I have put off writing this review for as long as I could. I like to write positive reviews. I like to see the good side of things and find value
in everything I come across.
I am a fan of this man's work. He sharpens my thinking skills.
I don't always agree with him, yet he gets me studying as to WHY I don't agree.
But I do agree and enjoy a lot of his written works.
This one blew me away.
I wasn't prepared for my angst towards this work.
BACK COVER: A Cover Up of Biblical Proportions
The cover up MacArthur is revealing is that everywhere in the Bible the word
"servant" should have been slave.
This cover up is what is keeping most of us from having the correct relationship with Christ.
I would argue that our sin is what keeps us from
standing as near to Christ as we could be.
In order to back up his claims, I was sad to see
the discrediting of Scripture.
While I believed his point to be worthy, there is enough Scripture given that refers to bondage, slavery to SIN, etc...that there was no need to
disparage God's choice of the word
"servant" in many places.
His comparison of slaves to servants is interesting.
His reasoning as to why the word should be slave instead of servant is thought provoking and elicited great conversation between my oldest son and me.
Slaves aren't paid.
MacArthur's first flaw.
I am urged in Scriptures to endure, to keep going, to work for rewards, for crowns,
for His praising words of "well done", for crying out loud- He gave me a mansion!
Slave- it doesn't feel like it.
Maybe the big difference between SLAVE and SERVANT is
the way the Master treats the person.
Maybe.
What WAS good about this book is it led me to studying the Bible.
To "see if these things be".
For that alone, it is a worthy tool to have on the bookshelf.
It is never wrong to be reminded that preachers are mere mortals,
men whose own worldview must be filtered through Scripture and sometimes
even good men get it wrong.
It is up to us to find out what we believe and why we believe it.
And if there is a problem, it is not with the Word of God.
My belief that the word "servant" was not an error, nor a conspiracy
is made stronger now.
Thanks, John.
I believe God has the power to not lose control of what He wanted us to have
as the Word of God.
~Shannon- Fortunately For You Books
3 comments:
Mr. John MacArthur- I LOVED your book The Jesus You Can't Ignore. Should you ever read my itty bitty blog, then please know that I still like you. :-) ~Shannon
If you research the endnotes in John MacArthur’s book, Slave, you will find that most of them reference the heretical works of Gnostic, modernist and postmodern scholars who deny the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. Many of these scholars are rabidly anti-Christian and their works, which MacArthur recommends as authoritative, are filled with slander and blasphemy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For example, John MacArthur favorably references Dale B. Martin’s book, Slavery as Salvation, on page 38 because it likens the Christian life to the abusive institution of slavery in the Roman Empire. Dale B. Martin is Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University, an admitted homosexual and author of a blasphemous book titled Sex and the Single Savior which portrays Jesus as a homosexual. John MacArthur never discloses Prof. Martin’s true identity in Slave.
Another scholar whose translation of Gnostic writings is recommended by MacArthur is Bart D. Ehrman, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prof. Ehrman is a New Testament critic who claims that he was an evangelical Christian until he discovered “errors” in the Bible. Dr. Ehrman now writes books which debunk the New Testament and advocate for Gnostic forgeries such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot to replace the New Testament canon.
Slave is a best-seller among young Christians who are led to believe that the sources referenced therein are Christian books, or at least neutral historical sources. Theological heretics Dale Martin and Bart Ehrman are only two of many academics of the “Jesus Seminar” variety whose scholarship is recommended without an honest identification or disclaimer to warn the reader. By concealing the identity and agenda of his sources, John MacArthur is deceptively promoting Gnostic books and the Gnostic heresy to many young Christians who are not yet established in the faith.
For documentation and detailed information on the heretical sources in Slave, see the following review:
http://watch-unto-prayer.org/macarthur-2-slave-book.html
Barbara, the members of FFYB now (at this present time) wholeheartedly do not agree with most of MacArthur's philosophies/theology. This post was written long ago by a former partner. And while we understand that no one will agree with any one man 100%--we do however not agree with John MacArthur over much and disagree over practical and basic doctrinal stances. Thank you for your comment. :)
~The FFYB Team
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