The MacArthur Center Podcast

The Story of How John MacArthur Became the World's Premier Expository Preacher. Listen at:

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About This Podcast

How did John MacArthur’s name become synonymous with expository preaching? What were the key conflicts, theological battles, and challenges of his ministry? And how has his preaching shaped a generation of preachers? Through three remarkable seasons, this podcast explores the life and ministry of John MacArthur. See how this preacher from Southern California became one of the most significant and influential pastors of the past century.

Latest Episodes

June 18, 2025

Season 4, Episode 1: Influence

The first episode of season four of The MacArthur Center podcast—titled Influence—answers a crucial question: What is leadership? Countless books have been written on the topic, but few really understand how someone becomes an effective leader. For more than 55 years, John MacArthur has led a church, a media ministry, a university and seminary through extraordinary change. What qualities have made him an effective leader? How did he grow into his role as a leader? Get answers in this episode as we look at the nature of leadership, what Scripture says about the topic, and how pastors can have profound influence for the sake of the gospel.

March 4, 2025

Season 3, Episode 8: The Grace of Technology

Since June of 2024, the last time we released an episode, John MacArthur's been in and out of the hospital, dealing with one medical crisis after another. By God's grace, and thanks to the subject of this episode, technology, his health is improving and he is still faithfully pastoring Grace Community Church. As Pastor John recovered at home the weeks before this episode, he spoke to us about the gift of medical technology that preserved his life, and he described how technology has always been part of his ministry. He also offers a series of profound lessons on how every pastor, and every Christian, can extract the most blessing from the technology imbedded in God's creation.

June 11, 2024

Season 3, Episode 7: Aimee and Joni

Over the past century, the charismatic movement swept the globe, promising a deeper connection with God, spiritual blessing at every turn, and lots of cash for anyone with enough faith. How did this movement begin? And how has it changed over the decades? This episode answers those questions as it tells the story of one of the movement’s founders and most famous leaders. Then, we’ll tell another story about a woman who rejected the movement and found salvation outside it. Finally, we’ll look at why John MacArthur’s been such a critic of the all the charismatic chaos—even though friends he will one day see in heaven are part of it. John will show us the fatal flaw at the center of the movement and what the true gospel teaches us about faith, revelation from God, and true satisfaction.

March 5, 2024

Season 3, Episode 6: Eschatology

Of all the theological categories in the Bible, eschatology—the study of things pertaining to the end—may be the most neglected. Otherwise sound and biblical teachers often avoid the topic either because they don’t think the Bible is clear about how the world will end or they don’t think it matters. Through his decades of ministry, John MacArthur has never shied away from teaching the entire Bible, including the prophetic parts. This episode explores what MacArthur actually believes about things to come. We’ll join host Austin Duncan at the porch of the Gloria hotel in Jerusalem where he asks several Bible scholars about Israel's role in the end times. We’ll also see what an Irish theologian named Darby, Kirk Cameron, and the word leaky have to do with the end of the world and your final days. See why Christians can, and must, live with hope.

February 26, 2024

Season 3, Episode 5: John MacArthur is My Youth Pastor

Over his 55 years as a pastor—and counting—John MacArthur has ministered to thousands of young people. Today, his ministry continues to provide profound value for teenagers and twenty-somethings. Why is that? What does he understand about reaching the next generation? We'll answer that question in this episode. We'll also take a look at the rampant anxiety and depression among teenagers, and how the church can help teens in crisis. We'll try to understand why churches seem desperate to make everything so juvenile. Finally, we're going to talk about aweed in the church." At least that's what critics call youth groups. All that and much more in this episode "John MacArthur is My Youth Pastor."

November 24, 2023

Season 3, Episode 4: Friendship and the Finish Line

After the study of God’s Word, nothing gives John MacArthur more joy in life and ministry than relationships. For him, being with those of like precious faith infuses his days with meaning, encouragement, and the grace of God. All pastors need to prioritize friendships. This episode looks at the biblical, cosmic scope of friendship, explores the reasons why it has fallen on hard times, and shows why no minister can endure without friends. Along the way, John recounts his unique, life-giving friendship with R.C. Sproul and gives all of us principles for cultivating relationships like that, maintaining them, and responding when friends disappoint.

All Episodes

Episode 6: The Sheepdog

September 8, 2021

Pastor as shepherd. It’s the most common motif for men in the ministry. But pastors are also sheepdogs. They guard the flock that the Chief Shepherd entrusts to them. Throughout his 50 plus years of pastoral ministry, John MacArthur has taken on the role of sheepdog, defending the truth against those who oppose it and protecting God’s people from those who would harm them. This episode focuses on the years 2007-2013, when the flock faced a particular threat, and John defended it in a public way. In this story, pastors will see when, and how, they must take on the role of sheepdog in service of their Master.

Episode 7: The Cellar of Affliction

October 14, 2021

John Donne called them Job's sick days. They are days of unexpected, and often unimaginable, suffering. They are part of life in a fallen world, both for believers and nonbelievers. And they are a constant reality in the life of a preacher. John MacArthur is certainly no stranger to suffering. This episode describes a dark day in the MacArthur family, and how that suffering shaped his life and ministry. And it looks at how John's life and preaching have cared for those in what Samuel Rutherford called the cellar of affliction."

Episode 8: Faithful

October 28, 2021

For 52 years and counting, John MacArthur has pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. Today, he is an example to all of us—particularly pastors—of perseverance. How has he remained in the arena for all those years? And why hasn’t he thought of retirement? In this final episode of season one, we’ll consider the sum of it all: the portrait of faithful endurance. And we’re going to find out how each of us can have a life and ministry of faithfulness, no matter the length of our days.

Bonus Episode: Black Tuesday

February 16, 2022

John MacArthur thought it was an ordinary Tuesday staff meeting, a chance to connect with his friends and fellow pastors at Grace Community Church. But this day in the fall of 1979 was actually the beginning of the greatest crisis of his ministry. Blindsided by betrayal, how did John respond? And how did he survive the coup d'etat? As this bonus episode examines Black Tuesday, it has lessons for all ministry leaders who have faced opposition.

Season 2 Full-Length Trailer

March 1, 2022

When John MacArthur was coming of age in the 1950s and 60s, what person, Christian institution, or movement entrusted him with the work of the ministry? And in turn, how has he entrusted the truth to the next generation? Explore who influenced John, and how he's influenced the church, in season 2 of The MacArthur Center podcast. This season is titled The Entrusted: The Convictions and Legacy of John MacArthur. Listen to the trailer and subscribe today. Season 2 launches on Tuesday, March 8th.