And if that message is pathological then the whole Scripture must be subject to the same diagnosis. But most people instinctively sense that such love is not pathological at all but is intensely therapeutic and beneficial. Pastors must become adept at playing this loving chord of the Apocalypse for all it is worth. Apocalyptic preachers must also insist that pathology is not in the Apocalypse itself but is rather in the mind of the one who reads the Apocalypse. He mentions a number ways that the human mind can potentially corrupt our understanding the Word of God.
Reaction formation is essentially a defense mechanism against anxiety.
For example, the strong preaching of Jimmy Swaggart against sexual sin appears in retrospect as a fear-reaction against his own sexual impulses. Another example of reaction formation might be the professor who raises the volume of the voice as a substitute for the self-perceived weakness of the argument. Selective attention is the simple human ability to screen information. For example, when my sister was a child mom took her to the doctor because of a hearing problem. 9 To prematurely read present experience in the light of eschatological conflict could lead to the withdrawal and isolation of the believing community from a world that desperately needs the salt of Christian grace.