Reactions to MacArthur's Death, Religious Discrimination Reversed, and Calvin vs. Arminius

Good and bad responses to John MacArthur’s passing, recent cases of religious discrimination being reversed, whether Arminianism or Calvinism came first, and much more.

Anthony Langer
July 19, 2025

It’s Saturday, July 19, 2025.

Today’s edition covers good and bad responses to John MacArthur’s passing, recent cases of religious discrimination being reversed, whether Arminianism or Calvinism came first, and much more.

“Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” (Proverbs 4:13)

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Of Christian Concern

REACTIONS TO JOHN MACARTHUR’S DEATH: MANY TRIBUTES, SOME TIRADES

Pastor John MacArthur’s death on Monday evening, announced on social media by his media ministry Grace to You, was followed by a flood of responses this week—mostly positive, some negative. Here are some highlights.

Tributes

A list of reactions, tributes, and reflections reads like a Who’s Who of prominent Christian and cultural leaders across various traditions. Peruse some of them here:

Tirades

In the words of journalist Ruth Graham, in her overall fair treatment of MacArthur’s life and legacy for the New York Times, MacArthur was “a theological conservative and natural polemicist.” Well, as a result, he had more than his share of detractors, and there have been some less-than-glowing responses to his passing. Here are a few dust-ups:

Steven L. Anderson
The Gospel Coalition
Redeemed Zoomer
Christianity Today (characterized by Megan Basham as “subtly sneering”)
The Roys Report (characterized by Basham as “baldly vile and like nothing I’ve seen before in 20 years of working in the media”).

What’s Next?

In a video posted by MacArthur’s close ministry partner Phil Johnson, the beloved pastor answers what’s going to happen to his church and ministry after he’s gone. Watch that here.

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Also Noteworthy

Holy Sexuality’s logo.

→ Two recent cases in which religious discrimination was reversed:

The Melbourne Royal Show, an annual agricultural show in Australia, has apologized and reversed course after banning a 108-year-old Christian “Bible booth” from the show on account of it being a religious group. The reversal came only after thousands of Christians pushed back in a charge led by the ministry Answers in Genesis.
Christian non-profit Holy Sexuality “reached a favorable settlement” in its religious discrimination lawsuit against OpenAI (the company famous for ChatGPT), which had “denied a nonprofit discount to a Christian nonprofit solely because it is a religious organization.”

→ “West Virginia’s ban on the abortion drug mifepristone” has been upheld in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, reports LifeNews. For context, banning abortion pills does not prohibit women from using other methods of murder (i.e., abortion), which remain legal for women in all 50 states. As I (Anthony Langer) wrote in a Louisville Courier Journal op-ed earlier this year:

The Hill reports that after the Dobbs decision, “About a quarter” of women in the U.S. who were “unable to access in-clinic abortions” and who opted to self-manage an abortion “turned to herbal remedies. About 30% turned to ‘physical methods’ such as punching themselves in the stomach, lifting heavy objects or ‘inserting an object into the body.’ And about a third used alcohol or other drugs or medications.”

→ The Church of England removed guidance requiring candidates for ordination to agree that “homosexual practice [is] especially dishonourable.” As The Worldview in 5 Minutes reports, “The Church of England has allowed clergy to enter homosexual civil partnerships since 2005. Last year, it approved services of blessing for homosexual couples.”

→ A Kentucky court of appeals ruled that a Jewish woman has standing to challenge the state’s partial abortion ban because she “has nine frozen embryos right now that she’s paying to preserve as part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process and doesn’t know how she can proceed with the process under the state’s restrictions on abortion and definition of life,” reports Kentucky Lantern.

→ A European pro-LGBT, pro-abortion group called European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights released a report claiming to identify a trend of religious institutions “regaining power” in Europe, a development that the authors call “the next wave” of “religious extremism.” Hungary Today calls the report “an Openly Anti-Christian Attack on True European Values.”

Content Catch-Up

Recent, notable content of Christian interest.*

→ “Republicans wanted fewer abortions and more births. They are getting the opposite”: Pro-abortion journalist Judith Levine highlights how, under the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, abortions have increased and birth rates have not. (Article)

RELATED: For more on this topic, watch my recent YouTube video “The Problem with Roe v. Wade’s Overturn.” (Video)

→ BETRAYAL or BELIEF?: On the YouTube channel SO BE IT!, Jeff Morgan and Aaron Abramson reveal and respond to what Jewish people think about Jews who come to faith in Jesus Christ. (Video)

*Not necessarily an endorsement

Church History Tidbit

Which Came First, Arminianism or Calvinism?

Portraits of John Calvin (left) and Jacobus Arminius (right), who looks somewhat like Brian Stelter in disguise (doesn’t he?).

Arminianism and Calvinism are two opposing theological understandings of how God’s sovereignty and man’s will work together, especially in salvation. One would think that these systematized schools of thought would have begun with their namesakes, but as it happens, in both cases, the systemized formulation of their thoughts into concise points arose after their deaths. So, which came first?

In the late 16th century, the teachings of John Calvin (1509-1564), emphasizing God’s sovereignty, shaped Reformed theology. After his death in 1564, theological debates arose. In 1589, the ecclesiastical senate of Amsterdam asked a minister named Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) to respond to theologian Dirck Coornhert’s criticisms of Calvin’s ideas. Arminius instead found himself convinced and, emphasizing free will, became a prominent opponent of some of Calvin’s doctrines.

In 1610, one year after Arminius’ death, his followers presented “the Arminian Remonstrance.” This document outlined five articles challenging strict Calvinist doctrines on predestination and grace, sparking controversy within the Dutch Reformed Church. To resolve the dispute, the Synod of Dort convened in the Netherlands from 1618 to 1619. Theologians, including Theodore Beza’s successors, debated the Remonstrance. The synod rejected Arminianism and issued the Canons of Dort, formalizing the five points of Calvinism, summarized later with the acronym TULIP:

Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement
Irresistible Grace, and
Perseverance of the Saints

These points defended Reformed theology, emphasizing God’s sovereignty in salvation. The Canons became a cornerstone of Reformed doctrine, influencing churches worldwide.

So, although Calvin came before Arminius, one could say that Calvinism, in its famous five-point formulation, came after Arminianism. Or, to be more confusing, one could say that Calvinism was a response to Arminianism, which was Arminius’ followers’ response to Calvin’s ideas. Fancy that.

Written in part with Grok.

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Why "18:15"? The name Project 18:15 is based on Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” The aim is for this weekly email—a Christian news briefing, a Bible study, and a Church history lesson rolled into one—to be one way you keep abreast of current events and acquire knowledge you might not acquire elsewhere.

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