Responding To Allen Parr’s Critique Of My Channel!

Responding to a Critique of Discernment Ministries

Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where the Bible and critical thinking meet to give you real Christian commentary about the things that matter. Thanks so much for watching, let's get into the video.

So Alan Parr is a fellow Christian YouTuber and a sincere brother in Christ. I love Alan dearly and I don't want any of this video to be misconstrued as an attack on him personally. Just to put it simply for you, in a recent video, Alan offered a critique of channels like mine, those that call out false teachers, and I thought that his critique was unhelpful, inconsistent, and unbiblical.

That doesn't mean that everything Alan's ever made is bad, or that you should have a permanent grudge against him and never follow his ministry, that's not what I'm saying at all. In fact, it would be unchristian for any of you to watch this video and carry any sort of unbiblical anger in your heart against Alan, I know I certainly don't.

As I said, he's a brother in Christ and he ought to be treated with the respect that comes with that title, so please, be respectful and be loving. But with that said, his recent video was a scathing critique of my channel and other channels like it, and I think there must be a response offered to his perspective.

False Teachers and the Reality of Deception

So with that said, let's review Alan's video using three biblical points. Number one, let's watch this first clip, check it out.

Now category number two are Christian YouTube channels that make their entire ministry about calling out or identifying false teachers. Now, on the surface, it might seem as though they are simply trying to help you identify or stay away from false teachers, but what's really going on behind the scenes is that they oftentimes are using shock value in their titles and their thumbnails to psychologically make you think that you might be deceived by listening to one of these false teachers.

Pay careful attention to what he just said. He said that on the surface, it may seem as though these channels who call out false teachers are helping you avoid false teaching, but in reality, they're actually using shock value to suggest that you might be deceived by false teachers.

Of course, in Alan's comment here, you'll realize quickly that the actual possibility of someone being deceived by the false teachers who are being called out, well, that option isn't even entertained.

In his perspective, the only possibility with ministries that call out false teachers is that they're simply using shock value to get your attention. But of course, we all know from Scripture that there are indeed false teachers out there who are deceiving people.

2 Peter 2 says, "...false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.".

So we know that there will be false prophets and false teachers among us who must be avoided for the sake of the body. But according to Alan, those who make it one of their central goals to call out these false teachers are not doing anything of biblical significance.

Rather, they're just trying to use shock value to get your attention. And this is the central problem with Alan's first claim. He's effectively suggesting that the people who are calling out false teachers are only doing something that seems, quote, on the surface to be beneficial, while in reality, they are, quote, using shock value to psychologically make you think that you might be deceived by listening to one of these false teachers, end quote.

Those are his actual words. But I will suggest for you today that you don't need to psychologically make anyone think that this is happening when it's actually happening in reality. Why would people with discernment YouTube channels need to make people think that they're being deceived by false teachers when there are actually thousands of people in reality who are being deceived by those false teachers?

In other words, what if someone is being deceived by listening to those people? 2 Peter 2 .1 and many passages like it tell us directly that this will happen. But according to Alan, people being deceived by false teachers is just something that these ministries are trying to convince you of.

That's what they're attempting to do. They're being deceptive. So the problem here is that Alan's framework for this comment is assuming that those who call out false teachers are creating a fake problem for themselves to come in and solve, when the truth is that this is in fact a very real problem that the Bible tells us needs to be dealt with.

Now, we may disagree on exactly how to deal with it, but that doesn't mean that me or people like me are making up the problem out of thin air. Now, just to be clear, I know for a fact that Alan Parr believes that false teaching is out there and that there are people who are deceiving others.

But this comment is not consistent with his belief on that, and therefore it presents a serious problem. Number two, let's go ahead and watch the next part of Alan's video.

Check this out. And so therefore, once again, similar to category number one, they're trying to keep you dependent upon them. They want you to come back to their channel again and again, because hey, if I don't, I might just be deceived by listening to this person or that person and this person.

So there are three claims being made here all at once, and all of them are pretty hypocritical and inconsistent. We have the shock value claim, the come back to their channel over and over claim, and the dependency claim.

So let's deal with each of these individually. First, the claim about shock value. Alan says that all these channels are trying to make it their goal to call out false teachers by using shock value in order to get views.

And I will make the case for you that using shock value isn't necessarily unbiblical in every instance. In fact, the biblical writers use shock value all the time. The problem is when this shock value is used in an unbiblical or dishonest way, or in order to accomplish an unbiblical or dishonest purpose.

In Galatians 5 .12, for instance, Paul says this,. That is to say, they should cut some things off that would usually not be cut off. That's pretty shocking language to me, and I would assume that Paul wrote this at least in part to get the attention of the wayward Galatians.

So again, I want to make it clear, not all use of shock value is biblical, but some of it definitely is. As long as it's not being used in a sinful or dishonest way, shock value can be a very useful tool for Christians, and that's why several of the Bible's writers use it themselves.

And by the way, if using shock value to get people's attention on your content was unbiblical, then Alan Parr is guilty by his very own standard. Alan can often be seen on his channel in his thumbnails making surprised or shocked faces that are clearly meant to grip people's attention and get them to watch the video.

I mean, just read the title for the video I'm responding to now. Alan entitles it, quote, Three Christian YouTube channels that you need to unsubscribe from. Dot dot dot. NOW. In all caps with an exclamation point.

If that's not an example of at least partially using shock value, I'm not sure what would be. The next claim he made was the one about the people who call out false teachers trying to get people to come back and watch their content over and over again.

This is one of the most clearly hypocritical statements that any YouTuber could make. Surely Alan Parr is not purposely making content that he believes people will not watch. Surely Alan Parr is, like all other Christian YouTubers, trying to make videos that he believes will be helpful to as large an amount of people as possible.

Alan Parr believes in his content and he wants you to come watch it over and over again. He thinks it's helpful to you. Why would he not want that? So then let me ask you a question. Why on earth is it wrong and unbiblical for other people to try and get people to watch their videos over and over and perfectly moral and OK when Alan Parr does the same thing?

He's violating his very own standard here in a seriously obvious way. In Romans 2 .3, Paul rebukes those who, quote, judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, end quote. We must have consistent standards.

It is not fair to rebuke other people who make content that they want people to watch over and over while you yourself clearly do the same thing. There's nothing unbiblical about making content that you believe will be successful on YouTube as long as it's made in an honest and biblical way.

So now let's talk about the dependency claim he made. This is the last of the three. Alan says that those who make videos calling out false teachers are attempting to get you dependent on them and only them for biblical truth.

And this is absolutely untrue. If you look at pretty much any of the popular Reformed discernment ministries out there, you will find that all of them recommend several teachers who they believe to be true and respectable men of God.

I know that I myself have done that many times. So to suggest that all discernment ministries want you to only listen to them is both inaccurate and absurd. It is also worth pointing out yet again that Alan makes himself guilty by his own inconsistent standard.

He says that those who tell you not to listen to others and then tell you to listen to them are trying to make you dependent on their content alone. But what is it that Alan's doing in this very video that we're watching?

He's telling you that there are certain Christian YouTube channels that you should unsubscribe from while he of course still thinks that you should subscribe to his channel. Does that mean that he's trying to make sure that you only listen to his stuff?

Is he trying to make you totally dependent on his content alone? Well, I don't believe that's what he means to do at all, but if you judge him by his own standard, then that's exactly what he's doing.

So not only are Alan's claims in this section of the video unbiblical, they're also completely inconsistent. Number three. Let's watch another clip of Alan where he explains a little more of what he means.

Watch this.

Listening to this person, or that person, and this person, and all the while they're doing this so that their views get skyrocketed, their ad revenue goes through the roof, and therefore padding their pockets, which is how we as Christian YouTubers, or YouTubers in general, actually make a living.

So Alan says that he knows the impure hearts and motivations of all these people as well. What they're really doing, he says, is padding their pockets with money for financial gain. And this is absolutely untrue.

I mean, there would be nothing wrong with this statement if it were actually based on some concrete and specific evidence directed towards a particular person. But how can you simply suggest that you can read the minds of every person running a discernment ministry and tell the whole world that their entire motivation is financial in nature?

My response to this claim would quite simply be, prove it. Offer one shred of evidence to support your claim. There could be several discernment ministries out there who simply have a heart for people to hear the truth and avoid falsehood.

But according to Alan, that's not possible at all. He has searched the hearts of all of these people and knows that their motivations are all impure. Again, I don't believe that he actually thinks this, but it's definitely what he said.

He doesn't say that they seem to be that way, he says that he knows all of them are that way. Again, you can make a claim about some particular YouTuber on the basis of some specific evidence. The problem is when you have a broad sweeping one about all discernment ministries that has no evidence to support it.

I wonder how Alan would feel if the channels that he's just called out did the very same thing to him. Suppose I made a video suggesting that I know Alan Parr does all of his YouTube stuff simply for the money and he doesn't care about people's souls at all.

Would that be fair? Would that be biblical or an accurate statement to make? Absolutely not. I think Alan Parr does not believe that. So again, we see Alan applying a different standard to himself than to others.

He's allowed to make assumptions about the hearts of every person who runs a channel calling out false teachers, while of course he himself would be very frustrated if we treated him the same way. Now there's still some statements made by Alan that should be dealt with, so I'm going to offer some bonus clips and analysis here in addition to the previous three points.

The Place of Discernment Ministries and Focused Christian Channels

Watch this.

Now, while there might be a place in the body of Christ for calling out false teaching and false teachers, the question we really have to ask is, is it appropriate to make an entire ministry out of this?

Is there anyone in the Bible, Peter, Paul, Jesus, or any of these people who made an entire ministry or entire channel out of just calling out false teachers? I don't see that pattern in the scriptures.

This is probably Alan's best point in the video, and this one point is a very common one offered against my channel and the channels of others who critique false teachers. There are really two important questions that need to be answered here.

One, is it biblical to have a channel that focuses on a particular issue in the church or in society? And two, is it biblical to have a YouTube channel that does not perfectly reflect the ministry of Paul and the other apostles?

So as usual, let's start with question one. Is it okay for a Christian to have a YouTube channel focused on a particular issue or a particular topic or that emphasizes a specific goal or specific activity?

My answer to that is absolutely it's biblically admissible to have a ministry like this as long as that ministry follows biblical principles. For instance, there are many Christian worship bands out there that make it their main activity to create worship music for the body of Christ.

By Alan Parr's standard, these ministries are unbiblical because they have too much focus on one thing and they do not reflect Paul's ministry or the ministry of any of the other apostles. You see, I am not aware of any apostle in scripture that had an entire ministry dedicated to making Christian music.

In fact, I'm not aware of any church member or Christian in scripture that had such a ministry. But of course, Alan Parr doesn't have a problem with music ministries because he inconsistently applies his standard here to only work against ministries that he doesn't like.

There are also ministries whose main focus is to get people out of addiction to alcohol or pornography using biblical principles. Again, according to Alan Parr's own standard, these ministries are unbiblical because they have a specific focus and they do not perfectly mirror the ministry of Paul or the other apostles.

Again, I am not aware of any apostle that had a ministry helping free people from a specific addiction, at least not a particular ministry focused on that. But surely this would be a worthwhile and biblical cause that Alan Parr would not disagree with.

So he condemns discernment ministries by this standard while refusing to apply it to anyone else. Of course, by Alan Parr's own standard here, we would have to condemn Christian ministries that focus on giving starving people food, or who focus on giving homes to orphans, or who focus on making it their aim to end the killing of infants in the womb.

All of these ministries would not be directly found in scripture or in the example of an apostle, yet all of these ministries have biblical goals and are not rebuked by Alan Parr. But of course, when it comes to discernment ministries that Alan personally doesn't agree with, all of a sudden the rules have to change in order to refute them.

And yet again, guys, I can show you a very direct example of Alan Parr violating the very standard he uses to condemn my channel and others like it. You see, Alan has at least two videos where he interviews a man named Frank Turek and promotes his ministry.

Frank Turek is an apologist who makes it his main goal to refute unbiblical worldviews. That's literally what he does for a living, and there's nothing wrong with that. The Apostle Paul and the other early Christian leaders definitely made a practice of crafting apologetic defenses for the Christian faith and refuting unbiblical worldviews.

Second Corinthians 10 .5 says quote, Apologetics is a great pursuit that is biblically defensible and very helpful. But by Alan Parr's own standard, all apologetics ministries are unbiblical, though of course he does not admit that.

You see, Alan says that if you have a specific focus or if you do not follow the exact pattern of Paul and the other apostles in Scripture, then you're not operating in a biblical way. But last time I checked, Paul and the other apostles did not have ministries that were exclusively focused on apologetics.

So why is Alan interviewing an apologist like Frank Turek on his channel? Well, it's simple. Because Alan is not applying his standard across the board, and that's why his perspective here, it contradicts itself at every turn.

That's why Alan himself is unknowingly breaking his own rules time and time again. John 7 .24 says quote,. As Christians, we must make a practice of being consistent in our positions. But unfortunately, Alan Parr's critique of channels like mine is extremely inconsistent.

And I don't say this from a high and mighty position either, guys. I've been inconsistent many times in my life and on my channel as well. So please, I ask you to pray that the Lord would make me aware of all the ways I've been inconsistent on my channel so that I can repent of that.

In any case, here's where Alan would be pretty much correct. We've talked a lot about where he'd be incorrect, but let me show you where he also has a good point. If I were a church's pastor, and I only preached from the pulpit about false teaching every week, that would be bad.

That would be unbiblical. Because the Bible directly commands that the church formally both teach the flock and call out false teaching. But my channel is not a church, and therefore I see absolutely no biblical problem with having a specific focus or having a specific topic that I'm interested in, and calling out false teachers.

That is, of course, with the important caveat that my videos must still be honest and biblically sound. And I lamented the fact that not every statement I've made on this channel has been as biblical as it could have been.

There are many solid teaching ministries that I recommend you listen to. In fact, I have recommended ten such teaching ministries in a video linked in the description. By the way, I want everyone to notice something here.

In this entire critique, Alan Parr does not directly quote one passage of Scripture. I've heard a lot of opinions, a lot of analysis, but not one passage of God's Word was actually quoted in his critique of discernment ministries.

If he could have found a passage that directly condemns these ministries, then he surely would have quoted it. But I am not aware of any such passage. Now that doesn't mean that his perspective is necessarily wrong.

You can be correct and not quote a Bible verse, but it certainly does mean that it isn't as compelling to me as it could be. What truly makes his position incorrect is the fact that it contradicts itself and is not consistent with the Scriptures.

So in summary, I found Alan Parr's critique of channels like mine to be inconsistent, unbiblical, and really illogical. Nonetheless, Alan is my brother in Christ, and I love him sincerely. I believe that he genuinely had nothing but the best intentions in making this video.

But he's still wrong. And finally, let me tell you that it will discourage me greatly to see people in the comment section making mean or sinful statements about Alan Parr. That is not something that I support at all, and you should take that elsewhere.

So please, pray for Alan that he would see his error and his inconsistency here and change his position to one that is more logical and more biblical. Thank you so much for watching. If you liked that video, please like, comment, share, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so that you never miss another one.

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