James MacDonald guilty or not?

[Bob Jones V]

The following is at the end of a long interiew he did with The Baptist Global News website.​

An interview with James MacDonald – Baptist News Global

Love him or hate him, James MacDonald is one thing for sure: A larger-than-life symbol of the stress and perils of leading a gigachurch — a role he now believes is impossible.

baptistnews.com

San Diego​

And in that condition, he attempted to parallel park his truck in San Diego.

“I barely touched the lady in front of me. She jumped out of her car and came running at me. And I was so startled that I jumped out of my car and didn’t even put it in park,” he said. “And it rolled into the person behind me, and I reached toward this lady. … And what I think we’ve been able to piece together, there isn’t a video, but I think I blacked out and I fell. The reason I know is because I fell to the ground. I never put my hands underneath me.”

The pastor’s arrest made national headlines, especially in the online spaces dedicated to covering clergy scandals and allegations of abuse.

No current information is available online from the San Diego County Court where MacDonald’s case is to be heard.

For now, the pastor who once preached to tens of thousands speaks to a few dozen listeners most weeks.

“Every Saturday night, I preach my heart out to 40 or 50 addicts and their family members in a garage next to the house where we have our first sobriety house,” he said. “We call the property Rock Bottom because that’s where I’ve been and that’s where these men are. And I’m so happy in it. And that’s the good thing that’s going on.”


The original reporting of the case is here:
MacDonald

Disgraced megachurch pastor James MacDonald has been arrested and charged with felony assault and battery in California, after authorities say he attacked a 59-year-old woman, resulting in “serious injuries.”

According to a criminal complaint filed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, MacDonald faces one charge of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and one count of battery with serious bodily injury.

“James MacDonald personally inflicted great bodily injury upon Barbara Bass . . .” the complaint reads. It adds that MacDonald “did willfully and unlawfully use force and violence” on Bass.

If convicted of all charges, MacDonald faces seven years in prison, according to Tanya Sierra, assistant director of communications for the San Diego County District Attorney’s office.

MacDonald has pleaded not guilty, Sierra said.

 

[ALAYMAN]

Unless there's more info about the incident than I could find in the link(s) there's just not enough to know what happened. What kind of injuries did the woman sustain? Were there any credible unbiased witnesses to say what Macdonald did after he got out of his vehicle? I think his past indiscretions and authoritative personality don't bode well for him, but those facts don't necessarily play an overwhelming concrete role in determining the facts of this situation.

 

[Gringo]

.
As a skeptic, NONETHELESS, I feel sorry for preachers like I do policemen.

There are some bad cops for sure but that doesn't mean they all are and yet, the press likes to blow things out of proportion and make it seem like cops are all abusive and dishonest.

And I see the same thing in your churches and in your threads. Sure, there are some bad preachers, but it just seems like everyone wants to make it seem like all preachers these days are dishonest and sexually immoral. The skeptic in me causes me to read everything with a grain of salt. I know that there are still some great "men of God" who are honest and full of character who don't cheat on their wives and abuse little children. We just don't hear about them much.

Like cops, it seems like they can't win for losing.

.

 

[Dr. Huk-N-Duck]

Like cops, it seems like they can't win for losing.

I’d add teachers to that list as well. I always feel badly for them because 999 out of 1,000 keep their noses clean, but when there’s one bad apple, the media broadcasts it 24/7.

 

[illinoisguy]

Here is Protestia's take, including MacDonald's side of the story, as well as the accusations by his former church, Harvest Bible Chapel:

Disgraced Pastor James MacDonald Responds to His Felony Assault Charges: 'I Blacked Out'

Disgraced former Harvest Church pastor James MacDonald has offered some insights into an incident that...

protestia.com

A Chicago area pastor once told me how he personally witnessed some extremely arrogant conduct by MacDonald when he made a speaking appearance at Moody Bible Institute. Of course, that doesn't prove him to be guilty of the current charges, but a pattern of ongoing bullying, anger and rage is not good for anyone's reputation. May that be a lesson for all of us.

MacDonald is blaming this latest episode on PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) but I am not aware of him serving in combat. There are veterans who served and were wounded in combat, who now suffer from PTSD, but they are in full control of themselves and do not ever become verbally or physically abusive. I know one such person, a very gracious and gentle person who is not even a Christian.

 

[abcaines]

Is anyone remembering 1 Timothy 3:3?

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

The NASB uses the word, bully.

 

[Ekklesian]

Here is Protestia's take, including MacDonald's side of the story, as well as the accusations by his former church, Harvest Bible Chapel:

Disgraced Pastor James MacDonald Responds to His Felony Assault Charges: 'I Blacked Out'

Disgraced former Harvest Church pastor James MacDonald has offered some insights into an incident that...

protestia.com

A Chicago area pastor once told me how he personally witnessed some extremely arrogant conduct by MacDonald when he made a speaking appearance at Moody Bible Institute. Of course, that doesn't prove him to be guilty of the current charges, but a pattern of ongoing bullying, anger and rage is not good for anyone's reputation. May that be a lesson for all of us.

MacDonald is blaming this latest episode on PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) but I am not aware of him serving in combat. There are veterans who served and were wounded in combat, who now suffer from PTSD, but they are in full control of themselves and do not ever become verbally or physically abusive. I know one such person, a very gracious and gentle person who is not even a Christian.

​

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 ... ​

​

So, what is it you do there in illinois, guy, when you're not feeding on evil reports?

 

[abcaines]

MacDonald was living the high life prior to being ousted, giving Brian and Bobbie Houston of Hillsong a run for their money. MacDonald was 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.

Not exactly an unbiased article.

 

[illinoisguy]

So, what is it you do there in illinois, guy, when you're not feeding on evil reports?

Yes, yes, I know, Bill Gothard says we are not to listen to an evil report. It's better to keep covering up for clergy bullies.

Silencing the Lambs: Listening to an Evil Report

A closer look at Bill Gothard's teaching on the "Defilement of Listening to an Evil Report."

www.recoveringgrace.org

Silencing the Lambs: Listening to an Evil Report​

Series Overview: When reports of immorality became widespread among Bill Gothard’s IBYC staff in the 1970s, the stories were initially “unbelievable.” Not because they couldn’t be true, but because people had placed such hope in Gothard. Thus, amid the hurt and complexity, there was a real need for the teaching of Jesus Christ in Matthew 18.

Unfortunately, instead of reducing the hurt and complexity, Gothard actively worked to take advantage of the confusion. He had regularly required staff to sign loyalty oaths and to turn over their meeting notes to him as a method of controlling information. Now, over a period of numerous years, he carefully taught new concepts to his staff and employees—with the goal of blocking truthful reports—and extended his teachings nationwide through seminars and alumni booklets.
We have exposed the fallacy of the following teachings:

• “Giving only a good report,” as taught in the 1976 publication Rediscovering A Forgotten Truth, which twisted the teaching of Matthew 18:15-19 to silence staff and volunteers in order to cover up the growing IBYC sex scandal.
• “Not taking up an offense,” as taught in the 1984 Basic Seminar video recording, a continuation of previous teachings and an effective means of keeping the IBYC and IBLP faithful unquestioning and uninvolved in sin or injustice they might have witnessed.

In this article, we explore:

• “Defilement of listening to an evil report,” as published in 1981 as part of the concerted effort to silence and discredit former IBYC staff.

“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” Ephesians 5:11
“The sins of some men are quite evident going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.” I Timothy 5:24-25

 

[Ransom]

Not exactly an unbiased article.

Julie Roys skipped that day of journalism school.

 

[abcaines]

Julie Roys skipped that day of journalism school.

No kidding.

 

[Bob Jones V]

Not exactly an unbiased article.

Julie Roys is not a journalistic standard I'd rely on.

 

[Ekklesian]

​

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 ... ​

​

Still LOLing.

 

[Ekklesian]

Yes, yes, I know, Bill Gothard says we are not to listen to an evil report. It's better to keep covering up for clergy bullies.

Silencing the Lambs: Listening to an Evil Report

A closer look at Bill Gothard's teaching on the "Defilement of Listening to an Evil Report."

www.recoveringgrace.org

Silencing the Lambs: Listening to an Evil Report​

Series Overview: When reports of immorality became widespread among Bill Gothard’s IBYC staff in the 1970s, the stories were initially “unbelievable.” Not because they couldn’t be true, but because people had placed such hope in Gothard. Thus, amid the hurt and complexity, there was a real need for the teaching of Jesus Christ in Matthew 18.

Unfortunately, instead of reducing the hurt and complexity, Gothard actively worked to take advantage of the confusion. He had regularly required staff to sign loyalty oaths and to turn over their meeting notes to him as a method of controlling information. Now, over a period of numerous years, he carefully taught new concepts to his staff and employees—with the goal of blocking truthful reports—and extended his teachings nationwide through seminars and alumni booklets.
We have exposed the fallacy of the following teachings:

• “Giving only a good report,” as taught in the 1976 publication Rediscovering A Forgotten Truth, which twisted the teaching of Matthew 18:15-19 to silence staff and volunteers in order to cover up the growing IBYC sex scandal.
• “Not taking up an offense,” as taught in the 1984 Basic Seminar video recording, a continuation of previous teachings and an effective means of keeping the IBYC and IBLP faithful unquestioning and uninvolved in sin or injustice they might have witnessed.

In this article, we explore:

• “Defilement of listening to an evil report,” as published in 1981 as part of the concerted effort to silence and discredit former IBYC staff.

“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” Ephesians 5:11
“The sins of some men are quite evident going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.” I Timothy 5:24-25

Chill, dude. You have issues. The only activity I've observed of you is in pastoral failures. It's evident to me you have a vendetta. And it's related to the Gothard seminars and some issue to which you think you've been cheated, and likely related to that of a woman.

Could be wrong, but the law of averages is on my side.

(None of us forgets our first loves, dude. Just remember, anything beyond actual history, is just imagination.)

But the commandment is to not receive an accusation unless it's from two or more witnesses.

 

[AverageJoe]

Chill, dude. You have issues. The only activity I've observed of you is in pastoral failures. It's evident to me you have a vendetta. And it's related to the Gothard seminars and some issue to which you think you've been cheated, and likely related to that of a woman.

Could be wrong, but the law of averages is on my side.

(None of us forgets our first loves, dude. Just remember, anything beyond actual history, is just imagination.)

But the commandment is to not receive an accusation unless it's from two or more witnesses.

Yes, he believes he is above reproach and is the social arbiter of our time. UGH! Give me a puke bag!

 

[Smellin Coffee]

The following is at the end of a long interiew he did with The Baptist Global News website.​

An interview with James MacDonald – Baptist News Global

Love him or hate him, James MacDonald is one thing for sure: A larger-than-life symbol of the stress and perils of leading a gigachurch — a role he now believes is impossible.

baptistnews.com

San Diego​

And in that condition, he attempted to parallel park his truck in San Diego.

“I barely touched the lady in front of me. She jumped out of her car and came running at me. And I was so startled that I jumped out of my car and didn’t even put it in park,” he said. “And it rolled into the person behind me, and I reached toward this lady. … And what I think we’ve been able to piece together, there isn’t a video, but I think I blacked out and I fell. The reason I know is because I fell to the ground. I never put my hands underneath me.”

The pastor’s arrest made national headlines, especially in the online spaces dedicated to covering clergy scandals and allegations of abuse.

No current information is available online from the San Diego County Court where MacDonald’s case is to be heard.

For now, the pastor who once preached to tens of thousands speaks to a few dozen listeners most weeks.

“Every Saturday night, I preach my heart out to 40 or 50 addicts and their family members in a garage next to the house where we have our first sobriety house,” he said. “We call the property Rock Bottom because that’s where I’ve been and that’s where these men are. And I’m so happy in it. And that’s the good thing that’s going on.”


The original reporting of the case is here:
MacDonald

Disgraced megachurch pastor James MacDonald has been arrested and charged with felony assault and battery in California, after authorities say he attacked a 59-year-old woman, resulting in “serious injuries.”

According to a criminal complaint filed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, MacDonald faces one charge of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and one count of battery with serious bodily injury.

“James MacDonald personally inflicted great bodily injury upon Barbara Bass . . .” the complaint reads. It adds that MacDonald “did willfully and unlawfully use force and violence” on Bass.

If convicted of all charges, MacDonald faces seven years in prison, according to Tanya Sierra, assistant director of communications for the San Diego County District Attorney’s office.

MacDonald has pleaded not guilty, Sierra said.

No comment about this yet as more info needs to be revealed. It was confirmed he did have an unregistered gun in his car so there's that.

Regardless, I have no respect for that man whatsoever. He (through his Harvest Seed Ministry) actually performed a corporate raid on our small, struggling church (at the time), stole the funds and closed the church after less than two months on the heels of promising us he would consider our church as being a local "church plant branch" of his Harvest ministry, if we would turn all church assets over to Harvest, including our building fund.

From firsthand experience, I consider him both a liar and a thief so I would not believe any defense he would bring to the table on the above incident.

 

[Bob Jones V]

No comment about this yet as more info needs to be revealed. It was confirmed he did have an unregistered gun in his car so there's that.

Regardless, I have no respect for that man whatsoever. He (through his Harvest Seed Ministry) actually performed a corporate raid on our small, struggling church (at the time), stole the funds and closed the church after less than two months on the heels of promising us he would consider our church as being a local "church plant branch" of his Harvest ministry, if we would turn all church assets over to Harvest, including our building fund.

From firsthand experience, I consider him both a liar and a thief so I would not believe any defense he would bring to the table on the above incident.

typical of him. Glad you're back, sad you're not a believer. I will pray for you, that God would shine in your heart "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

 

[Smellin Coffee]

typical of him. Glad you're back, sad you're not a believer. I will pray for you, that God would shine in your heart "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

I know you are sincere and meant what you said in the most noble and honest of terms and I welcome anyone who looks out for my best interest. I really do appreciate your kindness in our differences.

Even though it wasn't your intent, what you stated is kinda Christianeze gaslighting, ignited from the premise the one giving such sentiment is coming from a place of absolutism when that is not what "god" is all about.

Not a chastisement because I know you meant it for my best interest; just something to think about when such terminology is used toward other Exvangelicals.

 

[Ransom]

when that is not what "god" is all about.

As a "hybrid" of theist and atheist, are you talking about the "god" you believe in or the "god" you don't? How could you even know what he's "all about"?

Not a chastisement because I know you meant it for my best interest; just something to think about when such terminology is used toward other Exvangelicals.

But you're not an "exvangelical," are you really? You're just evangelizing now for your new and incoherent religion.

 

[Smellin Coffee]

As a "hybrid" of theist and atheist, are you talking about the "god" you believe in or the "god" you don't? How could you even know what he's "all about"?



But you're not an "exvangelical," are you really? You're just evangelizing now for your new and incoherent religion.

Really? Can you point out where I have told folks to adhere to my ideology?