Stanley went to say that what Mohler’s article was “so extraordinarily misleading,” adding that Mohler’s “version of biblical Christianity…is the problem.”
[Mohler’s] “version of biblical Christianity is why people are leaving Christianity unnecessarily,” he continued. “It’s the version that causes people to resist the Christian faith because they can’t find Jesus in the midst of all the other stuff and all the other theology and all the other complexity that gets globbed on to the message.”
Stanley said that Mohler’s version of Christianity “draws lines,” describing Jesus’ version of Christian as one that “drew circles.”
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“He drew circles so large and included so many people in his circle that it consistently made religious leaders nervous,” he added.
Andy Stanley: Lee and Nietzel Have Spoken at Their Church on ‘Several Occasions’
Later in his message, Stanley shared that this isn’t the first time that Lee and Nietzel had spoken at North Point. In fact, Lee and Nietzel have spoken on “on several occasions at the quarterly gathering of Parent Connect,” Stanley said.
“We already knew how effective they were connecting with parents of gay kids in particular,” Stanley said, explaining that Lee and Nietztel are “so excited about what we are doing, because they…don’t want another generation of LGBTQ+ kids to feel like [their sexuality] is incompatible with at least attempting to follow Jesus and is incompatible with the church.”
Stanley said that he doesn’t align theologically with Lee and Nietzel, nor does he agree with the way they “interpret certain” biblical passages. “But hey, the conference wasn’t for me.”
Furthermore, “the conference wasn’t for most of you,” he said. “I guarantee you the conference wasn’t for any of the critics. Because the moment or the day that they discover one of their children or one of their grandchildren claims to be gay, or transgender, or questioning, they are going to scramble for people that can help them get inside the hearts and minds of their children. That’s what good parents do!”
The Unconditional Conference wasn’t a theology conference, nor was it a Bible conference, Stanley said. It was a “pastoring conference,” and Stanley thought it was “amazing.”
“I’m so proud of our church,” Stanley said.
Stanley States North Point Community Church Teaches a ‘New Testament Sexual Ethic’
Stanley also clarified what North Point Community Church teaches about sexuality, saying, “It’s the same thing we have taught for 28 years, nothing has changed.”