diff --git a/letsencrypt-apache/letsencrypt_apache/parser.py b/letsencrypt-apache/letsencrypt_apache/parser.py
index aad990e3b..4ed83e652 100644
--- a/letsencrypt-apache/letsencrypt_apache/parser.py
+++ b/letsencrypt-apache/letsencrypt_apache/parser.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class ApacheParser(object):
         # https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/core.html#ifdefine
         # This only handles invocation parameters and Define directives!
         self.variables = {}
+        self.unparsable = False
         self.update_runtime_variables(ctl)
 
         self.aug = aug
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ class ApacheParser(object):
         # Must also attempt to parse sites-available or equivalent
         # Sites-available is not included naturally in configuration
         self._parse_file(os.path.join(self.root, "sites-available") + "/*")
+        #TODO check to see if there were unparsed define statements
+        if self.unparsable:
+            if self.find_dir("Define", exclude=False):
+                raise errors.PluginError("Error parsing runtime variables")
 
     def init_modules(self):
         """Iterates on the configuration until no new modules are loaded.
@@ -100,7 +105,9 @@ class ApacheParser(object):
         try:
             matches.remove("DUMP_RUN_CFG")
         except ValueError:
-            raise errors.PluginError("Unable to parse runtime variables")
+            self.unparsable = True
+            return
+            #raise errors.PluginError("Unable to parse runtime variables")
 
         for match in matches:
             if match.count("=") > 1: