Transcript: “When believers have a low view of God, everything focuses on meeting felt needs within the body of Christ. When the church adopts such a perspective, it often offers people nothing more than spiritual placebos. It centers on psychology, self-esteem, entertainment, and a myriad of other diversions to attempt to meet perceived and felt needs.”
This is ostensibly a quote from John MacArthur. My FB friend proudly displayed it on her feed as if it were some sort of significant point. I have a different opinion.
First, we don't have any context for the statement. For example, MacArthur's premise. What does he mean by "low view of God?" Is he referring to general believers and their inadequate revelation as to the Glory of God? It doesn't seem so, because he subsequently employs a non sequitur, changing from "believers" to "churches."
What are "felt needs," and why is it bad to focus on them? And how does he know that "everything" is focused on them? Why are spiritual placebos the inevitable result?
I have more questions. In a continuing string of non sequiturs, he then asserts that the universal result is a "myriad of other diversions." And these are supposedly designed to meet felt needs. But how does he know that these are the result? How does he know they are the only response to felt needs?
What he seems to be saying is that when churches give people what they want, people get what they want. There. 12 words that boil down a supposedly profound observation to a tautology.
So we must ask, is this true? As originally presented, no. There is no logical procession of ideas here. The assertions don't follow from the premise. The conclusion therefore is flawed.
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