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Check latest episodes from The MacArthur Center Podcast podcast

Episode 5: John MacArthur is My Youth Pastor

2024/02/21

Over his 55 years as a pastor—and counting—John MacArthur has ministered to thousands of young people. Today, his ministry continues to provide profound value for teenagers and twenty-somethings. Why is that? What does he understand about reaching the next generation? We'll answer that question in this episode. We'll also take a look at the rampant anxiety and depression among teenagers, and how the church can help teens in crisis. We'll try to understand why churches seem desperate to make everything so juvenile. Finally, we're going to talk about a "weed in the church." At least that's what critics call youth groups. All that and much more in this episode "John MacArthur is my Youth Pastor."

Episode 4: Friendship and the Finish Line

2023/11/21

After the study of God’s Word, nothing gives John MacArthur more joy in life and ministry than relationships. For him, being with those of like precious faith infuses his days with meaning, encouragement, and the grace of God. All pastors need to prioritize friendships. This episode looks at the biblical, cosmic scope of friendship, explores the reasons why it has fallen on hard times, and shows why no minister can endure without friends. Along the way, John recounts his unique, life-giving friendship with R.C. Sproul and gives all of us principles for cultivating relationships like that, maintaining them, and responding when friends disappoint.

Episode 3: When Believers Stop Believing

2023/10/25

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you probably know someone who used to follow Jesus Christ, but now wants nothing to do with him. Why does that happen? What marks the path from faith to apostasy? John MacArthur started exploring those questions in college, when long-time Christian friends stunned him by walking away from God and into atheism and false religion. What he found is that the path to apostasy is well-trod, dating back to Judas, who rejected Jesus after following him for three years. This episode traces what John learned, then taught for decades, about apostasy, what happens when believers stop believing, and how all of us can be sure that once we are truly saved, God will never let us go.

Episode 2: The Gospel According to Jesus

2023/09/27

In 1988, John MacArthur’s book The Gospel According to Jesus stirred no small amount of controversy. By simply looking at what Jesus meant when he said follow me, the book exposed more than one false version of the gospel prominent among evangelicals. This episode takes you back to that pivotal time, a turning point both in John’s ministry and the evangelical church, to show you what it really means to follow Jesus, and why a right understanding of the gospel is essential to an enduring ministry.

Episode 1: The Drivetrain

2023/09/06

If, like John MacArthur, your ministry is going to endure for more than a half-century, you need to know how to navigate doctrinal disagreements within your local congregation and with other pastors, churches, and Christian leaders. To do that well, you have to know how to prioritize doctrine and practice what’s often been called theological triage. See how John MacArthur has practiced this kind of triage and kept his ministry doctrinally pure by focusing on what he calls the Drivetrain. This is episode one of season 3 of the MacArthur Center podcast.

Episode 8: MacArthur and His Successor

2022/12/21

Who will succeed John MacArthur? Who will carry on the God-centered, biblical-grounded, expository ministry that he’s built over the past half-century? John MacArthur has always had a succession plan. For decades, he’s known exactly how he wants the ministry to carry on at Grace Community Church when he’s gone. This episode looks at his succession plan. It also, with the help of John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, Tony Reinke, David Gibson, and Geoffrey Chang, explores how any of us who love the church can think wisely about passing truth to the next generation.

Episode 7: MacArthur and the Government

2022/11/09

On July 26th, 2020, California’s government leaders said the worship service at Grace Community Church was an illegal gathering. John MacArthur called it “a peaceful protest.” Why did the church defy the state and county’s health mandates? This episode, the penultimate of season two, goes behind-the-scenes of MacArthur and Grace Church’s lawsuit against Los Angeles County. Beyond that, we go to Washington D.C., then north of the border, and back to a 1975 MacArthur sermon to show that Christians should submit to government, resist at times, while always preaching the gospel to their political leaders. Tune in for a crash-course in political theology: truth Christians will likely need in the coming years.

Episode 6: MacArthur and His Critics

2022/10/19

For pastors, criticism comes with the job. It's a reality for nearly everyone in ministry, especially those preaching the whole counsel of God. So how should pastors, or any Christian for that matter, handle the criticism that's sure to come? What do you say when someone accuses you of unbiblical teaching, or unfairly maligns your character? John MacArthur has learned more than a few lessons on how to respond to the critics throughout his 53 years of pastoral ministry. There have been lots of public critiques of his theology. And plenty have found something negative to say about his personality, tone, and leadership. This episode draws out lessons on handling criticism from his life, particularly a time in the late 80s when MacArthur travelled to Limerick Pennsylvania to defend himself against charges of heresy.

Bonus Episode: MacArthur and the Puritans

2022/09/07

If you appreciate John MacArthur’s preaching—particularly how he takes such an in-depth, thorough look at each text—you can thank a Puritan. Who were these men of God from centuries ago? And why do they have a particularly powerful influence not just on MacArthur, but on many of the most effective expositors in the world today? Find out in MacArthur and the Puritans, a bonus episode that previews the Puritan Conference, October 5-7 at Grace Community Church, To register, and see the world-class lineup of speakers, go to puritanconference.org.

Episode 5: MacArthur and Rome

2022/08/24

Throughout his ministry, John MacArthur has consistently criticized and condemned the Catholic church and the Pope who leads it. That’s in stark contrast to many evangelicals today who downplay the historical differences between Catholics and Protestants. To explain why John draws a clear line in this debate, this episode visits a slum in Calcutta, India, a small town in 16th century Germany, and a hotel conference room in Florida. Tune in for this journey around the world that looks at the differences between the biblical gospel of salvation in Christ alone and a message that has deceived countless people.

Episode 4: MacArthur and the Calvinists

2022/06/22

In 2009, Time Magazine said Calvinism—or New Calvinism—was one of 10 ideas shaping the world. How did a theological system focused on the majesty and sovereignty of God become a world-changing movement? John MacArthur is part of the answer to that question. This episode explores how John became a Calvinist, how he pulled a generation of young people into the doctrines of grace, and why he eventually criticized the movement he had influenced.

Episode 3: MacArthur and the Russians

2022/06/01

Few American pastors are more respected, or more influential, in the Russian-speaking world than John MacArthur. His ministry has spread throughout Ukraine and Russia since before the Iron Curtain fell in 1991. During the current war, his ministry continues to have a profound, personal impact through missionary friends, training centers, and ministry partners both in the States and across the former Soviet Union. As this timely episode focuses on John and Grace Community Church’s missions endeavors in Ukraine and Russia, it looks at what effective, soul-saving, church-building missions looks like in any country.

Read The MacArthur Center Podcast podcast reviews

4.9 out of 5

1185 reviews

The Darrell McClain Show 2024/01/31

A wonderful Telling

I’ve listened to this podcast 4 times now every Show is just so rich I’m always waiting for the next one to come.

Michele Suz 2023/12/05

Favorite podcast

I literally never want this podcast to end. I want to hear every story and all the history of John MacArthur’s ministry as well as all the faithful me...

eml72 2023/11/23

Superb!

Thank you Duncan for for rich biblical truths and discussion,thought provoking topics and the creative style. My new fav! I’ll be praying for you all.

vickimfox 2023/11/28

Excellent content, distracting audio issues

Excellent content! It goes into detail on many aspects of MacArthur’s ministry and the challenges going forward. I would have rated five stars if it...

yghnbcvb 2023/11/22

Awesome

In the 1980’s, I was in the Navy and went to SEAL training in Coronado, CA. I heard some on John’s teaching at that time and didn’t like him at all. I...

Ambassador TK 2023/11/15

Not your typical podcast

The format, the message, the love... A+++ This podcast is very encouraging and helps clarify the church's role in this dark world. I pray that it reac...

jhueni 2023/11/10

So good!

Love this podcast! So entertaining and encouraging!

PJacMcDon 2023/11/09

Can’t get enough!

Recommend it to all the guys I disciple and we all can’t wait for the next episode. It is a sad moment when you look at the screen and it says only 5 ...

John G ( CA ) 2023/11/09

Great app, great content.

Nothing like sound doctrine. Thank you ATD & Pastor John. I wish I had the ability to know the effect Pastor John and anything coming out of Grace Ch...

paulyb123 2023/10/26

The Only Bad Thing About This Podcast

The only bad thing about this podcast is that it has to end. Every episode is well done, well written, and produced. I love to hear these stories. Ver...

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