Book Publishers Refuse MacArthur’s ‘War On Children’ Following Abuse Scandal
Pastor John MacArthur's latest book “The War On Children” releases in April 2024. (TRR collage)
Following allegations John MacArthur failed to protect victims of child abuse, publishers have declined to publish MacArthur’s new book, “The War on Children,” an employee at Grace to You confirmed with The Roys Report.
According to a still-available post on Google Books, “The War on Children: Providing Refuge for Your Children in a Hostile World,” was set to be published in 2022 by Thomas Nelson.
However, MacArthur’s broadcast ministry GTY announced last week that the book would be published by the new MacArthur Publishing Group.
In April 2022, TRR received a tip that Thomas Nelson had canceled its release of “The War on Children.” So, TRR emailed Nelson about the planned release of the book but did not receive a response. We have sent additional emails since then, but have still not heard back from the company.
The tip came about a month after TRR published an exclusive story, revealing that MacArthur had publicly excommunicated a former member, Eileen Gray, for refusing to take back her child-abusing husband, David Gray.
A follow-up story by TRR revealed that even after David Gray was convicted in 2005 of sexually molesting his children, MacArthur and Grace Community Church continued to shun Eileen and support David.
David Gray started a ministry while in prison, called Chains for Christ Ministries. In a 2012 ministry newsletter obtained by TRR, MacArthur praised David Gray for his “steadfast faithfulness in the midst of such a difficult trial” and called Gray “our missionary to Corcoran State Prison.”
Today, Gray is serving 21 years to life for aggravated child molestation, corporal injury to a child and child abuse.
In April 2022, TRR also published an exclusive story about Paul Guay, a former pastor at Grace Community Church. According to an eyewitness, Guay confessed to MacArthur in 1979 that he had molested his daughter, Wendy Guay.
In response, MacArthur wrote a letter, obtained by TRR, urging Wendy Guay to forgive her father and telling her that her faither will remain a “faithful part of our staff.”
Decades later, Wendy Guay wrote to MacArthur, pleading with him to help her expose her father, who was still pastoring, as a serial pedophile. MacArthur refused and replied in an email, “I’m not sure why all this has become an obsession for you after so many years.”
MacArthur has not responded to repeated requests for comment by TRR about his handling of the Paul Guay or David Gray cases.
Today, TRR spoke with an employee at GTY, who said that because of the book’s strong stance on controversial issues, “a lot of publishers didn’t want to work with us.”
“The War on Children” counters the “unimaginably destructive” culture that calls “good evil and evil good,” GTY’s website states. It adds that in the book, MacArthur helps readers “see clearly the issues at hand so you can defend, protect, and joyfully raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
The GTY employee gave only her first name, Morgan. When TRR asked for her last name, she declined to give it out and asked TRR to email GTY, which we did.
As of time of publication, no one from GTY has responded.
According to Morgan, “The War on Children” is the first book to be published by the MacArthur Publishing Group.
This story first appeared at the Roys Report.
Julie Roys is a veteran investigative reporter and founder of The Roys Report. 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. Her articles have appeared in numerous periodicals.