. I could not believe what I experienced. John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins (June 30, 2017).
Friday, February 8, 2019 at 8:11 PM

Andrew Rizko Fred Butler
Friday, February 8, 2019 at 8:25 PM

Fred Butler There isn’t any “evidence” against MacArthur. Good grief. You have a known hater who doctored an interview by changing his voice, which immediately makes the entire audio suspect. Moreover, Evers gives at least four different versions of where he was at. Why isn’t his story suspect? Oh, that’s right, you’re all not out to get him.
Friday, February 8, 2019 at 8:52 PM

Brent Detwiler You are dodging the evidence. The interview was the interview. It stands on its own. He asked questions. Evers answered them. That is clear in context. Nothing suspect. Evers and Perkins have NEVER told the story MacArthur has told about the NAACP office. They both have given completely different and contradictory accounts to MacArthur. And MacArthur was never in the room standing on the toilet! Somehow you forget to address that salient fact.

JMac & the GTY/Grace Community leaders are well-aware of Phil’s un-Christlike attitudes & actions but they enable & hide behind him. Read John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins ( June 30, 2017)

That was the last I heard from Fred Butler.

One further rebuttal of Fred Butler and Hohn Cho is necessary. They and other online devotees of MacArthur were also trying to undermine Charles Evers account by undermining his credibility and his memory.

As Butler adamantly states above, “Moreover, Evers gives at least four different versions of where he was at. Why isn’t his story suspect?” In other words, why should we believe Evers and not MacArthur.

Cho doesn’t even investigate the matter, he just parrots Butler and attributes “as many as four different descriptions” to a faulty memory. Unlike Butler, he doesn’t impugn Evers but the effect is the same. Evers can’t be trusted. Throughout his article, Cho plays the amnesia card. Anyone who begs to differ needs to have “his head (and even more, heart) examined.” I hope he has a good shrink!

“I also understand that over the decades, Evers may have gone on record with as many as four different descriptions of what he was doing when MLK was killed. That isn’t meant as any negative statement on Evers, by the way, but rather one of basic human fallibility, particularly pertaining to memory, as I related in my blog post.”

Then he says in a comment.

“Anyone wishing, hoping, or preferring that MacArthur lied rather than the far more reasonable, understandable, and most of all charitable explanation of a misrecollection by one or more parties really ought to have his head (and even more, heart) examined.“

These men will use every trick in the trade to cover up MacArthur’s audacious lies. They are con artists.

The first account is the definitive account. It comes from Charles Evers’ 1996 book. He was 70 years old when he began work on his memoirs. We learn that Evers initially heard about the shooting on the radio while driving to Natchez, MS. He heard about his death after his arrival in Natchez. King was shot at 6:01 p.m. He died at 7:05 p.m.

Have No Fear: The Charles Evers Story
By Charles Evers & Andrew Szanton
Chapter 21: Loosing Martin, Losing Bobby

It appears Evers also received a call from his daughter and/or secretary on his car phone while in transit to Natchez according to his interview with Howse last fall. This is the less reliable of the two accounts given his age of 96.

Interview by Brannon Howse with Charles Evers Regarding John MacArthur
Fall 2018

Evers: I know when I heard about Martin I was headed to Natchez, in my car driving, and my … called me and told me that Dr. King had been shot. And I said, “Oh, what! Oh, hell, that can’t be.”

Howse: And your office called you. So I am assuming even in that day, you had one of the car phones that they did have.

Evers: Yea. Yea. Them car phones. Right.

Evers: I was driving to Natchez when I heard about it. Back in those days we had those ol’ flat car phones, you know the kind that you can sit on the floor of your car. And my phone rang. And my daughter, and my secretary, one of my secretaries called and told me … Martin had been shot. “Oh, hell!”

Loyalists defending MacArthur’s lies sought to discredit Evers by saying there weren’t car phones in 1968 or that Evers being a black man from the South couldn’t afford one. They are wrong on both accounts. There were car phones and he was the head of the NAACP in Mississippi with friends like Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, etc. Here’s one example.

Christine Pack‏ @SolaSisters
Replying to @BrentDetwiler @SaikoWoods and 2 others
Ok, what about some of the other things Evers said. Such as, Evers said his secretary called him on his car phone to tell him of the assassination. Really? A persecuted black preacher in the rural south has a car phone in 1968? Not impossible of course. But unlikely in the extreme.
3:05 PM Feb 9, 2019

According to this article, 1.5 million people were using car phones in 1964. That was four years before King’s assassination. Read https://gizmodo.com/this-is-what-a-mobile-phone-looked-like-in-1964-and-t-5661414.

Supporters of MacArthur also sought to discredit Evers by putting the radio version in conflict with the phone version. But these are not two conflicting accounts. They are two harmonious accounts. He first heard the news on the radio, then on his car phone from his office.

The supposed third account is found on a website dedicated to “Medgar, the Movement and More.” Medgar Evers was Charles Evers younger brother. He was assassinated by white supremacists in 1963.

The website has a short article based on an interview with Charles Evers about Martin Luther King Jr. which contains a reference to Fayette, MS. This has been misconstrued to suggest Charles heard the news of King’s shooting on his way to Fayette rather than on his way to Natchez. Fayette is 30 minutes northeast of Natchez.

Medgar, the Movement and More
An Interview with Charles Evers
By David Koppel
Copyright 2007

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Another believer in boycotts but whose approach was in contrast to his was Martin Luther King Jr. who used to stay regularly at Charles Evers gun filled house in Jackson.

“He’d say, I always feel safe in your house. I told him Martin you use non-violence and I’m the violent type. You stay here and you’ll be safe. He and I were very close, he was a wonderful man.

I was scheduled to go to Memphis with him, but I had a meeting in Fayette. The news came on that Martin had been shot.

I said the same thing then that I said about Medgar, he’s probably wounded, he’s not dead.”

The simple explanation is as follows. Evers had a crusade in Natchez on Thursday evening, April 4, 1968. As clearly stated, he heard the news of King’s shooting on his way to Natchez in the car and of his death after his arrival.

The next day, Evers was scheduled to join King in Memphis, TN for a march with the boycotting sanitation workers but did not go because he had another crusade planned in Fayette. He is not saying he heard “that Martin had been shot” on his way to Fayette. He is saying he could not go to Memphis for the march because he had a meeting in Fayette.

[Update (Mar. 12, 2021): Evers heard King was shot on his way to Natchez to do an evening crusade on April 4. After the meeting he learned King had died. He returned to his home in Jackson and spoke to black youth in the streets under police guard. He was Field Secretary or head of the NAACP in MS. The following night (Apr. 5), he was scheduled to hold a crusade in Fayette where he would later become mayor (I don’t know if the crusade occurred). John Perkins, John MacArthur, David Nicholas, and three others went to see him during the day in his Jackson office and Perkins told Evers about the situation in Mendenhall including his five white friends being intimidated by Sheriff Willis.]

The fourth account comes from an interview Evers did in 2014. He mistakenly says he was in Indiana campaigning with Bobby Kennedy when they heard the news of King’s death. I attribute this error to a lapse of memory or a diminished memory.

You can listen to the entire interview here. It is 23:07 minutes long and was published by Peter Beary in February 2014. He describes the interview this way.

“Charles Evers recollects his life in Chicago leading up to Medgar Ever's assassination in 1963, and his subsequent years with the Kennedy brothers and as mayor of Fayette, MS.”

I’ve transcribed the relevant comments concerning the news of King’s killing but some were impossible to make out. I use … where comments were inaudible or indistinguishable, underline for focus and add notes in brackets [ ].

Interview with Charles Evers
Published February 24, 2016

And from then he [Bobby Kennedy] always said, “You [Charles Evers] elected me, son.” “No I didn’t, you elected yourself.” And so we became … and then with me all the time. In Indiana, when Martin was killed, he and I went to Martin’s funeral. Am I talking too long? (Interviewers: No, are you kidding?) Martin and I went to, I mean Bobby, Ethel [Bobby’s wife] and Teddy [Kennedy] went to the funeral in Atlanta, Martin’s funeral.” [Minutes 14:13-14:38]

And then when he said he decided to run for President. I said, “Bobby please don’t run.” He said the same dam thing as he when he ran for the Senate. He said, “I going to run.” I said, “Bobby don’t run.” So he was going to run anyway. “Will you be with me?” “You know I’ll be with you if you run.” … And so I starts campaigning for him. We were up in Indiana. We were all over Indiana. The night Martin was killed that is where we were in Gary, somewhere in Indiana. And the whole town went crazy. And Martin [obviously misspoken] and Bobby and I went down and just black negros everywhere and he just calmed them down. … Get out and vote and get in good people. … [He] talked to Negros the way they should have been talked to, that calmed them down. So we won the election and on to, on to California [where Bobby was assassinated]. I can’t talk about it. I get very emotional about that. [Minutes 16:13-17:17]

Clearly, Evers is confused. He was not “in Indiana, when Martin was killed.” But eleven days after King’s assassination he was in Gary, Indiana campaigning for Bobby Kennedy who was running for President.

I found a very helpful article in this regard in the Chicago Tribune titled, Top pols [politicians] make Indiana stops in ’68 presidential primary. Here are the relevant excerpts. Bobby Kennedy, not Charles Evers, heard about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“Kennedy arrived on the Indiana primary scene as the world took a sorrowful turn. King was shot while Kennedy was on the campaign trail from South Bend to Muncie and then Indianapolis. He learned of his King’s death prior to a scheduled speech at a rally at an outdoor basketball court in a black neighborhood in Indianapolis.”

The article also says this about Kennedy’s plans to visit Gary, Indiana on April 6, 1968 which was two days after the assassination.

“Kennedy’s planned stop in Gary on Saturday, April 6, was postponed as the world mourned and he attended King’s funeral in Georgia.”

The trip to Gary was rescheduled.

“By mid-April, the primary was underway again and on April 15, Kennedy arrived in Gary for a talk at the Memorial Auditorium to 4,000 people.”

This is probably the campaign trip which Evers’ references in the interview.

There is no question Evers was on his way to Natchez when he got the news but for the sake of argument notice none of his ‘four different versions” or “four different descriptions” include being in his NAACP office in Jackson with MacArthur, Perkins and other civils rights leaders. It is not one of the options from which we can pick. NO ONE has ever told MacArthur’s version of events in part or in whole. In the words of Charles Evers, “Tell him to stop telling that lie.” That imperative applies to Johnson, Butler, Cho and their disciples too.

The abuse, lying, deceit, hypocrisy and bullying is not confined to these men. It is pervasive among the top leaders at Grace to You, Grace Community Church, The Master’s University and The Master’s Seminary.

People should read John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins. The article includes a 17-page letter I wrote Chris Hamilton. Hamilton was the Chairman of the Board of Elders for Grace Community Church. He is a successful CPA, CFE, & CVA. We talked by phone for 30 minutes on May 1, 2017. I memorialized the conversation in a follow-up letter to him on May 17, 2017.

During our conversation about Johnson’s egregious sins, Hamilton sought to silence me in an attempt to cover up for Johnson. Here is one excerpt from my letter. It gives you a feel for things. I’ve included the entire letter at the end of this article.

“You kept insisting I must ‘drop it,’ ‘move on,’ and ‘trust’ you. I said I’d love to move on if you provided evidence. I also told you I don’t think there is evidence and that is why you were not forthcoming. In this regard, I used President Reagan famous line in his dealings with the Soviet Union, ‘Trust, but verify.’ Of course, I am not comparing you to a communist regime but Reagan’s approach is required in this situation. You didn’t budge. You refused to provide any proof whatsoever.”

These are the kinds of men MacArthur has favored and installed in top positions to protect and promote his self-interests. In this case, Hamilton was covering up for Johnson by trying to silence me. It is a heavy-handed operation.

John MacArthur has also been the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Master’s University and Seminary (TMUS) for over 30 years. The same culture of corruption has been cultivated in these institutions. For example, when he installed his son-in-law, Kory Welch, as the Chief Operating Officer in 2016. A reign of terror followed.

The schools were accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in 1975. The Master’s University and Seminary are now on probation after an investigation was done by the Accreditation Visiting Team (AVT) from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) from March 21-23, 2018.

Team Roster

Team Chair: John Jackson, President, William Jessup University
Assistant Chair: Anita Henck, Dean, School of Education, Azusa Pacific University
Kevin Grant, Director of Student Affairs Assessment & Research, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
Kimberly Renna, Vice President for Finance & Business Operations, Franciscan School of Theology
Mark Riddle, Director of Educational Effectiveness, West Coast University
Tamela Hawley, Vice President and Liaison, WSCUC

This team of distinguished academic leaders issued a highly professional but damming 45-page report. It can be read here. In consequence, the accrediting Commission rightly and necessarily put TMUS on probation on July 18, 2018 (see here). This action is rarely taken by an accrediting agency. Violations must be very serious to be put a university and seminary on probation.

Here are a few excerpts. The underlining is mine.

Report of the WSCUC Team
For Reaffirmation of Accreditation
To the Master’s University and Seminary
March 21-23, 2019

In campus interviews and confidential emails, the AVT [Accreditation Visiting Team] received clear and concerning reports of recent personnel actions (hirings, terminations, promotions, demotions, and lack of regular evaluations) that have the appearance of seemingly arbitrary actions. … This, coupled with the finding of a pervasive culture and climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty which appears to be created by the newly appointed management, provides significant areas of concern regarding sound and ethical business practices; these concerns were exacerbated for the AVT by significant community member reports of the fear of speaking up, despite protections of a whistleblower policy (CFRs 1.1, 1.7, 3.2, and 3.6). (pp.12-13)

In summary, regarding sound business practices, TMUS is regularly audited financially, but important recent recommendations have not been addressed. In 2017, the auditor highlighted as a “significant deficiency” that there were several instances of management overriding or circumventing controls that were in place to process payments or contracts outside established policies. Further, the report noted that there was the appearance of conflicts of interest with the President’s son-in-law [Kory Welch] supervising a contract from which he benefits, as well as institutional aid being awarded to related parties exceeding typical award amounts, but there was no evidence at the time of the visit that these concerns had been addressed in more than a cursory manner (CFRs 1.1, 1.6, 1.7, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, and 3.9). (pp. 13-14)

The Master’s University and Seminary’s greatest asset is the cadre of fully-committed faculty and staff, many of whom have been affiliated with the institution for decades. Thus, the cacophony [outcry] of concerns about the current culture of the institution -- broad and significant reports of a pervasive culture of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty -- is even more notable and concerning. Specific reports of unethical behavior by key leaders and fear of reprisal were consistent and corroborated through multiple sources. Yet, with no place where faculty felt safe to report being required to award degrees outside usual boundaries; for staff to address being required to issue payments of financial aid outside usual and customary procedures; and for a student worker to share having developed an exit strategy should their supervisor continue to bully and yell at them, the related reports of lack of leadership ethics and accountability that emerged was unmatched for members of this review team. This is escalated by the intertwined nature of relationships between senior leaders with each other (including several sets of family relationships), with the board, with businesses owned by key leaders and donors, with Grace Community Church, and with key donors that would not pass many institutions’ conflict of interest policies. It seems this has been part of the operation for so long that it is practiced without question. But, the role of accreditation is to provide an independent and impartial review. And this team’s findings include numerous practices that are outside what is reasonable and customary. The catalyst for the groundswell of reporting concerns points to a senior hire [i.e., a hiring of senior management] within the last twelve to eighteen months that has provided the tipping point for a culture that has long deferred to a president [John MacArthur] out of respect (and, for many, because he is also their pastor). The significant changes at the administrative cabinet level [by Kory Welch], coupled with the pervasive belief that long-time employees have been dismissed for speaking up, has resulted in a toxic environment that must be immediately addressed – both as an accredited institution and as an institution rooted in Christian values of integrity and respect for people. (pp. 39-40)

This is a severe critique by highly educated, accomplished and professional academic leaders. Let’s condense it.

“The finding of a pervasive culture and climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty … the fear of speaking up … management overriding or circumventing controls … the appearance of conflicts of interest … the cacophony of concerns about the current culture of the institution … specific reports of unethical behavior by key leaders and fear of reprisal were consistent and corroborated through multiple sources… the related reports of lack of leadership ethics and accountability that emerged was unmatched for members of this review team … it seems this has been part of the operation for so long that it is practiced without question … the pervasive belief that long-time employees have been dismissed for speaking up, has resulted in a toxic environment that must be immediately addressed.”

This is not the “Master’s” university and seminary. This is MacArthur’s university and seminary. All of this is due to his abusive leadership and appointment of men who act in like manner. It is no wonder MacArthur covered up for C.J. Mahaney and his abusive leadership including the conspiracy to cover up the sexual abuse of children. In like manner, MacArthur has covered up sexual assault and rape for years by refusing to report it to law enforcement or follow The Clery Act and other federal guidelines. As a result, The Master’s University and Seminary was fined $29,000. A seven-page letter was sent to “Dr. John MacArthur” on July 27, 2017 by the Enforcement Unit for the U.S. Department of Education. You can read it here. Excerpts follow.

“This letter is to inform you that the U.S. Department of Education (Department) intends to fine the Master’s University and Seminary (TMC; College; University) a total of $29,00 based on the violation of statutory and regulatory requirements outlined below. … This fine action is based on TMC’s failure to comply with the requirement of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the Clery Act). … The crimes that must be reported include: criminal homicide (murder and manslaughter); sex offenses (forcible and non-forcible); robbery; aggravated assault; burglary; motor vehicle theft; arson, and arrests for liquor law violations, drug law violations and illegal weapons possession.”

I am told there are four open cases before the Enforcement Unit that could result in additional and substantial fines.

To understand why the U.S. Department of Education has taken this action, people must read “Jane’s” story – “Do You See Me?” It was written and published by Marci Preheim on September 18, 2017. Jane was drugged and raped and it was covered up and horribly mishandled by MacArthur, Rick Holland and other top officials at TMUS. It is but one example. More examples follow.

I wrote Holland and asked him to state his case or defend against Jane’s charges in keeping with Proverbs 18:17. Charges like this one. He has not responded.

“Rick leaves the room several times to go talk to John MacArthur. He comes back with John’s ruling on the matter. Rick tells me that I need to be disciplined for doing drugs, drinking alcohol and almost dancing. He said the consequence for breaking the rules is that I will be kicked out of the college. He is angry at me for going to the police and the doctor [about her rape]. I should have let the church handle this without outside interference. He tells me not to tell anyone else, not my fellow classmates, not my teachers, not anyone at church.”

By the way, Jane was not guilty of “doing drugs, drinking alcohol and almost dancing.” You have to read her account. I have written about it in a separate article because its importance.

The Account of John MacArthur & Rick Holland’s Horrific Handling of “Jane’s” Rape in Conjunction with Officials from The Master’s University
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 8:02PM

And in the same way Paige Rogers was attacked; Marci Preheim and Jane were attacked by Johnson and Butler and their surrogates. It is all so predictable! There is “a pervasive culture and climate of fear, intimidation, bullying.” Even of rape victims. This is like Paige Patterson’s intimidation of a sexual assault victim while President of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A 34-page lawsuit was filed against him and SWBTS on May 22, 2109. You can read it here. Baptist News wrote this article, SWBTS responds to sexual abuse lawsuit.

Here are a few comments from Preheim about the treatment she and Jane received.

Do You See Me?
Marci Preheim with Jane
September 18, 2017

This is an eye-witness testimony of something that really happened. Anyone who accuses me [Preheim] or Jane of lying may want to reconsider as we have police reports (the police believe the stranger has done this before and will do it again), printed emails, and plenty of evidence. Somehow, Jane had the presence of mind to print and keep all of these papers all of these years.

Furthermore, if you are more appalled at me for writing this story, or Jane for telling it, than you are at the stranger [i.e. the rapist] and those religious leaders who handled it so abominably, perhaps you should evaluate your “Christian values and theology.”

Regarding Jane
Marci Preheim
September 25, 2017

The point of posting it was not to detail, explain, and defend how she [Jane] did everything right, or what she could have done differently, or to parse out and crucify all those involved. The point of telling her story was to raise awareness regarding how she was treated by the leadership at The Master’s University and Grace Community Church in light of a crime that had been committed against her in their midst….

But low and behold, the leadership at The Master’s University and Grace Community Church and their minions are assassinating her character and spiritually abusing her all over again—just like they did eleven years ago [2006]. And unbelievably, some people believe them!

In addition to Jane’s story, I have studied the evidence related to two other victims of rape and also a case involving the sexual abuse of children by their father. These three accounts show how terribly the victims and innocent wife were handled by John MacArthur and his people. Here’s an brief overview.

The second account regarding “another Jane Doe” was also written by Marci Preheim. Jane Doe was married when repeatedly raped by a man who was an adjunct teacher at The Master’s College. The story ends as quoted below.

Do You Hear Me?
Marci Preheim with Another Jane Doe
November 26, 2017

I am still in a state of shock. The Master’s College (now The Master’s University) has violated nearly every part of the federal Title IX requirements relating to sexual assault and sexual harassment. The Bible that they purport to follow, has been reduced to a simple book that their business sells. If they opened the John MacArthur Bible, they could read Leviticus 5:1 where it describes how, in doing nothing they have accepted Dan’s [the adjunct teacher & rapist] sins on themselves. I write this in hopes that John MacArthur, Michael Mahoney, Kent Haney, Jason Hartung and even Dan will repent.

Please sirs, repent of your sins, and get right with God while you can. Do you hear me?

I am also intimately familiar with a third account of a rape and how it was handled by TMUS. This person has not spoken in public but allowed me to read the evidence she sent the Department of Education and WASC. Here is an excerpt from a note I sent her after reading her highly documented account.

“I just read your story. It is horrific beyond words. It is amazing you are still alive. The heavy-handed abuse your experienced by faculty and student leaders is beyond comprehension. What severe legalism! What extraordinary callousness! What perverse evil to preserve one’s image! I can’t imagine the injuries you have suffered. … You are compassionately in my thoughts and prayers!”

Finally, here is a fourth account. It too is gut wrenching. David Gray abused his children but his wife ended up excommunicated for not following the demands of John MacArthur and his staff. It is inconceivable. You can read the entire thread of evidence on a twitter account by Karen Caldwell. Here are some relevant excerpts.

The Master’s Reject
March 8, 2019

“David Gray taught in John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church elementary and jr. high school from 1994-2001. … In 2001, David Gray’s wife reported him to Grace Community Church for abusing their three children. … Grace Community Church failed to report child abuse and excommunicated the wife. … She did not agree with that approach, and wanted to obtain marriage counseling and counseling for the children from a licensed therapist. The church forbade it. … She discontinued the church counseling and withdrew from church membership in 2001, after the pastor [Carey Hardy] commanded her to drop the restraining order [against her abusive husband]. She was formally shunned by the church and all of its members. … David Gray wasn’t allowed to continue teaching at Grace Community Church due to his wife’s report of abuse to the church in 2001. However Grace Community Church did nothing to stop him from teaching in public schools where he worked until his arrest in 2004. … Unfortunately nothing could be done to hold Grace Community Church accountable for failure to report child abuse, as the statute of limitations for this crime is only one year. Over 2 yeasrs had elapsed since the church excommunicated David Gray’s wife and his arrest. … David Gray remains incarcerated to this day, after losing a criminal trial (LA045233), losing an appeal (B184183), and denied a hearing by the CA Supreme Court (S148868). … Despite his conviction, John MacArthur still endorses him. I reached out to Phil Johnson to ask why. He went from being knowledgeable about the case to “never expressed an opinion. … John MacArthur needs to address how abuse should be handled by the church. Should mandatory reporting laws be obeyed? Should police be involved or everything handled in house? Believe women? Or are abuse victims too social justice for him to care about?”

You can also read the news release about this case on the official site of the Los Angeles Police Department and in this article by the Los Angeles Times.

I have also received creditable information regarding the sexual assault of four other women at TMUS and a fifth elsewhere. Three by a prominent faculty member and two by a maintenance worker. The professor suddenly left the school in the middle of the semester without saying goodbye. Sources say he was fired. Dr. John Street, head of the Biblical Counseling Department, told students it had nothing to do with misconduct or any wrongdoing as part of the cover-up.

As an aside. The cover up by TMUS, Grace to You, and Grace Community Church is like that in the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA). Walt Chantry is a friend of John MacArthur. His son, Tom Chantry is a friend of Phil Johnson. Johnson recommended Chantry replace him as “the third man” on PyroManiacs in 2012. Chantry has been found guilty for the sadistic beating and sexual molestation of children. He is in jail without bond and awaits a long sentence on July 19, 2019. Read Ten Part Series on the Abuse of Children by “Pastor” Tom Chantry & Its Cover-Up by the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America From 2000-2018.

Unbeknownst to me, all of the above has received substantial media coverage. Here are a few excerpts from news sources in Santa Clarita, California where the university and seminary are located. The articles are certainly worth reading in entirety. Why has this been so little reported by the Christian press? I hope WORLD, Christianity Today, CBN News, The Christian Post, etc. provide more coverage. This is a big story.

The Master’s University Put On Probation After Review Finds ‘Climate Of Fear,’ Other Issues
Chris McCrory
August 16, 2018

The Master’s University’s academic accreditation has been placed on probation after a report found that the school was not in compliance with federal guidelines for higher education. …

The review, completed after a visit to the university in March, alleged conflicts of interest regarding student financial aid, staff without qualifications for their positions and “a climate of fear, intimidation, bullying and uncertainty” among faculty members.

The report specifically referenced The Master’s University President John McArthur’s son-in-law allegedly overseeing a contract from which he benefited from, as well as disproportionate student aid being given to friends and family.

Master’s University President Calls Allegations Against School ‘Untrue,’ ‘Persecution’
Caleb Lunetta
September 4, 2018

In his first time addressing the student body since Master’s University was placed on probation by their accrediting association, President John MacArthur called a number of allegations against the school “untrue” and an example of “persecution.” …

In reference to these allegations, MacArthur told students, “As Paul said to the Corinthians, ‘There are many adversaries’ as you advance the Gospel, (and) as you advance the name of Christ, it’s never going to be easy… The scripture says all who are godly in this present age will suffer persecution, and that kind of goes along with it.”

The Master’s University demonstrates failure to report sexual assault under Clery Act
Mai Nguyen Do
September 19, 2018

After an accreditation team visited The Master’s University to review its practices in March of this year, the team compiled a report stating that the university was again in violation of required reporting responsibilities under the Clery Act and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The Clery Act mandates all schools receiving Title IV, Higher Education Act federal financial assistance report crimes, including sexual assaults, that occur on and off campus.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) team’s report is not the first time the university has come under scrutiny for issues complying with federal laws regarding sexual assault. The Master’s College and Seminary － The Master’s University’s previous title － was also found in violation of the Clery Act in 2014 by the U.S. Department of Education.

Master’s University Officials Hope To ‘Mitigate Findings,’ Do Not Believe ‘Every Assertion’ In Commission’s Report
Caleb Lunetta
September 21, 2018

In a statement released last week, the Master’s University Board of Directors said they believe a majority of their board members are independent and that not “every assertion” made in the WSCUC report is correct.…

Since first reporting on this story on August 16, 2018, KHTS has received dozens of communications from other alleged victims of sexual assault and rapes at Master University. They are claiming the school failed to report or follow proper federal guidelines on taking action or reporting on these allegations. In addition, off the record comments to KHTS have implied financial impropriety on the part of school administrators as well as cases of nepotism.

The Master’s University Scandal
Owen, Patterson, and Owen to Represent Students from The Master’s University

If you are a victim of sexual assault or abuse and feel that The Master’s University failed to report or follow proper federal guidelines on taking action or reporting on these allegations, don’t wait to contact us and schedule your free legal consultation. Our attorneys are highly experienced in seeking justice for those affected by sexual assault and abuse.

More Allegations Against Master’s University Surface
Caleb Lunetta
September 28, 2018

In the wake of Master’s University being informed that they had been placed on academic probation, a number of allegations and issues have become known to the public, including a large financial contract between family members and the president of the University.

In August of this year, the students and faculty of The Master’s University were informed that due to a number of issues found by their accreditation organization, the Western Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), they had been placed on academic probation.

The punitive measure comes after a WSCUC team, known as the Accreditation Visiting Team (AVT) visited the school’s campus in previous months, and reported that among a number of issues found on the campus, the team was concerned that the school was: in violation of the Clery Act, distributing financial aid to friends and family of the school’s president, a lack of independence on the school board of directors, and had cultivated “a climate of fear, intimidation, bullying and uncertainty” among staff and faculty members.

Master’s University President Pays Son-In-Law Millions Of Dollars Through Nonprofits
Caleb Lunetta
October 1, 2018

In the ongoing investigation into The Master’s University following its placement on probation, KHTS has uncovered millions of dollars that have been paid to John MacArthur’s son-in-law, Kory Welch. …

Over the course of the next decade, The Welch Group or companies owned by Welch were paid by Grace to You [MacArthur is the President; Johnson is the Executive Director], with the lowest amount received by a Welch-owned company being $658,950 in 2010, and the largest amount being $794,000 during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2017. …

In total, it would appear Welch and his companies have received approximately $7,610,399 from Grace to You and The Master’s University since 2003. This final figure includes the sum total of the payments listed in the 2003 through 2016 tax returns for both organizations, but does not include the most recent fiscal year for both organizations, as they are not available to the public as of the time of publication.

Master’s University Officials Reportedly Gave Preferential Financial Aid To Kids Of Friends, Donors
Caleb Lunetta
October 8, 2018

Issues of alleged mismanagement at The Master’s University continue to be reported. According to three anonymous inside sources who are familiar with the situation, dozens of university students were reportedly given preferential financial aid due to their parents either being donors or personal friends with the university president’s family. …

KHTS has learned through various conversations with officials that have experience working at the Master’s University, and were privy to discussions on the financial aid allotment process, that auditors from CapinCrouse LLP — an independent CPA and consulting firm hired by the school — reportedly found over 25 separate student files that demonstrated a “conflict of interest.” …

The funneling of financial aid money to the donor families or the friends of the school’s president was reportedly orchestrated in large part by [John] MacArthur, [Kory] Welch and [Luke] Cherry, according to KHTS sources. …

Through this relationship, the financial aid department was told to give thousands and, at times, tens of thousands of dollars to donor families and personal friends of MacArthur.

This set-up allegedly eventually expanded to the children and grandchildren of board members, according to one KHTS source.

This is not persecution. This is cronyism and nepotism. MacArthur paid out seven and half million dollars to his son-in-law and his companies! That is lording and taking advantage of others for financial gain.

Subsequent to being put on probation by the Senior College and University Commission for the Western Association for Schools & Colleges, a second Special Visit Team (SVT) was sent to TMUS on November 1-2, 2018. It wrote a 21-page report and noted some improvements but made repeated reference to on-going “concerns related to hostile work environment issues as well as personnel actions that are inconsistent with the institution’s personnel policies” and “the importance of honoring the Whistleblower Act and related policy in the Employee Handbook.” (pp. 4-5).

In consequence of this second report, the accrediting Commission rightly and necessarily decided “to continue the sanction of Probation” in a March 4, 2019 letter to “President MacArthur.”

“This letter serves as formal notification and official record of action taken concerning The Master’s University and Seminary (TMUS) by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) at its meeting February 22, 2019 to continue the sanction of Probation. This action was taken after consideration of the report of the review team that conducted the Special Visit to TMUS November 1-2, 2018. … The Commission found that The Mater’s University and Seminary is not in compliance with WSCUC Standards 1 and 3 and acted to continue the sanction of Probation. … If an institution has not remedied the deficiencies at the conclusion of this sanction period, the Commission is required, under U.S. Department of Education regulations, to take an “adverse action,” which in this case would take the form of withdrawal of accreditation.”

None of the external changes taking place would be occurring unless forced upon MacArthur and the TMUS Board in order to save their accreditation status without which the university and seminary fold because they would lose Federal and State funding and also Federal aid in the form of student loans. John MacArthur told C.J. Mahaney, who told me, that was the case years ago. Without accreditation by the Western Association of School and Colleges (WASC), the university and seminary collapse.

In their March 4, 2019 letter to President MacArthur, the Special Visit Team also made this statement.

“The visiting team found that TMUS has made progress in the area of campus climate. However, staff and faculty reported fears that the climate may regress after WSCUC stepped away.” (p. 2)

Under the Commission’s microscope, top officials are on their best behavior but notice how the current “staff and faculty reported fears.” That is understandable because there has been no internal change of heart evidenced by the specific confession of sin. John MacArthur, Kory Welch, and a host of other TMUS officials need to acknowledge they created “a pervasive culture and climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty.” That is the only “persecution” that has occurred. Doing so would naturally result in the asking of forgiveness. I don’t see that happening. No one holds John MacArthur or his enablers accountable because they live in fear. The reference to “uncertainty” has to do with being fired or demoted if you speak up about these sin issues.

The Western Association of School & Colleges (WASC) is sending another “Special Visit Team” in Fall 2020 to follow up on TMUS. If they determine TMUS is not in compliance with all their standards, they will lose their accreditation. Meanwhile, TMUS will have been on probation for three straight school years (i.e., 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020). That has effected enrollment. They are working hard to recruit while suppressing what has been reported by the accreditation Commission, the WASC decision to continue probation, the third visiting team, and the on-going investigations by the U.S. Department of Education for obvious reasons. Who wants to go to a university or seminary that may lose its accreditation or be publicly exposed again for violating state and federal law.

The WASC and TMUS excursus above was necessary to document the widespread corruption and abusive leadership that exists including attempts to cover-up sexual assault and rape. Now back to Fred Butler. Butler calls Rogers’ article “a deceptive report…that was debunked within a matter of hours.” Debunked by whom? Phil Johnson, of course!

For those who may not know, Johnson is MacArthur’s right hand at Grace to You. He is also a ruling elder and pastor in his church. Here is his biography.

Phil Johnson

Phil is the executive director of Grace to You. He has been closely associated with John MacArthur since 1981 and edits most of Pastor MacArthur’s major books. Phil also founded several popular websites, including The Spurgeon Archive, The Hall of Church History, and the Pyromaniacs blog. He is an ordained elder and pastor at Grace Community Church. Phil and his wife, Darlene, have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

This biography doesn’t tell you everything. For instance, Johnson was a General Session speaker at MacArthur’s Shepherds Conference in March for nearly 5,000 pastors along with Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever, Sinclair Ferguson, et al. Johnson also led a panel discussion with these men that was so contentious they decided to take down the video after posting it on online. During the interview, Mohler reacted to Johnson’s pressing him and asked whether he wanted to break fellowship over differences in their approach to social justice. It got testy. And yet, that display doesn’t compare to how Johnson conducts himself behind the scenes when the cameras are not rolling.

In March having researched and studied the evidence for seven weeks, I wrote John MacArthur and Phil Johnson appealing for their repentance. I copied Stephanie Blood, MacArthur’s personal assistant; and Paul Twiss, his previous personal assistant. Twiss is now Instructor of Bible Exposition at the seminary.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2019 5:57 PM
To: Phil Johnson (phil@spurgeon.org); (phil@gty.org)
Cc: Stephanie Blood (sblood@gracechurch.org); Paul Twiss (ptwiss@tms.edu)
Subject: An Appeal to Acknowledge False Narrative Regarding the Events of April 4, 1968
Importance: High

[Paul and Stephanie, please make sure this email is forward to John. Thank you.]

Hello John and Phil,

I have followed closely, and researched carefully, everything pertaining to these claims by John and found them to be altogether false.

I have also followed closely the vicious attacks by Phil upon Paige Rogers and her February 4 article, “Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying.” In addition, I’ve followed Phil’s manipulative use of bogus evidence in support of John.

All of this is reminiscence of my experience with the two of you in 2016 and 2017 regarding Phil’s belligerence and lying about interacting with victims of sexual abuse in Sovereign Grace Ministries. He used this to defend C.J. and claim there was no evidence of a conspiracy. That was easy to expose and disprove. Phil did not interact with any of the victims. And yet, no discipline came from it. I even talked to Chris Hamilton, chairman of the elder board, but he too covered up Phil’s deceit and sought to secure my silence. It is all documented.

John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins
Friday, June 30, 2017 at 3:54 PM

Here we are again, only this time it is far worse! John, you have created an entirely false narrative about the events of April 4, 1968 in order to promote yourself as “the only white man” “with all the black leaders when Martin Luther King was assassinated.” That is pure fiction. Why have you created this pretentious story? Is Christ not enough?

Phil, you are often cruel in your treatment of people. In fact, I’ve never observed a more abusive church leader in print media. You are also deceitful. That is once again on display in how you have responded to the evidence against John.

These matters are not in dispute. The evidence is irrefutable. The only question is whether you will humble yourselves. Therefore, for the sake of Christ, I beg you to repent and acknowledge these sins to Grace Community Church and the body of Christ.

Sincerely,

Brent

P.S. Please let me know of your intent by mid-week. I am glad to interact in any form whether by phone, email, or in person.

I received this endearing response from Phil. A little humor is in order.

From: Phil Johnson phil@gty.org
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 10:11 PM
To: Brent Detwiler; Phil Johnson phil@spurgeon.org
Cc: Paul Twiss ptwiss@gracechurch.org; Stephanie Blood sblood@gracechurch.org
Subject: Proverbs 26:5

Mr. Detwiler,

None of your accusations against me or John MacArthur has ever been backed with actual evidence. They are the fruit of your own evil speculations. That, along with your egotistical sense of self-importance, has convinced me that you are a delusional man.

The claim that I made “vicious attacks” on Paige Rogers is just the latest example. I’ve simply pointed out the glaring deficiencies in her hit piece. You cannot cite a single instance in which I have made “vicious attacks” on her in any literal sense of that word.

Allow me likewise to point out the deficiency (untruth) of your claim that you have “followed closely, and researched carefully, everything pertaining to these claims by John and found them to be altogether false.”

My original challenge to Mr. Throckmorton stands for you: If you seriously want to investigate John MacArthur’s account, you need to ask John Perkins one simple question—namely, “Is it true that you went with John MacArthur to the Lorraine Motel in the wake of the MLK assassination?” Throckmorton made no attempt to get an answer to that question, but published a piece full of evil insinuations anyway—to his own embarrassment.

But even he didn’t make the kind of serious false accusation you made in your letter to me.

I expect you are going to publicize your accusations anyway, because that is what you do. Nevertheless, I’ll say this on the off chance that there’s still a tincture of common sense somewhere in your angry mind: Until you have John Perkins’s answer to the above question, you have absolutely no right to make the claims for yourself or the accusations against John MacArthur that you made in your letter to me.

Allow me also to repeat the polite request I have made of you before: please stop emailing me. I have zero interest in reading, much less replying to, your fulminations. I’m making an exception this one time only because your claims against John MacArthur are so far-fetched that it seemed to warrant a rebuke in accord with Proverbs 26:5.

Phil Johnson

Cell: (661) 433-7164
28001 Harrison Pkwy.
Valencia, CA 9135
http://www.gty.org/

END

Johnson references Proverbs 26:5. It reads, “Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes.”

In answering me (a fool), he resorts to name calling as a retort (which he thinks I deserve) and falls back on John Perkins silence knowing Perkins has chosen not to go on the record personally.

Therefore, I wrote the elders at Grace Community Church and included the correspondence above. I asked them to contact me.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2019 12:52 PM
To: John MacArthur sblood@gracechurch.org; Phil Johnson phil@spurgeon.org; phil@gty.org; Chris Hamilton chamilton@arxisgroup.com; ptwiss@tms.edu; Ace Davis adavis@gracechurch.org; Mike Johnston mjohnston@gracechurch.org; Jay Lennington jlennington@gracechurch.org; Rick McLean rmclean@gracechurch.org; Josh Petras jpetras@gracechurch.org; Bill Shannon bshannon@gracechurch.org; Henry Tolopilo htolopilo@gracechurch.org
Subject: A Request to Share Evidence Re: John MacArthur's False Narrative about the Events of April 4, 1968
Importance: High

Grace Community Church Leaders and Elders,

I have written you before about my concerns for John and Phil. I write you again with renewed concerns of great import. I sent this email to John and Phil on March 24.

[The one above.]

I did not hear back from John. I received this response from Phil.

[The one above.]

This response is typical of Phil. Nothing has changed in his character since my interaction with him in 2016.

There is no question John made up a false narrative about the events of April 4, 1968 which he has repeated on at least seven occasions over the last 12 years. The evidence is indisputable.

Therefore, in obedience to God’s word, I must bring these accusations to your attention and provide you the evidence. I soberly and redemptively request that you contact me over the next few days to set up a phone conversation.

In His service,

Brent

No one contacted me to set up a phone call. I also followed up with Johnson in this short note.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2019 11:15 AM
To: Phil Johnson phil@gty.org; Phil Johnson phil@spurgeon.org
Cc: Paul Twiss ptwiss@gracechurch.org; Stephanie Blood sblood@gracechurch.org
Subject: RE: Proverbs 26:5

Phil,

Your response is of great concern. I hope the leaders and elders are holding you accountable and leading you to repentance in the kindness of our Lord Jesus. Please ask them to contact me. They have not done so despite my redemptive request.

I want to address two issues.

First, you state, ”You cannot cite a single instance in which I have made “vicious attacks” on her in any literal sense of that word.” That is correct because I have never implied or suggested your vicious attacks were literal. By vicious I mean “malicious, spiteful” which is a definition of the word found in any dictionary.

Second, you state, “Allow me also to repeat the polite request I have made of you before: please stop emailing me.” This isn’t true. You have never asked me to stop emailing you.

In Christ,

Brent

I still have not heard from anyone. After receiving this response from Johnson, I decided to widen the circle “as a last resort.” I wrote Rick Holland, Dan Dumas, and Lance Quinn. They were all former executive pastors for MacArthur. At the time I wrote, I did not remember Holland’s handling of Jane’s rape and I did not know Dumas had been accused of sexual harassment. Had I been cognizant, I would not have written those two.

Regardless, there was no response from any of them.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2019 5:42 PM
To: Rick Holland <rick@missionroadbiblechurch.com>; Lance Quinn <info@bethanyto.org>
Subject: An Appeal for Help re: John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, & GCC Elders
Importance: High

Hello Rick, Lance and Dan,

I come to you with a vital matter. Each of you know John MacArthur well. Recently an article was written about his claims to have been with John Perkins and Charles Evers when they got word of Martin Luther King’s assassination and upon hearing the news immediately traveled to the Memphis.

Here is what John told Grace Community Church on August 20, 2017. Rick, it is the same thing he told you when interviewed on January 25, 2009.

The name of the article is “Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying.” Please read it. Here is the link.

https://noqreport.com/2019/02/04/exclusive-iconic-civil-rights-leader-tells-pastor-john-macarthur-stop-lying/

The article was posted on February 4, 2019. John immediately sought to cover up his lies with a lie. Phil Johnson immediately attacked the author.

I have appealed to John and Phil in private correspondence to repent. John did not respond. Phil responded pridefully.

I have brought these matters to the leaders and elders at Grace Community Church and asked them to contact me. They have not done so.

As you may know, I worked closely with C.J. Mahaney for 25 years. I was his closest confidante in Sovereign Grace Ministries. He shared with me all the challenges you faced with John [MacArthur] and the reasons for your leaving Grace Community Church.

As you know, the issues of pride, hypocrisy, independence, and heavy-handedness are not new ones in John’s life. C.J. made me aware of the same from his earliest involvement with you and John. I am surprised, however, to discover the extent of John’s deceit.

The story John has told about the events of April 4, 1968 is a complete hoax. None of it is true. Yet he has repeatedly promoted this fabricated account in order to impress different audiences for over 12 years. His deceit is so serious he should be removed from ministry and yet I have no confidence the eldership or Board of Grace Community Church will submit to the authority of Scripture and take this action.

For instance, my past experience with Chris Hamilton, Chairman of the Elder Board, made clear the tactics used to cover up the hypocrisy of John and the egregious sins of Phil. If the Board operated with biblical integrity, Phil would have been fired long ago. Please read this article.

John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins
Friday, June 30, 2017 at 3:54 PM

Therefore, I am appealing to you men as a last resort. You were all executive pastors at Grace Community Church. You know the issues with John. You left the church in large measure because he was unteachable, unaccountable, and unapproachable. Things have not changed.

The evidence in my possession exceeds that in the article referenced above (i.e., “Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying”). I would like to share it with you. In addition, I have followed Phil’s vicious attacks on the author. His vitriolic words and deceitful behavior are worse than that of most unbelievers.

I know it is costly to take a stand for righteousness sake. You will be persecuted. You will suffer. Of this I have no doubt. And yet it must be done. Therefore I ask. Would you please get involved for the glory of God? Would you please admonish John and Phil for their good? Would you please contact the leaders and elders of Grace Community Church and exhort them to act without partiality or favoritism?

I will help you in every way possible and provide you all the facts and evidence you need to do your work with clarity and conviction. The evidence is incontrovertible.

This is a matter of the greatest import. For many years, the elders at Covenant Life Church failed to discipline C.J. As a result, he was allowed to wreak havoc in the church, divide an entire movement and plant Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville with leaders that covered up for him.

The same was true of national leaders. For over eight years, top evangelical leaders around the nation refused to study the evidence against C.J. and Sovereign Grace Churches, Inc. Instead they justified him and promoted the ministry. What an extraordinary reproach that brought upon the gospel and the evangelical church! Finally, Al Mohler was forced to speak out in February 2019 having been badly deceived by Mahaney. Read this article.

The Inside Story: Al Mohler Severed All Personal Ties With C.J. Mahaney & Sovereign Grace Churches Because Mahaney Deceived Him Into Believing An “Independent Investigation” of Abuse Was Done
Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 4:54PM

Once again, the Lord has put a great test before us to see if anything has been learned. It appears the elders of Grace Community Church have learned nothing. They are following the example of the elders in CLC and SGCL. Indeed, everywhere we look local elders have failed to hold their senior or lead pastor accountable (e.g., Bill Hybels, Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald, et al.). They have failed to uphold the requirements of Scripture in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

It is therefore up to national leaders like you men, who were close associates of John MacArthur, to act in a manner like Timothy (cf. 1 Tim. 5:18-21). Will you get involved? Will you study the evidence? Will you confront the situation?

Please let me know as soon as possible.

For the sake of Christ,

Brent Detwiler

P.S. I have sent this to Dan via his Facebook account.

END

I have also written Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, and Al Mohler since they are close friends with John MacArthur. They were with him at his Shepherds’ Conference in March. MacArthur has also participated in every Together for the Gospel conference with Dever, Duncan and Mohler since they began in 2006. Unquestionably, he should be removed as a participant in T4G 2020. I wrote them this appeal. I also addressed their handling of C.J. Mahaney in the past.

From: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2019 12:00 PM
To: Mark Dever mark.dever@capbap.org; Ligon Duncan lduncan@rts.edu; Albert Mohler mohler@sbts.edu
Subject: An Appeal to Reprove John MacArthur & Call for His Removal from Ministry in Keeping with Scripture
Importance: High

Dear Mark, Ligon and Al,

I am writing you about your friend, John MacArthur. On February 4, 2019, a well-documented article was published online by the NOQ Report regarding the story John has been telling various audiences the last twelve years (e.g. SBTS at the 2014 Mullins Lectures) about his momentous experiences with civil rights leaders the night Martin Luther King was assassinated. The article is titled, “Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying.” It can be read at this link.

https://noqreport.com/2019/02/04/exclusive-iconic-civil-rights-leader-tells-pastor-john-macarthur-stop-lying/

Paige Rogers summarized the article in the first two paragraphs.

I have carefully examined this matter. John has fabricated the entire account about the events of April 4, 1968 for his vain glory. Phil Johnson, whom you know, is viciously covering up. John’s deceit, and Phil’s belligerence, are so serious, they should both be removed from ministry. That is not an exaggeration. I have done everything possible to address this matter in private.

I will be posting the evidence and documentation I have gathered in the next few days. It is incontrovertible. The only question is whether you will read it and act upon it. By act upon it, I mean take the steps necessary to appeal for John’s repentance, ask him to step down from ministry, and remove him from Together for the Gospel 2020 as a speaker.

Ligon, you are in a unique position to examine the evidence. As you know, Charles Evers and John Perkins are your neighbors in Jackson. You can practically walk down the street to talk with them personally; and well you should. It is incumbent upon you. You should also talk to Dolphus Weary. He earned his D.Min. [Doctor of Ministry degree] from RTS Jackson and worked with Perkins in Mendenhall. I’m confident you know him.

With regard to C.J. Mahaney, you men did great harm to the Body of Christ (and no little harm to me) by refusing to study the evidence I sent you beginning with The Documents in July 2011. Ligon, you referred to those justly and kindly written documents as “the assaults of wounded people” and “spurious accusations.” Al, you said there was “nothing” in them that would give you “the slightest pause of confidence” in C.J. and that I had “an obvious vendetta” against him. Yet, neither of you had read The Documents before commenting. Instead, you joined with Sovereign Grace Ministries in a coordinated campaign to discredit me and my writings.

In like manner, you blindly justified C.J. in your May 23, 2013 statement on the T4G [Together for the Gospel] website without having read the Second Amended Complaint alleging a conspiracy to commit and cover up the sexual abuse of children in Sovereign Grace Ministries. Here is an excerpt from your statement of support.

“If a Christian leader is accused of any wrongdoing, those to whom he is accountable must investigate the charges and then deal responsibly with the evidence. If a criminal accusation is made, Christians have a fundamental duty to inform law enforcement officials. This does not, however, preclude or mitigate the church’s responsibility for biblical church discipline.

“A Christian leader, charged with any credible, serious, and direct wrongdoing, would usually be well advised to step down from public ministry. No such accusation of direct wrongdoing was ever made against C. J. Mahaney. Instead, he was charged with founding a ministry and for teaching doctrines and principles that are held to be true by vast millions of American evangelicals. For this reason, we, along with many others, refused to step away from C. J. in any way. We do not regret that decision. We are profoundly thankful for C. J. as friend, and we are equally thankful for the vast influence for good he has been among so many Gospel-minded people.”

You were later forced to edit the statement for your egregious error emphatically claiming there were no accusations of direct wrongdoing against C.J. in the lawsuit You never told the public you did not read the Second Amended Complaint or inform the public you had to edit the statement when corrected.

These were grievous sins. In both cases, you acted with great partiality and favoritism. One day, I hope you confess these sins to the Body of Christ in humility and with integrity.

And finally, a word to you Mark. In July 2011, you welcomed C.J. at Capitol Hill Baptist Church when he angrily and abruptly fled Covenant Life Church. This was contrary to all your teaching on the role of elders and the necessity of discipline in a local church.

C.J. never even talked to the CLC elders (i.e., his pastors and friends) about his decision to unilaterally leave. It came as a complete shock to them. You should have required C.J. return to CLC. Instead, you sinfully undermined their authority and catered to his sinful whims. They wanted C.J. to remain at CLC.

I was working with the elders at the time (e.g. Joshua Harris) and they were finally addressing the long terms patterns of sin in C.J.’s life including his pride, anger, deceit, hypocrisy, and independence. He became offended at Josh and the other men when he felt slandered. He used it as an excuse to run from their discipline. This was in opposition to all he had taught for 32 years. The 4,000 members at Covenant Life Church were profoundly stumbled by his hypocrisy. He never returned to ask their forgiveness.

At the same time, you were rolling out the red carpet and commending C.J. to CHBC as a man of God. This too, was a great offense to the members of CLC. You should return to ask their forgiveness. Your accommodation of C.J. all these years has done extraordinary harm to him, CLC, victims of sexual abuse and their families, and the thousands of people who left SGM over the double standard applied to C.J.

One more thing. For the past six years, I have repeatedly asked to talk with you or meet with you men for two reasons. One, you sinned against me (Matt. 18:15). Two, I wanted to help you (Prov. 18:17). And yet, you were not willing (Matt. 5:23-24). Instead you believed the lies and slanders put forth by C.J. As a result, you were deceived by him. By the way, I’d still like to talk or meet with you.

Now, the inevitable has come to pass. Al has severed “all personal and ministry ties” and has “no relationship with C.J. or SGC.” The vast majority of C.J.’s closest friends over decades have done the same or similar. I respect Al’s action. Mark and Lig, you should follow his example. And for the sake of Christ, please do not invite C.J. to T4G 2020 to preach or Bob Kauflin to lead worship or Mark Prater to promote SGC in a seminar or exhibit booth.

[Note: Even Sovereign Grace churches are expressing strong public disagreement with the SG Leadership Team for their refusal to do an independent investigation. Read A Fourth Sovereign Grace Church Reproves Leadership Team for Refusing Independent Investigation. Denhollander Responds. I Put Focus Back on SGC Leader John Loftness for Alleged Sexual Sadism of Children (June 19, 2019).]

Once again, the Lord has put a great test before you to see if you have learned from your mistakes, reformed your ways, and are willing to honor Christ by submitting to the authority of Scripture. John is not above reproach (1 Tim. 3:1; Tit. 1:7). For 12 years, he has repeatedly lied, with no apparent pangs of conscience, while hypocritically teaching the Word of God. And having been confronted, he continues to lie and cover up in brutal fashion through Phil. He has also built an abusive leadership culture at Grace to You, Grace Community Church, and The Master’s University and Seminary.

I was a pastor and teacher for 30 years. I loved my work! It was a great joy to care for people and a great honor to teach them God’s word. I planted churches, led churches and oversaw churches. I traveled to many parts of the world to preach the gospel and equip indigenous pastors. What a inestimable joy! Yet, I felt called by God to give it up at great personal cost in order to address the corruption of leaders inside and outside of Sovereign Grace that were bringing reproach to the gospel and harming God’s people including victims of sexual abuse.

That is what I did with C.J. You condemned me for it. That is what I have done with John. I would much rather be writing books about the care of souls, Christian doctrine, church history, apologetics and especially the good news of Jesus Christ. But such is my calling. For this I have suffered greatly.

It is my hope I have not labored in vain. The requirements of character found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 are not optional extras for C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur, Phil Johnson or anyone else. They are incumbent upon every deacon, pastor and Christian leader. All must be tested by them. That includes every aspiring seminarian. Their character must be examined with the same vigor their doctrine is examined before ordination is conferred.

When we put in ministry, or allow in ministry, unqualified men; we sin and share responsibility for the sins they commit and the damage they cause.

1 Timothy 5:22 “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.”

Despite the implications of this command, those most gifted are often given a pass by their elders or boards because the church, ministry, seminary, or organization depends upon them for success. They are considered indispensable. Therefore, they are protected and their sin goes unconfronted. In time, God brings his judgment.

John MacArthur is probably the best known Bible teacher in the world today but there is a fundamental lack of integrity in his life. That is apparent in his nepotism, cronyism, treatment of “whistleblowers,” failure to follow the law, misleading claims of persecution, employment of Phil Johnson, not adhering to what he has taught, and deceitful fabrications. I don’t believe the later are confined to his story about April 4, 1968. You must address him on these and call for his repentance.

How you handle this matter will reveal your true character and commitment to God’s Word. I earnestly hope and pray you will call John and Phil to account and model a biblical standard for leadership in this nation and around the world. I hope others do the same. For example, John is scheduled to speak at the 2020 Ligonier National Conference next March in Orlando. I have asked for this to be changed.

The loss of trust in Christian leaders is epidemic because the qualifications for leadership are not enforced. I recently wrote an article called "Regaining Lost Credibility" by C.J. Mahaney in People of Destiny Magazine (July/August 1988). It was based upon an article C.J. wrote for our magazine back in 1988.

In context, he was writing about the scandals surrounding Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart. Here are few excerpts.

“First, what’s been taking place is not the work of demoniac forces. … Exposure of these scandals is God’s initiative. ‘For it is a time of judgment to begin with the family of God,’ Peter said.”

“You don’t have to be a prophet to see that God is enforcing his expectations for righteous living among leaders. … Without integrity we have no credibility. Without credibility our words are worthless.”

“Part of the world’s ridicule of our behavior during the past year has not been simply due to uncovered sin, but the lack of discipline in response.”

What was true then, is true today. It is the lack of discipline in response to uncovered sin that invites the world’s ridicule and renders our words useless because we have no integrity and therefore no credibility.

That is ever so true with C.J., John and Phil. No ordinary member in a 9Marks church would ever be allowed to say or do what they have done without being disciplined. Yet these men get away with it even though they are Bible teachers. They should be “judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1) not lesser. In this regard please read, John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins (June 30, 2017).

I know you teach these things at 9Marks, RTS [Reformed Theological Seminary] and SBTS [Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]. The question is whether you will follow your teaching in dealing with John’s egregious sins. The Lord is watching and he will bring you under judgement if you do not act for his glory in obedience to his Word. This is a great test of your own integrity, and therefore, your credibility.

Three things are required for any man entering the ministry or in the ministry. He must be called and therefore gifted by the Holy Spirit. He must grounded in sound doctrine and able to refute error. He must be above reproach and unassailable in character. None of these can be missing. All three are essential. I know you believe these things. The question is whether you will practice these things without partiality.

I used to assume those who taught doctrine well, must live doctrine well. That was a grave error. Over the last eight years, I have had to expose and confront the most wicked of men who were gifted Bible teachers or well-known pastors. These men were pathological liars, sadistic child abusers, homosexual predators, conspirators who covered up crimes, drunks who endangered their children, solicitors of prostitution, con artists and the like. At times, it put me at risk.

That doesn’t include all the national leaders, like yourselves, who needed to be exposed for their corrupt or willfully ignorant defense of C.J. and SGC. For example, read Conclusive Evidence the Investigation of C.J. Mahaney’s Confessed Sins by Kevin DeYoung, Ray Ortlund, & Carl Trueman Was Thoroughly Corrupt (Nov. 29, 2016). Regardless, I trust the Sovereign Lord has worked all these things after the counsel of his will for the good of his church.

Therefore, I earnestly pray you will act differently with John MacArthur. I would love to see your obedience to Christ introduce a new era in evangelical Christianity where the qualifications of Scripture are upheld and enforced in keeping with Paul’s imperatives to Timothy.

1 Timothy 5:20-21 “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. [21] In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.”

I am fully acquainted with the context of these verses. You not apostolic delegates. You are not elders in Grace Community Church. But you are national leaders and friends of John with great influence. It would be ever so encouraging to know John is not above the Bible because you are under Christ’s lordship in calling him to account.

May God’s grace be multiplied to you in the doing of his revealed will.

Sincerely,

Brent

I have not heard anything from Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan or Al Mohler.

Now back to Fred Butler’s assertion that Phil Johnson “debunked” the “deceptive report [by Paige Rogers]…within a matter of hours.” Great! Let’s review Johnson’s debunking! This is important because it shows the devious manner in which he operates without a Christian conscience to restraint him.

First, Johnson maligns Rogers and the article. “This is a hit piece poorly disguised as a serious investigative report.” That is not evidence.

Second, he creates a conspiracy theory. “Howse is the engineer of a tenacious campaign to impugn John MacArthur at all costs.” That is not evidence.

Third, he introduces lies from MacArthur about being “a young unknown” and “all the trauma” being the source of Evers’ forgetfulness. Absurd and contrary to the evidence. MacArthur was not unknown and Evers was not traumatized.

Fourth, he changes MacArthur’s story. “Apparently” he stood in the bathtub, not on the toilet.

Fifth, he flat out lies. Would someone visiting the scene know whether Ray shot from bathtub or the toilet – “not necessarily.” Belly laugh!

Sixth, he deceives by using a bogus chronology. He claims it was 51 years ago, when it was 39 years ago. MacArthur was 68 years old when he first told the story at John Piper’s conference.

Well, that is how Johnson debunked the deceptive report within hours according to Fred Butler (who works for Johnson at Grace to You). Yet, he used no evidence because he had no evidence. Therefore, people were challenging Johnson on Twitter. He had to come up with something more, so what does he do? He embellishes, distorts, and manipulates three pieces of supposed evidence. He is a master of deceit.

The first piece that he embellishes comes from Perkins’ book, Beyond Charity. It is a comment found on page 14 in the introduction. It is the only mention of MacArthur in the entire book. I talked about this earlier.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @ByrdMarkus @Lex_Lutheran @PresbyPolemics
Perkins HAS gone on record—not with all the details, but it’s clear (despite all the insinuations on Twitter) that MacArthur didn’t simply invent the story. Those involved in the events of that week remember things differently. So? It’s not the scandal some people seem to crave.

“At the time, the civil rights struggle was beginning, and Vera Mae and I and our neighbors were involved. There were young men who brought teams of young folks to help us, like John MacArthur Jr.; they became involved in the struggle, too. In fact, John was with me in Mississippi in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.”

12:26 PM - 5 Feb 2019

Using this quote from Beyond Charity, Johnson claims, “Perkins HAS gone on record” and “didn’t simply invent the story.” That is an embellishment with evil intent. The quote proves nothing. It only tells us John MacArthur was with John Perkins in Mississippi when King was killed.

In the second piece of supposed evidence that “definitely refutes,” Johnson intentionally distorts the reporting of a photographer from Life magazine to make it sound like MacArthur and the photographer stood on the same toilet to look out the same window toward the Lorraine Motel. He even highlights the phrase, “I stood on top of the commode in the bathroom.” When exposed, Johnson hides in silence.

https://twitter.com/Phil_Johnson_/status/1093220969181663232
Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Fascinating story and pictures. Definitely refutes some of the claims recently made by those so desperate to refute John Mac.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086676/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-assassination-Rarely-seen-pictures-captured-night.html
2:52 PM - 6 Feb 2019

https://twitter.com/Phil_Johnson_/status/1093282644844920832
Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Life magazine photographer at the Lorraine hotel on the same night Jmac [John MacArthur] describes. Says he stood on the toilet to see out the window:

Shooting through trees from a derelict building across the road from the hotel, the photographer wound up shooting from what was probably the building next to the one from which King was shot by James Earl Ray.

He described a chilling scene in which no one knew where or who the killer was: ‘I stood on top of the commode in the bathroom [highlighted by Johnson] of that abandoned building in order to take the pictures out of the window. It was less than 100 yards from where I was to where Dr. King must have been standing.’

‘The atmosphere of those dark, creepy building… It was a little scary crawling into the building, because who knows who is going to be in there? Who doesn’t want you to be there?’

6:57 PM - 6 Feb 2019

The Bessie Brewer Boarding House was on a complete lock down. The photographer from Life magazine had no access to the bathroom used by James Earl Ray. That’s why he took the photo of the Lorraine Motel from a creepy, derelict, abandoned building next to the boarding house and said so! This is a purposeful distortion by Johnson. It is not evidence.

Several people pointed this out to Johnson on Twitter but he did not relent. In fact, he added to his lies.

Vinnie Hall‏ @VinHall2
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
The photographer was in a building directly across from the Lorraine, standing on a toilet in front of a window so he could get pictures of the balcony at the Lorraine. James Earl Ray shot from the building next door, standing in a bathtub.
3:18 PM - 7 Feb 2019

cheryl unruh@cheryl_unruh
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
I do not understand the purpose of that highlighting? The photographer did not claim to take the photos from the same building from which the fatal shot was fired. He also called it an abandoned building. The one he shot MLK from was an active boarding house.
4:38 PM · Feb 7, 2019

Warren Throckmorton I45‏ @wthrockmorton
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
This doesn’t clear up the discrepancies. This is especially the case relating [to] the boarding house. I don’t see how anyone got into the boarding house that night or next morning given the Memphis police report.
12:08 PM Feb 8, 2019

Warren Throckmorton I45‏ @wthrockmorton
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
He said he was in the building next to the one where Ray was. Read the paragraph preceding the one you have highlighted.
12:14 PM - 8 Feb 2019

Brent Detwiler‏ @BrentDetwiler
And Phil Johnson misrepresented this article/photo to defend John MacArthur as standing on toilet seat in James Earl Ray’s room. He even highlighted the reference which had nothing to do with facts. Still no acknowledgement from Phil that he was completely wrong about assertion.
6:12 PM - 9 Feb 2019

Johnson doesn’t respond to the obvious. He doesn’t say he was wrong. He doesn’t acknowledge he quoted the reporter out of context. Instead, he introduces a devious solution. Maybe MacArthur stood on the same toilet as the photographer not knowing he was in the wrong building! I kid you not! It is hilarious and outrageous at the same time.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
On Apr. 5, when JM [John MacArthur] was there with a group of civil rights leaders, was it made clear to them which bathroom the shots were fired from? I can’t see why you regard a detail like that as all-important. The headline with the accusation of “LYING” was an unjust libel. Ask Perkins.
3:36 PM – 8 Feb 2019

Johnson is suggesting the “group of civil rights leaders” went into the “creepy, derelict, abandoned building” instead of the boarding house because no one made it clear to them. I am laughing out loud as I write! This stupendous lie also contradicts what MacArthur said in Account 7.

And then Johnson chides, “I can’t see why you regard a detail like that as all-important.” He knows why it is all-important! MacArthur’s story might appear credible if he was in the wrong building on the wrong commode in a non-existent crime scene with no law enforcement agents on guard that needed to be circumvented!

After this foolishness, he goes back on the attack with more deceptive obfuscation. He asserts, “The headline with the accusation of ‘LYING’ was an unjust libel. Ask Perkins.” He purposely distorts the headline which read, “Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying.” That is not unjust libel. That is the verbatim request of Charles Evers.

Warren Throckmorton responds to him regarding attempts to contact John Perkins.

Warren Throckmorton I45‏ @wthrockmorton
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
I have asked @JohnMPerkins in several different ways but I haven’t gotten any response. I am still hoping to hear from him.
3:41 PM - 8 Feb 2019

In his predictable humble fashion, Johnson responds to Throckmorton.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
FollowFollow @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @wthrockmorton
Come back to me after you’ve interviewed Mr. Perkins. Right now you seem like someone desperate to find a sinister meaning in differing accounts that could be reconciled in half a dozen (or more) perfectly benign ways. Look into Paige Rogers’ history of sleazy polemics, too.
12:43 PM - 8 Feb 2019 from Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Throckmorton did not interview John Perkins but he did interview his daughter, Deborah, at my suggestion. She expressed agreement with Charles Evers’ account that they did not go to Memphis with John MacArthur on April 4, 1968. She did so with her father’s authorization. Later, Johnson told Throckmorton her statement was hearsay because it did not come directly from her father.

Johnson loves to vilify people while being a real-life villain. Throckmorton is not “desperate to find a sinister meaning in differing accounts.” He is trying to get answers to legitimate questions. Johnson doesn’t have answers so he seeks to discredit him. Keep in mind, Johnson is always aware of his twitter universe audience of 35,000 followers. He is seeking to turn them against Throckmorton. That is standard operating procedure for him.

Next, Johnson puts forth the fanciful claim that the “differing accounts” can be “reconciled in half a dozen (or more) perfectly benign ways.” You know, MacArthur was a young unknown, Evers was traumatized, MacArthur stood in the bathtub - apparently, the civil rights leaders went into the wrong building, etc. They are “benign” except for the fact they are all lies!

Then he lambasts Paige Rogers for her “history of sleazy polemics.” I looked into her writings. They are NOT sleazy polemics. That is an apt description, however, for Johnson’s manner of discourse.

I wrote Throckmorton about these matters.

From: Brent Detwiler abrentdetwiler@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2019 11:26 AM
To: Warren Throckmorton warrenthrockmorton@gmail.com
Subject: RE: John Perkins

There is no collaborating evidence or testimony that John MacArthur went to Memphis or visited the crime scenes the night of MLK assassination. None. It is all a hoax. That is why Johnson is putting forth bogus evidence.

For instance, quoting the photographer who was in the abandoned building next to the boarding house room used by James Earl Ray when he took a photo of the Lorraine Hotel across the street. “I stood on top of the commode in the bathroom of that abandoned building in order to take pictures out the window.”

Johnson highlights the quote as evidence MacArthur stood on a toilet but as you well know we are talking about two different commodes in two different buildings. Johnson knows it too but uses the quote to deceive his readers.

Or for example, Johnson quotes from Perkins’ book, Beyond Charity, about MacArthur being in Mississippi with Perkins the night of the assassination. But this proves nothing in terms of taking a trip to Memphis, standing in MLK’s blood on the balcony, getting into the boarding room (crime scene) and standing on the supposed toilet from which JER [James Earl Ray] fired his rifle.

All the book says is, “There were young men who brought teams of young folks to help us, like John MacArthur Jr.; they became involved in the struggle, too. In fact, John was with me in Mississippi in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.” That is ALL. Nothing about a man bursting into Evers’ NAACP office exclaiming MLK has been assassinated. Nothing about Memphis. And yet Johnson uses the quote to support MacArthur’s fabricated story.

I’ve had firsthand experience with Phil’s deceit in the past when he claimed on his FB page to have talked with victims in Sovereign Grace and found no evidence against Mahaney [of a cover-up]. I called his bluff. I asked who he talked to - I know all the victims. He would not answer. I followed up with the victims. He interacted with NONE of them. I confronted him on his blatant lying. He would not confess and became belligerent. Then he blocked me.

The Perkins have told others (I imagine a small number) that MacArthur’s story is untrue. … I’d suggest you, or someone, try to talk with Deborah [Perkins]. Hopefully she will answer your questions and/or confirm your findings. If she is forthcoming, I imagine it will be off the record.

From my perspective, MacArthur’s story is completely false. There is nothing to support it and all known evidence contradicts it.

You should also read this story about MacArthur’s football claims [more on this later in the article].

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2019 4:46 PM
To: Warren Throckmorton
Subject: Charles Evers

I should have recommended earlier that it would be good to contact Charles Evers. I don’t think he is hard to reach and he has been willing to tell his story on the record. I don’t know if he and Perkins have ever talked about MacArthur’s fabrications but he might tell you if they did.

In his third piece of poppycock evidence, Johnson cites the silence of John Perkins after the Mullins Lectures at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall of 2014 (Account 4) when MacArthur told his fabricated story in the presence of Perkins. He links to the event in this tweet.

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson Feb 5
John Perkins is on the front row at this event:
(link: https://youtu.be/lalXK6sjnH0) youtu.be/lalXK6sjnH0
Perkins may remember certain details differently. However, he & MacArthur spent time together after this lecture. If Perkins thought JMac’s account needed significant correction, he didn’t say so then.
1:20 PM Feb 5, 2019

“He didn’t say so then.” That may be true. At the time, MacArthur had been telling his fabricated story for 7 years from 2007-2014. I think it is likely Perkins brought “significant correction” to him in the years prior to the Mullins Lectures in 2014. Perkins certainty knew about the concocted story no later than 2011 when MacArthur published it in his biography (Account 3) by Iain Murray. I think Perkins corrected MacArthur in private between 2007-2014 but was not willing to expose him in public; thereby enabling his ongoing lying at the Mullins Lectures in 2014.

This much is certain. Perkins went public with his account in 2018 on United? We Pray with Issac Adams and openly contradicted MacArthur. Furthermore, Perkins dismissed MacArthur’s account by agreeing with Charles Evers’ account this past February through his spokesperson, Deborah Perkins. There was no trip to Memphis by MacArthur with Perkins or Evers the night of April 4, 1968.

It is also possible, Perkins corrected MacArthur after the lecture. Remember, Johnson is a habitual liar. Just because he says Perkins didn’t correct MacArthur after the lecture doesn’t mean it is true. Further, Johnson doesn’t tell us how he knows Perkins was silent. Is he relying on more lies from MacArthur?

Michael Miller responded to Johnson’s tweet. He was at the Mullins Lectures in 2014 but is otherwise ignorant. Johnson responds in his usual derogatory manner and doesn’t link to the story by Rogers which contains actual evidence.

Michael S. Miller@imichaelsmiller Feb 5
Replying to @Phil_Johnson
I was actually at this event as an M.Div. student at Southern. @Phil_Johnson what is the issue people are claiming against John MacArthur now?
11:09 PM · Feb 5, 2019

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_ Feb 5
Replying to @imichaelsmiller
Someone published a phony “investigative” article alleging that he made up the story about going to Memphis shortly after the MLK assassination. I’m not going to link to it. It was a hideous hit-piece orchestrated by Brannon Howse.
11:22 PM Feb 5, 2019

A few days later someone asks Johnson about the “totally different story” told by Perkins on the United? We Pray podcast in April 2018. Once again, Johnson plays the Mullins Lecture card but it proves nothing.

cheryl unruh‏ @cheryl_unruh Feb 8
Replying to @Phil_Johnson_
John MacArthur says he was with John Perkins the night MLK was killed. In an interview done last April [2018], Perkins tells a totally different story. Has that issue been addressed someplace? I have missed it if it has.
https://praypod.com/feed/0205
9:43 AM Feb 8, 2019

Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
Replying to @cheryl_unruh
Phil Johnson @Phil_Johnson_
John Perkins is on the front row at this event: https://youtu.be/lalXK6sjnH0 …
10:02 AM Feb 8, 2019

cheryl unruh‏ @cheryl_unruh
I know, that is why it is so hard to make sense of a totally different story told by him [Perkins] last spring. That interview places him in a totally different place when he heard the news of MLK’s death.

Warren Throckmorton WWDNCD‏ @wthrockmorton
This is from p. 15 of the Memphis PD report. It is reasonable to wonder about the accuracy of the story [by MacArthur] based on this evidence.
https://register.shelby.tn.us/media/mlk/mlkviewimage.php?imgtype=pdf&local=Reports&image=Homicide%20Report.tif

When the rooms at 422½ So. Main were finished being processed, the doors were closed to the bathroom as well as to room 5B, and it was requested of Insp. McAden of the Bureau of Identification by Capt. Cochran that the Bureau of Identification return early in the morning, in daylight hours, to re-process these in further attempts to find additional fingerprints. To safe-guard these rooms, Lt. Dandridge of the Homicide Bureau was placed in the hallway, outside the rooms, along with Det. Aylor of the Burglary Bureau until 8:15 AM, on April 5, 1968 when the Bureau of Identification Technicians James H. Brandon and Bobby F. Ewing from the Memphis Police Department again returned to the scene at 422 ½ So. Main, and reprocessed the bathroom and 5B in a search for fingerprints. The Police Photographer, Calvin Elliston, also returned to the scene and took pictures in the daylight hours, showing the view from the bathroom window to the Lorraine Motel, the entire area behind 422½ So. Main, the front part of 422½ So. Main, as well as photographs from the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King Fell [sic] showing the rear area of 422½ So. Main. He also took photographs of the wound to Dr. King’s neck (p. 15)

12:31 PM Feb 8, 2019

Johnson did not respond to these inquiries. I think he pled the fifth to avoid self-incrimination!

What I have presented above is the “evidence” presented by Johnson. It amounts to three bogus “proofs.” One, the sentence from Beyond Charity about MacArthur being in Mississippi. Two, the photograph of the Lorraine Motel taken from the toilet of an abandon building. Three, Perkins’ supposed silence after the Mullins Lectures. None of these debunk the “hideous hit-piece” in any way, shape or form.

I wrote John Perkins about these matters. Here is some of my correspondence.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2019 11:39 AM
To: Deborah Perkins deborahperkins85@gmail.com
Subject: An Appeal to Address John MacArthur’s Sins
Importance: High

Dear John,

Unfortunately, the cover-up of John MacArthur’s fabrications continues. The statement made by Deborah to Warren Throckmorton has had little impact. Phil Johnson and his “fanboys” are writing it off as hearsay because it did not come from you. See below.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2019 2:38 PM
To: Warren Throckmorton warrenthrockmorton@gmail.com
Subject: Heard from John or Phil

Have you heard anything from John MacArthur or Phil since you wrote the March 19 article? Or, have you seen any comments by Phil on Twitter or statements elsewhere? I have not. It seems they are remaining silent.

From: Warren Throckmorton
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2019 4:28 AM
To: Brent Detwiler
Subject: Re: Heard from John or Phil

Phil called Deborah’s response “hearsay” and discounted it. As you can see from Twitter, the fanboys are busy explaining it all away.

They won’t be too worried unless a media source picks it up.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2019 7:23 AM
To: Warren Throckmorton
Subject: RE: Heard from John or Phil

I can’t find Phil’s “hearsay” comment. Could you point me in the right direction? Thanks so much.

From: Warren Throckmorton
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2019 10:56 AM
To: Brent Detwiler
Subject: Re: Heard from John or Phil

It was to me privately.

Last night, I sent this email to John and Phil appealing for their repentance.

Hello John and Phil,

I have followed closely, and researched carefully, everything pertaining to these claims by John and found them to be altogether false.

John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins
Friday, June 30, 2017 at 3:54 PM

Sincerely,

Brent

P.S. Please let me know of your intent by mid-week. I am glad to interact in any form whether by phone, email, or in person.

In my previous email dated March 21, I asked for your assistance.

“Therefore, I would be most appreciative if you answered my questions. I’d like to include them in an article I am writing. Or if you prefer, provide me a written statement addressing where you were when you heard the news of Dr. King’s assassination and whether you went to Memphis with John that same evening and accessed the balcony and bathroom. It doesn’t need to be long, just clear.

“In addition, I’d love to see you write an article about the events of April 4, 1968 as it pertains to you. What you were doing? How it affected you? Who you were with? What you did in days following? I know some of this was covered with Issac [Adams] in the interview but it would be nice to have a written record for the history books.”

I hope to hear from you regarding these matters but I have one final request. John MacArthur has sinned against the Lord in a most egregious manner. He has also grievously sinned against you. In the process he has also deceived Grace Community Church and the Body of Christ. Ananias and Sapphira were carried out dead for far less serious lies. These sins must be confronted in obedience to God’s word and the good of John’s soul.

Therefore, I ask you to contact John and appeal for his repentance in the coming week. He cannot go unconfronted by you. If he repents, you have won your brother. If he refuses, you need to “tell the church.” These measures are commanded by Scripture. John cannot be treated with partiality or favoritism.

If you’d like to talk about this by phone, please call me at (704) 497-7986. Leave a message if I don’t pick up. I’d love to hear from you.

In Christ,

Brent

END

To date, John Perkins has not been willing to go on the record and personally expose MacArthur’s lies. I’ve appealed to him and expressed my strong disagreement. He has been willing to say, however, “Charles Evers statement is accurate.” There was no trip to Memphis. Here is how Throckmorton put it in his blog article.

John Perkins’ Daughter: Charles Evers’ Statement is Accurate
March 19, 2019

Although it took several weeks for us to connect, I was able today to speak to Deborah Perkins, one of John Perkins’ daughters, who said she was empowered to speak for her father on this matter. I asked if John Perkins had gone to Memphis within hours of MLK’s murder. She said, “That’s not a comment we can offer a comment on.” She added, “Charles Evers has already commented on that. He already said that wasn’t right.” I asked, “So, do you think Charles Evers’ statement is accurate?” Ms. Perkins said, “Yes, Charles Evers’ statement is accurate if he made it.”

Ms. Perkins said that John MacArthur was a friend of Dr. Perkins and that was all they wanted to say but Charles Evers was accurate in what he said about the situation.

John Perkins, his wife Vera, and his three daughters, have known for years John MacArthur made up the bizarre story. They have told people off the record MacArthur is lying but John Perkins has not been willing to expose his old friend in public. Here is my initial email to “Dr. Perkins.” I removed some repetitive or irrelevant material for brevity.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2019 4:55 PM
To: Deborah Perkins deborahperkins85@gmail.com
Subject: Questions Regarding the Claims of John MacArthur
Importance: High

Hello Dr. Perkins,

My name in Brent Detwiler and I blog at http://www.brentdetwiler.com/ which I began in 2011. Before that I was a church planter, pastor and Bible teacher for 30 years. I’m 65 years old. Here’s a little more of my history to aid in understanding why I am writing you. …

Over the course of the last eight years, I have also written about hypocrisy, corruption, sexual abuse, and leadership abuse in other ministries. That includes the following article about Phil Johnson and John MacArthur which you need not read in entirety. It amounts to a short book. Let me add, I am a conservative evangelical. I thank God for the gospel John has preached for five decades including his time with you in rural high schools in the 1960’s.

John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins
Friday, June 30, 2017 at 3:54 PM

In particular, I am well acquainted with Phil’s deceit and belligerence. As you know, he is John’s Executive Director for Grace to You. Since the publication of “Iconic civil rights leader tells Pastor John MacArthur to stop lying” on February 4, Phil has been on a vicious crusade to discredit the author, Paige Rogers, and vindicate John by altogether deceptive means.

That aside, I am even more troubled by John’s behavior. For instance, telling his fabricated story in your presence at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the Fall of 2014. I’m sure you remember the occasion well. It occurred during his first message in the Mullins Lectures. Here is the exact quote from minutes 0:11-2:44.

John MacArthur
E.Y. Mullins Lecture: Session 1
Fall 2014

I have to say word about John Perkins. It was just a precious moment to see you John. I have such vivid memories. When I was very young, just out of seminary, the civil rights movement was flourishing, John invited me down to Mendenhall, Mississippi. I think I came down six years in a row over periods of time. We had some amazing adventures. Because of my association with him, the sheriff hauled me into jail and he said, “We are fining you for doing what you’re doing.” I said, “I’m preaching the gospel.” I was going around with you to the high school. And he said, “Well we are fining you.” I said, “How much?” He said, “How much you got?” [laughter] He took all my money which wasn’t a whole lot.

I don’t want to take the time to give you the history of this but John and I with Charles Evers, who was, I think was the first mayor in the south, black mayor in the south. Is that true? I think I remember that. [You: “First mayor of an integrated city.”] Of an integrated city. And his brother was Medgar Evers who was the first martyr of the civil rights movement. Charles and John and I and a couple other guys were in Jackson Mississippi. We were up in a room and we were talking. I was the only white person in there. And a guy burst through the door and said Martin Luther King had been shot. And everything went crazy. And they tried to get me out of there because I stood out you know like a snow man [laughter] and hustled me through Jackson and put me in a car and we went to Memphis, remember. And I climbed up, I went up the second floor building of that little old building. I climbed up on the toilet, and I looked out the window where James Earl Ray stood when he shot Martin Luther King. And then we up the balcony where he died and saw the blood scene there Amazing moment. Amazing moment. John has been faithful through the years to the gospel, to his people, wonderful to see you, good to meet you John. Grandson Phillip, trombone player. Good to see you.

Of course, none of the events in the second paragraph are true. They are contradicted by all the evidence including your remarks to Issac Adams last year on the 50^th anniversary of Martin’s death. You were at your home in Mendenhall when you got the news. You were not in Charles Evers’s NAACP office in Jackson. In addition, you have never written about any of these events in your numerous books.

Not only does John dare to lie in your presence, he also manipulates you with this deceitful comment about remembering the events. I find that extremely disturbing.

“And they tried to get me out of there because I stood out you know like a snow man and hustled me through Jackson and put me in a car and we went to Memphis, remember.”

That is the worst kind of manipulation. Unsurprisingly, Phil Johnson is using your silence or lack of objection about this matter to bolster the truthfulness of John’s bogus account. Here is what he tweeted on February 5.

https://twitter.com/Phil_Johnson_/status/1092880657850593280
Phil Johnson‏ @Phil_Johnson_
John Perkins is on the front row at this event:
https://youtu.be/lalXK6sjnH0
Perkins may remember certain details differently. However, he & MacArthur spent time together after this lecture. If Perkins thought JMac’s account needed significant correction, he didn’t say so then.
4:20 PM - 5 Feb 2019

I know you love and appreciate John MacArthur much like I loved and appreciated C.J. Mahaney; but these kind of lies cannot be allowed to stand. I know how difficult it is to speak out. In fact, you even more as a civil rights leader. Therefore, I am perplexed as to why you let John MacArthur’s fabrications stand without comment.

I appreciate Deborah’s comments to Warren recently (I encouraged him to contact her, you, and Charles Evers) but I don’t think they clear up the matter. Therefore, would you please address the matter directly?

We know men of God can fall into sin. I think of Moses in the wilderness striking the rock in anger. David committing adultery and manslaughter. Peter denying Christ and compromising the gospel in Antioch. And yet, none of these men covered up their transgressions. In fact, they wrote about them or made sure they were written about with great specificity. They were not concerned for their reputations.

The opposite has been true with C.J. Mahaney and John MacArthur. They have been allowed to lie and deceive in the most egregious manner while their surrogates ruthlessly attacked those exposing their duplicity.

I know based upon what you’ve said in interviews, you sense you will soon depart to be with the Lord. What a glorious prospect! But before that day arrives, would you please address the lies told by John for the sake of Christ and John’s ultimate good? …

As a friend, I know you wish John no harm, but by allowing him to continue telling his false narrative, he injures his soul and invites the judgement of God. It is not a kindness to cover up his transgressions. It is a kindness to prophesy against his deceit and hypocrisy, “Thou art the man!” (2 Sam 12:7) He needs a Nathan. I hope you will be that man. He needs open rebuke from a loving friend (Prov 27:5).

I told you a little about my story above because I know how challenging it is to put Christ first when tempted to treat with partiality and favoritism those to whom you are indebted. Or similarly, how costly it is to speak out against prominent leaders when they are unrepentant because they can harm you. Yet it must be done in obedience to God’s Word and for the good of Christ’s church. Leaders who lie, abuse, deceive, manipulate and exalt themselves must be called to repentance. …

God’s grace to you in abundance in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Brent Detwiler

END

Here are excerpts from a follow-up email to John and his daughters. I’ve removed some repetitive and irrelevant material.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2019 11:45 AM
To: Deborah Perkins deborahperkins85@gmail.com; Deborah@jvmpf.org; Elizabeth Perkins mzelizperk@gmail.com; Priscilla Perkins priscillaperkins81@gmail.com
Subject: The Latest with John & Phil / A Final Appeal for Help

Hello John,

Here is the latest. I appeal for your help.

I corrected John and Phil in private on March 24. John was unresponsive. Phil responded in a belligerent manner. I, therefore, contacted the [Grace Community Church] leaders and elders on April 4. They have been unresponsive. Here is my correspondence. …

The situation with John and Phil could not be more serious! Their lying far exceeds that of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) who were carried out dead after Peter’s exposed their deceit. He did not permit them to get away with lying because it was a great offense to the Holy Spirit.

Ananias and Sapphira were trying to impress Peter and the other apostles and therefore lied about the extent of their giving. John has done the same thing with his bogus claims about the events of April 4, 1968. This cannot be permitted if we respect the holiness of God. …

I have asked you this question but thus far you have been unwilling to answer.

“Did [you] travel to Memphis the night of Martin Luther King’s death and go up on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel and enter the boarding house bathroom used by James Earl Ray?”

John, I do not understand how you can be silent especially given Phil’s manipulation of you. He knows you have stated through Deborah you will not go on the record. That is evil on his part. I sincerely pray you will reverse your decision to remain silent for the sake of Christ.

I realize Deborah has spoken on your behalf and expressed agreement with Charles Evers’ statement that the three of you did not go to Memphis on April 4, 1968. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon you to speak directly about so grave a matter. Please don’t allow John and Phil to continue in their deceitful ways. Follow Peter’s example, who was following Christ’s example, who exposed men’s evil deeds (John 7:7)…

I have attached all my correspondence with you and Deborah and copied your other daughters and co-presidents, Elizabeth and Priscilla. I have put this correspondence in chronological order for ease of reading.

I hope the four of you will deliberate and make a decision to address the self-serving fabrications of John MacArthur. They cannot stand. He has taken advantage of you, Charles Evers, and even Martin Luther King in order to make himself great in the eyes of men. Despite what he has preached, his glory, not God’s glory, have been preeminent in this matter.

Would you please let me know what you decide by Monday, April 22. I am happy to talk with any of you by phone at (704) 497-7986.

In the Savior’s love,

Brent Detwiler

END

Unfortunately, the Perkins have refused to speak out against John MacArthur in public even though they have told people in private he made up the entire story.

Of greatest importance is this statement by Co-President and daughter, Deborah Perkins to Warren Throckmorton. She expresses total agreement with Charles Evers’ account in the interview with Brannon Howse that he and John Perkins did not go to Memphis with John MacArthur.

John Perkins’ Daughter: Charles Evers’ Statement is Accurate
March 19, 2019

Phil Johnson doesn’t publicly or explicitly call Deborah Perkins a liar. That might provoke her father. Rather, “Phil called Deborah’s response ‘hearsay’ and discounted it. As you can see from Twitter, the fanboys are busy explaining it all away.”

John MacArthur made up the story about the night of April 4, 1968 in order to promote himself.

He has also made up other stories to embellish his greatness. For instance, claiming he was a collegiate All-American in football, went to the Washington Redskins training camp after his junior year, and was recruited by several professional teams.

This quotation comes from Rick Holland’s interview of John MacArthur in 2009 (Account 2).

A Retrospective on 40 Years: John MacArthur with Rick Holland
January 25, 2009

RICK: And you almost went pro in football.

JOHN: Well, I had the opportunity. I went to a training camp for the Washington Redskins after my junior year of football. And later on I received letters on whether they were going to include me in the draft and all of that. And by the time I graduated I said, “I’m not going to do that. I know I’m not going to do that.” So I said I wouldn’t be interested at all. By then I was fixed on going to seminary.

MacArthur played football at Los Angeles Pacific College which barely fielded a team. It was no football powerhouse like the University of Southern California nearby! His junior year he played in three games as a halfback and carried the ball one time for a total of three yards. I am not kidding you. It is all documented in his 1960 Yearbook. And yet, he claims to have attended the Redskin’s training camp that summer. There are no letters about including him “in the draft and all of that.”

In his biography by Iain Murray, MacArthur also claims to have been an All-American. As a result, he was recruited by several other NFL teams.

John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock
Iain H. Murray

During 1959 John learned that he would be able to continue his Bachelor’s degree at Pacific College in Los Angeles, and this led to the decision for him to do his two final years at that institution. Back home, sports were now resumed and he excelled, especially in football. He was named in an All-America squad as halfback, and was subsequently solicited by several professional teams to determine his interest in a football career. But there was now a higher purpose in his view. (p. 15)

MacArthur was never an All-American and he was never recruited by any NFL team. It is all a hoax like standing on the blood of Martin Luther King. His claim to be an All-American is easy to disprove.

1960 College Football All-America Team
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_College_Football_All-America_Team

1961 College Football All-America Team
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_College_Football_All-America_Team …

The ground-breaking documentation exposing these boasts is found in the following article. There is far more to the evidence then what I’ve presented above. I’d encourage you to read it.

Examining John MacArthur’s Football Claims
Dustin Faulkner
March 5, 2019

There are other things about John MacArthur that concern me. For instance, his open condemnation of J.I. Packer, Charles Colson (deceased), and Bill Bright (deceased) during his eulogy of R.C. Sproul in December 2017. Listen here to minutes 41:00-43:28. I agree these men should not have signed the document, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium” but I was repulsed by his comments about them at Sproul’s funeral. Packer has and Colson and Bright had far more Christian character than MacArthur. Or for example, his categorical condemnation of the charismatic movement and adherence to a faulty dispensational hermeneutic. Listen to this interview by Johnson. I find it quite arrogant. MacArthur’s cessationism has done much to quench the Holy Spirit over the last five decades.

I asked John MacArthur in my March 24, 2019 letter, “Why have you created this pretentious story? Is Christ not enough?” The answer is no! That is why we have John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock (biography), The MacArthur Study Bible and The MacArthur New Testament Commentary and a media empire, university, seminary and mega-church built around him and controlled by him because it essentially exists for him and those who live in his shadow.

We must face the facts. John MacArthur’s craving for his own fame exceeds his desire for the glory of Christ. That is the stark reality. It doesn’t matter how many books he has written, or sermons he has preached to the contrary.

This is always the case when men makeup stories to promote their greatness and refuse to confess when exposed. Instead, they attack the “whistleblower” because their idolatrous legacy is at stake. James 3:16 makes the point clear. “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.” There are so many evil practices in John MacArthur’s ministry because there is so much selfish ambition. The same is true of C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Churches, Inc.

Iain Murray writes in MacArthur’s biography.

“When MacArthur was preaching on 1 Corinthians in the 1970’s, the exposition of chapter 5 [regarding incestual immorality] made the motive for church discipline, and its importance, clear to all. Out of that chapter came the truth that the evangelistic witness of a church cannot be authenticated without the godliness of her members; therefore sin in the membership must be taken very seriously. ‘Church discipline is the key to the purity of the church, which in turn will enable us to reach the world’. This was a principle some were ready to challenge:

When church discipline was first applied at Grace Church, a couple of pastors said to me [MacArthur], “It won’t work, The church will be wrecked. You can’t have everyone looking out for other people’s sins.’ I said, ‘The Bible says we are supposed to be accountable to one another. Let’s just do it and see what God does.’” (p. 38)

Murray continues,

“Phil Johnson has written: ‘Grace Church became one of the first significant fellowships in the country to emphasize a biblical pattern of consistent discipline as a crucial aspect of church life.’” (p. 38)

And later,

“God is honored by church discipline even when the outcome may not be remedial. Grace Church has to be one of the few congregations where an individual’s sin (where there has been no repentance) is addressed publicly according to the New Testament direction.” (p. 39)

John MacArthur, Chris Hamilton, Phil Johnson and company have disciplined a lot members over the years but they do not apply the same standards to themselves. They are above the Bible. It has no functional authority in their lives. There is no discipline or accountability for them. “Sin in the membership must be taken very seriously,” but clearly not sin in the leadership. The hypocrisy is damnable. That is why Jesus pronounces woes of judgement upon such men (Matthew 23).

I will send this document to Christian leaders across the United States. This matter regarding John MacArthur is a great test case in the sovereignty of God. What will they do? Specifically, what will friends like Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan and Sinclair Ferguson do? What will Together for the Gospel do? What will Ligonier Ministries do?

Will they reprove MacArthur and Johnson or cover over their sins with deceitful kisses? Will they firmly request the elders of Grace Community discipline both men? Will they sever ties with MacArthur and his ministry if he remains unrepentant?

Listen to the sage counsel of 19^th century, Charles Bridges

Proverbs 27:5-6
5. Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

What is the friend, who will be a real blessing to my soul? Is it one, that will humor my fancies, and flatter my vanity? Is it enough, that he loves my person, and would spend his time and energies in my service? This comes far short of my requirement. I am a poor, straying sinner, with a wayward will and a blinded heart; going wrong at every step. The friend for my case is one, who will watch over me with open rebuke; but a reprover when needful; not a flatterer. The genuineness of friendship without this mark is more than doubtful; its usefulness utterly paralyzed. That secret love, that dares not risk a faithful wound, and spares rebuke, rather than inflict pain, judged by God’s standards, is hatred. (Lev. XIX. 17.). Far better the wound should be probed than covered. Rebuke, kindly, considerately, and prayerfully administered, cements friendship, rather than loosens it. The contrary instances only prove, that the union had never been based upon substantial principle.” (Charles Bridges, A Commentary on Proverbs, 1847, pp. 504-505)

I may not write a document of this magnitude or importance again. My letter to Al Mohler, Mark Dever and Ligon Duncan is an encapsulation of all my work over the past ten years. I close with this excerpt from that letter.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2019 12:00 PM
To: Mark Dever; Ligon Duncan; Albert Mohler
Subject: An Appeal to Reprove John MacArthur & Call for His Removal from Ministry in Keeping with Scripture
Importance: High

When we put in ministry, or allow in ministry, unqualified men; we sin and share responsibility for the sins they commit and the damage they cause.

1 Timothy 5:22 “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.”

What is required of Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan and Al Mohler, is required of every leader who claims John MacArthur as a friend. That includes men like John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, and H.B. Charles. He must be rebuked and disciplined by local leaders and national leaders. In additional, no national leader should speak at his conferences or invite him to speak at their conferences. That includes Together for the Gospel and Ligonier Ministries.

For example, MacArthur and Johnson have been celebrating MacArthur’s 50-year pulpit ministry all year. It culminates with a Truth Matters conference” at Grace Community Church on October 16-19, 2019. The advertising says,

“2019 marks the fiftieth year of John MacArthur’s pulpit ministry. Grace to You’s celebration of this momentous anniversary will extend throughout the year, culminating in October with a Truth Matters conference.”

The speakers are MacArthur, Johnson, Voddie Baucham, Justin Peters, Jeff Williams, Mike Riccardi, and Todd Friel. If truth matters, Baucham, Peters, Williams, Riccardi, and Friel will pull out immediately.

The truth be told, John MacArthur and Phil Johnson should be removed from Christian ministry. They simply do not qualify. Anyone who continues to support them in ministry clearly shows their disregard for the glory of Christ and the authority of Scripture. Members at Grace Community Church should also call for the discipline of these men and leave if their elders refuse to take action. Remember, “Grace Church has to be one of the few congregations where an individual’s sin (where there has been no repentance) is addressed publicly according to the New Testament direction.”

ADDENDUM

The letter to Chris Hamilton below is found in John MacArthur Refuses to Follow His Own Teaching in Dealing with Phil Johnson’s Egregious Sins (June 30, 2017). It illustrates the deceptive and heavy handed tactics employed by the Chairman of the Board when trying to silence me and cover up for Johnson.

Can you imagine being a student at The Master’s University and Seminary trying to raise issues with the administration regarding their handling of rape or a member in Grace Community Church trying to raise issues with the Elder Board regarding the deceit, lording and hypocrisy of John MacArthur. You would be crushed! There is “a pervasive culture and climate of fear, intimidation, bullying, and uncertainty” that produces “the fear of speaking up, despite protections of a whistleblower policy.”

Mr. Chris Hamilton
Chairman of the Board of Elders
Grace Community Church
13248 Roscoe Blvd.
Sun Valley, CA 91352

May 15, 2017

Dear Chris,

Thank you for calling me on Monday, May 1. Though we differed on subjects of great importance, I genuinely appreciated our interaction.

I wanted to send my thoughts on our 30-minute conversation and follow up on some topics we discussed. I am glad to speak again. You used a “No Caller ID” so I don’t have a number by which to contact you. I also contacted Paul Twiss to ask if you would provide an email address. He instructed me to use regular mail.

During our conversation, you accused me of not following the first step found in Matthew 18:15. I pointed out that was manifestly untrue. I also conveyed my deep concern that you could be wrong about so basic an issue and how it affected my confidence in your comprehension of the issues. I directed you back to my May 18, 2016 letter to Phil. I quote in part.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 9:59 AM
To: Phil Johnson phil@spurgeon.org
Subject: A Private Appeal for Repentance
Importance: High

Hello Phil,

I am coming to you in private hoping to win you over to repentance for lying about the number of victims of sexual abuse you corresponded with and spoke to in Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” …

I waited six days to hear back from Phil. When he did not respond to my appeal, I contacted John MacArthur, Todd Pruitt, and Tom Chantry. I quote in part.

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2016 4:26 PM
To: John MacArthur jmac@gracechurch.org; receptionist@gracechurch.org; Todd Pruitt todd@cov-pres.org; Tom Chantry tjchantry@gmail.com
Cc: Phil Johnson phil@spurgeon.org
Subject: Appeal to Phil Johnson - Matthew 18:16
Importance: High

Dear John, Todd, and Tom,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A week ago, I appealed to Phil Johnson in private asking him to repent for lying in public and make a confession to those against whom he sinned. He has not listened to my appeal. I am therefore, under obligation to enlist two or three additional witnesses. …

Chris, I have been very careful to follow the Bible.

You also accused me of calling Phil an unbeliever. I quickly and firmly corrected you. It was a charge entirely without basis. I’ve never remotely said anything about Phil not being a Christian. I have approached him and affirmed him as a brother in Christ in all my correspondence. Again, I conveyed how such a judgement affected my confidence in you. I was rather shocked by the charge.

I’ve been very clear that the issues with Phil are about sanctification, not salvation. In this regard, Matthew 18:15-17 applies to him as a brother and 1 Timothy 5:19-21 applies to him as an elder. I pointed this out to you.

Regarding my allegation that Phil has lied and deceived, you claimed he is innocent. I asked how you came to that conclusion. You would not tell me. I asked you to provide evidence supporting your claim. You repeatedly and emphatically refused. I asked why you would not provide evidence. Again, no answer. I even asked what kind of evidence you had. You would not answer the question.

I repeatedly appealed and pointed out how easy it was to prove Phil’s supposed innocence by providing his phone log or email history proving he interacted with multiple victims from the lawsuit as he claimed.

Like I told you, and told Phil, I didn’t need to know what he talked about with the victims because I know their stories like the back of my hand. I pressed and said you appeared to be covering up for Phil.

You kept insisting I must “drop it,” “move on,” and “trust” you. I said I’d love to move on if you provided evidence. I also told you I don’t think there is evidence and that is why you were not forthcoming. In this regard, I used President Reagan famous line in his dealings with the Soviet Union, “Trust, but verify.” Of course, I am not comparing you to a communist regime but Reagan’s approach is required in this situation. You didn’t budge. You refused to provide any proof whatsoever.

I thereby stand by my assertion.

“The only victim Phil may have talked to was [Karla Koe, pseudonym] and that is extremely unlikely. And yet he claims to have corresponded and talked with three or more victims from the Second Amended Complaint between April 15 and 21 which he didn’t even read until April 14.” (Letter to John MacArthur, Todd Pruitt, & Tom Chantry, June 8, 2016)

You also repeatedly said I was “not listening.” That was not true. I was listening very carefully. I was not agreeing, however. I corrected you for equating not listening with not agreeing and mentioned in passing this kind of charge is often made by spiritually abusive leaders. It has the effect of silencing.

Chris, my accusations (in the biblical sense) against Phil are based upon overwhelming evidence. You have the obligation to disprove the evidence. Your refusal to do so only confirms my perspective. Again, I welcome proof but I am not going to accept your claim of innocence (not lying) without it. Trust, but verify.

The second half of our conversation shifted to Phil’s abusive speech. You told me you “cringed” when you read the Facebook discussion from April 2016. You also said you agreed with me “100 percent” that Phil was “harsh.” I expressed my sincere appreciation for your perspective but also made clear it was inadequate.

In this context, you justified Phil by saying he is “open, honest, and truthful” to a fault and that is the reason he was so “blunt.” I challenged this assessment and exhorted you to use biblical categories in describing Phil’s sins.

I said he was authoritarian, heavy-handed, and guilty of bullying. I also pointed out multiple qualifications from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 that Phil does not meet. For example, he is not gentle, sensible or temperate but contentious and pugnacious. I referenced this paragraph from my 31-page letter to John, Todd and Tom on June 8, 2016.

“There is also another reason you men must serve as witnesses. In Phil’s email, he repeatedly sins against me. You are eyewitnesses to his behavior. These sins parallel his sins during the Facebook conversation. For example, in both contexts he is harsh, intemperate, imprudent, insensible, contentious, arrogant and pugnacious. These appear to be patterns and they are disqualifying in nature according to Paul the apostle (1 Tim 3:2-3; Tit 1:7-8).”

You sought to assure me that Phil was being held “accountable” and on that basis alone asked me again to drop my appeal for repentance, move on and trust you. I wish that were possible but there has been no fruit of repentance. In fact, he continues in sin. Here is an excerpt from a March 30, 2017 tweet.

ᴾʰᶤˡ ᴶᵒʰᶰˢᵒᶰ‏ @Phil_Johnson_ Mar 30

To the chorus of complaints, insults, and accusations currently coming from the survivor-blog community: …

Though I have absolutely no connection with SGM, I deplore the execrable abuse and subsequent cover-up that took place in that denomination. I haven’t made any personal accusations against CJ Mahaney in that mess because I haven’t seen any actual proof that he was personally involved in the abuse or the cover-up. (I have already been scorned by the survivor community and threatened by Brent Detwiler merely for saying that so you can save your breath this time). But I still don’t think Mr. Detwiler’s famous leaked emails provided actual prove that CJ bears personal responsibility for the sexual abuse of children. Until I see proof of his guilt, I’m going to stick with my conscience on that, rather than jumping on anyone’s bandwagon.”

This is characteristic of Phil. He slanders me when he says, “I have already been…threatened by Brent Detwiler merely for saying that so you can save your breath this time).” I have never threatened Phil for anything including his failure to make “any personal accusations against CJ Mahaney” with regard to “the execrable [sexual] abuse and subsequent cover-up that took place in that denomination.”

This charge is completely contrived; something Phil does frequently. I provided evidence for Phil, I never threatened him. And then, of course, he must ridicule me with “so you can save your breath this time.” Another one of his many taunts.

He also continues to pass on erroneous information about The Documents though I have corrected him on this issue. He says, “But I still don’t think Mr. Detwiler’s famous leaked emails provided actual prove that CJ bears personal responsibility for the sexual abuse of children.” The “famous leaked emails” is a reference to the three major documents I wrote titled Response Regarding Friendship & Doctrine, A Final Appeal and Concluding Remarks.

These documents contain emails but the evidence in them goes beyond emails. Second, the documents don’t address the sexual abuse of children because they were written before the conspiracy to commit and cover up child abuse was exposed. I addressed this specific issue with Phil on his Facebook page. Yet, he continues to mangle the facts.

Brent Detwiler Phil Johnson Once again, I am staggered by your ignorance. I had no knowledge of the cover up until I began to investigate AFTER the lawsuit came out in Oct 2012. That investigation will be covered in a 300-page book I am writing. There was no running debate with C.J. over our sex abuse policy. I assumed he was following the law. He was not. Nor was his staff. They were all covering up and that has been acknowledged by Grant Layman in court, Joshua Harris in the Washington Post, the church administrator in a closed meeting, etc. C.J. and his staff had a policy of not reporting to law enforcement and that was due in large measure to their unreasonable fear of lawsuits. That is also a matter of record. Phil, I didn’t know about any of this or I would have confronted it. C.J. hid it from me. That is part of the conspiracy. That is part of his long-term pattern of deceit. Again, I am shocked by the extent to which you are uniformed and ill-informed. Everyone knows these things who has taken any time to read even the most basic coverage. I wish you would remain silent because you are leading a lot of people astray by your ignorance. If you don’t want to read the 40 or 50 posts I have written on the subject, that is fine. If you don’t want to read the media coverage from the past 3½ years, that is fine. If you don’t want to read and study the court documents from the Morales trials, that is fine. Just don’t pretend to know what you are talking about because you absolute do not!
Like · Reply · 1 · April 22 at 6:44pm

Phil also says in his recent tweet, “Though I have absolutely no connection with SGM, I deplore the execrable abuse and subsequent cover-up that took place in that denomination.” Two points are necessary. First, C.J. was the senior pastor of Covenant Life Church from 1979 to 2004. He was also chairman of the board for Sovereign Grace Ministries from 1991-2011. In other words, “the execrable abuse and subsequent cover-up” took place while he was in charge. The sexual and physical abuse of children and its cover-up involved C.J.’s relatives, close friends, and fellow-pastors he employs [employed]. For example, his brother-in-law, Grant Layman, who was an executive pastor at CLC, testified under oath that there was a cover-up by fellow pastors of the crimes committed by convicted felon Nathaniel Morales.

Second, Phil says he has “absolutely no connection with SGM.” That is not true. I find this another one of his deceptive statements. Let me explain. Phil is a pastor at Grace Community Church. GCC sponsors the annual Shepherds’ Conference like it did earlier this year. Phil was one of the main session speakers. Guess who was leading worship for six of the main sessions? Bob Kauflin!

Bob is a major player in Sovereign Grace Ministries (now called Sovereign Grace Churches). He is on the powerful 7-man leadership team. He also works for C.J. as a pastor in his Louisville church. Bob has enabled C.J. and covered up for C.J. perhaps more than anyone except John Loftness, who is an alleged sexual sadist. I know Bob well. He once worked for me and we were close friends.

http://abrentdetwiler.squarespace.com/brentdetwilercom/john-loftness-in-focus-former-chairman-of-the-sgm-board-alle.html

Bob took great pride in leading worship at the conference and wrote a lengthy post about it. How can Phil say he has “absolutely no connection with SGM”? Of course, he has a connection with SGM. Bob Kauflin just lead worship at the Shepherds’ Conference sponsored by Phil’s church in which he is an elder and pastor. Chris, that is like saying you have no connection to SGM. Or John has no connection to SGM. The truth be told you, John, Phil, the board, the elders and the church have a connection with SGM. And C.J. and Bob certainly believe they have a connection with you. They’ve been advertising the fact ever since C.J. first preached at one of your conferences in 2004.

http://worshipmatters.com/2017/03/15/reflections-2017-shepherds-conference/

Phil doesn’t like C.J. or SGM but he is connected try as hard as he may to distance himself. Here is a sample of what he has said about them on his Facebook page.

Phil Johnson For instance, they had a notion that “accountability” entailed a system of intense, relentless mutual interrogation and confession of picayune sins to one another--like a Catholic confessional booth on steroids. Obviously, the more egregious sins were being systematically covered up, but the pastors and leaders in SGM expected one another to be constantly making all their small private sins public, and they were piqued at CJ because he himself seemed to shy away from the interrogation and confession.

In other words, what Detwiler’s documents reflect is a seriously sick and dysfunctional--yes, *cultlike*--religious culture. A lot of that, I think, stemmed from the notion (reflected even in CJ’s preaching style) that the expression of emotional intensity is the true barometer of one’s spiritual fervor. The goal therefore was to be as expressively “fervent” as possible, and as effusive as possible in the “confession” of one’s private pecadillos.

In my judgment, this whole defective system is the fruit of SGM’s charismatic doctrine.
Like · Reply · 11 · April 15 at 2:55pm · Edited

I don’t agree with Phil’s description but wanted you to see his assault on SGM. He blames the “seriously sick and dysfunctional—yes, *cultlike*--religious culture” on “SGM’s charismatic doctrine.” Of course, John also condemns the charismatic doctrine taught by SGM.

That is why I am perplexed as to how you could invite Bob Kauflin to lead worship. Bob is highly esteemed for his charismatic gift of prophecy. Something all of you adamantly reject and view as a grave error. Bob, like C.J., believes in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit (e.g. tongues, interpretation, prophecy, miracles, divine healing) and all the gift ministries (i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers). This is required doctrine. You can’t be a pastor in SGM without subscribing to the Statement of Faith. It says in part,

http://www.sovereigngrace.com/statement-of-faith#statement-of-faith

“The Holy Spirit desires to fill each believer continually with increased power for Christian life and witness, and imparts his supernatural gifts for the edification of the Body and for various works of ministry in the world. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are available today, are vital for the mission of the church, and are to be earnestly desired and practiced.

“The ascended Christ has given gift ministries to the church (including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) for the equipping of Christ’s body that it might mature and grow. Through the gift ministries, all members of the Church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of ministry.”

But back to the main point. Phil claims “absolutely no connection with SGM.” He may not be friends with anyone in SGM, and he may not like SGM, but he is connected to SGM by virtue of his connection to Grace Community Church as a pastor. Phil’s tweet misleads people. No one would ever imagine Bob Kauflin led worship during a half dozen main sessions and Phil preached in a main session at a conference sponsored by the elders of Grace Community Church based on Phil’s disinformation. Inviting Bob amounts to a national endorsement (not just a connection) of C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries given Bob’s leadership position in SGM and pastoral position in Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville.

Now back to our phone conversation from Monday, May 1. During our interaction, I repeatedly pointed out your hypocrisy in relation to Phil. I made the following points. Phil’s sins are serious, disqualifying, on-going and long term and yet he is allowed to continue as executive director of Grace to You and as an elder/pastor in Grace Community Church.

In this context, I expressed my appreciation for John’s teaching (except his cessationism and dispensationalism) but pointed out how it was not being followed with Phil. In particular, I talked about John’s material on “Standards for Shepherds” and said Phil didn’t meet those standards. I referenced Matthew 23:3. “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

I also told you this kind of hypocrisy is why so many Christians have given up on the church. Leaders teach one thing. They live another or don’t apply what they teach to fellow pastors.

In that regard, I shared my perspective that Phil is just as abusive as Mark Driscoll though not lewd like Driscoll. I also referenced my interactions with C.J. in 2007 when he informed me about John’s private efforts to confront Driscoll. Driscoll needed to be confronted but no less Phil over the years. In my opinion, Phil is disqualified from ministry for many of the same reasons Driscoll is disqualified. I challenged you to submit to the authority of Scripture and follow John’s teaching as it relates to the qualifications of leaders and the discipline of leaders. I said you were treating Phil with partiality and favoritism.

In my previous letter to you on April 20, I said in part,

“The accusations I bring are not minor. I consider them disqualifying in keeping with Scripture and the teaching of Pastor MacArthur. Phil, on the other hand, considers them “foolishness,” “groundless” and “false.” As you study the evidence, I believe you will quickly discover his sins in the form of pride, deceit, and abusive speech are “quite evident” (1 Tim. 5:24).”

During our phone call, you said Phil did not lie and was not deceitful regarding his claim to have interacted with multiple victims from the SGM lawsuit. I disagreed based on the overwhelming evidence but I will set that charge aside for now.

You also said you have been thoroughly involved with Phil for “a long time” and “read a bunch of material” about Phil. In other words, you were well versed and had no need to “study the evidence” or do an investigation as requested by me. In that context, you attempted to assure me again that Phil was “accountable.”

If I understood you correctly, you have known about the issues of pride and abusive speech in Phil’s life for a long time. That is not a source of comfort. It is a source of extreme concern. It is just like with Driscoll. You have known. John has known. Basically, everyone has known for a long but all have turned a blind eye to Phil. The question is why has nothing been done about it. To this you might respond, we have corrected Phil over the years. Fine. But there has been no repentance. No fruit. No transformation. His arrogance and abusive speech has been on display for many years including that found on his former blog, PyroManiacs, with Frank Turk and Dan Phillips.

In October 2014, I wrote a post titled, “Tim Keller’s Double Standard for Mark Driscoll.” You should read it. During an interview by Michael Paulson of the New York Times, Keller said the following.

http://abrentdetwiler.squarespace.com/brentdetwilercom/tim-kellers-double-standard-for-mark-driscoll.html

“He was really important — in the Internet age, Mark Driscoll definitely built up the evangelical movement enormously,” said Timothy Keller, the senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York and one of the most widely respected evangelical intellectuals in the United States. “But the brashness and the arrogance and the rudeness in personal relationships — which he himself has confessed repeatedly — was obvious to many from the earliest days, and he has definitely now disillusioned quite a lot of people.”

In response, I wrote in part,

“First, he [Tim Keller] is well aware of Driscoll’s “brashness…arrogance and…rudeness in personal relationships.” Second, he points out how Driscoll has repeatedly confessed these sins but effectively not changed. Confession alone doesn’t change you. Genuine repentance does by the grace of God. Third, these sinful patterns were “obvious to many from the earliest days.” Driscoll started Mars Hill Church in 1996. Fourth, from then to now, Driscoll has “definitely…disillusioned quite a lot of people.”

“In light of this assessment, I have several sincere questions for Tim Keller. Why did you ever allow Mark Driscoll to be on the prestigious and nationally recognized leadership Council for The Gospel Coalition in the first place? And furthermore, why did you and Don Carson commend him when he stepped off the Council in 2012.”

I think these same observations hold true for Phil. Everyone knows he is “harsh” and “blunt” and it makes many “cringe” to use your words.

Last week I posted, Phil Johnson & Tom Chantry Charge Me with a “Hit & Run” for Not Answering the Question, “Did You Know about Sexual Abuse in SGM?” It serves as a classic illustration of the issues in Phil’s life. Here is an excerpt from the introduction.

http://abrentdetwiler.squarespace.com/brentdetwilercom/phil-johnson-tom-chantry-charge-me-with-a-hit-run-for-not-an.html

“Phil Johnson’s ill-informed and unprovoked attack on me began on April 14, 2016. The day before my wife had undergone an eight-hour surgical procedure requiring an extended hospitalization and continuous care by me. Two days after we came home from the hospital, she developed an extremely serious complication. My on-going continuous care lasted six more weeks.

“In the midst of these dire and demanding circumstances, I was asked a reasonable question by Scott Frady, whom I do not know, on Phil Johnson’s Facebook page. It was, “Hey Brent, Did you know about sexual abuse in SGM? Were you part of the cover up? Or were you unaware?” I was not able to provide a meaningful answer given all that was going on though I desired to do so.

“This led to false accusations by Johnson, Chantry and others despite the fact I affirmed the question by Frady and gave my commitment to answer it. That did not satisfy them. Johnson accused me of a “hit and run” meaning I deceitfully agreed to answer but claimed I was too busy and then sped off from the crime scene. Chantry chimed in his agreement with Johnson, “Ding! Ding! Ding!” Many other accusations were hurled at me.

“A few days later, I answered the question when my wife was out of danger. No apology was forthcoming from Johnson or Chantry even after I followed up with them in private. This is a classic example of spiritual abuse rooted in callousness and self-righteous pride. A simple, “Thanks for answering. I was wrong about you. I will pray for you and your wife” was far from their lips because that kind of humility and compassion was far from their hearts.”

Chris, while you acknowledged Phil was harsh, you acknowledged no sorrow for his treatment of me or others. There was nothing like, “I am so sorry Brent. Phil was wrong. He will be getting back to you to ask forgiveness for his mockery, callousness and self-righteous pride. He will also ask forgiveness of everyone on his Facebook page for his reprehensible conduct. He set a terrible example. We plan to rebuke him before the elders and evaluate whether he has disqualified himself from ministry.”

Instead, you abruptly, but not angrily, ended the conversation and told me it was “not profitable” because I wouldn’t accept your assurance Phil was truthful contrary to the evidence and I wouldn’t drop my appeals for discipline based upon Scripture and John’s teaching. You wanted me to move on and trust Phil was accountable. I wish that were possible but it is not. Our conversation only heightened my concerns.

If Phil was truly accountable, five things would have happened by now.

1. You would have gone through our Facebook interaction and correspondence and noted for Phil those places where he sinned.

2. You would have directed him back to me and everyone else on his Facebook page to acknowledge those sins and ask forgiveness in keeping with John’s teaching that the circle of your sin must be the circle of your confession.

“Confession of guilt must always be made to God. Confession is also owed to whomever our sin has injured. The arena of confession should be as large as the audience of the original offense. Public transgressions call for public confession. … Lies should be confessed and the truth communicated at least as widely as the lie was.” (John MacArthur, “Answering Tough Questions About Forgiveness,” May 2, 2016)

3. You would have helped Phil see the arrogant and abusive fashion in which he has treated many people, over many years, and then required him to make a public confession at large.

4. You would have rebuked Phil in the presence of the elders and Grace Community Church.

5. You would have removed him as a pastor and executive director because he does not meet the qualifications of Scripture.

Instead, he is treated with partiality and favoritism and put forward as a main session speaker before 4,500 men at The Shepherds’ Conference in March.

Consider again this deplorable statement by Phil.

Phil Johnson The problem with this particular swarm of rancor monsters is that there are lots of people who self-identify as victims of “abuse” when in reality they just despise all authority, starting with the authority of Scripture. They profess to hate bullying, but their actions betray an eagerness to berate, accuse, and impute the worse possible motives to anyone who fails to affirm their omni-directional resentment. It is a potent flavor of spiritual abuse all its own, and it is as sick as any other form of spiritual abuse.

One of Phil’s FB friends responded with this strong rebuke. I could not agree more (underlining mine).

Nick Sherid Carter Phil Johnson. Your comment is one of the most immature & hypocritical statements I hv [have] read of a leader I respected up until 5 minutes ago. You had a decision to either be quiet yet you have chosen to make comments that are aggressive, hurtful towards people who have suffered abuse within churches.

Ur [Your] comment reeks of someone who has clearly never personally suffered under spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse destroys people & often their walk with the Lord. Your comments that are ugly towards people who have gone to survivor blogs (like recovering grace) to heal & have brothers & sisters in Christ support them back into a healthy mindest [mindset] of church & therefore the ability to be able to submit again under godly authority...through healing in Jesus’ name.

You should be ashamed that you hypocritically do not even put yourself under 1 timothy 5:19 & publically are ugly towards 2 named people in ur comment.

You have not personally spoken to people on these blogs who hv suffered...you attack & are ugly in ur comments yet Jesus Himself spoke in the most strongest language against those who bring down those weak & immature in the faith.

I am shocked John Macarthur has not dropped you after your immature & ugly comment. If you were in my ministry you would be sacked! Where is your fruit of the Spirit? None.

If you do not publically apologise for your immaturity & lack of understanding in attacking millions of people worldwide who hv clawed their way back to a fruitful life after serious spiritual abuse thru the love & support of strangers.

U hv done nothing but hurt & mocked so many people who hv been thru terrible spiritual abuse by flatlining everyone into one category.

I pray John Macarthur sacks you otherwise i publically call upon everyone who supports g2you [Grace to You] to stop supporting them & therefore you.

Once the pride kicks in doesn’t take long until you become an enemy of the Lord.
Like · Reply · 2 · April 16 at 5:15am

This is a very fitting response. Phil’s comment is hypocritical, aggressive, hurtful, ugly, shameful, attacking, immature, mocking and proud. Where is the fruit of the Spirit? There is none! John should “sack” Phil; and of course, that is what John has taught for decades.

Phil conduct is outrageous. And this is how he has treated many people over the years. It is not an isolated case. He cruelly abuses those who “self-identify as victims of ‘abuse.’” In so doing he is adding to their abuse but totally blind to the fact. His hypocrisy is extraordinary. I imagine any member in Grace Community Church speaking about group of people like Phil would experience correction and church discipline if it continued. This kind of hateful speech would not be tolerated.

Contrast Phil’s speech to these Scriptures.

2 Timothy 2:24-25 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth.

Titus 2:6-8 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

People have been saying “bad” things about Phil for a long time because he is not sensible, dignified, or sound in speech which is beyond reproach.

Five years ago, Phil stopped blogging on PyroManiacs. He said in part,

Phil Johnson Unplugged
By Phil Johnson
June 11, 2012
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2012/06/phil-johnson-unplugged.html

Today was my 59th birthday. In other words, I’m now officially in my 60th year. Last week I did some careful reflecting; I also did some calculating; and it was—how shall I say this?—unsettling. Convicting. Alarming. In the very best case, I figure I might have a decade and a half of productive full-time labor left. Looking back on the past 15 years, I realize that’s a very brief time. I want to make the most of it.

Thursday my doctor confirmed what I was beginning to think: I need to cut out everything non-essential in my life that causes stress without giving me any cardiovascular benefit. I hate when geriatric patients recite the details of their medical reports, so let’s just say that the doctor was serious: It’s time for me to stop burning the candle at both ends. Darlene emphatically affirmed that diagnosis. Everyone who loves me is likewise in hearty agreement.

So: (gladly, with no reluctance whatsoever) I’m officially retiring from blogging, social media, and every other activity that intrudes on things that ought to be the real priorities in the final two decades of a man’s life. …

But my blogging stops here. I’ve already got more than enough deadlines to keep me busy for the rest of my life, without the additional stress of writing 2-3 weekly posts and trying to keep up with every controversy in the blogosphere. As interesting as that is, it’s not my most important duty—by a long shot. And at my age, nothing would be more tragic than letting my priorities get confused.

Too bad Phil broke his promise to officially retire from blogging and social media (with absolutely no reluctance) per the input of his doctor, wife, and “everyone who loves me.” I assume that included you, Chris. Why do I bring this up? It is an example of Phil not being held accountable. He obviously invests large amounts of time on social media and continues to closely follow (and create) controversy.

The doctor was concerned for his health. Phil was concerned for his “real priorities.” I am concerned for his soul. Honestly, he does not have the maturity to interact with others on Tweeter or Facebook with charity and humility. You should encourage him to stop using social media. It is a source of temptation for him to mock, abuse and ridicule. Phil is a spiritual pyromaniac. Thus, the name of his old blog. A pyromaniac suffers from pyromania. Pyromania is “an obsessive desire to set fire to things.”

Furthermore, the way Phil conducts himself online is the way he conducts himself in person according to witnesses who have contacted me. He has scorched and burned a lot of people. Phil is not above reproach. Many people have found justified fault with him. He is blameworthy.

Here is what John says in his commentary on 1 Timothy about the “absolute necessity” of “a life without blame.”

“Paul demands that an overseer in the church of Jesus Christ must be above reproach. The Greek particle de (must) emphasizes that this is an absolute necessity. A life without blame is the overarching requirement for leadership in the church.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 102)

Here is what John wrote on the Grace Community Church blog in “God’s Standard for Leadership.”

“A fundamental, universal requirement for an overseer is that he “must be above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2). It is an absolute necessity. The Greek text indicates that being above reproach is the man’s present state—he has sustained a reputation for being irreproachable. There’s nothing to accuse him of.… A church leader’s life must not be marred by sin or vice—be it an attitude, habit, or incident. That’s not to say he must be perfect, but there must not be any obvious defect in his character.” (John MacArthur, God’s Standard for Leadership, August 5, 2013)

There are, however, obvious defects in Phil’s character. Let me reference a few of them in John’s words.

“Nor may an elder be pugnacious…He must react to situations calmly, coolly, and gently (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-25). Instead of being pugnacious, a leader must be gentle. Epieikes (gentle) describes the person who is considerate, genial, forbearing, and gracious, who easily pardons human failure.… Uncontentious translates amachos, which means “peaceful,” or “reluctant to fight.” It refers not so much to physical violence as to a quarrelsome person.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 111)

“By extension, pugnacious can refer to verbal as well as physical fighting and quarreling. It is possible to hurt a person more deeply and permanently with cruel words than with a fist or club. An elder should have no part in meanness, abusiveness, or retaliation, no matter how cruelly provoked.“ (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Titus, p. 39)

So, what should be done? John provides a clear answer in his writings. Phil should be rebuked in the presence of the elders and members of Grace Community Church. “A sinning elder has nowhere to hide.”

“Any sin that caused an elder to violate the qualifications listed in [1 Timothy] 3:2-7 would be grounds for rebuke in the presence of all. There are no elaborate steps of discipline to be followed. An accusation is made and confirmed, then investigated. If found true, the elder is publicly rebuked. Elencho (rebuke) means “to expose,” “to bring to open conviction,” “to correct,” or “to reprove.” There are no exegetical grounds for limiting all to the other elders. It means everyone, elders and congregation. A sinning elder has nowhere to hide.

“The sins of a man in a leadership role are more serious, and are to be punished more severely, (cf. James 3:1). Whether or not he repents is not the issue. Since his credibility is forfeited, he is disqualified from the ministry in either case. He must be publicly rebuked so the people understand why he is no longer in leadership. Attempts to hush things up and allow a sinning elder to leave quietly often create the chaos of misunderstanding in a congregation.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 222)

As I conveyed to you on the phone, I am very concerned you and John are attempting “to hush things up” even though Phil’s “credibility is forfeited.” I just wrote John about this because he told me I could not raise any issues of sin regarding Phil since I was not a church member. And I am writing you again because you told me to stop raising Phil’s scandalous sins and move on. There is every reason to conclude you are making a concerted “effort to protect” Phil contrary to John’s teaching.

“The church must maintain these principles regarding sinning elders without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. No one is to receive preferential treatment. The rebuke of sinning elders must be done with accuracy and integrity. There must be no effort to protect those who are famous, specially gifted, or popular.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 223)

I genuinely wonder whose reputation you are concerned about based upon your actions and inactions.

“To rebuke sinning leaders is not easy. Yet God requires it because holiness in the church must be upheld. The question facing any church is whether it is more concerned about its reputation or God’s holiness.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 224)

“To publicly rebuke a sinning elder takes great courage…The church that tolerates sinning elders to protect its reputation on earth will lose its reputation in heaven.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 223)

I totally concur! Will you take the hard road or the easy road? Will you uphold God’s holiness or compromise it? Will you be more concerned about God’s reputation or your own? Will you be courageous or cowardly? Will you rebuke Phil’s sins or tolerate his sins?

The answers to these questions will be evident by the actions you take or don’t take in the immediately future.

Therefore, I hope Phil asks forgiveness and makes a confession. I look forward to hearing from him. And I trust you, John and the elders will rebuke and remove him from ministry. Please let me know how you plan to proceed in this regard over the next few weeks. I realize it will be difficult but not taking these steps surely constitutes hypocrisy, favoritism, and compromise. I pray you will uphold God’s standards for shepherds.

Chris, we live in an hour when the church desperately needs “preachers who practice what they preach.” So, please honor Christ and faithfully apply what John has taught people around the world for the glory of God and the good of his people.

Grace to you!

Brent

This rendition is impossible! Here’s why.

There is no window above the toilet to look out.

The toilet is on one wall. The window is on another wall.

You cannot see the balcony of the Lorraine Motel standing on the toilet.

You can only see the balcony looking out the window.

You don’t need to stand on anything to look out the window. “The window sill was measured from the floor to the top of the sill, and found to be 4 foot 11 inches.” (MPDHR, p. 12)

No investigation has ever reported, or any person ever claimed, James Earl Ray shot from the toilet.

The bathtub is near the only window in the bathroom. Not the toilet.

“The bathtub was examined, and in the bottom was noted several dirty smears, that appeared as though someone had been standing in the bathtub in their shoes. In looking east out of the window it was determined that you could get a clear view from the window to the spot where Dr. King had been standing at the time he was shot.” (MPDHR, p. 12)