Why John MacArthur Is Wrong About Mental Illness (Part 8)

 

This is a continuation of my critique of Mr. John MacArthur's "Anxiety-Free Living" sermons. This is not an attack on him personally. I greatly respect the man's bold stance against our culture and undying love for Jesus. However, I do not agree with what he is saying in these two sermons because he is trivializing the real struggles of people who suffer from mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders. My issue with his stance is that he has a huge influence on many people, but his views are very damaging. This is why I am critiquing his sermons. No Bible teacher is above criticism, no matter how famous they are. I would hope that if I ever get out of line someone would critique me. That is how we become better Bible expositors. The passage of Scripture that Mr. MacArthur is basing his two sermons on comes from Luke 12:22-34. In that passage, Jesus Christ is saying that we do not need to worry because God will always provide for us. The Lord beautifully uses the analogy of the birds and lilies, saying that they neither toil nor spin yet God feeds and takes care of them. Jesus tells us that we are much more valuable than they are, so this means God will definitely take care of us. I have no issue with Mr. MacArthur's interpretation of this text. God's sovereignty over creation will indeed provide for us. However, where I disagree with Mr. MacArthur is in fact that he thinks that anxiety disorders display a lack of trust in God's sovereignty. The truth is, that Christians can wholeheartedly trust in His sovereign care, yet they can still deal with panic attacks, PTSD, Social Anxiety, and other mental illnesses. The fact that many Christians still deal with those disorders is in no way a reflection of how much they trust God. 

The next part of his first sermon that I'd like to address comes toward the end. He says the following, 

If He gave you life, He will sustain that life and He will provide all you need if you continue to honor Him, right?  The Lord's providence in the food supply is staggering, isn't it really?  It's just staggering.  The variety is just beyond belief, abundant, boundless, self-perpetuating, renewable food supply.  There's more than enough potential for this planet to provide food for the whole world.  You say, "What about famine?"  Famine has nothing to do with the capability of this planet to produce.  It has to do with false religion, such as in India where they feed grain to rats and cows.  It has to do with war and social politics in Africa.  It has to do with communism where they tell people not to work as a way to protest against the people who rule over them and consequently they turn verdant fields into dust bowls.  It has to do with laziness.  It doesn't have to do with potential.  The earth is still filled with food.  God has created a boundless, boundless supply and He provides it for His faithful people.  That's why David said, "I've never seen the Lord's people begging bread."  If you belong to Him, He takes care of you until His work for you is finished.  In Psalm 34:10, "They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.  Young lions lack and suffer hunger, but not those who seek the Lord."

First off, Mr. MacArthur is correct when he says that God will provide for us since He gave us life. Mr. MacArthur is correct when he says that the Lord's food supply is staggering and that God has more than enough resources to provide for our needs. The problem with what he is saying is the fact that he assumes that Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders are not "continuing to honor Him". Mr. MacArthur is basically assuming that any Christian who suffers from mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders, is not honoring the Lord. This is an especially heinous accusation because any Christian who trusts in God wholeheartedly, yet suffers from Panic attacks or PTSD, will begin to think that there is something wrong with them after hearing this sermon. Mr. MacArthur is basically saying that Christians who suffer from PTSD or Panic attacks really do have something deficient in them. He makes it seem so easy to just "turn off" PTSD, Panic Attacks, or even Social Anxiety. In reality, it is not as easy as he makes it seem to be. If it were that easy, then there would be no Christian who suffers from those disorders. The fact that there are millions of Christians worldwide who suffer from various mental illnesses is a testament to how difficult it is to "turn off" mental disorders. The truth is, that Christians can wholeheartedly trust in the Lord's sovereign care and still suffer from PTSD or Panic Attacks, and there is absolutely nothing wrong, or deficient, in those Christians. 

The next part of this sermon that I'd like to address is couple of paragraphs after the last one. He says the following, 

Third point, just introduce this, worry is a failure to understand divine privilege.  Worry is a failure to understand divine privilege.  Look at verse 25.  I'm just going to introduce this. This is very interesting.  "Which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life span?"  You know what a cubit is?  It's a measurement from the tip of your elbow to the tip of your fingers.  Turns out to be about 18 inches. That's how they measured things, in cubits.  So is it saying which of you by being anxious can add 18 inches to your height?  I mean, who wants to go from 5'10" to 7'6"? There's no point in that.  And whoever thought you could do it by worrying?  No, He's not talking about that, he's using cubit simply as a metaphor for length and He's talking about the length of your life, not your height.  And He's simply saying, "Do you think by worrying you're going to add to your life span?"  This is a matter of divine privilege.

I wholeheartedly disagree with him concerning worry being a "failure to understand divine privilege". Sure, normal worry is a failure to understand God's sovereign care. However, please keep in mind what Mr. MacArthur is talking about here. The whole sermon is concerning anxiety disorders, such as PTSD, OCD, Panic Attacks, and Social Anxiety Disorder. Mr. MacArthur is essentially saying that any Christians who suffer from these disorders do not comprehend, nor do they trust God's sovereignty. In other words, if a Christian woman is raped and later experiences PTSD from her rape incident, Mr. MacArthur would say that she does not trust in God's sovereignty. If a man experiences Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and feels the need to perform certain rituals, then Mr. MacArthur would say that he does not trust in God's sovereignty. If a woman deals with Panic Attacks or Social Anxiety Disorder, Mr. MacArthur would say she fails to understand "divine privilege". The fact that Mr. MacArthur assumes that trusting in God's sovereignty would immediately shut off all of these disorders is evidence that he trivializes the real-life experiences of millions of Christians who truly suffer from these disorders. God is not honored when people like Mr. MacArthur stand in their pulpits and tell millions of Christians worldwide that they are second-rate citizens in the Kingdom of God just because they suffer from certain disorders. I do not believe that there is anything wrong with Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders, nor do I think they do not fully trust God's sovereign care. I believe Mr. MacArthur is setting up a false dichotomy when he insinuates that you either trust God or suffer from mental illnesses. The logical third option is that you can trust the Lord AND suffer from mental illnesses. However, while you suffer from mental illnesses, you can choose to glorify God amid your suffering. We all have our own crosses to bear in this life as we follow Jesus. Mental illness is merely one of the crosses that many Christians worldwide must bear. 

This concludes this segment of this series. Please stay tuned for Part 9. 

I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this blog series. I hope that if you suffer from any mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, you find this series greatly encouraging for you. You are not a second-rate citizen in God's kingdom. You are wonderfully created by God and you image the divine Creator. You do not need to think that there is anything wrong, or deficient, in you just because you suffer from mental illness. 

May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all. Soli Deo Gloria! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website