Pastor John MacArthur recently made waves by claiming that mental illness doesn’t exist. He made these remarks during a Q&A session at a church conference.
“Psychiatry and psychology is finally admitting the noble lies they’ve been telling for the last hundred years,” MacArthur said. “And the major noble lie is that there is such a thing as mental illness.” He went on to add, “There’s no such thing as PTSD. There’s no such thing as OCD. There’s no such thing as ADHD. Those are noble lies to basically give the excuse, at the end of the day, to medicate people.”
While MacArthur’s words are shocking, he expressed sentiments that are not entirely uncommon in evangelical circles. And while many evangelical churches and institutions have come a long way with regard to how we speak about mental health, it’s important that we continue to be thoughtful about how we approach the topic.
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, so we thought it important that we discuss not only MacArthur’s arguments and why we strongly disagree with them, but also how Christian leaders can cultivate environments where mental healthcare is celebrated.
RELATED RESOURCES
READ: The Mental Health Crisis Is a Church Crisis
READ: Is Anxiety a Sin?
LISTEN: Is Biblical Counseling the Answer to America’s Mental Health Crisis?
LISTEN: Religious Scrupulosity: Super Faithful or Mentally Ill?
REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
WATCH: Q&A Panel – For the Valley • Jonny Ardavanis, Costi Hinn, John MacArthur, Scott Ardavanis
READ: “Are We Talking Too Much About Mental Health?” by Ellen Barry
