Who is Arnold Murray?
Arnold Murray is the "pastor" of a church called the Shepherd's Chapel out of Gravette, Ark, with over 200 television stations carrying his ministry. Mr. Murray presents himself as a Christian scholar, calls himself "Dr.", and says he is a an ex-marine who served in the Korean war where he was wounded. Unfortunately, proof of his doctorate degree is not available. He also refuses to provide any documentation regarding his scholastic achievements. In fact, getting any information on Mr. Murray is very difficult. He is rather private about his personal history and has refused to provide any biographical information about himself. What we learn of Mr. Murray is what he tells us on his television show and his website. Also, it is immaterial whether or not Mr. Murray has a doctorate. He does not need one to be an adequate teacher. But since he refers to himself as "Dr.", it would be nice to know from what institution he received his credentials.
Mr. Murray stated that when he was young he attended many different churches and that he has incorporated some of the teachings of these different churches into his current theology. Again, these different churches are not mentioned. I would be very curious to know which ones they were, especially if some of them were non-Christian cults.
Mr. Murray, or Pastor Murray, as his followers call him, teaches a brand of Christianity with many problems. Mr. Murray denies the doctrine of the Trinity, denies the existence of hell and the rapture, and states that Eve had sexual relations with the devil.
When watching his television show it becomes quickly evident that he is a bit condescending to those whom he claims are misled, something that seems to have rubbed off on his followers. He justifies this approach by stating that he was in the Marines and learned how to "teach his troops" with discipline. It seems his approach is lacking the humility and grace of the Holy Spirit which is demonstrated in this brief audio clip where Murray threatens someone with a 9mm handgun. In addition, it seems that he has made a false prophecy as is documented by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, a secular religious analysis organization.
Mr. Arnold Murray also frequently refers to the Christian identity movement which teaches that the British and, therefore, the Americans and Canadians, are the true descendants of the ancient Israelites the 10 lost tribes. Jews in Israel are really descended from Cain who was the result of sexual intercourse between Eve and Satan. Murray also teaches that all people had a pre-existence in spirit-bodies before they were born here on earth.
Mr. Murray supports his off-base theological positions by interpreting verses in light of his pre-conceived ideas, sometimes stripping biblical verses of their context. He also selectively appeals to the Strong's concordance, cites what Greek and Hebrew words mean, and weaves his theological positions into the text. In reality, all he has done is justify his ideas through his unsound interpretive techniques.
The fact that Mr. Murray deviates from orthodoxy in some significant areas (i.e., trinity), that he is cryptic about his qualifications and experience, that he is often rudely condemning of those who do not agree with him, and that he has non-biblically based teachings are all signs of a false teacher. I recommend that you stay far away from this man and the Shepherd's Chapel.
Return to Shepherd's Chapel