CNE podcast: How John MacArthur’s voice continues to echo across Europe
Pastor Paul Mitchell. Photo CNE, Canva
European Union
Few American preachers have had as strong an impact in Europe as Dr. John MacArthur. The organisation Grace to You Europe aims to provide a follow-up on a spiritually unstable continent.
Many pastors in Europe became aware that God was calling them to the ministry after reading or listening MacArthur. That says Paul Mitchell, the European director of Grace to You, in this week’s CNE podcast.
Grace to You (GTY) is the organisation that coordinated much of MacArthur’s activities in California, US. The renowned American pastor passed away this July at the age of 86. But he was never a celebrity, Paul says.
MacArthur served the Grace Community Church in Los Angeles for 56 years. This is a Reformed Baptist congregation that is known worldwide. At this church, MacArthur spent 42 years on a sermon series about the New Testament, during which he preached on each verse. When he arrived as a young pastor, he negotiated a guaranteed 30 hours per week for study.
What was the result of this? Shortly after his death this summer, Charlie Kirk stated that MacArthur was among the top ten theologians after the Reformation.
In the podcast, Mitchell states that John MacArthur visited Europe frequently after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1990. He mainly visited former Eastern Bloc countries, such as Romania and Ukraine.
What did he do there? Supporting pastors. “The people that he loves the most outside his family and his church are pastors”, Paul Mitchell shares with CNE podcast host Evert van Vlastuin.
There are at least two organisations that grew out of MacArthur’s work, and those are The Master’s Academy International, which has stations worldwide. The other is the European Bible Training Center in Germany and Switzerland.
At the moment, his extensive catalogue of teaching is now accessible in several languages –including Romanian and Spanish– thanks to re-preaching projects such as Grace Reaches Out.
MacArthur knew that he was famous, but he remained humble, Mitchel says. In the podcast, he shares whether MacArthur preferred to be announced as Doctor or as John. There is also an interesting detail about Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ study desk.
Grace to You Europe has an office in Ashford in the English county of Kent, near London.
Uncompromising
Listeners of the podcast will hear in several audio clips how MacArthur never bowed to the prevailing winds of culture. Whether challenging trends in Western Europe or critiquing stances on morality, his focus has consistently remained on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
Tune in to the full episode.
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