This is a continuation of my blog series where I critique two sermons by Mr. John MacArthur, senior pastor of Grace Community Church. His sermons are titled "Anxiety-Free Living" and he bases his sermons off of Luke 12:22-34. In that passage, Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives because God will take care of us. He uses the analogy of the birds and lilies by pointing out how they neither toil nor spin, yet the Heavenly Father takes care of them. Jesus tells us that we are much more valuable than the birds and lilies. For this reason, we do not need to worry because our God is sovereign and He cares for us. I have no issue with Mr. MacArthur's interpretation of this passage. God will indeed take care of us because He is sovereign. What I have an issue with, and what this series shows, is his blatant trivialization of mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders. Mr. MacArthur very bluntly says "If you trust God, then you should not worry and if you are worrying, then you do not trust God". This type of gaslighting of fellow Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders is unacceptable. My fear is that Mr. MacArthur has a worldwide influence and anyone who hears these sermons will be led to believe that they are not "good Christians" if they suffer from mental illness. The point of this series is to point out that there is nothing inherently wrong with any Christian who suffers from mental illnesses. We can trust in God wholeheartedly, yet still take medication and see a therapist for our mental health. Mr. MacArthur's false dichotomy is a lie and it needs to be exposed since he is currently buckling down on what he has said.
The next portion I'd like to address from his first sermon is the section where he says the following,
Let me tell you what this is. You do not have the privilege to determine your life span. Who does? God. The Lord gives. The Lord takes. Blessed be the name of the Lord. People say, "Oh, you know, if you...you've got to do this and you've got to do that to...to live longer, live..." Look, this society is berserk about lengthening life, mega billion-dollar industries in food supplements and vitamins and exercise and medications, on and on and on. You can't add one day to your life. I don't want to be here any longer than He wants me here. That's kind of liberating, isn't it? Takes the panic out. People consumed with their health. I'm not saying you shouldn't be disciplined, you should. I'm not saying you shouldn't be moderate in the way you eat and I'm not saying you shouldn't stay in some reasonable condition so that you can serve the Lord with all your energy and all your power. That's important. Now there's no virtue in the sin of gluttony or laziness or overindulgence. But I am telling you, worry isn't going to lengthen your life because the one who has the privilege to determine when you are born and when you die is the sovereign God.
Now, I'd like to say first that I actually agree with him that our society is obsessed with lengthening their lifespan. He is right about that. This is why you see so many people getting plastic surgery done to make themselves look more youthful. I have no issue with him saying this. Furthermore, I have no issue with him even saying that we cannot lengthen our lifespans by worrying. Worrying will not help us live longer. The truth is, God has an appointed day for each of us to die and we are not in control of that. However, where I have an issue with him is his insinuation that people who suffer from mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, are merely obsessed with lengthening their lives. If you do not see how I am understanding this, please remember what these sermons are about. He is supposed to be talking about anxiety disorders and how if we "trust God" enough then we should never struggle with anxiety disorders. In this portion of his sermon, he is lumping people who suffer from mental illness in with people who are worried about lengthening their lives. The truth is, that people who suffer from OCD, PTSD, or even Panic attacks are not "worried about lengthening their lives". They are dealing with real disorders that cause them to either perform rituals to keep something bad from happening, or they are dealing with the effects of some traumatic event that happened to them, or they are dealing with episodes where they even have difficulty breathing. Mr. MacArthur's blatant trivializing of mental disorders is an insult to millions of Christians worldwide. He seems to insinuate that anxiety disorders will disappear just by merely "trusting God", but the reality is that it is not that simple. It is easy for someone like him, who does not suffer from mental illness and who lives a cushy $14 million lifestyle, to make that insinuation. However, for millions of Christians around the world who suffer from mental illnesses, the struggle is very real for each one of us. We need our medication and therapy because without such things we would either die or be in prison. The Lord has blessed people like us with mental health professionals who know how to treat the human mind. It is because of God's common grace that we can trust such people. People like Mr. MacArthur should not talk about subjects he clearly knows nothing about, such as mental illness because this sort of rhetoric is not ignorant, but it is highly damaging toward people with any kind of mental disorders.
This concludes this portion of my blog series critiquing Mr. MacArthur's sermons. Stay Tuned For Part 10 where I begin critiquing his second sermon on this topic.
I hope that this series helps you better understand where Mr. MacArthur is wrong and I hope that this helps you to realize that even if you suffer from a mental disorder you are not a "freak of nature" or a second-class citizen in the Kingdom of God. You are a child of the Great King and so that makes you royalty and the Lord really does care and cherish you. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
The next portion I'd like to address from his first sermon is the section where he says the following,
Let me tell you what this is. You do not have the privilege to determine your life span. Who does? God. The Lord gives. The Lord takes. Blessed be the name of the Lord. People say, "Oh, you know, if you...you've got to do this and you've got to do that to...to live longer, live..." Look, this society is berserk about lengthening life, mega billion-dollar industries in food supplements and vitamins and exercise and medications, on and on and on. You can't add one day to your life. I don't want to be here any longer than He wants me here. That's kind of liberating, isn't it? Takes the panic out. People consumed with their health. I'm not saying you shouldn't be disciplined, you should. I'm not saying you shouldn't be moderate in the way you eat and I'm not saying you shouldn't stay in some reasonable condition so that you can serve the Lord with all your energy and all your power. That's important. Now there's no virtue in the sin of gluttony or laziness or overindulgence. But I am telling you, worry isn't going to lengthen your life because the one who has the privilege to determine when you are born and when you die is the sovereign God.
Now, I'd like to say first that I actually agree with him that our society is obsessed with lengthening their lifespan. He is right about that. This is why you see so many people getting plastic surgery done to make themselves look more youthful. I have no issue with him saying this. Furthermore, I have no issue with him even saying that we cannot lengthen our lifespans by worrying. Worrying will not help us live longer. The truth is, God has an appointed day for each of us to die and we are not in control of that. However, where I have an issue with him is his insinuation that people who suffer from mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, are merely obsessed with lengthening their lives. If you do not see how I am understanding this, please remember what these sermons are about. He is supposed to be talking about anxiety disorders and how if we "trust God" enough then we should never struggle with anxiety disorders. In this portion of his sermon, he is lumping people who suffer from mental illness in with people who are worried about lengthening their lives. The truth is, that people who suffer from OCD, PTSD, or even Panic attacks are not "worried about lengthening their lives". They are dealing with real disorders that cause them to either perform rituals to keep something bad from happening, or they are dealing with the effects of some traumatic event that happened to them, or they are dealing with episodes where they even have difficulty breathing. Mr. MacArthur's blatant trivializing of mental disorders is an insult to millions of Christians worldwide. He seems to insinuate that anxiety disorders will disappear just by merely "trusting God", but the reality is that it is not that simple. It is easy for someone like him, who does not suffer from mental illness and who lives a cushy $14 million lifestyle, to make that insinuation. However, for millions of Christians around the world who suffer from mental illnesses, the struggle is very real for each one of us. We need our medication and therapy because without such things we would either die or be in prison. The Lord has blessed people like us with mental health professionals who know how to treat the human mind. It is because of God's common grace that we can trust such people. People like Mr. MacArthur should not talk about subjects he clearly knows nothing about, such as mental illness because this sort of rhetoric is not ignorant, but it is highly damaging toward people with any kind of mental disorders.
This concludes this portion of my blog series critiquing Mr. MacArthur's sermons. Stay Tuned For Part 10 where I begin critiquing his second sermon on this topic.
I hope that this series helps you better understand where Mr. MacArthur is wrong and I hope that this helps you to realize that even if you suffer from a mental disorder you are not a "freak of nature" or a second-class citizen in the Kingdom of God. You are a child of the Great King and so that makes you royalty and the Lord really does care and cherish you. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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