John McArthur Has Died, I'm Not Invoking His Prayers

New blog on the kid: John McArthur Has Died, I'm Not Invoking His Prayers · Assorted retorts from yahoo boards and elsewhere: Grace Church Community Taught Heresy (Plus Was Cruel)

I offered my condoleances for his admirer Allie Beth Stuckey under a video with Lila Rose who's doing a good job defending the faith. However, my condoleances became an occasion for debate.

Can Catholics Claim the One True Church? | Lila Rose (‪@LilaRoseShow‬) | Ep 1216
Allie Beth Stuckey | 11 July 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6IdyzgKIKs

I just heard from "Living Waters" pastor Ray Comfort that John McArthur has met his Maker and Judge.

You may be missing an inspiring teacher. I may regret the missed opportunity of converting him ... condoleances.

John Claiborne

@johnclaiborne2749

MacArthur was an awesome preacher/teacher. We're so blessed to still have many of his sermons and books available. "Well done, good and faithful servant"

Hans-Georg Lundahl

@hglundahl

@johnclaiborne2749 Your application of "Well done, good and faithful servant" is obviously a canonisation, though not a canonic one.

Less than or about 24 he after he died? Santo subito, as they say about someone canonised less than 50 years after the démise ...

John Claiborne

@hglundahl No, I'm not talking about the unbiblical and nonsensical Roman Catholic "canonization process". The biblical definition of a "saint" is a saved sinner. And for any saved sinner, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

@johnclaiborne2749 That's not quite what you said.

Canonisation says three things:

• x is present with the Lord (we agree this can occur) and came there immediately on dying (you would pretend this is the only outcome possible, except hell)
• x can hear our prayers and submit or refuse to submit them to God (you would disagree on this being able to occur)
• the life of x is worthy of imitation (we would both agree this can occur, and we would both agree this is not what happens for instance with a drunkard who repents and is saved five seconds before he dies).

When you said God told Him "good and faithful servant" you were extending to him the dignity of being worthy of Christians imitating him.

That's why I called "santo subito" or hasty canonisation.

@johnclaiborne2749 "the unbiblical and nonsensical"

The first canonisation in (or into) the New Covenant was made by Jesus to Dismas. A k a the robber on the cross to the right side of Jesus.

A generic canonisation is found in Matthew five and Luke 6 (starting in verse 20), so canonisation is saying someone has earned these additional blessings over the simple blessing "blessed is he whose sins are covered" ... otherwise we wouldn't propose so and so for imitation.

As to the process, one can ask whether it's good or bad or someone else has a better one (like the Orthodox process is different), but the idea of miracles comes from Mark 16. It's cessationism that's unbiblical.

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More content in this format, link to video and comments, even debates, sometimes on side issues, on the blogs: Assorted retorts from yahoo boards and elsewhere (ENG) Wherein the label Allie Beth Stuckey Répliques Assorties (FR) Antworten nach Sorte (DE)