#JRgossipslut James MacDonald (@jamesmacdonald) June 15, 2021 And I sat down on the couch in my office and cried. Church, Ministry News It does. The marriage relationship has died. Yeah, I got sued, but the case got dropped. Although as soon as, pretty much after Mancow aired it. His support of Kari Lake shows that he supports her lies. Well, because Scripture says you do it in front of everybody. And we had consensus from everybody in the room that James McDonald was not qualified to as an elder and that his employment at Harvest Bible Chapel was over. Thats right. And I sat and prayed. She gave it to me to get to the elders. No one takes joy in doing this. And there was a voicemail from one of the pastors at Harvest, in a really sort of pushing for me to sign that put my name to that. So Rick was, in effect, the Assistant senior pastor. While we were doing that, I was in my office at home. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. And you couldnt be accused of disseminating them to the larger public. Ryan Visconti, the Arizona pastor platforming discredited celebrity preacher James MacDonald is attracting attention . Nah Gary, thats just typical cat behavior for you, with or without Kenneth Copeland. Pastor James MacDonald. He knows! If the church wants to regulate marriage, let them say you cant get remarried in their church if you are already married in the eyes of the church. Visconti wins the Internet! 2011 NIV. But he starts arguing process. I really am so very sick of these self-righteous, insensitive, insulting church leaders who think they are the only ones who have a hardwire connection to God preaching on the subject of wives submit to your husbands while they leave out the husbands responsibility to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Leslie said: Julie Roys is a Christian investigative reporter who has called out some big names, and she has suffered for it. @jamesmacdonald. But it was dark. But But I remember saying to the guys, listen, heres the passages Ive been studying. It looks like these contemporary churches are just fundamentalists in different garb. The picture with deceiver Kari Lake speaks volumes! In our required Old and New Testament classes, we utilized the Oxford Annotated Bible. I was thrown out of the church we gave our lives to by a group of rogue leaders, MacDonald writes. And remember, a week before the decision had been made, in terms of not qualified as an elder and his employment would be over. Both are true. But the one letter that isnt published came from Sandy Song. It was a heated discussion about letters and who should have the letters who should read the letters, etc., that night. I had all the letters at that point. Jacob Ross, all the credit card that James used for personal expenses. And my wife, my wife and I looking at each other and going are we really doing this? Jennifer I would listen to MacArthur, Piper and Macdonald on a regular basis. There would be no Roys Report without Judson University. But one of the circumstances hes talking about, hes talking about something specific where Id stood up for him in a meeting years ago. So who is he talking about? Again, Dan was one of the elders who confronted James back in 2012, and then got excommunicated from Harvest. And scripture is really clear that its got to be, you know, two or three witnesses. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? For more information on Marquardt Buick go to buyacar123.com. And again, this was on the churchs dime. Hear the dramatic and sovereignly orchestrated story of how MacDonalds actions finally came to light at Harvest. But this is a story that just is not going away. Am I characterizing what happened there accurately? Honestly dont to this day. So I had a pretty good sense of what the meeting was gonna be from that point on. And I thought, Oh, my gosh! So Rick had been there 29 plus years. That would be acceptable teaching. . Ed Stetzer was given a car by James MacDonald, along with a bunch of cash and other things that Roys documents in her reporting. So you werent part of the lawsuit. If hes ok with lying it places doubt on the gospel. Why is that? I just know I got them. The Lord made it really clear. James McDonald recently did a video with Ron Duitsman, as you said, former chairman of the elder board, where he claims this was all part of a campaign by Dallas Jenkins, whos a former executive leadership team member at Harvest. And the things that were done to them after they left. We did not hurry. And lets just, for people who dont know, tell them who Rick Donald is and the position he held and his relation to James McDonald. Am I characterizing that correctly? But it happened to me in the meeting where I raised a couple things and James McDonald is like, I dont remember that. But I had all I had all the letters by that point. I think, how is it that we had the word of God sitting in front of us, which is pretty clear about what to do. Search my early tweet history. And why do you do it in front of everybody? The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. You disseminated down to the elders, and then that became really the sticking point for James, wasnt it? Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! And it was a pretty tough meeting. And thank you for loving our Lord and showing the way. But it was at this point that I started to reach out to Harvest and really seeking their comment on some of the things that I had heard. And he said, you know, James Macdonald had requested that I come out to a meeting and he had requested Mike Dunwoody and one other elder Mark Hopwood was a longtime elder from Elgin that we would all join them for a meeting at seven oclock on that Thursday night. What is the point of bringing this pastors political views into the story? Like Tullian Tchvidjian, he would be a great salesman. The whole crooked machine needs to be brought down. (We're a church of around 4,000 members & regular attenders.) A strong woman with a weak husband will become a toxic woman. He also advertised an upcoming GrampCampan overnight retreat providing training and tools for grandparents to connect with their grandkids. It wasnt an argument. We dont know how much the top people at Harvest make. Well, you know, we laugh about it. Right, so now you have this meeting that ends you know, Tuesday night meeting that ends in the wee hours of the Wednesday, February 6. And Im just trying to smear him. My husband really appreciates James McDonalds preaching against my better judgement I told him about the new messagesso we have the Advent message from his Home Church network cast to the TV I had planned to leave the room so I didnt have to watch it I have to tell you he sounds sincere (without wax) I find the whole situation so heart breaking and confusing. If you read his letter, he was going to publish his letter. And if he doesnt, what does that mean in terms of employment at Harvest Bible Chapel? I remember as a young pastor first hearing about James at a 2002 Moody Pastors Conference and reading his well written book on hermeneutics with an apologetic leaning and being blessed from his book. You could tell where it was headed probably. She wanted me to look at it. I need to repent. And were talking about a private jet. Vernick, however, believes abuse is grounds for divorce. My strength is dried up, as by the heat of summer. Thank you for loving the Church and the Lord God Almighty, to take the hard but righteous way rather than the hard way. And, again, this is five days after I published my expose of Harvest and World Magazine. And you know, told her that I would get it to the motherboard. He was an incredible communicator both orally and his deportment was engaging. Yeah, I can share some of it. 28 Feb 2023 13:40:27 That didnt happen. Visconti also had posts supporting far-right causes. I remember one other elder leading over to me and said repentant people dont ask for money. I stepped away from my computer a couple of times. I mean, here he is in Haiti, thats just been wracked by an earthquake, unbelievable poverty and devastation. Following allegations of years-long bullying and financial misconduct, the lead pastor and executive team of an Association of Related Churches (ARC) megachurch, Everyone was laughing and goading, like it was a jokeuntil it wasnt. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Malachi 2:16 has been harmfully interpreted & practiced based on twisted translations, Malachi 2 clearly talks about husbands dealing treacherously w their wives these husbands are the ones who hate and divorce 16 The man who hates and divorces his wife, says the Lord, the God of Israel, does violence to the one he should protect, says the Lord Almighty. His employment is coming to an end. He is not a pastor. I say this as a Christian who was taken to task by Christian doctors who told me of all sorts of cases that are not as the woman loved murdering her baby as many pro-life conservatives want everyone to believe. Thanks that is hilarious!! Others as well, who were defending and saying, well, the elders shouldnt even have these letters we had agreed, they go to the reconciliation team. She was powerful and wise., Similarly, popular marriage and sex author, Sheila Wray Gregoire, wrote to TRR, The idea that a man can only be happy in a marriage when a wife is weaker than him shows that his idea of manhood is an extremely fragile one., As reported by TRR earlier this week, Visconti has publicly announced that he is being mentored by James MacDonald, and MacDonald has preached at Generation Church numerous times this past year. Then the board announced its executive committee would be resigning over the next few months. And I said, Listen, I get it. But he demanded that he be flown home on a private jet. So Im deeply grateful for their faithful support. Thats about my attitude lately. James MacDonald and His Earlier Attacks on Julie Roys. And they said, I remember Dan telling me that that James slammed his fist on the table. Thank you for taking the stand that you did. And at the end of the night, we looked around the room, we had talked through it. May 19, 2021 10:53 am To some former Harvest Bible Chapel insiders, Rick Donald was not just James MacDonald's right-hand man; he was also his "hatchet man" or "smiling assassin." Load more It didnt sit right with me when I heard about it, that the church was suing you, and the Mahoneys, and the Bryants. Like wow! I dont understand how folks in a church can continue to contribute to the church knowing that a significant portion of their contributions have gone / are going to line someones pocket in this dispute. He was the second longest tenured pastor at Harvest. It was so much easier to read and understand. Gosh she is just filthy with gossip as fact and at very best half the story. . Im Julie Roys. Because if he resigns, he gets up in front of the church, gets to spin things, and, you know, can probably relaunch somewhere else. If you hear that from the pulpit, or you hear that up front, I think, if Im sitting, if Im sitting in the seat, I think well, how fast can I get to my car and confess everything that just the Holy Spirit just brought to mind? From the overflow of your heart your mouth (and thumbs) are speaking. You can unconditionally love someone. And they are even beloved by God. And theres Ephesians 5 about exposing the unfruitful works of darkness having nothing to do with those. Like this had been a months long drawn out battle. TED also reported that MacDonald's church Harvest Bible Chapel was $65 million in debt. Its so interesting. So grateful to be healthy and happy in the Lord to where I can finally wade into the filth from JuLIE Roys. Dan also was in numerous meetings with James McDonald prior to his firing. And it became so obvious to be like that that was what it was. George of course evangelicalism is [anti-Christ] fundamentalism. It was a four hour meeting. Just finished my post on clarifiers that will precede the deception lists. I said, Sandy, Im so sorry, for what happened on my watch. And many who have followed this story know what James McDonald has done. Thank you. So I appreciate it. And eventually, and I know you send them with a lot of safeguards, so they couldnt be forwarded. Its a reference to sex magik and the leaders have given a hat tip to their god right in the church name. She also previously hosted a national talk show on the Moody Radio Network, called Up for Debate, and has worked as a TV reporter for a CBS affiliate. It was demonic. Youre better off reading the Bible at home with your cat. I look back at those meetings. And I did it. And that reminded me of something that Dan Marquardt told me. We knew what we knew what we were going to do. And then saying, I need a private jet to fly me home. Jesus help us. If theres other passages we should be talking about, lets talk about them. Ron Duitsman, Chairman of the Board, who agreed to fire James, now appears to be out there, saying that after James got fired, that the elders were were spinning what happened in a false way. And so really appreciate that and appreciate the time at which you did that. Plus, the school offers more than 60 majors, great leadership opportunities and strong financial aid. He wasnt bringing it to the elders and through a discussion with a couple of the pastors, chose to give it to the elders, which we were thankful for. I knew letters were coming to the elder board per First Timothy 5. This is this is one of the biggest things elders could do. This story saddens me. Patient, kind, not self-seeking. Yeah, yeah. Thank you Jesus, Amen. And I was just, it was entertaining, you know, on one level, but on the other level, just absolutely tragic. We all need to do it together, etc, etc. MacDonald is a successful American religious entrepreneur. One is, I dont want people to give up on the church. But, I dont believe I have ever heard anyone say in any of these posts, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. In the area (a south metro suburb of Minneapolis, MN ), that's just the average cost of a house. And I remember talking to another elder and I looked at him, he was almost in tears, saying, I cant believe were not going to do what Gods word says. According to Harvest Bible Chapel pastor James McDonald, former Moody Radio host Julie Roys and bloggers Ryan Mahoney and Scott Bryant published and helped publicize false and damaging financial . And everyone who stayed just drank the Kool-Aid. And from the video that he recorded with James, it sounds like the spin is that James was actually guilty. The elder board is still in the dark. Again, six, absolutely scathing letters. Dr. John Street, the head of counseling at MacArthurs The Masters University, takes a harder line. And yet so many still have not and still waiting for James McDonald to do that. I know its your hope too, Dan, and I just want to thank you. And at this point, the letters, what had happened with the letters? Ugh. . ( was spent) That seems pretty straightforward. And were like, boy, I hate to say this, but that just felt demonic. (Proverbs 27:12). Youre, youre characterizing it correctly. I was there at HBC & witnessed it. There was just enough false doctrine so that it was swallowed up with the truth. But would he have been able to save face do you think? And to give you the flavor of the meeting, when I walked in the room, and we all greeted each other, we were in the former executive pastors office around an oval table, and James McDonald sitting across from me. How come its always wives submit to your husbands and never husbands love your wives? Guest Bios Show Transcript Spiritual abuse has become an increasingly hot topic, as more and more stories of bully pastors and hyper-controlling, Guest Bios Show Transcript After years spent in an abusive church, how do you heal? 1) Julie Roys. . Shame on you for reading scripture! TRR reached out to Visconti numerous times for comment about his partnership with MacDonald and his provocative social media posts, but Visconti did not respond. This is the most used and abused (pun intended) argument. So I asked the other elders, I said, I need to repent. Thats even though MacDonalds former megachurch, Harvest Bible Chapel, disqualified MacDonald from public ministry in 2019 for a pattern of sinful behavior.. And I gotta tell you, the people of Harvest, the people who were there before, the people who were still there, were so forgiving. I did not. So at the end of the night, no one got the letters. Sin has real consequences and sometimes those consequences are permanent. Whoever said the dumbest thing had to take off an, Despite being disqualified from public ministry by his former megachurch for a pattern of sinful behavior, James MacDonald is preaching at Generation. Because when you report on this for months, you feel the pain of the people that are involved. The owners of Marquardt are friends of mine, Dan and Kurt Marquardt. On Thursday, Im in a meeting with him where honestly, Julie, they were trying to convince me and the other elders in the room that hadnt been in previous meetings to let him resign. There was a whole discussion about whether he was repentant and I said, I dont know, hes not repentant. And I knew that I needed to do something publicly. And I have, you know, probably probably six weeks later, less than, probably four weeks later or something I I apologized for signing that. He was in Walk in the Word studios apparently, and said some really vile things, including, you know, joking about putting child porn on a computer, joking about me having an affair with a Christianity Today editor, which has no basis in fact whatsoeve. But over there, you know, I, you know, six, seven people who had read the letters, probably more than that by the time, and we talked about what was in the letters. The news came less than a week after another update from Julie Roys, . None of my sources said it was wrong. However, you did sign a letter of unconditional support. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Ive already told you there was consensus from board. Five of the six have been published. But its a story that needs to be toldand rememberedgiven that MacDonald is trying to relaunch his ministry in Chicago. Voice of James MacDonald Believed to Be Featured in Vulgar Comments. She first came to my attention with James MacDonald, then with Ravi Zacharias, and now John McArthur plus one of his side-kicks is in her cross-hairs. Very loyal to James McDonald. How much do you make? Christian counselor and author, Leslie Vernick, took exception to Viscontis post. But according to a recent email by MacDonald, he's a victim of defamation by an "envious child"and needs your money "to rebuild." "Tragically . And marital and sexual satisfaction plummet.. You dont know how I got ahold of them. And you have James McDonald coming in, from the United States, getting off the plane for a little bit, doing a few meetings, which I guess he complained about doing. That was positioned as an attack from the start. That would have been December I think 18th, 2018. But some of these people, for 10 years or more, had been maligned. 2. Julie can and has spoken for herself, but I must speak up against loaded questions like this. So that we could live in freedom. I wish I didnt. Hi. I knew that there were hundreds of people, probably more, that were hurt that all this stuff happened. And marital and sexual satisfaction plummet., We are meant to set aside power and authority and serve one another (Matthew 20:25-28) as we are partnered together (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), Gregoire added. The leaders were brought together. And I got the text. They said no, for various reasons. In that same meeting that same Thursday night, he argued, the elders shouldnt have the letters. I mean, I got exonerated rather quickly. This is a story that directly contradicts what MacDonald published in recent videos and statements on his webpage. And I know it was a battle. I remember waking up that morning. And I know I totally get what youre talking about. She said a survey of 20,000 women for her book, The Great Sex Rescue, found that when men make the final decision in the marriage, even if they consult with their wife first, chances of divorce increases 7.4 times . But like I said, Hes really working hard to rewrite history. Its more of a social teaching of extreme patriarchal churches to protect and promote the power structure of who is God-ordained to be in charge. To myself, I said, and do our job. Yes, and I would add that baked into the command for husbands to love their wives is the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. I agree. I was at work. And this still disheartens me, because the people of Harvest, who we were supposed to be overseeing at that point, we were silent on that weekend, because we couldnt come to an agreement about what we would do. And we talk about that Scripture and quote it over and over again. Theres 30 men in the room. You have exemplified godly leadership and godly character. And we got to a Saturday meeting then on the ninth. In June, Visconti also posted a picture of him and his wife with James MacDonald and his wife. However, there were a number of people in the room who did know him and knew him well. Bank Dismisses Foreclosure on James MacDonald's Estate After Settlement with Harvest. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel filed a lawsuit this month against two ex-members and former Moody Radio host Julie Roys, accusing them of spreading false information about the . Harvest didnt know what it looked like to not have him as a senior pastor. Hed been the senior pastor the whole time. Well, and I remember, I remember this whole thing, because Im getting bits and pieces from different sources about whats going on and whats happening. On February 13, the elders announced James MacDonald had been fired . We are so embarrassed and disgusted by his gross actions in the last 30 years. Were talking about the difference of maybe a day. First he used to walk up and down the isles and second it was a bit more exegetical than primarily exhortation based and those dynamics flipped. Instead of focusing on who is stronger and who is weaker, why dont we focus on how both of us can be strong for the kingdom and live out the calling that God has given to each of us individually and as a couple?, Visconti also posted recently on his Instagram story that abuse is not a biblical justification for divorce. You cant unconditionally support anybody. I remember that too. So if you cant say anything, I mean, again, hes dismissive of the actual letters. Hi. Gosh she is just filthy with gossip as fact and at very best half the story. Thanks for for standing up for what was right. Anne Green, who is married, alleged that MacDonald touched her inappropriately on a private plane in 2005. And I was still on the elder board, we shrunk the elder board that next week down to nine men. Makes me sad and understand why his life went out of control. But somewhere around 2008-10 his preaching changed a bit. Yeah. I think of the timing, I think it was earlier that day, that I actually I sent I had sent Sandys letter out, because Sandy sent, she addressed her letter to the elder board. How does this relate to his view of women? Not saying anything about the about the men in the room, but that becomes unwieldy. But before I dive into my interview with Dan, I just want to take a minute to thank the sponsors of the Roys report, Judson University and Marquardt of Barrington. According to an independent audit of Harvest Bible Chapel, disgraced celebrity pastor, James MacDonald, siphoned off millions in church funds to support his lavish lifestyle. I just knew the Lord made it clear I had to do it. In October, Harvest along with lead pastor James MacDonald filed a defamation lawsuit against the author of the World article, Julie Roys, for "asserting false allegations" during her eight . Is that how it went down? My husband and I pray that anyone who has been hurt or used by Im can heal. To donate, click here. Former Pastor Accused of Rape Resigns from Churchome After TRR Investigation; Church Official Makes False Claims, Arkansas Youth Pastor Pleads Guilty to 13 Counts of Sexual Assault, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Shamed, Excommunicated Mother for Refusing to Take Back Child Abuser, Days-long Revival Sweeping Asbury University in Kentucky, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthur Covered Up Pastors Sexual Abuse, Witnesses Say, EXCLUSIVE: John MacArthurs Church Supported Convicted Child Abuser & Pedophile, Records Show, Dante Bowe Posts, Then Removes, Apology for Behavior Causing Split with Maverick City Music, Matt Chandler Steps Aside After Admitting Inappropriate Online Relationship, John MacArthur Pulls Out of Ligonier Conference, Pastor Resigns From Houston Megachurch After Admitting Affair, Televangelist Creflo Dollar Renounces Past Teachings on Tithing, But Questions Persist. And so she sent me a letter before it went to the elder board. Well, again, joining me today is Dan George, a former elder at Harvest, and one of only two former elders whos apologized to me personally, for some of the nasty things that were said about me when I was reporting on the church and James McDonald. Hi. He has always been a total its all about me. pretty rotten.. But according to a recent email by MacDonald, hes a victim of defamation by an envious childand needs your money to rebuild.. How about that one? We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Harvest Insider Tells What Really Happened with James MacDonald. He surrounded himself with yes men and used intimidation tactics to keep people in line. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. How do spot a safe pastorand can. I feel that our beginnings, KJV or influences kept many people locked in to the Old Testament, with all of its Thou Shalt nots. One person suggested reading the New Testament first for a change and then read the Old Testament for the beginnings, the stories and allegories and basically manmade superstitions and misogynies. But to also say, this was this was my fault, too. But according. And with that opening, I felt like it was confirmed. And youre going to hear all about what happened in those meetings and the strong arm tactics that McDonald used to try and get his way. And he opened the meeting, looking at me and said, I know what youre going to do, and the church is going to implode or blow up, and its going to be on you. Also, if youre in the market for a car, I encourage you to check out my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. There were elders and influential families that spoke against Moses in the desert, God destroyed them and their families. . Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. And I remember being in the meeting thinking, I cant believe were arguing about this. The devil is at work.