Readers Criticize Megachurch Pastor John MacArthur for Defying COVID-19 Attendance Limits

A letter to the editor published by the Los Angeles Times on November 11, 2020, criticized John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, over indoor worship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The writer asked how the government could prevent large indoor services when the pastor defied an order to limit attendance to slow the spread of the virus. The letter described the congregation as extremely large and said it follows its pastor’s teaching.

The letter quoted MacArthur as asserting, “The one who’s behind the virus of deception is the arch deceiver Satan himself.” The writer questioned whether members had lost their reason in their faith. The writer also reported that one church member had said God knows when people will die and that believers should not fear death. The writer argued that attending a packed indoor service could hasten a person’s death, protecting the vulnerable in a crowded room (Proverbs 31:8-9), and urged people to weigh whether official guidance served their best interest.

A second letter, from a reader who described MacArthur as one of the best Bible teachers in the world, took a different view of the dispute. That writer said MacArthur had taught on multiple occasions that Christians are required to obey the civil authorities that govern them, citing Romans 13. The writer said The Times had reported that MacArthur was operating in open defiance of the authorities regarding coronavirus restrictions, and asked how that report squared with the teaching on Romans 13.

A third letter raised the question of money. Its writer said that on August 30, congregants gave the church $40,046, which according to The Times was almost six times the amount given the previous Sunday. The writer contended that MacArthur had revealed a primary reason for holding indoor services, adding that meeting outdoors and practicing social distancing makes it difficult to pass the collection plate. The letter did not offer evidence beyond the figures it attributed to The Times.

The page also carried a photograph captioned as members of Grace Community Church making their way to Sunday service in Sun Valley on September 13. The published letters are opinion, and the claims about the pastor’s intent, the congregation’s motives and the church’s finances are the views of their writers, not findings reported in the letters themselves.

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