This is my first post on WordPress, and I thought it would be a good one to start with. I hope to write more theological posts in the future that may benefit those who have had similar experiences. This post is a long-form comment I wrote on a YouTube video titled “Pastor Reacts to Paul Washer | “Your conversion is false…” https://youtu.be/o-JWdazBvPY?si=hxxpziLw0I-bVNfM

I deeply appreciate when people accurately call out Paul Washer and other so-called “biblical” celebrity preachers. I used to listen to him and others like him (from the I’ll Be Honest crowd, John MacArthur, Piper, etc.). However, after years of stepping away from listening to them and objectively reflecting on their preaching and exegesis, I’ve realized they commit many serious errors. This issue cannot be separated from the modern evangelical industrial complex, filled with conferences, study Bibles, media, and more. As humans, we like to be entertained. We are naturally drawn to drama—a show to watch. We want to feel like we’re part of a story, and in Western culture, which leans heavily toward individualism, this desire is amplified. While the early church met in homes and emphasized relational and experiential Christianity across all demographics—young, old, strong, and weak—our modern culture of mega-churches and conferences often creates a giant chasm. It replaces the relational aspects of Christianity with a focus on heady theological melodrama, tailored to individual experience. Paul Washer and many other “biblical” celebrity preachers (as opposed to the unbiblical Word of Faith types) seem to employ what I call “spiritual insecurity baiting” or “validation dependency preaching.” Although Washer presents himself as conservative, Reformed, and traditional, he is one of the most emotional preachers I’ve ever seen. He criticizes the emotional manipulation of altar calls, where music and pleas compel people to walk the aisle and recite prewritten prayers. Yet, in a twist reminiscent of the horseshoe theory (the idea that extremes on opposite ends of a spectrum can start to resemble each other), Washer mirrors this same emotionalism. He is so against the emotional appeals of altar calls that he ends up making people emotionally resistant to showing emotion. He criticizes the music and pleas of altar calls, but his alternative seems to suggest calling you to stay in your chair and retreat inwardly—or perhaps even leaving church—because you might not be “truly” saved or serious enough about salvation. He opposes prewritten sinner’s prayers but often makes it seem like even faith alone isn’t enough to save you. In fact, sometimes it seems like he pushes this idea that you need to exist in a kind of pre-faith, pre-repentant state, anxiously asking for the salvation that truly saves (how’s that for someone who claims to hold to a Reformed soteriology and Ordo Salutis?). By the way, I thought that in Romans 1:16 it says the Gospel is what saves not these lengthy emotional performances where you place your listeners into a psychological thriller/horror movie every time. A boring Gospel presentation is more powerful than a false Gospel that is one thousand times more engaging and thrilling. The biggest problem with these preachers is that they often operate like politicians. When cornered on theological issues, they use “get out of theological jail free card” phrases like, “We are saved by grace alone through faith alone,” or “All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags.” But in practice, they blur the lines between justification and sanctification, making the Gospel message vague. They erode the Law-Gospel distinction—until they’re cornered again and revert to the necessary phrases to avoid being labeled heretics. Meanwhile, these vague teachings become fodder for selling books, study Bibles, and conference tickets to explain away the confusion they themselves created. And so the cycle of spiritual insecurity and spiritual validation/dependency continues. As opposed to the Roman Catholic system where you participate in man made religious acts like going to a confessional booth, doing penance, and praying the rosary…these types of evangelical cardinals and popes present the man made neo-sacraments of doubting your salvation and stewing in your own existential dread. Another issue with these types of preachers is that, while they often talk about their support for the “local church,” in practice, they functionally elevate themselves to an elite status. It’s very common, in my experience, for people who follow Paul Washer to become dissatisfied with their “regular” churches and even want to leave them entirely (If you’re unfamiliar with this, consider how the Church of Wells cult got started and how highly they spoke of Paul Washer when they first created their own “church”). Although they claim not to believe, like Charismatic churches, that the offices of apostle or prophet are still active today, they often operate in a way that places them above even an apostle. Their influence and reach on a daily basis far surpass anything the apostles themselves had. Moreover, they position themselves as the ultimate arbiters of what Scripture “really” means, often leaving no room for alternate perspectives. It’s worth remembering that Jesus didn’t just condemn the Pharisees—He also condemned the scribes, the supposed masters of Scriptural interpretation, for their hypocrisy and arrogance. The book of James warns that teachers (most likely men leading small, regular local churches in his day) will be held to a stricter judgment. However, I wonder how much stricter God will judge those who brazenly presume to speak judgment and condemnation over the entirety of Christ’s body and His sheep on such a consistent basis—especially when they harm His weak and battered sheep by insinuating they are not truly His. The issue is that you will never be satisfied listening to these preachers. To put it bluntly, they are putting salt in the water. You come seeking the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it’s mixed with something that leaves you even thirstier. You may become envious and angry toward those who simply believe the Gospel and are not as spiritually dehydrated as you are. You’ll go from conference to conference, sermon to sermon (likely never meeting these men in person), and never feel satisfied. I’ve never seen a literal shepherd who leads their sheep from behind a YouTube screen. A true shepherd seeks the lost sheep, lifts it out of a hole, and cares for it. A true shepherd doesn’t convince a sheep it’s not part of the flock and kick it off the farm for not being perfect. Yet we’ve accepted these evangelical popes and cardinals, despite knowing where that road leads. Anecdotally, listening to Paul Washer has led many people I know (and myself) into legalism, reclusiveness, and religious scrupulosity. Before I started listening to him, I was joyful and appreciative of life, especially when I first started really focusing on God in my late teens and early twenties. But once I got into Paul Washer and the “I’ll Be Honest” content, a dark cloud of doubt began hovering over me. I started doubting my salvation and engaging in endless navel-gazing: Did I evangelize for the right motives? Should I have spoken out in class against the non-Christian professor? Was I a coward for not thinking/talking about God 24/7? Was I reading the Bible for the wrong reasons? It was relentless. And it didn’t stop there—the dark cloud grew. I became overly critical of others as well: Why are those Christians so happy? Don’t they realize the lost need the Gospel? Are they evangelizing as much as I am? How can they listen to secular music when I gave it up for Christ? In closing, remember that people can appear “biblical” but not truly be Christians. The ultimate irony would be discovering on Judgment Day that the very preachers who perpetually sowed doubt about salvation were themselves not Christians. They used the Bible to gain money, clout, and notoriety. So follow Jesus, not men. Read and study the Bible for yourself. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28) “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)