mancow: speaking my truth to harvest bible chapel's pastor ..."outside noise"...

Posted 1/25/2019 5:00 AM

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By Mancow MullerSpecial to the Daily Herald

Straight from the Source »

Mancow: Speakingmy truth to HarvestBible Chapel's PastorJames

Harvest Bible Chapel Pastor JamesMacDonald, left, and Mancow Muller at amen's retreat in Michigan.( courtesy of Mancow Muller )

Editor’s note: WLS radio personalityMancow Muller of Wilmette hasattended Harvest Bible Chapel since2014 and been friends since 2016 withfounding pastor James MacDonald, anationally known church leader andpreacher. Muller has been outspoken inrecent weeks about the controversy atthe suburban network of megachurchesthat led to MacDonald suing critics fordefamation and then withdrawing thesuit when it became clear he would haveto reveal internal documents about thechurch. The episode led to MacDonaldtaking what he calls a “sabbatical” toreflect in Naples, Florida, where Harvesthas a church. The quotations pulled outwithin Muller’s essay below wereselected by Muller himself.

"Do you worship Jesus Christ or JamesMacDonald?" I asked someone yellingat me over the phone this past Sundayafter I dared go to Harvest churchagain.

Dumbstruck to silence. Nothing."Exactly," I said, "you can't answer me."The phone went dead.

Last time I checked, the Bible saysJesus is the "author and finisher of ourfaith" and that should be our focus --not Pastor James MacDonald.

"For it is time for Judgment to beginwith God's household ..."

1 Peter 4:17

MacDonald's books line my shelves. HisCDs are scattered about my car. I haveonly one Bible, but so much JamesMacDonald.

Two of my recent vacations have beenwith him, including one halcyon daywhere he baptized me in the JordanRiver in the Holy Land of Israel.

At Harvest Bible Chapel, with itsnetwork of seven Chicago-areacampuses run by MacDonald, I was butone of the many thousands seekingChrist. I wanted my twin daughters andmy formerly Catholic wife to have areal, living and current relationshipwith Jesus Christ just as I have.

Dressed in a weathered black leatherjacket covering his hulking frame,snow-white Van Dyke beard andgleaming bald dome, MacDonaldmakes for a striking figure at the pulpit.His Bible-based sermons are some ofthe most entertaining you'll hear. Youleave one of his services on a Sundayjazzed and revved up for the weekahead.

His preaching is good for the soul andgood for the community.

Big questions are asked and answeredat Harvest. Is there a God? Do I matter?What happens after we die? Everyonesays the same thing when they witnesshis command of the altar. "What a gifthe has!" But gifts are easy to abuse,easy to take for granted.

It's taxing to be a pastor, I'd imagine.Everybody watching your every move,your private life always on view. Butthat's just the way it is when you acceptthe yoke of ministry. It's why I've neverpursued my lifelong dream of Biblethumping live.

Let me be clear: Wanting to dosomething isn't the same as having "thecalling" from God. I believe PastorJames had a calling. It's also why hewas fascinated with me. I'm able to talkabout anything and everything, and myperformances don't come from onesource. It must be a challenge andfrustrating to him to be giving basicallythe same message endlessly. Andmaybe that's why he's just playingvideotapes of his sermons more andmore rather than preaching live thesedays.

But while I traffic in trivia and kitsch,he is answering the most importantquestion on earth: Why are we here?

Harvest Bible Chapel Pastor James MacDonald,right, and Mancow Muller. - courtesy of MancowMuller

As a man with a reputation dating backto the 1990s as the wild man of Chicagoradio, I expect people to be weary of thespirit-filled side of me. I get it. I alsodon't care. Jesus of Nazareth hung withan assortment of fringe characters, sowhy couldn't Pastor James MacDonaldbe my friend? We had many wonderfultimes. I love the guy. He's got a brilliantmind and a sense of humor that isworld-caliber. He rememberseverything.

His advice put me "on the sunny side"and kept me on the right path morethan once.

But he also created THIS: a culture ofauthoritarianism, secrecy, intimidation,outlandish fundraising expectations,poor financial controls and debt.

He taught me forgiveness, trust, beingauthentic and taking a stand for what'sright. Some of those around himremind me of Wormtongue in theTolkien novels -- telling him whateversweet half-truths he wishes to hear.

"Iron sharpens iron," as it says inProverbs 27:17. Real men tell theirChristian brethren like it is; we "act likemen." So here goes!

I have prayed and sought highercounsel in writing this. I believe PastorJames MacDonald would urge me towrite this.

Sometimes it's impossible to separatethe man from his ministry. Like the twofaces of Janus, he is a man of greatcomplexities. Unfortunately, he and hiscaldron of yes men have lost their way.Nobody can put on the brakes now.Nobody but Pastor himself.

He has it set up so only Pastor Jamescan fire Pastor James. That's the law ofthe church! Only he can fire himself.How sick is that?

It was cultlike when Pastor James andelders instructed us to not listen to"outside noise" (meaning no news orblogs criticizing Pastor). And I didn't.

Harvest Bible Chapel Pastor James MacDonaldbaptizes Mancow Muller in the Jordan RiverIsrael. - courtesy of Mancow Muller

But then I couldn't understand many ofhis tearful conversations with me. I toldhim repeatedly I felt like Mr. Magoowandering around blindly. Who wereall these people that were out to gethim? What were they lying about? Howwere they attacking our church? "Ifthey are lying, you must fight back!" Itold him: "Get ahead of this thing!"

I gave him the number of my lawyer.

He then decided to sue some of hiscritics and one pesky reporter who wasasking difficult questions.

He told me that simply by suing hisdetractors he would win because peoplewould be afraid to talk about him forfear of a lawsuit.

When I read the lawsuit online, mystomach sank. To me it seemed as if itwere written by Pastor JamesMacDonald himself. Still I continued tobelieve "God is good and will prevail"and "all things work together for thegood."

I really believe that is happening evennow. I believe we must "speak the truthwith love" like Paul instructs us in theBible.

"We are on God's side and we will win!"I argued with someone just weeks ago."Are you so sure? Have you heard thewhole story?"

When this ostrich finally pulled hishead out, it was a revelation.

Truth is a defense. This was not goingto work out so well for Pastor Jamesafter all, I feared.

"Don't you feel small? It happens to usall."

The Moody Blues

When he seemed shocked about thisthing called "discovery" in a court case,the writing was on the wall. He wouldreveal nothing! The case was droppedimmediately.

In a long, rambling text I received fromPastor James the next day, I felt I wasbasically blamed for all the bad that hashappened to him -- a pattern I've seenover and over. It's never his fault. He isalways without blame. And I'm an easyvillain to cast in the Kabuki Theaterproduction that is his life. But I gaveadvice -- and my lawyer's number --based on what I consider now to bemostly lies.

He was hurt and I was crestfallen.

But Pastor James often uses tears tomanipulate. I don't buy it anymore.

Nobody buys it anymore.

Harvest Bible Chapel Pastor James MacDonald,right, and Mancow Muller, center, at a churchretreat in Michigan. - courtesy of Mancow Muller

I believe Jesus Christ was the son ofGod in human form. Crucified. Buried.He rose again and will still yet return. Iwanted only Jesus, but I got the bonusplan of wicked church politics anddrama.

Now it's been suggested by an elder atthe Rolling Meadows campus and bysome parishioners that it would be bestif I not return to Harvest.

The pain from this I've learned is all toofamiliar with far too many. "Askquestions or step out of line and you areout!" I'm easy to cast aside, but mykids? My sweet wife? Families are beinghurt. This is wrong. My family lovesPastor James. How do I explain this tomy kids?

I believe hell is a real place of unendingtorment. I would give everything I ownto keep just one person out of thatplace. When people leave Harvest,oftentimes they never go to any churchever again. So when it comes to soulson the line, I felt I must speak up. AsI've said, I believe Pastor James wantsthis. He wants someone to speak truthto him.

Some questions I would ask of PastorJames (or whoever else is reallyrunning things) if they would listen:

Why is Harvest $42 million in debt, asthe church has stated on its website?

Pastor James and a fundraisingcampaign called Closer asked me todonate $3 million recently. Thisseemed rather tone-deaf to me becauseI was unemployed at the time. Thenumber kept shrinking until I wasasked if I could at least sell all of mymemories (in the form of mymemorabilia) and give that money toHarvest. My weakness was sickening. Iwish I had said something moreaggressive about how awful it was.Instead, I just sat there with a stupidsmile on my face.

"Why don't you sell your Harley?" Ijoked with Pastor James, trying tolighten the mood. "No," he responded,"I like my motorcycle ... but if you don'tgive, see who is more blessed -- me oryou."

Pastor James and others suggested thatI buy a house in Naples, Florida, whereHarvest has a church and where he sitsin exile, and then leave it to the churchwhen I die.

"What about my family?" I asked."Wouldn't I leave my house to my owndaughters?"

No answer.

Who really owns all the land, thechurches and the camp in Michigan?

Why the years of him lying about hishouse? I've been in it numerous timesand it's not that extravagant. Own up toit!

(He even asked me to move next door.)

"When I show them around my house,to my bed. I had it made like amountain range with a snow-whitepillow for my big fat head. And myheaven will be a big heaven, and I willwalk through the front door. Big time!"

Peter Gabriel

If anyone came to Pastor James withany problem, would he ever instructthem to lie? No! That's never been myexperience. So why call the long-planned, paid vacation to Naples,Florida, a "sabbatical" and "a time ofenforced self-reflection?"

When it comes to Pastor James, it'sbetter to do as he preaches and notalways what he practices.

Will Harvest lift all nondisclosureagreements that employees are forcedto sign and let them out of theseprisons of silence and allow them tofinally tell what actually has gonewrong?

When Pastor John Secrest asked for hischurch back in Naples, why wasn't itgiven back to him immediately? Isn'tthat the right thing to do?

Why bother having church "elders"when, like a marionette quartet, theyhave no power whatsoever over puppetmaster James from what I can tell?

The service I attended this past Sundaybasically began with "The elders andPastor James agree that ..." Uh oh!

"He's still calling the shots from Naplesjust like Capone from prison,"whispered the guy next to me.

Why is it every time Harvest fires, kicksout or excommunicates someone theysay it's "covered in love?" How is that"covered in love?" It creeps me out.

Paul tells us in the Bible to "avoid thevery appearance of evil." Harvest hasfailed.

Pastor James should come home andface his church family and stop thisgame of charades. The so-called"elders" must all be fired. An outsidetruly independent group, not picked by

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Harvest Bible's response The Daily Herald reached out to bothHarvest Bible Chapel and Pastor JamesMacDonald for response to this piece:

"While the peacemaking process isunderway, Harvest Bible Chapel does notpresently intend to respond to furthermedia inquiries. Our focus remains onseeking the Lord and ministering to ourchurch family."

-- Sherri Smith AssociateCommunications Director Harvest BibleChapel

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