Andy stanley and gay marriage
It's time to be bluff about Andy Stanley and gay Christians
By Michael Brown, Op-ed Contributor
I do my best to be sensitive in the language I use, not wanting to drive people away from a life-giving message because of controversial terminology. Yet there are times when being direct is essential, and now is one of those times. That is why Pastor Andy Stanley must be called out publicly for inviting practicing homosexuals to speak at his Unconditional Conference. The truth that these men claim to be committed Christians makes the sin all the more grievous.
I’m speaking specifically of Justin Lee and Brian Nietzel, both of whom are not only openly “gay Christians” but are also “married” to their same-sex partners. This means that, according to the plain instruction of Scripture, they will not inherit the Kingdom of God (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and their actions are detestable in His sight (Leviticus 18:22).
Justin and Brian might be very gracious and gentle men. Their partners might be terrific people in many ways. They might even model certain aspects of Christian compassion and grace and profess some orthodox beliefs. But that only magnifies the level of deception involved, si
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley is existence criticized for a recent sermon illustration involving a lgbtq+ couple in which Stanley labeled adultery, but not homosexuality, a sin.
Stanley preached the sermon April 15 which had been discussed on a handful of blogs in subsequent days before gaining wider attention May 1 when Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. wrote about it on his website.
“The story was so adequately told and the message so adequately constructed that there can be brief doubt of its meaning. Does this signal the normalization of homosexuality at North Point People Church?” Mohler wrote of Stanley’s congregation, which is nondenominational and located in Alpharetta, Ga. “This hardly seems feasible, but it appeared to be the implication of the message.”
Stanley’s sermon, titled “When Gracie Met Truthy,” focused on the tension Stanley said exists between Jesus’ teachings on grace and reality. The sermon was part five in a series on the meaning of “Christian.”
To illustrate that tension, Stanley — who has preached at the Southern Baptist Pastors
Plenty of folks are lamenting Andy Stanley’s decision to host a pro-gay conference this weekend at his North Indicate mega-church.
Good. We all should grieve when influential pastors include heresy. But this was predictable before it was lamentable.
What else could we expect from a pastor who rebuked a parishioner 11 years ago for being in a relationship with another man, not because it was homosexual, but because the other gentleman was married? (See HERE) Or from one who recently preached a sermon extolling gay churchgoers, gushing “The men and women I know who are gay, their faith and their confidence in God dwarfs mine.”
But Stanley’s drift, obvious for over a decade on this and other key matters (see HERE and HERE for example) indicates problems with us as skillfully
as him.
One of those problems is our habit of either winking at a leader’s solemn error, or reacting to it way too long after the fact. A heretical drift in leadership calls for 911.
“Who You Callin’ A Heretic?”
Stanley’s not alone in that drift. By hosting a pro-gay conference he joins the ranks of other teachers who gained influence then morphed from Gifted to Bad to Untrue. (Think Rob Bell;Jen Hatmak
Go and sin no more: Andy Stanley doubles down on his departure from Biblical Christianity
Christians should find no joy in addressing theological error, but passivity in the face of serious error amounts to complicity. The Apostles warned the Church to be on guard against false gospels and teachings that contradict the faith “once for all delivered to the saints.” Clearly, that calls for careful discernment and a necessary note of humility. This stewardship also requires alert consideration of theological weight, Biblical substance, and ethical priority. A disagreement over eschatological timetables is not a first-order theological issue, but a subversion of the gospel is a first-order crisis.
On Sunday, Andy Stanley responded to my previous column about his departure from Biblical Christianity, speaking of my argument and noting, “Lots and lots of people saw it. That’s why we are talking about it today.” He did talk about it, and in both services at North Gesture Community Church in metro Atlanta. He said a great deal, and he stated up front that he “never subscribed” to the Christianity I represent, so he has not departed from it. Stanley represented my empathetic of Bibl