Andy Stanley, the pastor of an Atlanta-based megachurch, spoke from the pulpit on Sunday after leading a controversial two-day conference aimed at “supporting LGBTQ+ parents and children in their churches.”
The North Point Community Church pastor addressed the “Unconditional Conference” during his Sunday message, which was not broadcast live, according to the Roys report.
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Stanley’s message was meant to be a response to the widespread criticism he and North Point faced following the announcement that it would host the Sept. 28-29 conference, which would feature LGBTQ-affirming speakers.
Among the critics was Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Mohler argued that the event marked Stanley’s departure from a biblical understanding of sexuality, which views marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman.
Mohler said on a recent episode from his podcast, “The Briefing”:
(As a theologian, I simply feel a responsibility to say that this represents a departure from historical, normative, biblical Christianity. I think both sides understand that this is the most fundamental disagreement we can imagine , just like sex and gender. It’s about ontology and being; it’s about Scripture, the authority of Scripture, and the interpretation of Scripture. C “is because of God and the Gospel. It can’t be more fundamental than that, but I recognize the gravity of the words I use when I say that what we see here is a break with historic Christianity, normative and biblical. I say this because I believe that is exactly what it is, and I believe Christians should take note.
The Georgia pastor reportedly said he “never subscribed to (Mohler’s) version of biblical Christianity.”
“This version of biblical Christianity is why people abandon Christianity unnecessarily,” Stanley said. “It’s the version that causes people to resist the Christian faith, because they can’t find Jesus in the middle of everything else, all this other theology and all this other complexity that’s at the bottom of the message, this version of Christianity, draws lines.
“And Jesus drew circles,” the preacher continued. “He drew such big circles and included so many people in his circle that it constantly made religious leaders nervous. »
Stanley then explained that he supports the idea that “biblical marriage is between one man and one woman,” but he applied qualifiers to that statement, making his exact position on the issue somewhat unclear.
He explained that some people who struggle with same-sex attraction “are convinced that traditional marriage is not an option for them” and, as such, are committed “to living a chaste life.” However, the pastor continued: “For many, this is not sustainable, so they choose same-sex marriage – not because they are convinced it is biblical. …They choose to marry for the same reasons many of us do: love, companionship.
Stanley added that once two people make the decision to enter into a same-sex romantic relationship, it’s “our decision” to determine “how are we going to respond to their decisions.” North Point, he reportedly explained, took the position that “whatever their starting point, whatever their past, whatever their current situation, our message is: come see and come sit with me “.
Although Mohler has yet to address Stanley’s latest statements from the pulpit, other Christian thought leaders have responded to the pastor’s explanations for his lecture.
Andrew Walker, professor of ethics and public theology at SBTS and author of “God and the transgender debate,” highlighted what he sees as Stanley’s “distinction between doctrine and pastoral practice.”
“What does that mean?” Walker wrote. “This means that the doctrine has not officially changed, which is why he can technically assert a ‘biblical view,’ but for all intents and purposes there is a pastoral accommodation that allows LGBT-identified people to disobey Scripture and to remain in good standing as such. a Christian. »
He continued: “What Stanley considers a failure to live up to an unattainable ideal, Scripture calls sin. Nowhere in the messages was anyone expected to walk away from their same-sex relationship. This is an example of limitless empathy that listens (which is good) but never invites transformation (which is bad).
Read Walker’s full response below:
I was able to listen to Andy Stanley’s messages today on the topic of same-sex attraction and marriage.
What is clear from Stanley’s teaching is that he distinguishes between doctrine and pastoral practice. What does that mean? This means that the doctrine has not…
– Andrew T. Walker (@andrewtwalk) October 2, 2023
Denny Burk, president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, wrote on Sunday that Stanley’s view is “subversively anti-Christian”.
“The message is anti-Christian because it tells unrepentant sinners that they can inherit the kingdom of God – a message that the Bible categorically contradicts,” he explained in the article published on the CBMW website.
Stanley has been criticized for a handful of theological positions in recent years, including his view of the Old Testament, from which he argued Christians should “detach themselves.”
In 2018, he admitted at the end of a series of sermons that the Old Testament is “divinely inspired”, but argued that it should not be “the go-to source for all behavior in the Church”.
“Church leaders (of the first century) detached the Church from the worldview, value system and regulations of the Jewish scriptures,” he said while preaching the 1st century. Acts 15. “Peter, James, and Paul chose to detach the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures, and my friends, we must do so too. »
Several Christian leaders criticized Stanley for these remarks.
In fact, during a recent conversation with CBN Digital, Atlanta-based author and pastor Michael Youssef explained his concerns about Stanley’s Old Testament statements.
“Disconnect from the Old Testament? » said Youssef. “It would be like saying, ‘I like this big, beautiful, tall building, but the foundations aren’t really necessary.’ Let’s get rid of it. If you get rid of the foundation, the building won’t last very long.
“If you understand the Bible…it’s one book, not two books,” he continued. “I often compare it to a house. The Old Testament is that house, with foundations and walls, but it lacks a roof. The New Testament is the roof and therefore together you have one building: a house. … One without the other doesn’t really make sense and, therefore, our whole fundamental structure in the Old Testament which constantly says, for hundreds of years, “Christ is coming, Christ is coming,” says the New Testament. , ‘Hey, he’s here.’ The New Testament fulfills the Old Testament.
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