This is a continuation of my blog series where I critique Mr. MacArthur's second sermon titled "Anxiety-Free Living". This is not a personal attack on him, but since he has a worldwide influence, I feel the need to address his harmful views on mental health. The reason for this is that if any Christians who suffer from mental illness hear his sermons they may walk away feeling like there is something inherently wrong with them or that they are second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. The truth is, there is nothing wrong with these Christians. It is because of the Fall of man that these Christians suffer from mental illness. As a matter of fact, these Christians should be treated with much more honor than how they've been treated. John MacArthur bases his sermons off of Luke 12:22-34. In that passage, Jesus tells us that we should not worry if we trust in God's sovereignty. He uses the analogy of the birds and lilies, who neither toil nor spin, yet God takes care of them. He then tells us that we are more important than the birds and lilies. I do not disagree with Mr. MacArthur's interpretation. I agree with him that we have no reason to worry if we truly trust in God. Where he errs is in the fact that he assumes that we can do this naturally, when in actuality we can only do this by the Holy Spirit. Also, where he errs (and as this series is showing) is in his blatant trivializing of mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders.
The next part of this sermon that I'd like to address is when Mr. MacArthur says the following,
Now, here’s the point here. God didn’t create you just to survive. God didn’t create you just to have you eat and wear clothes so that you could make it. God did not create you to fulfill some physical goal or objective or purpose or design. Your life is far more than eating. Your life is far more than clothing. You must understand the divine priority. And what we said a couple of weeks ago is this: If you belong to God and you are in His kingdom, He has a plan and a purpose for your life. That’s the reason you live. And as long as God has a plan for your life, He will feed you and clothe you until the plan is complete. So what is there to worry about?
I do agree with him that life is much more than eating and drinking. Our lives is indeed much more than having our needs met. We should seek His kingdom first and foremost. However, I do not agree with him when he says that Christians who suffer from Panic Attacks and other anxiety disorders do not know or understand "divine priority". The truth is, a Christian can truly understand divine priority, but that will not eliminate the fact that they have Panic Attacks. I know a woman in my church who truly trusts in God's sovereignty, yet she deals with frequent Panic Attacks. Mr. MacArthur would most likely tell her that she is not truly saved, which would be horribly wrong because she definitely does show that she trusts in God's sovereignty. The danger in Mr. MacArthur's teaching is that he is calling Christians who suffer from mental illnesses are not truly saved.
The next portion of this sermon that I'd like to address is when Mr. MacArthur says the following,
There is really no place for worry and no place for fear and no place for anxiety if you understand that the priority with God is far more than just surviving, it’s far more than making it through the winter, it’s far more than getting at least one or two meals a day - far more than that. God’s purpose in giving you life, God’s purpose in giving you a body, is not material, it’s not physical, and it’s not earthly. It is immaterial, spiritual, and heavenly.
The next part of this sermon that I'd like to address is when Mr. MacArthur says the following,
Now, here’s the point here. God didn’t create you just to survive. God didn’t create you just to have you eat and wear clothes so that you could make it. God did not create you to fulfill some physical goal or objective or purpose or design. Your life is far more than eating. Your life is far more than clothing. You must understand the divine priority. And what we said a couple of weeks ago is this: If you belong to God and you are in His kingdom, He has a plan and a purpose for your life. That’s the reason you live. And as long as God has a plan for your life, He will feed you and clothe you until the plan is complete. So what is there to worry about?
I do agree with him that life is much more than eating and drinking. Our lives is indeed much more than having our needs met. We should seek His kingdom first and foremost. However, I do not agree with him when he says that Christians who suffer from Panic Attacks and other anxiety disorders do not know or understand "divine priority". The truth is, a Christian can truly understand divine priority, but that will not eliminate the fact that they have Panic Attacks. I know a woman in my church who truly trusts in God's sovereignty, yet she deals with frequent Panic Attacks. Mr. MacArthur would most likely tell her that she is not truly saved, which would be horribly wrong because she definitely does show that she trusts in God's sovereignty. The danger in Mr. MacArthur's teaching is that he is calling Christians who suffer from mental illnesses are not truly saved.
The next portion of this sermon that I'd like to address is when Mr. MacArthur says the following,
There is really no place for worry and no place for fear and no place for anxiety if you understand that the priority with God is far more than just surviving, it’s far more than making it through the winter, it’s far more than getting at least one or two meals a day - far more than that. God’s purpose in giving you life, God’s purpose in giving you a body, is not material, it’s not physical, and it’s not earthly. It is immaterial, spiritual, and heavenly.
As I have said earlier, it is easy for him to say, "There is really no place for worry" when he has a net worth of $14 million. It is quite offensive for him to tell a single mother who is living in abject poverty not to worry. It is equally as offensive to tell someone who deals with uncontrollable Panic Attacks that they should never worry. It is true that if we have two meals a day we should be grateful, but it does not mean that we will never struggle with mental disorders. It is because of the Fall that we can either have a physical or mental disability. Trusting in God is not a panacea for physical and mental disabilities. No, we can trust the Lord completely and still need medication. The question is do we trust the Lord enough to know that we should l trust Him to provide us with our medications so we can live a fulfilling life?
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog and I hope that this helps you better understand mental illness better. I hope that this helps any Christians who suffer from mental illnesses understand that they aren't second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 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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