The Essential Church: A Review
The Essential Church by Grace Productions chronicles the fight of three churches to maintain Christ’s authority over Christian worship in the face of government persecution as told through the story of Grace Community Church (GCC)’s John MacArthur, Fairview Baptist Church (Calgary) pastor Tim Stephens, and GraceLife Church (Edmonton) pastor James Coates. The film makes a direct and strong case for both the authoritative headship of Christ over Christian worship, and the fact that God both chastens and protects Christians (and local churches) whom he loves.
Featuring narration by Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary President Ian Hamilton and including interviews by multiple GCC elders, the film draws an important connection between historical Christian protests with the refusal of a minority of present-day churches to submit their worship practices to the authority of the state.
At Protestia, we are encouraging everyone to go see this movie in the theater if possible. It was certainly a blessing to hear fellow moviegoers cheer God’s victory in the face of overwhelming odds. We likewise encourage you to take your lost friends, as the film provides historical, scriptural, and scientific evidence demonstrating the tyranny of local governments and the clear Gospel message that is the core validation for all truth. It is no secret that we have been vocally and steadfastly supportive of churches that asserted the lordship of Christ over the church in opposition to government restrictions, whether or not the restrictions targeted churches specifically or tyrannized citizens more broadly. We have written, podcasted, and contended on social media for the exact position now heralded by The Essential Church since well before 2020 (here is an example from April 2020, and JD Hall back in 2015), and we are thankful to God to see steadfast brothers and sisters at these churches who were willing to stand and fight for truth when so many others faltered. Our brothers and sisters at GCC, GraceLife, and Fairview are truly God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10), and living proof that God upholds, corrects, and disciplines those who are his (Hebrews 12:6). It is no exaggeration to say that Protestia/Pulpit&Pen walk the theological path that ministries like GCC/Grace to You and pastors like John MacArthur have cut before us, and even when we criticize them we are walking in their footsteps of obedience to Christ.
What follows is a discussion of the theology behind the film, additional context we believe to be important, and fact-checking we have found useful. As both Tim Stephens and James Coates are graduates of The Master’s Seminary (GCC’s partner school for pastoral training), we will assume the three churches are doctrinally aligned. Even though much of the outcome of this saga is known, we will try not to spoil the best parts and we strongly encourage our readers to see this film.
The Three Questions
As churches in early 2020 scrambled to both understand the truth of COVID-19 and apply it to the context of gathered worship, the internal debate among professing Christians and external debate in the secular political context centered around three pivotal questions:
- What is the reality of the risk of COVID-19? In other words, is COVID-19 a providential hindrance akin to a hurricane about to level our churches?
- What authority – if any – does the civil government have over the gathering and worship practices of the church? This question and debate centered around the interpretation and application of Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17.
- Are Christians required by God to attend church? What is the nature of the obligation of believers to physically gather together for worship?
The film focuses primarily on the issue of jurisdictional authority over the church. This is a welcome focus, as GCC’s pre-COVID understanding and application of Romans 13 was basically “Since God institutes all authority (Romans 13:1), Christians are required to unquestioningly obey anyone in a government position.” This shallow and unworkable understanding had yet to present a problem for present-day Americans and Canadians, as governments were hands-off in terms of religious practice and the separation of church and state rightly kept the magistrate in its place. Yet in March 2020, churches were forced to confront a potentially historic health calamity while applying whatever theology they had regarding the jurisdictional relationship between church and state. Most failed initially. Many have never corrected. Fortunately and by the grace of God, the three churches chronicled answered the three questions correctly.
The Risk
The wild-eyed predictions of doom and gloom coming from politicians and their fellow institutionalists painted a picture of unavoidable COVID calamity, with millions quickly dead and the lesser of two evils (“stop the spread”) necessitating everyone staying apart for (at the time) two weeks. The film discusses this confusion in explaining the churches’ initial decision to cease gathering – MacArthur compares the decision to close to what they would have done if a hurricane was heading for the church. Apocalyptic estimates of death were sourced largely from the fraudulently unscientific Imperial College Model, and its authors’ recommended “nonpharmaceutical interventions” like distancing, masks (which Anthony Fauci famously discouraged in March only to tell people in May to wear them as a symbol and “sign of respect”), and of course, lockdowns to prevent gathering, which the world was assured would “slow the spread” and prevent an overrun of hospital capacity with COVID patients (the film notes that several doctors on the GCC board were supportive of the “flatten the curve” strategy).
It is worth noting (especially for those who compared the lockdowns to biblical examples of quarantine) that these nonpharmaceutical interventions were not intended for the sick, but the well, particularly the undetectables known as “asymptomatic carriers.”
It took little time for careful observers to notice that the risk was nowhere near what officials were making it out to be. The traditional epidemiological framework of infections (a person carrying a detectable level of a pathogen), cases (a person needing medical treatment due to sickness from a pathogen), hospitalizations (a person admitted to hospital care to treat sickness from a pathogen) and deaths (a person dying primarily due to sickness from a pathogen) had been replaced with a one-label-fits-all novel reporting system that reported every infection and case as the same thing (non-sick people who test positive for the virus are reported as the same as those who get seriously sick and require medical care), labeled anyone who happened to have been admitted to a hospital and was positive as a “COVID hospitalization,” and called anyone who died while testing positive for the presence of the virus (within 30 days) a “COVID death.”
Children were demonstrably at minuscule risk from COVID. The elderly were at the highest risk. The relative risk from COVID infection (unsurprisingly) tracked almost exactly with a person’s overall risk from any other respiratory illness. Those who had recovered from infection and sickness demonstrated broad-spectrum immunity. While these factors and the overblown nature of COVID had become known to MacArthur in April, he held fast to the “easy call” of obeying the government’s church shutdown order unless faced with “persecution of the church,” which he curiously said would violate the fact that “God says we must meet.”
The Fourth Commandment
The film largely ignores the question of whether Christians are commanded to gather for worship on the Lord’s Day, choosing instead to describe the benefits and essential obedience to God fulfilled by gathered worship, as well as the spiritual damage done to believers through the prohibitions on gathering. MacArthur does describe the “true church” as “the gathering of people who belong to God by faith in Jesus Christ. We meet to worship God, to give him honor, to give him glory, to praise him. We speak in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We sing. We read the scripture. We preach and proclaim the scripture.”
Those of us who do not believe the Lord’s Day to be the “Christian Sabbath” (with varying degrees of requirements pulled from Mosaic Law) still believe that the instructions given to the gathered church are specific and required outworkings of loving God and loving our neighbor, and we have committed before God and one another to show up on Sunday together to fulfill these instructions. This places us in the position of those who are “fully convinced in our minds” that Sunday is a “day above another” and that we “observe the day for the Lord” (Romans 14:4-6). Christians like those who lead GCC, GraceLife, and Fairview Baptist have certainly committed before God to gather for worship on Sunday. Not doing so is a sin.
In practice and (apparently) now in conviction, GCC seems to have taken the position that, while Christians are not mandated to gather due to a church-age continuation of the Sabbath commandment, regular worship gathering is the primary vehicle by which believers follow all of the elements of worship required of them, and is, therefore, a requirement for believers.
Romans 13
Perhaps the most remarkable portion of the film – especially for readers of Protestia and other similarly-observant discernment websites – was the description of the GCC’s change in position on the issue of submission to the governing authorities. Church elder Mike Riccardi describes the challenge presented to him (and later to the elder board) by an unnamed friend, beginning with a text message on the screen stating, “There’s more to Romans 13 than you think.”
Not long ago, John MacArthur and GCC promoted an unworkable, Erastian (to quote Riccardi’s realization from the film) theology of government submission that found them arguing against the American Revolution (along with misquoting 1 Peter 2:14 as “reward” rather than “praise”), and that Christians must “surrender to every secular authority that is placed over us” (this quote is from the now-deleted article referenced in the Capstone Report post). Yet the events of March-May 2020 – particularly when GCC went from closing down explicitly in March because a governing authority said so to opening up in May because the government told them they could, to closing right back down when yet another governing authority weighted in – all within the span of a week.
Yet God not only protects those who are his, he corrects those who are his. Not only that, he provides fellow believers to aid in the corrective process, and by June it was church members – not the elders – who insisted on “stir[ring] up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24), “not neglecting to meet together” (Heb. 10:25), and they started showing up to church despite the continued closure. This display of obedience took place even as some in church leadership had gone so far as to offer novel interpretations that “forsake the gathering” in Hebrews 10:25 referred to apostatizing and not avoiding gathering for regular church worship. As church elder Chris Hamilton notes about the church membership in the film, “They led us to reopening the church.”
Sadly, as this process played out and GCC was being forced by tyrannical government officials to confront the reality that Romans 13 requires application (Who/what is a rightful governing authority? Where are the jurisdictional boundaries between different authorities?), John MacArthur’s position and GCC’s closure were being weaponized against churches and pastors that had not ceased to gather. By the end of July, MacArthur had rightfully concluded that the church had a duty to remain open.
The Threat to Churches Continues
At the risk of spoiling the end of the movie (even though the results of the case are known), GCC elders describe their insistence that the case go to trial (with the requisite ability to depose and/or subpoena witnesses), resulting in the authorities immediately moving to settle the case out of court. True to their oft-stated desire to practice biblical submission to governing authorities, GCC let Los Angeles off the hook and settled the case prior to trial, which amounted to the county paying $800,000 for the church’s legal fees (half from the Los Angeles Public Health Dept. and half from the state of California), ceasing retaliatory actions (like canceling the long-standing lease for the parking lot), and agreeing to never again enforce “coronavirus pandemic” regulations against the church.
It appears that this victory, however, is restricted to Grace Community Church. It is undeniable (and the film alludes to this) that Los Angeles County and the state of California paid the church and granted them immunity from future enforcement in order to avoid a trial exposing their anti-religious bigotry and corruption. Sadly, pushing for a trial might have had the effect of winning protection for many or perhaps all churches in California from future intrusive persecution. Instead, the result of this very real victory seems to be protective only for GCC. Of course, GCC does not have an obligation to other churches in this regard, and we sincerely hope that the order that accompanied the settlement can be used if necessary to protect churches in the future.
Again, even as we’re disappointed the film skipped over the primary evidence of GCC elders’ need for repentance on Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17, we are glad to see the film discuss the fact that they did repent. The real blessing of the account is not that the churches and pastors involved persevered against the state this time (as praiseworthy as that is), it is that God never fails to sustain and continue the sanctification of his children. God used GCC, GraceLife, and Fairview Baptist because of their faith and despite the continued need for growth in understanding. We all should be so blessed.
Find tickets for The Essential Church here.
About Author
“Perhaps the most remarkable portion of the film – especially for readers of Protestia and other similarly-observant discernment websites – was the description of the GCC’s change in position on the issue of submission to the governing authorities. Church elder Mike Riccardi describes the challenge presented to him (and later to the elder board) by an unnamed friend, beginning with a text message on the screen stating, “There’s more to Romans 13 than you think.”
“Not long ago, John MacArthur and GCC promoted an unworkable, Erastian (to quote Riccardi’s realization from the film) theology of government submission that found them arguing against the American Revolution (along with misquoting 1 Peter 2:14 as “reward” rather than “praise”), and that Christians must “surrender to every secular authority that is placed over us” (this quote is from the now-deleted article referenced in the Capstone Report post). Yet the events of March-May 2020 – particularly when GCC went from closing down explicitly in March because a governing authority said so to opening up in May because the government told them they could, to closing right back down when yet another governing authority weighted in – all within the span of a week.”
This to me is the key quote from the article, and posted because it needs to be thought about, talked about, and preached about differently. I remember when this came up over on pen and pulpit, and posting against it. I was reasonably well prepared, as I had been studying on it, posting on it on other sites, and had been asked about it before (years?), so had reason too.
There is an opportunity here – because Grace is not the only place that has started down this path. It is definitely not what our American forefathers thought about government at all, a lot of newer translations of the bible seem to be badly (perhaps even skilfully) translated to eliminate such ideas, and it seems diabolically antiChristian. Regardless of what Grace believes, it’s still a very present idea that has been worming its way into churches, and still needs dealing with.
Note, this doesn’t alter my opinion on grace itself one way or the other, my opinion was based on a parcel of other things. This is misstep just illustrated it for me at the time it occurred. It’s the false doctrine or sentiment of it that is found many places that is.
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“and that Christians must “surrender to every secular authority that is placed over us” (this quote is from the now-deleted article referenced in the Capstone Report post). ”
This article is not the only thing that was deleted. I noticed all reader comments, including my own, were deleted from the articles in question – and at the time the comments they were the best biblical witness against this – and frequently, there is usually an apt Christian comment where none exists in the article – the only reason I fyi read sites, for the real, but rare Christian comment.
My posts – in mass, from reddit during this time on Romans bible study were also deleted – but which I have a copy on Romans 13; (and likely have from p&p too). Some of the posts were immediately deleted by site-wide homosexual admins, and that forum was eventually, in mass, deleted too. However, I preserve-red, eventually went through the entire Romans without deletion. I saw another Christian witness repeatedly being censored quoting the bible on breitbart, saw a bible verse on the two thieves on the cross automatically banned across multiple forum software that had no obvious technical connection (Luke 23:40-43), and other widespread censorship of Christian witnessing seen.
Although some of this is related to sodomites (facebook deleted one of my posts on it on p&p when they used its plugin) and satanists, bad teachers collecting money for teaching unsound doctrine also ends up doing the same. You end up giving them money while whatever God actually said to someone is deleted, and they remain – unrightly, on the outside.
MacArthur only said what was right when forced to. You never named the unnamed friend (or friends) that were saying what was right when needed because God gave it to them. I wonder why you still give credit (accolades)and (money) to who said wrong, and make anonymous – and essentially delete – who actually said what was right being lead by the Holy Spirit.
Rereading the older articles remind me of all the other errors MacArthur has said, including the 666 and mark of the beast teaching, which your sister site was still trying to justify – and it’s still wrong.
I don’t know if grace community church has really changed according to the article. Where are the witnesses that said the right thing? I see the pastor that says the wrong thing still paraded – over God – because those who brought the actual message are as outcast as usual. Stubbornness is as the sin of idolatry.
“Wherever there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
MacArthur never ‘taught’ about taking the Mark. He was responding to a question during an open mic night. AFAIK, he never spoke about it again. So your statement is a lie and should be repented of.
That is the thing. They take something and hold it up completely out of context. Hmmm….sounds like a certain someone else we know that loves a John MacArthur hit piece at least once a week.
I wondered when or if ever the skeleton of JD Hall would ever come lurching out of the closet again. Now that a fresh round of Macarthur bashing has started, once again his name has come up in dispatches. Hall was always one to put the boot in any chance he could, whilst proudly espousing his own superior intellect and grasp of theology.
The ghost of JD Hall – coming to you afresh in 2023 from the pen of protestia.
revelation 14: 9 And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
I’m posting from cell phone and not willing to let faulty translation stand. I can’t edit old posts. KJB Revelation 14 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
This is a moot point inasmuch as most of Revelation was fulfilled in the events surrounding the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
SMH (fka tekon, others) – August 1, 2023
“If I had married a trouble-making, pain-in-the-posterior, wicked-hearted woman with a mouth like yours, I might’ve just lost it one day and smashed her face in…I could’ve killed you with one punch…I’m showing you some of what those ramifications and consequences could be…As I said to you before, you’re like a poodle nipping at the heels of a pitbull”
———-
If you’re experiencing abuse, you can get help with just a call or chat. Our trained advocates offer free, confidential support 24/7.
https://www.thehotline.org/get-help/
M, apparently you have no idea how abusive you are yourself.
Everything you have done to me here at this website has been abusive.
You are always the initiator. You are always the aggressor. You are always the abuser.
Those who go back and read the posts will see that you doctored that quote you posted here in the comment to which I’m now responding, pasted several quotes from different comments together, as if they were from the same comment, took them out of sequence (days out of sequence, I might add), and took them out of context.. Being the wicked-hearted, deceitful, reprobate you are, as everybody here knows you to be, it is no surprise that you would yet again lie and falsely accuse.
I’ve known some evil women in my time, and you, M, are are among the worst of them …
Always the extreme irony with you M.
Doctoring up that fake quote is abusive!
You truly are a reprobate …
Everybody reading the posts here, who is aware of your abusive behavior, M, completely understands why and how someone could easily lose their cool with a person like you …
And everybody here knows you do it on purpose. You will push and provoke and mess with someone until you push them over the edge and past the limit, because that is EXACTLY YOUR INTENT
The adults here, M, who have raised children, nieces, nephews, etc., know exactly what you’re doing here. We’re all too familiar with it, especially when dealing with spoiled brats.
You are purposefully trying to push, provoke, and mess with me until I lose my cool … you are intentionally trying to push me past my limit …
And again, I am responding for the benefit of young men and women who may read these posts …
I’m sure you will read into what I say, yet again, whatever you want to read rather than what was written, but M what I’m telling you is the truth.
If you keep messing with people, one of these days you might discover that there are people in this world who you actually can push over the edge. You keep trying to push people past their limits, and you might accidentally find out, when it comes to some people, you actually can do so …
That’s not a threat. It’s reality. It’s caution.
And of course, you completely omit the fact that I did not marry such a woman, and did not marry at all. Even then I did not want to put myself in situations where I might be pushed to the edge.
I don’t know how that makes me a bad guy, but whatever …
Did I have a temper? Yes. Was I aggressive? Yes. Was I a sinner? Yes
So are you, M. You’re aggressive. You’re a sinner. Your extreme stubbornness and arrogance indicates you probably have a temper. And when it comes to being abusive, you are 1000x more abusive than I ever was, even at my worst.
M the Troll
aka Jethro Roys Jr. – Double Naught “Journalist”
Couldn’t post an actual accurate and honest quote or account of events to save her life …
But by golly, she has perfect grammar …
It’s no wonder you rejected Jesus and disregard scripture, M. By the time you’re done “interpreting” and reading what you want to read rather than what it says, it’s probably something like …
“For God so …. hated … the world … that He … gave not … His son … so that … all would be condemned”
Reprobate …
I have no doubt someone with your “skills”, M, could take one sentence here, another there, half a sentence here, word or two there, jumping all over the place between books and chapters, scraping what you want out of the red text of God’s word, everything out of sequence, out of context, ignoring the points being made, doctor up some quotes, and you could make Jesus Himself appear to be the worst person ever to walk the face of the planet …
It truly is stupid, M
EVERYONE needs to just STOP. You are acting like preschoolers and are ALL making fools of yourself. Put it in back in your pants and move on already.
Susan, if someone doctored a quote up and falsely accused you, you’d do the same darned thing, and you know it.
I have done nothing wrong here.
It is disappointing, and somewhat strange, that you would try to lay the blame for all this on me, rather than the trouble-making troll … the very same troll that harasses you also, as well as others here
I’ve tried to keep my distance, but every time I do, the blasted witch posts something in my name …
You get her to shut up and leave, and then I’ll leave, for crying out flipping loud …
Go back and read the posts she cherry-picked in order to make up that false quote, Susan
If you knew what was actually written, in context, you would not have said anything to me about “putting it back in the pants”
That’s the complete opposite of the points I was making, and the reason for saying what I said …
I don’t know how in the sam hill I’m supposed to avoid looking like a fool, when the troll posts in my name making me look like a fool … and worse …
How’s that supposed to work, Susan?
SMH
You give me a better solution, and I’ll do it. I’m all ears.
I can’t help but laugh
Give me a solution whereby nothing posted under my name makes me look like a fool … or worse …
ROFL
… like I have a choice
Not laughing at you Susan. Just my own “sam hill” comment and the comedy of it. I understand your sentiment, and actually agree, but I don’t know what to do about it.
I’ve tried changing screen names. I’ve tried cutting way back on posting. I’ve tried responding in a way that would discourage further trolling. I’ve even tried making up a different name every time I posted.
If I do nothing and let the false posts in my name stand unchallenged and uncorrected, then it appears that I’m sending a false message. Everybody else here who’s had it done to them, has responded to make it known that they did not make the post.
What do you do?
Apparently the only solution is for me to quit posting altogether, thereby giving the troll what it wants – at which point, she will just pick out another target and do the same thing, and she’ll keep doing it until she’s silenced every single one of us.
If anybody has a better solution than taking on the troll as I have been doing, let’s hear it.
Do we all throw up our hands, give up, quit posting, and let Satan have it … ??
She’s trolled several people here. The only reason she’s focused on me right now is because I took her on. Otherwise it would be someone else.
What do we do?
And if there is no “we” as far as other posters are concerned, then tell the troll not to post anything else in my name, and you won’t see me back here.