John MacArthur’s passing leaves a massive legacy behind. But for many in the aspiring ranks of Evangelicalism, the inevitable mortality of a giant meant their time in the sun had come. Much of the discourse in Evangelicalism, often surrounding G3 Ministries, was market-share posturing and little else. But with MacArthur gone, Mid Eva figures may feel entitled to inherit MacArthur’s market share. It brings me some joy and laughter to break it to them, none of the people who think they are the next John MacArthur will be.
Some thought Steve Lawson would be the guy. Josh Buice thought he was the guy. Others say Paul Washer. The first two have fallen off due to sin. As for Paul Washer, he is neither the literal nor metaphorical quarterback that John MacArthur was. That’s not a statement of derision, but there is a reason I’ve written many articles on MacArthur and very few on Washer. And for laughs, Owen Strachan will sooner be the next Russell Moore.
When Rush Limbaugh died, his station could pass on his slot, and they did, but his “successors” never got a whiff of the candle. Limbaugh transformed a medium of AM radio, and MacArthur likewise used radio, books, etc., to build his vast audience. Today, the medium has changed. The emerging Evangelical elites will not necessarily come from megachurches.
Primarily, YouTube and podcasts are the platforms by which the emerging Evangelical elites will be defined. Wes Huff’s appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience vaulted him to the upper echelons of institutional credibility. Joel Webbon’s 123k subs makes him impossible for liberals to ignore. The liberal response to emerging players has been to groom Gavin Ortlund to be the guy. But otherwise, liberals are actually behind, coasting on the older ways they co-opted.
Pastors like Jack Hibbs and Mark Driscoll have successfully parlayed the legacy medium to current ones, but they are hardly inheritors to a Calvinistic and Reformed audience. But the lack of water-cooler TV shows in our culture also indicates that celebrity pastors may become niche rather than mainstream in the near future.
In conclusion, Mid Eva missed the boat on building by either waiting or petty jostling that made unnecessary enemies along the way. If a man wants to become the next John MacArthur, he had better show courage. In this regard, Mid Eva has objectively failed, and those who followed MacArthur will follow the Christian leaders whose courage has earned them a following.
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2 Responses
If a man is not already “the next John MacArthur” in his private will never be publically.
Jack Hibbs definitely showed courage by reopening his church to in-person worship during Covid-19 just as quickly and controversially as John MacArthur. That’s when I found and followed them both, while my own local church was still firmly online-only, with its pastor having just come out as a fervent Democrat. That church closed soon after.