Pastor John MacArthur passed away on July 14 at 86 years old, leaving an indelible mark as a faithful expositor of God’s word.
MacArthur’s unwavering commitment to preaching the gospel led him to take a bold stand against cultural and political pressures — including those imposed on California by Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Some people don’t know that he has actually been a boil on the back of Gavin Newsom for a very long time,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey reflects on “Relatable.” Before Newsom was the California governor and closing down churches in California — which MacArthur also fought against — the pastor debated him on “Larry King Live.”
“I’m a practicing Catholic. I got married in the church,” Newsom said to MacArthur. “I don’t see what we’re doing in terms of advancing the bond of love and monogamy and extending that to families, families of same sex, in any way, shape, or form takes away anything from the church or the sanctity of the union that my wife and I have.”
“I would just like to ask the mayor, as a practicing Catholic, do you believe the Bible is the word of God?” MacArthur asked.
“With respect, I guess I do,” Newsom answered, after trying to deflect by explaining that he didn’t want to “get in a theological debate.”
“Well, then the Bible says when God created man, he said one man, one woman, cleaved together for life. That’s a family. Jesus in the New Testament reaffirms that. All the writers of the Old and the New Testament affirm it. Adultery, bestiality, homosexuality was punishable by death according to the Old Testament law because it was so serious in those early years, because it literally shattered the hope of civilization,” MacArthur countered.
“He’s representing the state,” he continued, speaking about Newsom. “He’s coming back and saying, ‘I’m a Catholic, and somehow this fits into my Catholicism.’ And I’m saying, ‘Well, what’s your authority, then?’”
“Absolutely right,” Stuckey comments. “Gavin Newsom brought up his Catholicism as a justification for, you know, saying that he’s okay with gay marriage. And then John MacArthur very expertly said, ‘Okay, well, we’ve got a shared authority there. Let’s see what scripture has to say about it.’”
“As I said, John MacArthur was really a thorn in Gavin Newsom’s side for a long time,” she adds.
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