John MacArthur: I Won’t Speak at Conferences With Women Speakers
During last week’s Q&A chapel service, John MacArthur shared insights into his thought process of who he would speak alongside at a conference. The Grace Community Church pastor explained that it’s essential to establish an impeccable reputation so that no one questions your associations if you speak at conferences with those you disagree with, while reinforcing his belief that he would not speak at a conference with a woman speaker.
Years ago I decided I wasn’t going to preach only to the people who already believe everything I believe. What’s the point? So I was criticized because, you know, I would be in a conference with someone who believed differently about certain thing. I mean they gave me trouble when I started going to Ligonier conferences over baby baptism and covenant theology and all that. But again, if they’re going to give me a platform, I’ll take it.
…And I think what is most important is that you establish your own fidelity to the degree that people don’t question your associations. I mean if I’m at Ligonier, nobody thinks I abandoned what I believe. If I went over to Jack Hayford’s church and did a Pastors Conference of Foursquare and charismatics, nobody felt that I had abandoned my non-charismatic view. I’ve got too much in print on that.
Now, there’s a line at which you can’t cross because someone is blatantly disobedient to Scripture. That would be—you won’t see me—on a panoply of speakers that includes women because that is a total violation of scripture. When you have men and women preachers—I can’t do that because you know, your reputation at that point becomes very muddy.
MacArthur also noted that he would not appear with someone whose “so tapped into the culture that they’re viewed a problem outside tolerable convictions.” He also shared “I wouldn’t speak on the same place as Bill Hybels or Joel Osteen. I don’t know about him-I don’t know if he’s a Christian or not. But even if I did, nobody would think I had compromised, because they would know by reputation that I’m going to be faithful to the truth,”