Letters to My Friend -

Thoughts On Flooding,
John MacArthur, and Adultery

by Mary E. Stephens
July 19, 2025

July has been a strange month this year. So many things have happened that it feels like several months have passed in the last 19 days.

In the first 6-7 days of July we recorded over 16" of rain on our property, possibly 17". Most of this fell between the 4th and 7th. We had to deal with an evacuation order first thing on the 5th which was sent to us by mistake because our lower property touches a road that was flooding. Sadly, the people living down near the creek did suffer damages but, as far as I know, no lives were lost from our immediate neighborhood. The local stories we have heard dating back to the 1980s and 1950s floods made us believe that we were not in danger up where we are, but I was rattled when the order first came through. The reports from the Guadeloupe River and Kerr County had already been ramping up on the 4th and we were on high alert already. My husband did go down to check the creek waters twice - once in the middle of the night. Our street dead ends at a small river, and we weren't sure if something was going on down there. He went to check, but it was not threatening.

The rains kept coming back for days and days as the remnants of a tropical storm camped over this region. We would think we were past the worst and there would be another flood warning or flash flood warning. We were under "stay in place unless fleeing flood waters" orders more than once over a number of days. Even if we had needed to evacuate on the worst day, we would have been stuck because the bridge at the intersection out of our little road was flooded and not safe to drive through.

It was a difficult time for the Texas Hill Country. Still is, to be honest. A lot of people have moved on to other events, which is not surprising, but there are people here who are still trying to put their lives back together with huge missing pieces - people, housing, pets, etc. A few people are still missing, but most have been found (dead or alive) as of now. The people who have helped with the searching and the clean up are heroes. The repeating refrain from their stories tends to be that this was the worst situation of this type that they had ever seen or worked in. That is mindboggling to me, considering that some of these people have done these jobs repeatedly.

The one piece of distinctly good news is that lakes which have been low for years have risen considerably, and more than one has opened flood gates or the spill way is running over. Another smaller blessing is that we have had much milder temperatures so far this July than we did last year.

Psalm 69:1-3 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Moving on to the next event...

John MacArthur died this month. I have very mixed emotions about this. My family went to Grace Community Church for 3 months when I was six years old. We visited there fairly often over the next few years. My grandparents, who were missionaries, were members there and attended regularly during a year they were between mission fields. I had a great-uncle and great-aunt who went there for a period of time as well. I even remember eating dinner once at the MacArthur's table. I remember my dad speaking of him with respect and appreciation back in the early years.

But, then things changed.

My grandparents moved their church membership in the early 1980s when Mr. MacArthur abandoned the King James Version and began to embrace Calvinism. Somewhere in that timeframe he also started teaching that the blood of Christ didn't save us and was of no particular importance, despite clear scriptures to the contrary (he supposedly retracted this teaching later). My grandparents and parents were very grieved by these changes. I myself had the opportunity to hear him speak at a Bible conference during this time, and having knowledge of him as he had once been, I was disappointed in how he had changed in person. He acted like he didn't want to talk with anyone after the various meetings and he was very stiff and standoffish. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak.

Over the last 10-15 years some very ugly stories have come to the surface in his sphere of influence, stories of abuse, rape, and such like. The way he reportedly chose to deal with the various situations was not just disappointing, but highly damaging to the name of Christ and to his own reputation. The way that victims were allegedly handled was shameful and ungodly, yet he apparently supported or even ordered the things that were done or demanded of the victims. There was a wife and children in one situation whom he is said to have tried to shame into staying with their abuser and allowing him to continue to abuse her/them in the name of "restoration" and "we are helping him." A young woman within the circles of his church and college (or seminary) who was raped by one of the young men there was reportedly told by leadership that she needed to marry the criminal, and she was treated very badly, according to her own testimony. (For further information please see: https://thewartburgwatch.com/category/john-macarthur/)

Then a year or so ago he said in a public forum that mental illness is a "noble lie." In essence, he basically discredited all mental illness as entirely made up. Damage control was attempted later, and what he wrote on the church web site was apparently edited. But, he let the cat out of the bag as to what he actually thought on that subject, and it was not biblically sound nor did it reflect the love and compassion of Christ.

Why am I saying all this now? Well, I had thought about writing on some of these subjects sooner. I had things bookmarked that I wanted to address. Now that he is gone, I feel like I should say something for one basic reason. People, especially Christians, love to exalt "great men" after they die. I think I know what the underlying reason for this is. In Hebrews 13:7 we read, Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. This passage encourages us to remember how our spiritual leaders end their lives. How they began is not the point. A lot of people begin well in the Christian life. Remember what Paul wrote to the Galatian church in Galatians 5:7-9, Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Another deeply disturbing aspect of the end of John MacArthur's life is the production of the Legacy Standard Version which was produced by the Master's Seminary and University. MacArthur himself had founded these institutions, and the men involved were wholly under his influence. He boldly and blatantly declared regarding this updated version of the New American Standard Version, "This is the best translation the English language has ever seen." (source) The complete and utter disregard for the scholarship and knowledge of languages that went into the King James Authorized Version is astounding. If he believed that his little group of scholars outstripped and outsmarted the men God used to translate the KJV, he was delusional. For those of us who have informed ourselves about the origins, inerrancy, and the preservation of the KJV, this statement is beyond common arrogance, and it is insulting to a work that God did and has blessed for hundreds of years in the Authorized Version.

All this to say, remember Ravi Zacharias. The stuff bubbling up out of the depths of John MacArthur's mind, mouth, and ministries for years now is not a good sign. Generally, it is safe to assume that there is worse that may come out. If more and more rubbish and filth begins to float to the top as time goes on, don't be shocked. Our faith never stands nor falls to the reputation of one man, no matter how great he may have been in his lifetime. If we are grounded on the true and only Rock, Jesus Christ, then the disappointments and sorrows of this life cannot destroy us, whether they be literal floods, or the destruction of the reputation of a man we had once honored.

Matthew 7:24-25 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Psalm 118:8-9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

Lastly...

I wanted to touch on the subject of the CEO who was caught in an adulterous situation with his HR officer at a concert. There are a lot of people saying that it was terrible that that happened to him and her. Some people are even going so far as to call her a wonderful person, and even "a saint." He himself allegedly wrote a letter in which he apologized to his wife, family, and the team at the company of which he was head. He also apparently claimed he was going to reflect and take accountability. However, he allegedly wrote, "I also want to express how troubling it is that what should have been a private moment became public without my consent. I respect artists and entertainers, but I hope we can all think more deeply about the impact of turning someone else's life into a spectacle."

Let's just take this situation apart and look at it more closely.

How do you avoid having your sin become a public spectacle? By not committing the sin in the first place. (By the way, what he did there is called blame shifting, just so you know.)

How do you avoid having your private moment of adultery displayed on a big screen at an event? By not doing that at an event with a big screen where they have a "kiss cam." Whether that's a concert or a football game, or whatever the case may be, if you're going to go out in public and do stuff you ought not to be doing, you have zero - ZERO - grounds for complaint. Period. Full stop. I mean, let's be honest, if they had gone out to eat in some out-of-the-way restaurant, they could still have been recognized and had photos of their affair all over social media the next morning. It would be less likely, but still the fact is that when you cheat on your spouse you're asking for trouble.

And it isn't karma that will get you. The world likes to throw that word around a lot these days, but it's obvious they don't know what it means. That is a Hindu concept that has nothing to do with this. This is the simple principle that God Almighty built into the human experience - you reap what you sow, and you can't escape consequences forever.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

So, whose fault is it that this happened to them? It's their fault. Not the music group's, not the camera man's, not the people who are sharing the clip (though, that has it's own issues). It's theirs. Only theirs. They chose to go there together and to do that.

Proverbs 6:27-33 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

And let's just be clear, "saintly" women, "good" women, don't cheat on their husbands. Proverbs 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. Proverbs 31:10-11 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

Yeah, none of this is nice. It's a sordid mess. It's horrifying for their family members who might have learned about it from the internet instead of quietly in person. But, the reality of situations like this is that, had this not happened, they might have never been caught. Sometimes God allows transgressors to be put in these public situations of shame as a warning to others. Our world is full of people who have watched others "get away" with evil and wickedness, and many people have taken that onboard and are living their own lives assuming they can get away with these things too. Sometimes a situation like this is the only thing that will keep the kids or other people from following the bad example that was given to them.

It isn't a joking matter. It isn't nice for the family. Even though the adulterous pair may have deserved what they got from doing something so stupid in such a public way, it isn't nice for them. A lot of us aren't impressed with having to see this story being spread across the media, social media, and perhaps private conversations, and so it isn't nice for us. But, let the people of God be reminded. Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways... You can't get away with sin. God is watching and He knows. If He so wills, He can drag anything out to the light of day. Proverbs 9:6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

I have no idea if there was any previous warning that these two should have heeded, but it also brings this to mind: Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. If you are involved in anything of this sort, take it as a warning and repent and turn from your sin. Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Psalm 66:18-20 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.