Rachel Hollis is a motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur known for her emphasis on self-help, self-care, self-love, and personal empowerment. Her best-selling books, including Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing, have made her a popular figure in the self-improvement space, particularly among women seeking encouragement and personal development. However, Hollis's teachings often reflect elements of the prosperity gospel, self-reliance, and a focus on self-empowerment that diverge significantly from confessional Christianity.
Key Beliefs and How They Differ from Confessional Christianity
1. Emphasis on Self-Love and Self-Empowerment:
- Rachel Hollis's View: Hollis promotes the idea that self-love, self-acceptance, and self-care are essential for living a fulfilled life. Her teachings emphasize the importance of believing in oneself, setting personal goals, and pursuing one’s dreams with confidence and determination. Hollis often encourages her audience to prioritize their own happiness, stating that they have the power to create the life they desire through hard work, positive thinking, and self-belief.
- Confessional Christianity: Confessional Christianity teaches that true fulfillment and identity are found in Christ, not in self-love or self-reliance (Galatians 2:20). The Westminster Confession of Faith emphasizes that believers are called to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Reformed theology teaches that the Christian life is not about pursuing personal happiness or self-empowerment but about submitting to God’s will, serving others, and finding one’s identity and purpose in a relationship with God.
2. Prosperity and Success:
- Rachel Hollis's View: Hollis’s message often aligns with the prosperity gospel's emphasis on achieving success, wealth, and personal achievement. She teaches that individuals can manifest their dreams and goals through hard work, ambition, and maintaining a positive mindset. Hollis frequently shares her own journey of personal and financial success as evidence that anyone can achieve their dreams if they put in enough effort and believe in themselves.
- Confessional Christianity: Confessional Christianity rejects the prosperity gospel as a distortion of biblical teaching. Scripture teaches that the Christian life may involve suffering, trials, and self-denial (Philippians 4:11-13; James 1:2-4). The Westminster Confession emphasizes that true prosperity is found in spiritual growth, contentment in Christ, and eternal riches, not in material wealth or worldly success. Reformed theology teaches that believers are called to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, trusting that God will provide for their needs (Matthew 6:33).
3. Beliefs about Personal Responsibility and Self-Reliance:
- Rachel Hollis's View: Hollis encourages her audience to take complete responsibility for their lives, suggesting that they have the power to change their circumstances and achieve their goals through hard work, determination, and self-discipline. Her teachings often promote a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality, implying that individuals have the ability to overcome any obstacle if they try hard enough and believe in their potential.
- Confessional Christianity: Confessional Christianity teaches that human beings are not self-sufficient but are entirely dependent on God for their salvation, strength, and daily needs (John 15:5; Acts 17:28). The Westminster Confession of Faith emphasizes that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Reformed theology teaches that while believers are called to be diligent and responsible, they must ultimately rely on God's grace, providence, and strength rather than their own efforts.
4. View of Personal Identity and Purpose:
- Rachel Hollis's View: Hollis encourages people to discover and pursue their passions, dreams, and personal goals as the key to finding purpose and happiness. She teaches that one’s identity is found in their accomplishments, personal growth, and ability to overcome obstacles. This approach emphasizes the idea that individuals can define their worth and purpose based on their achievements and aspirations.
- Confessional Christianity: Confessional Christianity teaches that a believer’s identity and purpose are found in being united with Christ and living for His glory (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:3). The Westminster Confession of Faith emphasizes that God created humanity to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Reformed theology teaches that true purpose is not found in self-fulfillment or personal achievements but in serving God and others, trusting that one’s worth is rooted in being a child of God.
5. Approach to Self-Help and Transformation:
- Rachel Hollis's View: Hollis's teachings focus heavily on self-help strategies, personal development, and achieving success through self-improvement techniques. Her books and speeches encourage people to create vision boards, set ambitious goals, and pursue their dreams with relentless determination. She often emphasizes that the key to transformation lies in believing in oneself and taking practical steps to achieve one’s goals.
- Confessional Christianity: Confessional Christianity teaches that true transformation comes through the work of the Holy Spirit and the process of sanctification, not through self-effort or personal strategies (Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 3:5). The Westminster Confession emphasizes that believers are transformed by God’s grace as they grow in their relationship with Christ, read Scripture, pray, and participate in the life of the church. Reformed theology teaches that genuine change is a result of God’s work in the believer’s life, not merely the result of self-discipline or personal motivation.
Summary of Differences
Why Rachel Hollis should be regarded as a false teacher and why her teachings should be avoided:
1. Promoting Self-Centered Philosophy Over God-Centered Truth
Rachel Hollis's teachings are largely rooted in self-help ideology, which emphasizes personal empowerment, self-reliance, and achieving one's dreams through self-effort. Her popular messages often center on the idea of “believing in yourself,” “being enough,” and taking control of your life to achieve success, happiness, and fulfillment. However, this philosophy directly contradicts the core message of Scripture, which teaches that we are not sufficient in ourselves but are entirely dependent on God.
The Bible teaches that apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5) and that our strength and sufficiency come from Him, not ourselves (2 Corinthians 3:5). Instead of promoting self-sufficiency, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). By focusing on self-empowerment rather than Christ-centered dependence, Hollis’s teachings lead people to trust in their own abilities instead of relying on God's grace, which is the only source of true transformation and power.
2. Diminishing the Reality of Sin and the Need for Repentance
Hollis’s message often overlooks the reality of human sinfulness and the need for repentance, instead promoting the idea that our main problem is a lack of self-belief or self-esteem. However, Scripture teaches that our greatest problem is not a lack of confidence or self-worth but that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Romans 3:23 states, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and the Bible repeatedly emphasizes that repentance is necessary for salvation (Acts 3:19, Mark 1:15).
By failing to address sin and the need for repentance, Hollis presents a message that is ultimately powerless to bring about the true, lasting change that only the Gospel can offer. The Bible calls us to confess our sins and find forgiveness and transformation through Christ’s atoning work on the cross (1 John 1:9), not through self-improvement or personal achievements.
3. Offering a Prosperity Gospel of Personal Success and Happiness
Hollis frequently teaches that you can achieve your dreams, wealth, and happiness if you work hard enough, believe in yourself, and follow your passions. This message is essentially a form of the Prosperity Gospel, which teaches that God’s primary concern is our material success, happiness, and self-fulfillment. However, the Bible makes it clear that following Christ often involves suffering, sacrifice, and self-denial (Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 3:12).
Jesus warned that following Him would be costly and that treasures in this life are temporary (Matthew 6:19-21). The Christian life is not about pursuing personal success or worldly achievements but about seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). By promoting a gospel of self-fulfillment and personal achievement, Hollis’s teachings shift the focus away from Christ and eternal values, leading people to chase after temporal things that cannot satisfy.
4. Encouraging a "You Are Enough" Mentality Contrary to the Gospel
A central theme of Rachel Hollis's teaching is the message that "you are enough" just as you are. This idea suggests that we already possess everything we need within ourselves and that we don't need to change or depend on anything outside of ourselves for meaning or fulfillment. However, the Bible teaches the exact opposite: that we are not enough on our own. We are sinners in need of God’s grace, and we desperately need a Savior. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6), and Paul declared, "I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh" (Romans 7:18).
The Gospel tells us that we are made complete not in ourselves but in Christ (Colossians 2:10). The idea that "you are enough" is a false gospel that ignores our need for redemption and leads people away from the transformative power of God’s grace, which alone can make us whole. True freedom and fulfillment come not from looking within but from turning to Christ, who is sufficient for all our needs (2 Corinthians 12:9).
5. Promoting Worldly Wisdom Instead of Biblical Wisdom
Rachel Hollis often relies on secular self-help philosophies, motivational speaking, and personal anecdotes rather than grounding her teachings in the truth of God's Word. The Bible warns against relying on worldly wisdom and encourages believers to seek the wisdom that comes from God. James 3:15-17 contrasts earthly wisdom, which is "unspiritual, demonic," with wisdom from above, which is "pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits."
By emphasizing self-help principles rather than God’s wisdom, Hollis promotes a form of spirituality that is disconnected from biblical truth and ultimately ineffective in producing true, godly transformation. Her teachings encourage people to trust in their own understanding rather than submitting to God's Word, which is the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Conclusion from Scripture
The Bible consistently warns believers to be on guard against false teachers who distort the truth and lead others astray. Paul admonishes the church in Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." Rachel Hollis’s teachings, which emphasize self-reliance, personal empowerment, and worldly success, are based on human tradition and philosophy rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The true Gospel calls us to recognize our insufficiency, turn from sin, and place our faith entirely in Christ, who is our only hope of salvation and true transformation. Any teaching that encourages believers to look within themselves for meaning, worth, or power ultimately leads them away from the One who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
For these reasons, Rachel Hollis’s teachings should be avoided, as they present a false gospel that is incompatible with the truth of Scripture. Believers are called to remain grounded in the Word of God, which is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16), and to reject any teaching that elevates self over the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ. True hope, freedom, and fulfillment are found not in ourselves but in the Gospel, which proclaims that Christ alone is enough.