Andy Stanley's Unbiblical Views on Homosexuality

In my previous article, I wrote about Andy Stanley's Disconnect from the Old Testament, which I recommend reading in conjunction with this present article. Unfortunately, things seem to have gotten worse in terms of his beliefs in that now he is affirming the views of the LGBTQ community. For those of you who don't know who Andy Stanley is, he is the son of the famous Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries and former President of the Southern Baptist Convention. His son, Andy, is pastoring a mega church in Atlanta, Georgia, called North Point Community Church.

The following allegations have been reported by another pastor regarding Andy Stanley:

• He has directly advised gay men to get married. 

• He has said that homosexuals cannot change.

• He has called homosexuality a disability.

• He has said that maybe one day he would do a gay marriage. He is not sure, but said maybe he would.

• He said pastors should make space for gay people to marry.

According to the pastor who publicized these allegations, pastors Luke Simmons (Ironwood Church, metro Phoenix) and Brian Kruckenberg (New City Church, metro Phoenix) were both present when Andy Stanley disclosed these things, and they have publicly corroborated that story.

Upon being asked if these allegations were true, Ryan Visconti, pastor of Generation Church in the Phoenix metro area, verified that unfortunately all these things are true about Andy Stanley. He confirmed that Andy Stanley said these things in a private dinner with fifteen other pastors at a church in Gilbert, Arizona. Visconti had originally tweeted about this on September 19, 2019.

Furthermore, a conference, called Unconditional, was hosted at North Point Community Church in Atlanta from September 28-29, 2023 with Andy Stanley as one of the keynote speakers there at the church he pastors. The stated purpose for the conference was: "for parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children in their churches." The Unconditional conference was part of a ministry called Embracing the Journey (ETJ).

Greg and Lynn McDonald, who founded ETJ, were among the speakers at the Unconditional conference held at North Point. According to The Aquila Report's Overview of Embracing the Journey, "Greg McDonald sits on the board of Renovus, another faith-based non-profit that does assert that homosexuality and transgenderism are compatible with Christianity. The two organizations are closely linked." The overview goes on to say that Renovus exists to “[reclaim] faith for LGBTQ+ Christians,” and its vision is “a world where no one has to choose between their faith and sexual orientation or gender identity.” McDonald states in his Renovus bio, “It simply breaks my heart when people are told they can’t be a Christian and LGBTQ.”

The vast majority of ETJ's recommended resources are all affirming of the LBGTQ lifestyle, and include authors like Justin Lee and David Gushee, who were also speakers at North Point's Unconditional conference in September. These authors, according to the Aquila Report, are "well known for rejecting biblical orthodoxy on homosexuality and transgenderism in favor of full LGBTQ inclusion in the church."

The Eternal Word of God

Now that we have seen what Andy and his friends say, who are embracing the sin, let's compare that to what the Bible says about homosexuality:

"Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” (Gen 18:20-21).

The Lord said their sin was grievous. In case there is any question in your mind as to what the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was, it was the sin of homosexuality. The men of Sodom wanted to rape the two angels that had come to rescue Lot and destroy the cities (Gen 19:1-5). In fact, the term sodomy originates from that place. The original meaning of sodomy is any sexual act involving the genitals of one person and the mouth or anus of another person. The Lord says that sin is grievous, according to Genesis 18:20.

"The two men said to Lot, 'Do you have anyone else here–sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.'" (Gen 19:12-13)

"Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah–from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities–and also the vegetation in the land. (Gen 19:24-25)

This really happened and is not fictitious. God sent burning sulfur down from heaven to destroy those cities and the people living in them, burning them to ashes, and there is evidence of this today that has been discovered to prove it.

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." (Lev 18:22)

The Lord says that it is detestable for a man to lie with a man as one lies with a woman.

“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." (Lev 20:13)

Under the Law of Moses in the Old Covenant, such people were put to death. To affirm this or any sin is to completely contradict the Word of God, which is our eternal standard. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest stroke of a pen to disappear from the Law.

In the New Testament, Peter the apostle wrote: "If He [God] condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;" (2 Pet 2:6).

The apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." (Rom 1:24-27).

Paul said that homosexuality comes from the sinful desires of their hearts -- shameful lusts, resulting in sexual impurity, indecent acts, and the degrading of their bodies with one another. Specifically woman had sexual relations with women and men had had sexual relations with other men. He calls this "perversion".

And here is what the Bible says about false prophets and false teachers like Andy and his cohorts, such as those mentioned in this article, who condone such sinful perversion:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Mt 7:15)

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Tim 4:1)

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Tim 4:3)

Closing Words

The Lord warned us there would be wolves in sheep's clothing that we should beware of (Mt 7:15). His holy apostles warned us of the same about these false teachers (2 Pet 2; Jude 1), who would come and teach the doctrines of demons that people's itching ears want to hear (1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 4:3). 

It's quite evident that Andy Stanley is one of those, and that he is affirming of the LBGTQ lifestyle, thereby helping such people fulfill their agenda. That's what happens when you disconnect from the Word of God as he has done, and rely on experiences to dictate what you believe, since the Word clearly defines these perversions as sin (Rom 1:18-32; Gen 18:20-21; 19:12-13, 24-25; Lev 18:22; 20:13; 2 Pet 2:6). This is all part of the end time apostasy in fulfilment of what is written in Scripture. 

Let those who love the LORD hate evil (Ps 97:10).

Disclaimer: I do not agree with the LBGTQ lifestyle, but that doesn't mean I hate anyone. As Christians we are called to love everyone -- even our enemies. But we have reached a dangerous point in society that if we disagree with something, because of our religious beliefs, it is wrongly viewed as hate speech. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and that homosexual behaviors are sinful. I love members of the LBGTQ community, and so does Jesus. I am not gay bashing at all. I am just writing about my sincerely-held religious beliefs based on Scripture. The message of every Christian to every LGBTQ person is that God loves you so much that He would sacrifice His own Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sake. If any one of you would be willing to change through repentance and believing in Jesus Christ, the Christian community would be more than willing to help you.  

Attribution notice: Image may be subject to copyright and are used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and education purposes only.

Author's note:  I also recommend reading Andy Stanley's Disconnect from the Old Testament, Pope Francis Supports Homosexuality, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separated from the World, The Bible is the Word of God, Scripture Alone (Sola Fide), Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, and Exposing Heresy. I also recommend my daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org