Christian actor Kirk Cameron recently spoke to controversial pastor James MacDonald on Cameron’s TBN Takeaways program.
MacDonald has faced criticism in recent years after his firing from Harvest Bible Church in February 2019. MacDonald had faced accusations of bullying, deception, and financial misconduct at the church. Harvest Bible Church also formally disqualified MacDonald from public ministry, and a financial review of the church showed that MacDonald had misused millions in church dollars.
Cameron did not mention the accusations and firing on his program.
According to The Roys Report, Cameron said he invited MacDonald to speak about “the crisis of biblical literacy.”
“For 30 years, Dr. James MacDonald served as founding and senior pastor of Harvest Bible Church in Rolling Meadows, Illinois,” Cameron said. “And for more than 20 years, he was the Bible teacher of the broadcast ministry Walk in the Word. He’s a prolific author of more than 15 books,” he added before welcoming MacDonald.
A representative from TBN, TBN network coordinator Laura Massey, directed a request for comment on the interview to a producer. A statement has not been released from the network.
In his guest appearance on Takeaways, MacDonald talked about his new ministry, “Better Biblical Preaching,” where he provides training for pastors at his home.
In November 2019, MacDonald posted a statement on Facebook, apologizing for his “careless and hurtful words” and “sinful patterns.” He said he also sent written apologies “where appropriate.”
“I confess to all who have followed my ministry, a regression into sinful patterns of fleshly anger and self-pity that wounded co-workers and others,” he said. “Over time, I have come to see only myself and my own relational failing in the mirror, and with grief and sorrow, I ask your forgiveness.”
Cameron said he and MacDonald are longtime friends.
“You and I have been friends for 100 years now,” he joked. “How long has it been?”
MacDonald responded, “The older we get, it seems to like double every five years, but we’ll just say it’s a long time.”
Related:
James MacDonald Faces Criticism after Calling Journalist Julie Roys a Liar and ‘Apostate’
Harvest Bible Chapel Reaches Multimillion-Dollar Settlement with Former Pastor James MacDonald
James MacDonald Returns to Pulpit for First Time since Ouster from Harvest Bible Chapel
Harvest Bible Chapel Says Former Pastor James MacDonald Is ‘Biblically Disqualified’ from Ministry
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Paras Griffin/Stringer, Creative Commons/Esther 5000
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
