Why John MacArthur Believes Online Church is ‘Unbiblical’
And Why He’s Wrong: A Tale of Power, Control, and Virtual Worship
Renowned conservative Evangelical powerhouse John MacArthur really hates online church — despises it, in fact. In a question-and-answer session, MacArthur advised his congregation, “Zoom church is not church. It’s not church. It’s watching TV.”
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches across the U.S. and around the world temporarily shut their doors, sparking a surge in the popularity of streaming services as congregants turned to online sermons. This enabled Christians to walk the fine line between social responsibility and continuing to meet together—albeit via the internet.
However, MacArthur would refuse outright to go online, and even as COVID-19 swept through his congregation, Grace Community Church continued to defy public health orders to stop holding church services in person, indoors. In fact, MacArthur told his faithful followers back in August 2020, “There is no pandemic,” and even hired security guards to stop Country health inspectors from coming inside his church during worship.
If those health inspectors had made it inside, they would have seen thousands of maskless congregants sitting side-by-side — singing, shaking hands, and hugging.
