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Stanley's North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., hosted what they called the "Unconditional Conference," a two-day event Sept. 28-29 "for parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children in their churches," according to the church's website.
Pastor Andy Stanley is one of the speakers.
A prominent evangelical scholar called it a "clear and tragic departure from Biblical Christianity."
He said the lineup of speakers revealed the event's theological position.
North Point Community Church has about 40,00 in attendance each weekend at the main church campus and several satellite campuses.
Pastor Stanley and the church have considerable influence within the Christian community.
Be informed, not misled.
"You will be equipped, refreshed, and inspired as you hear from leading communicators on topics that speak to your heart, soul, and mind," the website says, "We deeply desire this time will bring about healing and restoration. No matter what theological stance you hold, we invite you to listen, reflect, and learn as we approach this topic from the quieter middle space."
Is there a "middle space" on homosexual behavior?
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says advertising for the conference "indicates clearly that this event is designed as a platform for normalizing the LGBTQ+ revolution" while "claiming that the conference represents 'the quieter middle space.'" Mohler critiqued the conference days before it convened in a new World Opinions column titled, "The Train Is Leaving The Station."
Mohler says, "It’s not like we have not seen this coming. In the coming days, Andy Stanley is set to host the “Unconditional Conference” at a campus of North Point Community Church in the metro Atlanta area, and the website for the conference bills it as a “two-day premier event” specially designed for parents of LGBTQ+ children and ministry leaders. “You will be equipped, refreshed, and inspired as you hear from leading communicators on topics that speak to your heart, soul, and mind,” it promises. One statement stands out in the description: “No matter what theological stance you hold, we invite you to listen, reflect, and learn as we approach this topic from the quieter middle space.”
He continued: "The promise of “the quieter middle space” might appear attractive, given the volatility of cultural discourse on LGBTQ+ issues, and a conference designed to help parents of LGBTQ+ children and ministry leaders work through these issues in clearly Biblical terms would be a welcome development. However, the advertising for the Unconditional Conference indicates clearly that this event is designed as a platform for normalizing the LGBTQ+ revolution while claiming that the conference represents “the quieter middle space.” In truth, there is no “middle space” on these issues, and it is no longer plausible to claim that such middle space exists."
A betrayal of Scripture and the Church
Scheduled speakers for the event betrays biblical teaching.
The speakers include two men who are "married" to other men, at least according to current civil law. Biographical background of speakers Justin Lee and Brian Nietzel indicates that both men are in what are now described as “same-sex marriages.” Lee is well known as a platform speaker who argues for the legitimacy of “monogamous same-sex relationships.” Nietzel presents seminars on “restoring LGBTQ+ faith.” Just to be clear: This is not “the quieter middle space.”
Another major speaker is David Gushee, a prominent intellectual who has been honest about his own change of mind on the moral status of LGBTQ+ behaviors and relationships. In the “definitive edition” of his book Changing Our Mind, subtitled as a “Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBT Christians,” he traces his own pilgrimage to eager LGBTQ+ advocacy. In the book, Gushee states that he will “grant the historical claim that the Church has believed that same-sex acts and relationships are always wrong.” But the book traces his change, over time, to a position in which he clearly asserts that the Christian church has been historically wrong on this issue. In his book and in other presentations, Gushee is clear about his position, his reasoning, his reading of the Bible, and his conclusions.
"This conference is not really 'quiet,' nor is it 'middle space,'" Mohler wrote. "It is structured as what most evangelicals would quickly recognize as a departure from historic normative Biblical Christianity. "... Maybe the conference will surprise us, and Stanley will present a resounding affirmation of Biblical authority and the Christian church's longstanding convictions concerning sexuality, marriage, and gender. But that would require a reversal of Stanley's trajectory and a bold correction of his platform guests. To state the obvious – that is not what is advertised. He has been working in this direction for years now. Sadly, it looks like the train is about to leave the station."
Takeaway
Pastor Andy Stanley, who once said New Testament Christians should "unhitch from the Old Testament," did not disappoint his LGBTQ activist friends in his clear and tragic departure from biblical Truth, but he continues to disappoint multitudes of biblical Christians and Christian leaders.
I knew his father, the late Pastor Charles Stanley.
The apple has fallen far, far from the proverbial tree.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Faithful. Be Prayerful.