However, Mohler said, “Jesus never drew circles that ignored the reality of sin.” He then gave the example of Christ drawing very clear lines when it came to “separating the sheep from the goats.” Mohler also mentioned when the “Apostles preached the great good news of the gospel, yet also called Christians to holy living and to avoid sexual immorality,” citing 1 Corinthians 6:9–11.
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During his Sunday message, although Stanley provided clarity to “several of the issues of greatest concern, he did not really clarify his personal convictions on LGBTQ issues nor did he really clarify the position or policy of his church,” Mohler said.
Instead, “Stanley defended having two men who are in same-sex unions as speakers at the” church-hosted Unconditional Conference. Mohler said that Stanley stated that the “church’s policy and conviction on marriage is that it means between a man and woman. He argued against marital infidelity and promiscuity but in largely pragmatic terms,” asking the congregation, “Hey, has sex outside of marriage made your life better or more complicated?”
Mohler said that Stanley followed up with justification for “allowing same-sex couples to be part of the Church” by saying that at North Point Community Church, “We draw circles, we don’t draw lines. We draw big circles.”
What is missing from Stanley’s preaching, Mohler said, is “repentance from sin. That is not a small matter.”
Mohler added that in addition to not offering a call to repentance, Stanley is missing sanctification also. “There is no call to holiness, no call to flee from sin and obey Christ. Instead, Stanley presented the idea that sinners may find refuge in a same-sex marriage because obedience to Scripture and a Biblical understanding of sexuality ‘is not sustainable.’”
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The author of “He is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World,” said the gospel preached by Stanley on Sunday “is not the gospel as preached by the Apostles and held fast by the faithful Church.”
