Posted on 01/27/2023 7:34:44 AM PST by SeekAndFind
A little more than a fortnight ago, I wrote a column for The Christian Post entitled “Free Speech and the State of American Culture.”
In that column, I discussed “The American Worldview Inventory,” which is researched and published by George Barna, the director of research with the Cultural Research Center located at Arizona Christian University. Barna and his team compiled exhaustive research in order to analyze the bedrock doctrines of the Christian faith in order to ascertain the current state of American protestant Christianity.
Barna and his team’s research results were, and are, devastating. For example, Barna found that among Evangelical pastors, only 61% believed in the concept of absolute truth (some things are always right and some things are always wrong). And the Evangelicals are the conservative, Bible-believing Protestants.
Barna’s research was among pastors, not church members at large. If the pastors, the shepherds of the flock, have succumbed to sub-biblical worldviews, who is going to lead the people and “teach them all things whatsoever I have commanded you? (Matt. 8:18-20)
If people are not hearing a sure, certain, and uncompromising word from the pulpit, where will they find truth in this increasingly secular age in which Americans find themselves immersed?
Let us always remember that the Prince of Darkness, the Great Deceiver, is able to transform himself into “an angel of light” (II Cor. 11:14) and that Christians must “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11)
And the devil is wily, deceitful, and strategic. If Satan can deceive and neutralize a pastor, it is the spiritual equivalent of an expert sniper neutralizing or “taking out” the commander of a military unit. This is one of many reasons we should pray for our pastors, indeed all pastors, every day. It is a certainty they are going to get the special attention of Lucifer and his demonic minions.
It is with profound sadness that I bring to your attention a subtle, but profound example of a devastating, anti-biblical teaching coming from one of the leading Evangelical pulpiteers in America today—Andy Stanley.
Rev. Stanley, the influential pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, and the leader of North Point Ministries, during North Point’s Drive Conference last May, made some rather astounding comments that have now gone viral on social media.
The Rev. Stanley declared,
“A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way they’ve been treated. I’m telling you they have more faith than I do. They have more faith than a lot of you.”
Here is the most troubling part of the message from this shepherd of the flock. The Rev. Stanley spoke of “the gay men and gay women who’ve come to faith in Christ as adults, who want to participate in our church.”
After acknowledging and dismissing with a casual wave of his hand and the equally dismissive statement, “I know I Corinthians 6, and I know Leviticus, and I know Romans 1, so interesting to talk about all that stuff,” Stanley declared, “But just, oh my goodness, a gay man or woman who wants to worship their Heavenly Father, who did not answer the cry of their heart when they were 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. God said, ‘No,’ and they still love God!”
He then declares, “We have something to learn from a group of men and women who love Jesus that much and who want to worship with us.”
Frankly, this is an astounding statement from a leading Evangelical pastor. When God did not answer “the cry of their heart,” is he saying that God was wrong in not accepting their sexual orientation, or is he saying that God should have answered their prayer by changing that orientation? Either option is blasphemous.
When people of whatever background, behavior, or orientation come to God, they must come without reservation, forsaking all to follow Jesus as Savior. We throw ourselves on His mercy and trust Jesus and Jesus alone for salvation. He is Lord and Savior, and we come on His terms, not ours—it is not a negotiation.
I fear the Rev. Stanley has drifted farther than he is aware from the biblical foundations of his youth, and all of his Christian brothers and sisters should pray for him, and all the Christians whom he influences, without ceasing.
So, if Andy Stanley’s approach to the LBGTQ community is wrong, and it is, what should the Christian attitude be to a gay man or a gay woman who wants to come and worship in your church, but wants to do so while still embracing and practicing same-gender sexual relationships, expecting you and our Heavenly Father to accept such behavior?
It just so happens that I had some experience in addressing just that question many years ago before the LGBTQ community had received the acceptance it has achieved in today’s America.
In the early 1970s, I was the pastor of a storefront Baptist church in the French Quarter of New Orleans. At the time there was a significant resident homosexual population in the French Quarter, supplemented significantly by LGBTQ visitors and tourists on a daily basis. The church had a gay bar around the corner and a drag queen costume shop across the street.
This was during the Jesus Movement and most of my church members were recent converts to the Christian faith. At least 90% of the church’s membership were fairly new Christians and a high percentage of them had been addicted to drugs in the fairly recent past. It was a multi-ethnic church, as well and my fiancé (now my wife) and I were known as the “straights.”
My church members took their transformative Christian faith very seriously which meant, among other things, they were witnessing machines. I had a difficult time keeping them supplied with tracts and other witnessing materials.
Several homosexuals were converted to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior—some from one-to-one witnessing and some through attending church services and hearing evangelistic sermons.
We always welcomed anyone in our church’s worship services, Bible studies, and other outreach programs, whether they were church members or not.
Christians should never discourage anyone from coming to their church for worship and spiritual sustenance. However, that is different than accepting the lifestyles they bring with them.
Our church would never accept anyone into membership (which was by baptism by immersion, subsequent to a profession of faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, unless by letter of recommendation from a sister Baptist church). I baptized some converts who had still not come to a conclusion about being church members. I baptized them as an act of obedience and witness to the Lord Jesus with a commitment from them that they would join a local congregation of believers when they felt convicted about when and where to join a church. (We most often counseled new converts who were not from New Orleans, many of whom were in their late teens and early twenties and who had run away from home before becoming Christians, to go home.)
We felt, with good reason, that there were a great many negative influences in New Orleans—a truly wicked city—that they were better off separating themselves from physically.
We never turned anyone away who came to worship, gay, drug addicts, Satan-worshippers, prostitutes—we had them all—because the ground is level at the foot of the cross and they needed to be where the Gospel was being proclaimed and taught.
However, we made it clear that we loved and accepted them because Jesus did, but that neither Jesus nor we accepted those things in their lives that were condemned as sinful by our Savior. So even if they had experienced a conversion experience, until they removed such behaviors, they could not be church members or in positions of leadership.
I believe that is the way the churches should have dealt with homosexual and lesbian believers then and now.
Those people you truly love, you tell the truth. You are not telling them the truth when you lead them to believe that God accepts their behavior.
I am not diminishing their anguish or the fact that same-sex attraction is powerful. I lived with people dealing with this issue on a daily basis for more than two years, and on a regular basis since then.
However, as an ordained minister, and as a Christian brother, I have an obligation to my Savior, in whose army I serve, and to my fellow brothers and sisters, to be a truth-teller. And according to Holy Scripture, God does not accept or bless same-sex unions or behavior, whatever one’s sexual orientation may be.
Dr. Richard Land, BA (Princeton, magna cum laude); D.Phil. (Oxford); Th.M (New Orleans Seminary). Dr. Land served as President of Southern Evangelical Seminary from July 2013 until July 2021. Upon his retirement, he was honored as President Emeritus and he continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Theology & Ethics. Dr. Land previously served as President of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (1988-2013) where he was also honored as President Emeritus upon his retirement. Dr. Land has also served as an Executive Editor and columnist for The Christian Post since 2011.
Dr. Land explores many timely and critical topics in his daily radio feature, “Bringing Every Thought Captive,” and in his weekly column for CP.
This apple fell far from the tree.
Andy Stanley should not be preaching.
(This apple fell far from the tree.)
Charles Stanley should have never let him up there.
Never trust a pastor who preaches in girl jeans and sneakers.
My nephew’s family goes to that “church”. I went once with them and walked (ran) out. It is borderline demonic.
In somewhat reminded of John Osteen who was a whole lot better than Joel Osteen who should also not be preaching.
Laodicea we are there.
I’m
SBC Leaders Slam Andy Stanley While Ignoring Queer Baptisms in Major SBC Church
Nowadays, the wrong people are called “evangelicals”.
Love the sinner but hate the sin.
Homosexuals need Jesus, but their lifestyle is not a life affirming, Jesus affirming lifestyle choice. They need to leave that sinful lifestyle choice behind.
The same is true with heterosexuals who choose sexual promiscuity.
The same is true for people who steal money.
Etc
C9mmentary by gill:
Isaiah 59:19
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun,.... The eastern and western antichrist being destroyed, way shall be made for the spread of the Gospel east and west; which shall be everywhere embraced, and the true worship of God set up; and the glorious name of the Lord, or the Lord who is glorious in his name, nature, perfections, and works, shall be feared and served from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, or by all nations under the heavens; see Malachi 1:11 and even those that are left in the antichristian states, and escape the general ruin, shall be frightened at his judgments, fear his great and awful name, and give glory to the God of heaven, Revelation 11:13.
when the enemy shall come in like a flood; when Satan, the common “enemy” of mankind, the avowed and implacable enemy of Christ and his people, “shall come” into the world, and into the church, as he will in the latter day; and has already entered “like” an impetuous flood, threatening to carry all before him, introducing a flood of immorality and profaneness, as in the days of Noah and Lot, to which the times of the Son of Man’s coming are likened, Luke 17:26 or else a flood of error and heresy of all sorts; see Revelation 12:15 and likewise a flood of persecution, as will be at the slaying of the witnesses, that hour of temptation that will come upon all the earth, to try the inhabitants of it, Revelation 3:10. Aben Ezra compares this passage with, and illustrates it by, that time of trouble which will be, such as never was since there was a nation, Daniel 12:1 when this will be the case, which seems to be near at hand:
the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him; Christ and his Gospel, or Christ the standard lifted up in the ministry of the Gospel, Isaiah 11:10 a set of ministers shall be raised up, having the everlasting Gospel, which they shall publish to all nations, and which shall have an universal spread; and by means of which the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea; and which will be a sufficient check to the enemy’s flood of immorality, error, and persecution; and which, after this, shall be no more; see Revelation 14:6. Some render the words, “when he”, the glorious name of the Lord, or he who is the glory of the Lord, the brightness of his glory;
He goes on to say about the latter days church and what it will face, ie heavy assault and persecution and personal attacks by the evil one
stirred up by Satan to distress the church: all this may be applied to the case of particular believers under the assaults of Satan their grand enemy; who seeks all occasions to disturb their peace and destroy their comfort, though he cannot ruin their souls; he comes in, not only into their houses where they dwell, and gives them disturbance there; and into the house of God where they worship, and does all he can to hinder them in attending on the word and ordinances, and to prevent all usefulness, edification, and comfort thereby; but he enters into their hearts, and stirs up the corruptions of their nature, and causes these to rise like a flood, which threaten with bringing them into
captivity to the law of sin and death; and attacks them with violent temptations, suggesting that they are not the people of God, the redeemed of the Lamb, or regenerated by the Spirit, but are hypocrites, and never had the work of grace on their hearts; aggravating their sins, and telling them they have sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost, and there is no pardon for them; and at other times filling their minds with blasphemous and atheistical thoughts;
all which come upon them sometimes with so much force, that it is like an overflowing flood that threatens with utter destruction; when the Spirit of the Lord within them, who is greater than he that is in the world, lifts up Christ as an ensign or standard to them; and directs them to his blood for peace and pardon, for the cleansing of their souls and the atonement of their sins; where they may see and read, in legible characters, the free and full remission of their sins, and an entire satisfaction to the justice of God for them;
and he holds up and holds out the righteousness of Christ unto them, with which God is well pleased, his justice satisfied, and his law made honourable; and by which they are justified from all things, and secured from all charges and condemnation; and who also leads them to the person, power, and grace of Christ, to preserve them in grace to glory, to keep them from falling, and present them faultless before the throne of God;
the consequence of which is a check to Satan’s temptations; an antidote to the doubts and fears he injects; and an abundance of spiritual peace and comfort; as well as it engages to fear the Lord and his goodness.
Very far from the tree. Sermons from his father Charles Stanley always resonate with me. His son just comes across as the typical youth pastor who is trying to be hip and all inclusive which is not biblical.
After sentence diagramming, I'm still unable to decipher without my decoder ring which I lost in a canoe accident.
ditto. you are correct.
Do we know if Andy himself is gay? He comes across as very light in the loafers.
What’s the problem w Joel Osteen? What has he said that is heresy and when has he condoned sin?
I refuse to call it the "prosperity gospel" because it is NOT gospel.
The good news is that prophetically there will be a change of heart among those in the church who will take Jesus' advice and buy of me [Jesus] gold tried in the fire [live by the life and peace of the Spirit, not by the flesh], that you may be rich; and white raiment [Christ-righteousness by faith, not self-righteousness], that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve [be filled with the Spirit], that you mayest see (Rev. 3:18).
This is a picture of the current revival in the church of the true gospel of the grace of Christ around the world. This will be followed by a great and final incoming of souls before Jesus comes.
Do you have any specific quote of his that is a heresy?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.