Unholy Charade - Jeff Crippen

Unmasking the Domestic Abuser in the Church

Author: Jeff Crippen Page 3 of 87

John MacArthur Has Died – What are we to Conclude About His Ministry?

By

On July 17, 2025

In Churches/Church Response

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
(Matthew 12:2-8)

In my early years as a pastor, I benefitted greatly from the preaching, teaching, and writing ministry of John MacArthur, Jr. I remember using his book “The Gospel According to Jesus” as a text in a Sunday morning class and we all profited from his rejection of the idea that a person can be a Christian and yet never confess Jesus as Lord (ie, obey Jesus). Because, that false teaching maintained, we are saved by grace and to require obedience to Jesus as Lord would be to add works to the gospel. MacArthur used God’s Word to shut down what really was a heresy.

We know that MacArthur produced a tremendous number of books and articles. He preached and taught at Grace Community Church for decades, edited the MacArthur Study Bible, founded the Master’s Seminary, taught on a longstanding radio broadcast, and more.

And yet…what are we to think? I ask this question because there have been very troubling cases of MacArthur and his elders and staff doing great harm to victims of domestic violence. The case of Eileen Gray and her abuser husband is a classic example. Eileen was publicly ex-communicated by MacArthur and the church provided comfort to her (at the time) husband, David Gray. David would ultimately be convicted of aggravated child molestation and other charges of abusing their children, a conviction for which he received a sentence of 21 plus years in prison. But even then Grace Community Church continued to support him, even helping him start a Bible study ministry to fellow prisoners.

So…what are we to think? How can a pastor preach and teach God’s Word and accomplish such apparently great things for Christ…and yet mistreat and even endanger an abuse victim and her children? Let me suggest one explanation.

John MacArthur fervently stood for the inerrancy and authority of the Bible. He used a “hermeneutic” (ie, a method of Bible interpretation) that was what I call “wooden literalism.” Now, I believe and teach that the Bible is indeed the inerrant and authoritative Word of God, and that we are to interpret it for exactly what it says and means. But I recognize that the Bible often uses symbols and types and figures to convey those literal truths which they represent. Much of the book of Revelation, for instance, uses such symbols and those who insist that the multiheaded beast is literally a multiheaded beast, or that the armies of locusts are actual hordes of locusts, well…such people are going to come to wrong and ridiculous conclusions. However, those symbols represent a literal thing or place or persons. To recognize the use of symbols and figures is certainly not a denial of the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.

But what has this to do with John MacArthur? Simply this – his approach to the Bible was so unbending and stiff that it led him to wrong conclusions in numbers of cases, and specifically in respect to the Bible’s teaching about marriage and divorce. For MacArthur, when he read this:

But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:32)

…he concluded and taught that Jesus meant to establish an absolute, universal principle which applies in all cases. “Divorce for any reason but adultery and it is sin.” Boom! There it is! [If you have read David Instone-Brewer’s book “Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible,” you will understand that there are valid reasons to conclude that Jesus was dealing specifically with a particular type case which His opponents connivingly asked Him about].

But back to MacArthur’s wooden literalism. If you simply look at the cases which he and his church leadership have handled, such as that of Eileen Gray’s, you will see that his hermeneutic led MacArthur to ridiculous, damaging, and illogical applications. No divorce ever except for adultery. No separation ever for domestic abuse. If a husband commits literal adultery with another woman, ok, the wife can divorce him. But if he has sex with one of the children….she must stay in the marriage, suffer for Jesus, and be a saintly model to the kids. See it? This is just like the Pharisees and their “letter of the law” approach to Scripture which Jesus condemned. They would refuse to support their own parents who were in need and instead give a tithe to the Temple. Jesus told them – listen to this very carefully –

‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

It is my conclusion therefore that John MacArthur, for all of his accomplishments, failed at one of the most important points in standing for Christ. He applied the Bible in a merciless manner in cases like that of Eileen Gray and her children. Why? Only the Lord really knows, but could it be that MacArthur was soooo zealous to stand for the Bible as the Word of God and to oppose the heresies of liberal theology and the false gospel or Rome, that his zeal carried him into the realm of error and merciless handling of cases where mercy was required?

There are lessons here for all of us. Every Christian must be zealous for the Lord, but we must be sure that our zeal is really for God and His truth and not something concocted by our own ideas. Paul saw this error in his own countrymen:

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. (Romans 10:2)

We must also recognize that we go wrong if we make too much of any man and begin to regard him as infallible. Those are dangers lurking for all who look at the ministry accomplishments of MacArthur. We can be thankful for the good, but always aware that our trust must be in the Lord alone and never come to a point of accepting something simply because a famed man said it.

We should pray that the pastoral staff of Grace Community Church and the Master’s Seminary faculty all have their eyes opened by the Lord and turn away from their serious errors of denying mercy to those in need of it.

The RASN’s Jealousy

By

On July 10, 2025

In jealousy

For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. (Proverbs 6:34)

Jealousy can have a positive connotation – after all, The Lord Himself is a jealous God. Jealous for His people and jealous for the glory that belongs to Him alone. There is this kind of good jealousy to be found in humans sometimes – when they are jealous for the glory of God for example.

But jealousy as a sin is one of the most destructive of all evils. There was this kind of jealousy in Cain when he murdered Abel. And we see it in King Saul when he heard the crowds praising David for slaying his 10,000’s. Saul’s friendship with David was turned to murderous hatred by his envy.

This same kind of wicked jealousy is to be seen in the RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist). It will turn a Hobbit into a Gollum (my precious!!!). Some of you have no doubt seen this dark transformation. Someone who once seemed to be a great friend, in the end, hated you and wanted to destroy you. So often, jealousy is a root cause for this.

In the church, I have seen this very thing play itself out. At first here was a man who for all appearances was a zealous Christian – but over time, “zealous” turned to “jealous.” Why? Because covetousness was lying rather dormant in such a person’s heart, not evidencing itself overtly. And then, as time passed, perhaps you enjoyed some successes, some blessings from the Lord. This might have been in your ministry for the Lord in His church or it may have been a promotion at work. What happened to that “friend?” Jealousy sprang up alive seeing that you were receiving something they wanted.

When someone is consumed with jealousy, they characteristically begin to accuse you of “leaving them out” or “keeping all the credit” for yourself. These are projections of the RASN’s own sin of course. But very soon the fruit of jealousy always appears – hatred. Like Saul who through a spear at David to kill him, the RASN starts launching his spears as well.

Now, as this metamorphosis happens, the probability is that you do not even see it until the thing just explodes. You are left wondering -“what in the world happened here? I don’t even recognize this person anymore.” Well, the explanation is jealousy. The RASN sees what you have and demands to have it. Instead of rejoicing that the Lord has blessed you (and if in connection with the church, He has blessed all the members), the RASN gnashes his teeth.

The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. (Mark 3:6)

RASN’s, like the Pharisees, are jealous for their own glory and they hate anyone who appears to be enjoying the success they crave. And thus they become fools. RASNs are fools. They destroy the best people around them.

Why Do We Replay Conversations?

By

On June 27, 2025

In Counseling

Do you replay conversations and interactions in your mind? Normal people do this quite typically – “I wonder if they understood what I meant? Perhaps I could have been more clear.” Or “I’m not sure I really understood what they were trying to say.” Such replays are not only normal, they are often a good thing. We want to be understood and we want to understand. We want to reflect upon ourselves to be sure that we helped the other person or if we could have done better.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)

But – there can be another reason for this replay that carries it to an unhealthy level. That reason is found in the actions of the RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist) against us. RASNs, by their words and actions, intend to erode our self-confidence. By their constant accusing, crazy-making, and other mixtures of their poisons, they can cause us to be excessively introspective and doubtful. This is why we so often find abuse victims saying “I’m sorry” when in reality they have nothing to apologize for.

Replaying conversations and interactions with others to this kind of morbid introspection is an indication that something has happened. If a person spends their days walking on eggshells, one of those eggshells is often going to be “I hope I didn’t upset him by what I said. Perhaps I should have worded things differently.”

When we are in regular contact with people who consistently assign the worst motives to us, replaying the conversations can become a kind of mental chain-reaction which the RASN sets off in our minds. He lights the fuse and kicks that first domino over then walks away, leaving us to our self-accusing thoughts.

I suspect that many of you have replayed the very same conversation over and over and over dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. You wake up in the morning and there is the video playing again in your mind. We get tired of watching even our favorite movie after, say, the tenth viewing – but these unhealthy replays set off by the RASN don’t just go away with the click of a remote.

Perhaps the first step in conquering this kind of thing is to recognize what is going on. When we replay and replay and replay an interaction or conversation, it is an indication that someone or something has instilled false guilt and self-doubt in us. True conviction does not do this. When we really have, for example, sinned with our words, our conscience functions to replay what we have done in order that we might see it, confess it, repent of it, and seek forgiveness from the Lord and the person we wronged. Case closed. Remote “off” button clicked. Tape erased. But that is all a different matter that this trauma-caused replaying.

Once we realize the origin of these damaging replays – once we realize they are the result of RASN tactics, then we can counter the lies with truth and be set free. And I would add one other point. FEAR is intimately involved in this evil business. RASNs, being of their father the devil, share in his nature and tactics. Satan holds people in bondage by fear. So think this through. Replaying conversations and interactions in a destructive way is something that is evidence of fear. So, we ask ourselves, “why am I doing this? What is it that I am afraid of?” Answering that question is a powerful antidote to the poison.

Still Seeking Your RASN Father’s Approval?

By

On June 21, 2025

In Family/Children, Getting Free

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:23)

Not everyone has the privilege of growing up in a home where their parents truly loved them. More often than we would like to think, a parent is a RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist).

It is natural to human beings to desire to be loved, for example, by their father. In fact, most children believe that their parents (let’s focus on the father in this article) really do love them. But if their father is, for instance, a narcissist, the sad truth is that the child is not loved by dad. Narcissists don’t love. They don’t have empathy. They are users, the center of the universe. Even their children exist only to praise and serve them. The whole scenario is incredibly confusing and crazy-making to a child as the years go by. In spite of all the shaming, guilting, abuse and other ugly tactics, people generally grow up telling themselves that their father does love them.

But he doesn’t. He never did. He doesn’t love anyone.

Now, as a child enters adulthood, this false believe doesn’t disappear. However, at the same time the child, now an adult, continues to try to earn his or her father’s approval. We all want our father’s approval. You rehearse scenarios in your mind – even if you had a good father – in which your performance pleases dad. You also rehearse those scenes where you failed to earn dad’s approval. But the nasty dynamic which a narcissist father instills in his children is a no-win setting. Always striving. Always trying. Must have dad’s approval.

But they never will have it. the narcissist only approves of himself and demands that everyone else approve of him regardless of the truth that he deserves no approval at all.

So how does such a person (the now adult one-time child) break out of this addiction to dad’s approval? I suggest that there is only one ultimate, lasting way to get free and it is this – you need to realize that in Christ you have a real Father who really loves you and approves of you. [I am talking to Christians here – those who have been born again by faith alone in Christ alone. God the Father does not approve of those who reject Him]. The thing is quite incredible. You see it in the scripture quoted above. When we are born again, when we are thereby in Christ, the Father loves us with the same love by which He loves His Son! We won’t get a real handle on this until the day we are with Him in the new heavens and earth. But it’s true.

We need to embrace this truth. In Christ, we are a child of God (don’t believe that lie that all people are God’s children. They aren’t). In Christ we have a Father in heaven who loves us with a love that not even the most loving earthly father could direct toward us. Our Father who art in heaven…. And this Father not only loves, He IS love for all who love Him.

This is where freedom really is to be found. Those recurring replays in my mind where I earn my earthly father’s approval or fail to get it, where I wish and wish and wish I could go back in time and “get it right,” are all flights of fancy, vestiges instilled in our minds by a father whose love was imperfect or non-existent. If only… but the “if” will never happen.

So turn the eyes of your mind upward where your true life is. Dive into your real Father’s Word where He meets you and realize more and more and more that because of Christ and this great salvation the Father has given us in Him, you already have His love. Serve Him, believe His promises, confess your sins to Him and receive His forgiveness, and look forward daily to that day of all days when you hear Him say, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

The RASN is an Addict

By

On June 17, 2025

In Abusers, Evil

Psalms 7:14  Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.

I listened to a very helpful podcast this week by Dr. Les Carter. He discussed narcissism as an addiction, comparing the narcissist to an addict. One point in particular which he made was this: the addict grows in his/her toleration of their drug. They have to have more and more and more of it to meet their craving.

And so it is with the RASN (reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist). They are addicted to the drug of ego food. Their ego, their self-entitlement, their superior mindset, demands increasing doses as time passes. In other words, the RASN grows more and more evil. And just as an addict rages when his drug is not available, so it is with the RASN.

I have seen this in action, and I suspect most of you have as well. Initially in a relationship with a RASN, the demand for praise and elevation is perhaps not that noticeable. It is more easily met. We administer it and don’t think that much about doing so. But as the years go by, things keep changing. The RASN’s addiction to ego food grows and grows in intensity. If he does not receive his injection, he rages and hates and strikes out.

This is why RASNs increase in, for example, the wicked fruit of jealousy. They hate the success of others. They crave it for themselves. And so they begin working to erode and corrode success in those around them. Healthy people are glad when others succeed. In a church, for instance, when one member of the body is blessed, the rest of the members rejoice because, after all, we are all one in Christ.

Not so, the RASN. Not only is he not glad that the Lord is blessing someone else, he hates it. And really, if you think this through, his hatred is ultimately directed toward the Lord. “I deserve! Give me! That person think they are soooo great! But I am the great one and I demand to be recognized!”

This is why we are often left wondering, after a RASN has all-out attacked and rejected us, if they were always “that way.” Well, in a sense they were. The root of this evil was always there. But it grew. Just like a drug addict, their tolerance to ego food increased so that they demanded more and more and more of it. This is the spirit in them:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,  (4)  who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The RASN is a Thief

By

On June 12, 2025

In Abusers

John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

If you will pardon the personal illustration, I would like to talk to you about how revilers, abusers, sociopaths, and narcissists STEAL not only from their targeted victims, but from many others in the circle of the victims’ world.

We knew an exceptionally godly young woman many years ago (over half a century now!) who was married to a RASN. Being young and inexperienced, we did not realize the nature of the man she was married to. Oh, we could see some of the foibles but what we did not know about was the level of psychological cruelty he subjected her to. Ultimately he deserted her (to her great benefit, though she did not realize it at the time).

Well, the years raced by. Initially we were able to see her on occasion (we had moved some distance away by then) and were very glad for her when she met a Godly man and remarried. But what I want to show you specifically is that her abuser’s stealing did not end even then. Of course we can see how he stole many things from her initially – her confidence, her health, her freedom and more. But he also stole from US and others. How? Well, just consider what could have been. Let me explain.

Had that RASN been kind, truly loving her as Christ loves His bride, had he repented of his sin and followed Christ, our original friendship with that couple would have continued and grown over all these years. Happily, as I said, the Lord gave her a wonderful, Godly husband, but the RASN stole from us what could have been years of friendship. But the RASN destroyed all of that. He stole it.

When a RASN does his RASN destruction, a world of relationships and joy is stolen. Fortunately, in the last months of her life, we were able to reconnect with our friend, but still I cannot help but be very angry about what was stolen from all of us. When an evil person abuses another they inevitably use deceptive tactics which confuse and divide others. They alienate us from one another. They STEAL! They are THIEVES! They steal joy and friendships – they destroy worlds that could have been. Just like the wolves and false shepherds Jesus’ spoke so much about. They only come to steal and kill and destroy. They erase years that could have been.

Fortunately we have a Good Shepherd who is in the business of repaying wolves for what they have done to Christ’s sheep. These RASNs are surely going to come to a miserable end. The Lord will repay them tenfold for their evil deeds. And there is more. Our Good Shepherd is in the business of restoring what was stolen from us:

Joel 2:25-26  I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.  (26)  “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Some Great New Posters for Your Home

By

On June 5, 2025

In Abusers

Our brothers and sisters in Christ at graphicspaces.com have made several new posters that I will be hanging in our church building. You can buy them for yourself at their website. https://www.graphicspaces.com/collections/posters-christian/products/poster-christian-be-who-you-are-galations-2-20

Here is another one: https://www.graphicspaces.com/collections/posters-christian/products/poster-humbling-the-proud-daniel-4-37

And another: https://www.graphicspaces.com/collections/posters-christian/products/poster-enter-by-the-narrow-gate-matthew-7-13-14

The Destructive Path of the Abuser

By

On June 5, 2025

In Abusers, Churches/Church Response

DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
(Romans 3:16-17)

RASNs (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists) are like a tornado. You no doubt have seen the path of a tornado in the news media or perhaps even in person. You can see where it has been. Everything is demolished.

RASNs are like a tornado. They wreak havoc, misery, and destruction. Most of the RASNs I have personally encountered have been in the local church. They constantly work at being esteemed by all. They crave to be worshipped and adored. And in doing so, they divide, destroy, and hurt. It only takes one in the mix of an entire congregation and when the dust settles, friendships are destroyed, some members leave, and those who had to deal with the RASN are maligned and blamed.

RASNs hurt others. They are the kind of person that the Apostle Paul warned us about:

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
(Romans 16:17-18)

That is a perfect description of the “Christian” narcissist. And it is also God’s instruction to us regarding how we are to deal with such a person. Watch out for them. And watching out means to be wise about evil and to go “no contact” with it. In the case of the church, we are to put such a person out from among us.

RASNs are deceivers. They utilize “smooth talk and flattery” to dupe the naive. So don’t be naive. Christians should be the best experts on these evil kind, but sadly it seems that the church is not very often wise to them. As a result, their destruction and misery sweep a path right through us.

Paul said “the path of peace they have not known.” Think about that. Peace is something these wicked ones know nothing about. They actually prefer war because it serves their destructive purposes the best. Think of Hitler, for instance. Peace was something he did not desire, even though his path left Germany in ruins. War and division and destruction are the main diet of these kind.

You cannot make peace with someone who knows nothing about peace, who finds peace detestable. You are not going to sit down with the RASN and reason them into choosing peace. Peace is an alien thing to them. Their purposes are served by causing conflict, division, and destruction. And if we are going to be wise to them, it is vital that we understand and admit these facts.

The Dark Secrecy of Narcissistic Abuse

By

On June 3, 2025

In Narcissist

Deuteronomy 27:24  ‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

It takes a long time for us to wake up to the existence and nature of narcissistic abuse. RASNs as I call them (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists), operate in darkness and secrecy – behind the scenes. They wear disguises. They live a lie. They use tactics that are not easily recognized by their targets. As the Word of God says, such people are cursed by the Lord.

Many of you have, I suspect, experienced the same kind of thing that I have. Years go by and only decades later does the truth become evident. The real evil that was happening, the abuse launched against the victim all that time or so long ago – comes to light. And you respond – “I didn’t know.” And you really didn’t know. Satan’s kingdom is the kingdom of darkness, and his servants operate in darkness where no one sees.

The deception can make us feel guilty. “How could I have missed it? How could I have not seen?” Well, you didn’t see because you cannot see in the darkness. A secret is a secret – until it is revealed.

But the Lord is Light. He reveals what is hidden and what is secret. That is why the wicked hate Him and all who belong to Him. His Light exposes the darkness and the evil deeds being done in it –

John 3:20  “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.

This is why it is vital for us to constantly ask the Lord to reveal what is hidden, to open our eyes so that we can discern. Praying in this way and diligently giving ourselves to the serious study of God’s Word is essential if the lights are going to go on for us. Those red flags, those feelings that all is not well – can only be recognized for what they are if we are trained to discern –

Hebrews 5:13-14  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  (14)  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.

When the RASN’s Idol is Threatened

By

On May 15, 2025

In Abusers, Narcissist

When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.
(Acts 19:28-29)

Paul’s experience at Ephesus is a very good picture of what happens whenever the reviler, abuser, sociopath, narcissist’s idol is threatened. Of course, most all of you know that the RASN’s idol is SELF. Specifically, the false facade of SELF which the RASN clothes himself in. He sees himself as deity to be worshipped, and he demands that worship – or else. Others exists solely for the purpose of praising him and shoring up his false image.

In many ways, the RASN is constantly demonstrating “Great is Artemis!” Just plus his name in there and you have it. When anyone brings truth to bear upon this idolatrous image, a riot will break out. A riot of anger and a quest for punishment and vengeance. Artemis, like all false gods, is false. The idol is a lie, a creation of man. Truth shines light upon the lie’s darkness, exposing the RASN for what he really is. And this exposure simply cannot be tolerated.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

It is vital that we understand this – many of these kinds of people exist around us. They are not rare. And many of them love to seek out churches as their selected arena in which to play out their idolatry. Since we do not think in this way, we make the mistake of believing that everyone else thinks like we do. They do not. The RASN’s mindset is entirely different.

Page 3 of 87

Previous

Next