In an ironic and unfortunate turn of events, Former actor-turned-evangelist Kirk Cameron had disgraced pastor James MacDonald on his tv show this week, ‘Takeaways with Kirk Cameron’ inviting the mammon-loving man to teach on the problem of biblical illiteracy.
It’s not an unsurprising move for Cameron, who has gotten squirrelier in his later years and waded into shifty waters with the guests he platforms and promotes on his show, including Anne “making love to Jesus’ Voscamp, faith healer and NAR célèbre Francis Chan, and Dallas Jenkins, who has repeatedly asserted that Mormons are Christian even though they believe in millions of Gods and one day they themselves will be a God.
According to Church Leaders, Cameron introduced him by saying:
For 30 years, Doctor James MacDonald served as founding and senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and for more than 20 years, he was the Bible teacher of the broadcast ministry ‘Walk in the Word., He’s a prolific author of more than 15 books, and he joins us today to talk about the crisis of biblical illiteracy.”
Perhaps Cameron is not aware that Macdonald’s was officially terminated by the elder board of Harvest Bible Church in November of 2019 following a messy, public separation filled with lawsuits and name-calling. The elder board previously declared the money-grubbing guzzler to be so not above reproach, that they raked him over the coals sixty ways to Sunday and called him out for the abusive, greedy, two-fold son of hell that he is: explaining in an open letter all the ways MacDonald failed to be qualified for the pastorate
- Above Reproach (Titus 1:6)–“To be above reproach is to have a reputation for being blameless and honorable.” The accusations against James are of great quantity and continue to be brought forward. His character should have been such that this magnitude of accusations would not have been believable. But sadly, James’ reputation does not defend his character. Instead, his reputation affirms many of the accusations against him as plausible.
- Respectable (1 Timothy 3:2)–The antithesis of being respectable is to be disruptive. We found that James had a pattern of being disruptive in public and private settings at the expense of other people’s well-being.
- Upright (Titus 1:8)–We found that James failed to meet the standard of dealing with others fairly and honorably. At times, he misrepresented gifts paid for by the church as gifts from him personally.
- Not Arrogant or Violent (Titus 1:7)–James’ behavior and language indicated that he thought of himself more highly than he should as evidenced by his pattern of insulting, belittling and verbally bullying others.
- Not Quick-Tempered or Quarrelsome (Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3)–We found James had a pattern of quickly becoming angry, manifesting itself in unmerited force and frequency. James’ behavior was of that of a combative person who insisted on his own ways and failed to cultivate peace.
- Not Domineering (1 Peter 5:3)–We found that James had a pattern of improperly exercising his positional and spiritual authority over others to his own advantage.
- Not Greedy for Gain or A Lover of Money (Titus 1:7; 1 Timothy 3:3)–We found that James made repeated efforts to profit himself beyond what was honorable. There was a pattern of extravagant spending utilizing church resources resulting in personal benefit.
- Disciplined (Titus 1:8)–James failed to keep his emotions under control. The failure is not in the dynamic range of his personality, but in the lack of self-discipline, which an Elder should display in a bridled tongue and sound speech.
- Self-Controlled and Sober-Minded (Titus 1:8; 1 Timothy 3:2)–We found that James had a pattern of acting on sudden impulses with insufficient deference to wise but differing views. In some of the most crucial moments where James needed to be calm and cautiously wise, he was hasty and reckless.
You’ll recall that MacDonald was living the high life prior to being ousted, likely rolling around naked each night in his Scrooge McDuckian Money Bin, reveling in the filthy lucre he was amassing and spending as if it were candy.
Harvest Bible Church, who is far from innocent in this whole mess, gave MacDonald a multi-million dollar checking account, and over a period of just three years he spent:
$286,096 In personal expenses for he and his family unrelated to the following expenses below. These included $100,000 in counseling, a pair of motorcycles, tuition, car repairs, etc.
$416,139 was spent on travel (including those expenses related to James MacDonald’s “refreshment”), of which $94,046 was added to his W-2s as additional compensation.
$170,851 was spent on hunting and fishing trips and related expenses. Expenses within this category include hunt cost, airfare, lodging, gas, food, gratuities, apparel, guns, and taxidermy (and related shipments).
$139,502 was spent on meals and entertainment. Entertainment expenses within this category include golf, club dues, boat tours, and event tickets.
$94,017 was spent on apparel and eyewear, of which $17,277 was added to James MacDonald’s W-2s as additional compensation
$114,159 for “refreshment” expenses for other members of the Senior Executive Leadership Team.
But this is the man Cameron had on. CL reveals:
When Cameron asked MacDonald why he thinks biblical illiteracy in America is at an all time high, even though access to the Bible has never been easier, MacDonald said, “The Bible is seen as material that could be reviewed and considered, but it’s certainly not seen as authoritative.”
“I had a bunch of pastors here, Kirk, in my house recently. I was training them in what we call ‘Better Biblical Preaching.’ And it was remarkable to me when I asked them, ‘what is the goal of preaching,’ they really—seminary-trained guys—they just kind of didn’t know,” MacDonald said. “And I took the time, several hours, to teach them from the word of God that the endgame of preaching is a higher view of Scripture.”
Sounds like a bad time, and Cameron should know better.
Or perhaps he does.
h/t Church Leaders
