Mancow Muller Calls For Harvest Bible's MacDonald To 'Come Clean'

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL — WLS radio personality Mancow Muller called for "the cult of personality" of Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel "to close" by coming clean to parishioners, and by firing the elders so that the megachurch could return to its Gospel-based roots. He called for an independent investigation of allegations of financial improprieties at the church.

Muller made the comments Friday in a column published by the Daily Herald. In it, he explained his close relationship with the popular evangelical minister who is on leave from the church. The circumstances of MacDonald's departure are not clear. Members have criticized the church for financial irregularities, including steep debt. Harvest Bible Chapel this month dropped a defamation lawsuit against bloggers and other critics after it became clear that documents would be subpoenaed and made public as part of the case.

"His [MacDonald's] advice put me 'on the sunny side' and kept me on the right path more than once, Muller wrote in the column. "But he also created THIS: a culture of authoritarianism, secrecy, intimidation, outlandish fundraising expectations, poor financial controls and debt."

Muller, whose full name is Matthew Erich Muller, is best known for his "shock jock" days in the late 1990s and early 200s, and for his run-ins with the Federal Communications Commission. According to the article, Muller has attended Harvest Bible Chapel since 2014, and has been MacDonald's friend since 2016. MacDonald baptized him in the Jordan River in Israel.

Harvest Bible Chapel was founded in Rolling Meadows in 1988, and has eight campuses in the Chicagoland area and in Florida. About 12,000 people attend services.

In the poignant column that often quoted scripture, Muller acknowledged the difficulty of separating the man from the minister, and talks about his own hurt over the situation.

However, he said, it is time for the church and for MacDonald to stop protecting the interests of the pastor.

"I don't buy it anymore," he wrote. "Nobody buys it anymore."

Harvest Bible Chapel should instead turn its attention to the people who make up the church and the church's Bible-based teachings, Muller said.

"Pastor James should come home and face his church family and stop this game of charades," Muller added. "The so-called 'elders' must all be fired. An outside truly independent group, not picked by the MacDonald clan, must be brought in.

The full column can be found at the Daily Herald's website.

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