So I’ve mentioned stealth Calvinism before, but I didn’t have a good example at my fingertips. I know about it because I’ve read too many horror stories of pastors who hide their Calvinism and then bring it out once they get the job. In the process, they break up the church and drive out members who won’t comply with the new theology. It’s basically a high-level institutional form of sheep stealing. 

Not only that, but young men are being instructed in seminary to do this. I don’t have a video of one of these men confessing to this. But I do have a video of one of their theological leaders confessing to it and one of their other heroes approving of it.

Watch the clip they share of John Piper and John MacArthur at the 1:44 mark. (My comments continue under this embed.)

So MacArthur lied to his congregation.

He lied to his church leadership. 

The people in attendance hearing this story laugh.

They laugh.

They think it’s funny a pastor lied to his congregation to accomplish his goals. 

MacArthur had a complete paradigm shift in his theology (dispensationalism to Calvinism) and he didn’t tell the congregation of which he is supposedly the trustworthy shepherd.

Rather than upholding their church’s constitution and doctrinal statement, he went about in a stealth way to cut the cords and lead them along to where he wanted them to be. 

MacArthur lied to his congregants. 

He allowed people to join that church, expecting one thing from the doctrinal statement, while knowing full-well he was working in stealth mode to change it to suit his personal theological preferences. 

So now you know why the young guy who comes to be a candidate at your church will feel completely justified in lying about his theology.

MacArthur already led the way. 

John Piper approved of it.

They gave pastors the green light to take over a church and undermine it to their own ends. 

It’s happened all over and continues to happen. 

Don’t let it happen to your church. 

Make people around you aware of this so it doesn’t happen to their church. 

And shame on men like this who are more concerned with their own ambitions than leaving a church alone to function as a healthy part of the Body of Christ. 

• More of my posts about John Piper
• More of my posts about John MacArthur