Posted on 09/25/2018 2:43:28 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
Despite the fact that God expresses His love for the righteous throughout the Old Testament – Jew and gentile alike – in a new book, one of America’s biggest mega-pastors claims the Hebrew Scriptures portray Him as “unapproachable,” living behind a curtain with love reserved only “for His covenant people,” suggesting He is a different deity than the one portrayed in the New Testament.
It’s the latest shocking suggestion from Andy Stanley, whose suburban Atlanta congregation exceed 34,000 attendees and a national following.
He writes in “Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed on the World,” released last week, that the concept of a loving God is a “uniquely Christian idea.”
In chapter 18 of his book, he cites 1 John: 4:16 with what he calls a “unique” theological statement: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
“John equated God with love,” he writes. “This was novel. This was unique. This would change the world. God is love is a uniquely Christian idea.”
The claim was quickly rebuked by other Christians who see no distinction between God’s expressions of love for the righteous and faithful in the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Frankly, Andy's point here makes me wonder if he isn't actually trying to push a message of anti-Semitism. Or perhaps he is trying to make room in his church for an LGBQ friendly agenda.
As an aside, I used to attend Charles Stanley's church in Atlanta and I remember when Andy delivered the sermon one Sunday.
It was a good sermon--well delivered, too--but at the end of it Andy appeared to display a mixture of huffiness and self-importance.
Not at all like his father.
What I think Charles means is "pay close attention to this little detail...it is important."
As Charles has said, his is a teaching ministry. He stresses the fine print a lot.
Gods love and word, is for all of us! That is scripture!!
Marcionism.
Andy Stanley and Frankie Schaeffer..........sad legacy to their fathers
“the fact that he says “listen” at least once, if not twice, in just about every sentence makes him hard to listen to.”
Our minister does that, too. It’s insulting. I know it’s a sort of “tick”, and he doesn’t mean anything by it, but drives us crazy.
Andy must embarrass him to no end. My nephew goes to Andy’s church. It’s almost a blessing that they’re not super involved in it. You should be involved in your church, but not when it’s off the rails.
As a side note, there is a fairly substantial Jewish community in the vicinity of Andy Stanley’s church. Multiple synagogues fairly close by, a kosher grocer at the local Kroger, big Jewish community center and other institutions, etc.
That said, the church has relatively little interaction with the local community, other than big traffic in and out on Sundays.
Andy boy is an apostate... He’s the bozo who preached the old testament has nothing to do with “today’s” Christianity.
Clear cut case of someone trying to be a deep thinker who is not quite equipped for it.
The “listen” is a GREAT part of Charles “Grampa” Stanley’s Southern flair!!
Andy the son? Meh....
You are right, but I think there is more to it than just that. Until I moved to the NC mountains two years ago, I lived a couple of miles from Andy's church and having several friends there I would visit his church occasionally. Andy Stanley is extremely arrogant. And not being under the umbrella of an organized "denomination", he has no one to call him out when he makes ridiculously wild statements like when he said that Christians should move away from the old Testiment, and when he said that he believes Genesis 1:11 to be a myth. As his Church grew to a mega church, he became more and more arrogant, more like a showman on stage than a pastor leading his flock in a worship service.
Even in the best of men and women, Satan can use our faults for his own purposes, and arrogance provides a huge opportunity for him to do so. I really don't think that Andy realizes what he is doing. He is so caught up in his own glory and fame and stardom status that he does not understand what he is saying, and has lost focus of the real and present Christ.
Atlanta’s largest pro-homosexual church.
BTTT
Really?
Our small group did an Andy Stanley study a couple of years ago. I did NOT care for Andy. He went for laughs and over expressed his words, more like a stand up routine. I felt it was more about everyone being wowed by HIM rather than learn from scripture. He seemed pretty full of himself - not like his father at all.
Charles Stanley was very formative to my early faith conversion. In fact, I believe God Himself sent Dr. Stanley to me or me to him.
Andy Stanley is a HERETIC. Nut job!
Not exactly the Billy/Franklin Graham example is it.
Good point,
I’m thinking of if I was teaching
The Bible that “Humbled Reverance”
would be My standard.
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