Andy Stanley taken to task again for remarks on 'gays' and church

Andy Stanley taken to task again for remarks on 'gays' and church

A clip of Stanley is making the rounds and causing a stir again. The oft-theologically wayward Atlanta megachurch pastor is apparently quite impressed with unrepentant homosexuals who come to church. In a video clip from a conference he spoke at last summer, Stanley leans into an old trope – that the church has mistreated homosexuals. It seems he is in awe of any gay man or woman who would still darken the door:

Stanley: "A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way the church has treated the gay community …. I'm telling you, they have more faith than I do …. We have some things to learn from a group of men and women who love Jesus that much and who want to worship with us.”

And regarding some of the passages in the Bible that condemn homosexuality:

Stanley: "I know 1 Corinthians 6 and I know Leviticus and I know Romans 1, which are so interesting to talk about and all that stuff …. And I know the verses; I know the clobber passages, right? We've got to figure this out.”

Christian apologist Dr. Alex McFarland [notes] ”…a real New Testament pastor doesn't claim ignorance about the difficult passages in scripture, but instead embraces them – and yes, sinners may be offended by that.

"If telling the truth of repentance and obedience toward the Savior – if that's attacking people, then so be it," McFarland [notes].

And as far as churches mistreating the LGBTQ community, McFarland says every evangelical church he's been to is preaching the truth in love. "The most loving thing we can do is tell people the truth," he argues. "And what truth could be more urgent and relevant than the truth of where we stand with a holy God?”

https://afn.net/church/2023/01/24/andy-stanley-taken-to-task-again-for-remarks-on-gays-and-church/