Brock Reads

Two events yesterday portray alternate futures for American Christianity: 1) a Liberal whose interview was suppressed by media fearful of the State, and 2) a Reconstructionist with errant teachings of the Trinity hosted by the State. Neither “Christian” approach is acceptable.

🚨‼️I have watched Paul Washer for years, and the thing that always rises to the surface is not the strength of Christ but the shadow of Paul Washer himself. The tone is constantly mournful, trembling, almost as though the gospel were a funeral instead of the good news of a finished redemption. The Bible says, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4), yet listening to Paul Washer you would think the dominant mark of spirituality is emotional collapse. Brokenness has its place, but when brokenness becomes the brand, something is out of balance. The New Testament believer is not called to live under a perpetual cloud of despair but in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free (Galatians 5:1). What troubles me is the subtle impression left behind. Paul Washer never says he is the standard, yet the atmosphere of his preaching suggests that unless you feel what he feels, cry like he cries, and tremble like he trembles, you must be a second-rate Christian. That is not how the Holy Ghost measures a man. Scripture measures us by faith in the finished work of Christ, not by emotional intensity. Some of the strongest saints in the Bible spoke plainly, calmly, and without theatrics. Paul the apostle wrote with authority, not with theatrical anguish. The fruit of the Spirit is not spiritual exhaustion; it is love, joy, peace, and a sound mind. Another concern is how Paul Washer often emphasizes the weakness of the believer without equally magnifying the sufficiency of the Saviour. Yes, we are weak in ourselves, but the gospel message is that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Constantly telling redeemed people they are miserable failures without lifting their eyes to their new identity in Christ produces bondage, not holiness. The devil is the accuser of the brethren, not the Comforter. When preaching leaves the saint more focused on self-loathing than on the blood of Jesus Christ, the balance has tipped in the wrong direction. I am not saying Paul Washer has never spoken truth, but truth out of proportion becomes error. God never called preachers to make His children feel perpetually unworthy after the cross has declared them accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). The gospel does not chain a man to the floor of his emotions; it raises him to walk in newness of life. We need preaching that exalts Christ more than it dramatizes human misery. If a message leaves you admiring Paul Washer’s intensity more than the grace of Jesus Christ, then something has gone sideways. The cure for Laodicea is not spiritual theatrics; it is a clear trumpet that points sinners and saints alike to the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“God grant that we will be so maladjusted that we will be able to go out and change our world and our civilization.” —MLK 1967 Christmas Sermon on Peace