Growing Up: How to Listen Like a Man

Before we put up John MacArthur’s second post in the series—what amounts to some fatherly advice to the Young, Restless, and Reformed folks—I’d like to interject a few thoughts for your consideration.

I’ve been watching the comments here and there in the blogosphere, and I’m mostly encouraged. Most people have been saying, “I appreciate John MacArthur. I don’t always agree with him, but I realize I need to set my disagreements aside to hear what the man has to say.” Bravo. I totally applaud that attitude, and I appreciate Tim Challies for encouraging us in that direction.

But I’ve also read posts that represent the sentiment Tim cautioned against. I appreciate the concerns some have raised, and I’d like to speak to some of that now. In fact, to keep you from having to wade through it all, here are a few of the criticisms (in my own words):

• Why does MacArthur always sound like he’s scolding everyone, like he’s everybody’s critic? Who appointed him the evangelical pope?
• MacArthur puts his own preferences on clothing, culture, and worship styles on par with Scripture. Who says you’ve got to dress like him and love organ music to do church right?
• Sure, MacArthur emphasizes personal holiness, but he really has no appreciation for reaching the lost. He has his emphases, and we have ours. Can’t he appreciate what we’re doing well?
• MacArthur’s dispensational and cessationist commitments are quaint but crippling aspects of his ministry.
• Why does MacArthur always have to pick on Mark Driscoll? Driscoll is obviously the target of this whole series.
• MacArthur clearly doesn’t get the YRR movement. If he wants the YRR crowd to listen to him, he needs to take time to understand them first.

While I could take the time to answer each of those concerns point-by-point, I don’t think that’ll be as profitable as the direction I’d like to take for this post. But what those criticisms show me, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is that the YRR crowd doesn’t get John MacArthur. He’s quite a bit different than the caricature created in the comment threads.  Keep Reading...

See Also: Five Thoughts and a White Flag