This is a continuation of my blog series where I critique the second sermon by Mr. MacArthur. The title of this sermon is "Anxiety-Free Living" and it is largely based upon the passage in Luke 12:22=34. In this passage of Scripture, our Lord says that we will not have any reason to worry if we truly trust in the sovereignty of God. To make His point clearly, Jesus uses the analogy of the birds and the lilies. He says that although the birds and lilies neither toil nor spin, God still takes care of them Jesus then tells us that we are much more valuable than they are and that our Heavenly Father knows what we need. I do not have any issue with Mr. MacArthur's interpretation of this passage. I wholeheartedly agree that if we truly trust in God's sovereignty, we would not have any reason to worry. However, I do have an issue with his blatant trivialization of mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders. He keeps outright equating anxiety disorders with not trusting in God and even at times insinuates that people who suffer from anxiety disorders are not truly Christian. The purpose of this blog series is not to attack or demean Mr. MacArthur. I greatly respect him, even if I disagree with him theologically. I am just intending to help the reader properly understand mental illnesses so they will not be led to believe what Mr. MacArthur wants them to believe. The other purpose of this blog series is to show Christians who suffer from mental illnesses that not all Christians hold such negative and harmful views against them and that they are not second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Christians who suffer from mental illnesses still have value in God's economy because we are made in His image and we are still ambassadors of Christ.
The next portion of his sermon that I'd like to address is when he says the following,
It is critical that we understand who our God really is, and so it is possible to worry your way through your Christian life simply because you’re ignorant, and that, unfortunately, is the legacy of many, many people where ministries do not weigh heavily in on the nature of God, the character of God, the promises of God, and the purposes of God. There, people are cheated very often, don’t understand the greatness of God, the glory of God, the commitment of God, the compassion of God, the power of God, the omniscience of God, the wisdom of God and all the rest in which we rest in the promises of God.
Do you notice what Mr. MacArthur is doing here? He is blatantly saying that Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders do not truly understand the attributes of God. He says that these Christians are ignorant of His attributes. Basically, he says that if only these Christians had a better understanding of God's attributes, then they would no longer suffer from their anxiety disorders. If you have any doubt that he is referring to anxiety disorders, please keep in mind that earlier on in these two sermons he specifically calls out OCD, PTSD, and Social Anxiety. In other words, he claims that a proper understanding of the attributes of God will eliminate PTSD, OCD, and Social Anxiety. He is claiming that knowledge of God's attributes is a panacea for mental illnesses instead of treating them with medication and counseling. In reality, Christians can understand and fully believe in the attributes of God, and they will still suffer from PTSD, OCD, and other anxiety disorders. Knowledge of the attributes of God will not eliminate these disorders. Sure, this knowledge will greatly help the Christian who suffers from anxiety disorder be able to cope, but without medication and counseling, they will continue to suffer.
The next portion of his sermon that I'd like to address is the very next paragraph. Mr. MacArthur says the following,
There are many people, Christian people, who have no idea what their God is really like and the level of commitment He’s made to them, and so they live in fear, fear of circumstances, fear of Satan, fear of failure, fear of - you name it. So it is possible that your life is full of fear and anxiety and worry because of ignorance. That can be dispelled simply by reading the Psalms. If you think it’s a long course, if you have to go to seminary to get to know God, you’re wrong. Just start in Psalm 1 and 150 days later finish Psalm 150, and you will have come to know your God. And, of course, all the rest can be filled in, but that’s why we read the Psalms because we come to worship God and we need to know the God we worship
Here again, Mr. MacArthur characterizes anxiety disorders as ignorance. He says that Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders are ignorant of "what their God is really like and the level of commitment He's made to them..." What he is essentially doing is setting up a false dichotomy. He is saying that either you truly trust in God and His character or you do not trust in Him and His character. Basically, he is claiming that if you just "trusted God more", then you will never suffer from anxiety disorders. This is a blatant trivialization of the real struggle of people who deal with Panic Attacks, PTSD, OCD, and other disorders. Mr. MacArthur also claims that if you just read the Psalms once a day for the next 150 days, then you will no longer suffer from anxiety disorders because you will have a better understanding of who God is. Now, I agree that reading the Psalms every day is a good thing. If we all meditate on one Psalm a day it will benefit us greatly both mentally and spiritually. However, when someone is dealing with PTSD and OCD, they definitely need much more than simply reading the Psalms. Actually, in some cases, if someone is dealing with a disorder such as OCD, it can lead the person to become hyper-obsessed with what they are reading. That will always end in their detriment because they may start believing that unless they read a Psalm every day something bad will happen to someone they love. As a result, they are no longer reading the Psalms to grow spiritually, but instead, they are turning their Psalm reading into another obsessive-compulsive ritual. I think we can all agree that reading any portion of Scripture ritualistically is not good for someone both mentally and spiritually.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this series and I hope that this helps you to better understand mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders. I hope that you can see how dangerous Mr. MacArthur's rhetoric truly is. Christians who suffer from any kind of mental illness need to be treated with care and compassion without having their struggles trivialized. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all.
This concludes this part of my blog series. Please stay tuned for part 12.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
The next portion of his sermon that I'd like to address is when he says the following,
It is critical that we understand who our God really is, and so it is possible to worry your way through your Christian life simply because you’re ignorant, and that, unfortunately, is the legacy of many, many people where ministries do not weigh heavily in on the nature of God, the character of God, the promises of God, and the purposes of God. There, people are cheated very often, don’t understand the greatness of God, the glory of God, the commitment of God, the compassion of God, the power of God, the omniscience of God, the wisdom of God and all the rest in which we rest in the promises of God.
Do you notice what Mr. MacArthur is doing here? He is blatantly saying that Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders do not truly understand the attributes of God. He says that these Christians are ignorant of His attributes. Basically, he says that if only these Christians had a better understanding of God's attributes, then they would no longer suffer from their anxiety disorders. If you have any doubt that he is referring to anxiety disorders, please keep in mind that earlier on in these two sermons he specifically calls out OCD, PTSD, and Social Anxiety. In other words, he claims that a proper understanding of the attributes of God will eliminate PTSD, OCD, and Social Anxiety. He is claiming that knowledge of God's attributes is a panacea for mental illnesses instead of treating them with medication and counseling. In reality, Christians can understand and fully believe in the attributes of God, and they will still suffer from PTSD, OCD, and other anxiety disorders. Knowledge of the attributes of God will not eliminate these disorders. Sure, this knowledge will greatly help the Christian who suffers from anxiety disorder be able to cope, but without medication and counseling, they will continue to suffer.
The next portion of his sermon that I'd like to address is the very next paragraph. Mr. MacArthur says the following,
There are many people, Christian people, who have no idea what their God is really like and the level of commitment He’s made to them, and so they live in fear, fear of circumstances, fear of Satan, fear of failure, fear of - you name it. So it is possible that your life is full of fear and anxiety and worry because of ignorance. That can be dispelled simply by reading the Psalms. If you think it’s a long course, if you have to go to seminary to get to know God, you’re wrong. Just start in Psalm 1 and 150 days later finish Psalm 150, and you will have come to know your God. And, of course, all the rest can be filled in, but that’s why we read the Psalms because we come to worship God and we need to know the God we worship
Here again, Mr. MacArthur characterizes anxiety disorders as ignorance. He says that Christians who suffer from anxiety disorders are ignorant of "what their God is really like and the level of commitment He's made to them..." What he is essentially doing is setting up a false dichotomy. He is saying that either you truly trust in God and His character or you do not trust in Him and His character. Basically, he is claiming that if you just "trusted God more", then you will never suffer from anxiety disorders. This is a blatant trivialization of the real struggle of people who deal with Panic Attacks, PTSD, OCD, and other disorders. Mr. MacArthur also claims that if you just read the Psalms once a day for the next 150 days, then you will no longer suffer from anxiety disorders because you will have a better understanding of who God is. Now, I agree that reading the Psalms every day is a good thing. If we all meditate on one Psalm a day it will benefit us greatly both mentally and spiritually. However, when someone is dealing with PTSD and OCD, they definitely need much more than simply reading the Psalms. Actually, in some cases, if someone is dealing with a disorder such as OCD, it can lead the person to become hyper-obsessed with what they are reading. That will always end in their detriment because they may start believing that unless they read a Psalm every day something bad will happen to someone they love. As a result, they are no longer reading the Psalms to grow spiritually, but instead, they are turning their Psalm reading into another obsessive-compulsive ritual. I think we can all agree that reading any portion of Scripture ritualistically is not good for someone both mentally and spiritually.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this series and I hope that this helps you to better understand mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders. I hope that you can see how dangerous Mr. MacArthur's rhetoric truly is. Christians who suffer from any kind of mental illness need to be treated with care and compassion without having their struggles trivialized. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all.
This concludes this part of my blog series. Please stay tuned for part 12.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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