I am not a stranger to legal courts. A daughter of a defense attorney in Brazil, I grew up watching dad buried in countless books and evidence documents, carefully studying each case with zeal in order to prepare for his defense. For many years I witnessed him turn down clients whom he could not defend in clear conscience.
While watching his earnest quest for justice and passion for truth, my heart was shaped at a very young age to carefully hear each side of an argument in its entirety, before making assumptions or passing judgment.
That’s one of the reasons I felt compelled to reach out to pastor Andy Stanley after reading several blogs filled with outrage in response to his recent series “Who Needs God.”
One of these bloggers’ most disturbing claims is, in essence, that Andy Stanley affirms that the Bible is no longer the inerrant word of God.
When I read those statements, like many other Christian believers, I became surprised and quite shocked. However, remembering my dad’s life lessons on fair judgment, and contrary to many of the angry bloggers I read, I decided to follow “trial protocol.” Meaning, I actually sat down and carefully watched the entire six-message series before drawing any final conclusions. The series ended Sept. 18, but truth be told, most of the raging articles were written before the series even reached its midpoint. After watching the last message, I went one step further and reached out to Andy himself, who gladly agreed to give me an interview.
North Point Community Church has six locations in the metro Atlanta area, with its main campus in Alpharetta. According to Outreach Magazine, the church has been ranked the largest church in attendance in America for three years in a row, with approximately 38,000 people attending the services across all campuses on any given Sunday. Although not a member of North Point, I have heard several of Andy’s sermons online, and as a guest speaker at my home church, First Baptist Atlanta, where his father, renowned Dr. Charles F. Stanley, is the senior pastor.
It’s never been a secret that Andy’s preaching style and outreach strategies are very distinct from more traditional pastors. My objective on this commentary is not to defend Andy’s entire ministry, or whether I agree with the way he manages his church. However, I have always believed that Andy’s ministry followed the same millennia-old dogmas, based on Christ’s teachings, and which have become the pillars of the Christian faith. Today, I particularly would like to address Andy’s position regarding the doctrine which has been clearly the pain point of this controversial series: the inerrancy of Scriptures.
When I visited North Point’s website, I found the following words posted under their statement of faith: “We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit of God to write the very words of Scripture. Therefore, we believe the Bible is without error.”
During our interview, when asked about his stand on the inerrancy of Scriptures, Andy declared, without hesitation: “I believe the Bible is without error in everything it affirms. I believe what the Bible says is true, is true.” He also told me that he is in the process of writing a lengthy article, where he intends to address the misunderstandings generated by this particular series.
[bctt tweet=”Read about @PatHolbrook Interview with @AndyStanley about WHO NEEDS GOD series #AndyStanley” via=”no”]
To the readers of this column, however, I will leave you with this thought: Ugly dissensions such as this only weaken the church. They cause division, and invariably turn people away from Christianity. Before criticizing someone’s ministry, or judging their position regarding core beliefs, make sure to give them the courtesy of listening to all they have to say. Next, examine the fruit of their work. That’s called fair trial.
You can hear Andy’s entire series at www.whoneedsGod.co
Article published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, October 1
. Patricia is a Christian author, blogger and International speaker. Her Book Twelve Inches is on sale at Barnes & Nobles, Amazon and retailers worldwide. Visit her website www.soaringwithHim.com. For speaking engagements and comments, email pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com
Thank you for the Post. I too went and watched the entire series and found much of it very helpful. Knowing that Andy is trying to connect with a generation of young people that do not believe the Bible I can see why he is using this approach. I am someone who has learned a lot from Andy and even taught his messages in small groups at our church. I am deeply indebted to his commitment to teaching others and I’m very grateful for all that I have learned.
I would love to know if there’s more to this article and the interview that you did with Andy. It is very difficult to reconcile many of the statements said in the series with the claim that the Bible is inspired and inerrant.
I was wondering if Andy was being unclear about his position on many of the Old Testament writings as a way of reaching out to those that do not believe those accounts and letting them know that he understands, or if he too is questioning the accounts. Does he believe that a literal interpretation of the Bible is incompatible true Science?
If Andy were to come out with a message series on all the facts surrounding how the Israelites came out of Egypt and how many of the liberal archaeologists have misinterpreted the data in order to reject the claims of the Bible, that would be impressive.
It seems impossible to separate Jesus and the Word. It can’t be an either / or, it must be a both / and.
Thank you for the post and the opportunity to comment.
Hello, Eric!
Thank you for visiting my website and for your comment.
My conversation with Andy was around the particular pain point on the series, which generated controversy and criticism regarding his stance on the inerancy of Scriptures. After talking to Andy, Yes, I believe that he believes in the Old Testament as history, not simply illustrative stories. The real issue and confusion, as he says on his recent article for Outreach Magazine, “…stems more from methodology than theology.”
If you haven’t done it already, please take some time to read Andy’s response to his critics in his article for Outreach Magazine. It’s lengthy, but worth the read:
http://www.outreachmagazine.com/features/19952-andy-stanley-critics.html
On a side note, my commentaries for the AJC are limited by word count and are usually centered on a faith topic. I use current events and even historical events to illustrate the theme for any particular column. In this commentary, my objective was to remind Christians that the right thing to do is to gather all information before spreading rumors. I used this incident, because it generated so many ugly, unfair rumors. And particularly because it involved one of the main dogmas of the Christian faith. I don’t know Andy’s ministry in depth, as I am not one of his church members, but after listening to the messages with an open heart and after talking to Andy, I just had to say something.
I highly recommend you read Andy’s article. It’ll make you stop and think. It sure made me consider how to better leverage the Truth in God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation in order to cast the net far and wide… without fear.
Thank God for His Spirit who leads all who will stop to REALLY listen without preconceived molds and prejudice – just like the early church leaders did. There’s a lot at stake. Our children’s generation being one.
Thanks again for commenting, Eric. God bless you and your ministry for His glory!
Thank you for the Post. I too went and watched the entire series and found much of it very helpful. Knowing that Andy is trying to connect with a generation of young people that do not believe the Bible I can see why he is using this approach. I am someone who has learned a lot from Andy and even taught his messages in small groups at our church. I am deeply indebted to his commitment to teaching others and I’m very grateful for all that I have learned.
I would love to know if there’s more to this article and the interview that you did with Andy. It is very difficult to reconcile many of the statements said in the series with the claim that the Bible is inspired and inerrant.
I was wondering if Andy was being unclear about his position on many of the Old Testament writings as a way of reaching out to those that do not believe those accounts and letting them know that he understands, or if he too is questioning the accounts. Does he believe that a literal interpretation of the Bible is incompatible true Science?
If Andy were to come out with a message series on all the facts surrounding how the Israelites came out of Egypt and how many of the liberal archaeologists have misinterpreted the data in order to reject the claims of the Bible, that would be impressive.
It seems impossible to separate Jesus and the Word. It can’t be an either / or, it must be a both / and.
Thank you for the post and the opportunity to comment.
Patricia, I was raised in a home where the Bible was scoffed at as being simply fairy tales. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I am that God plucked me from the muck and mire, and opened my eyes and ears to see and hear His truth.
Yes, the Bible is written by many different persons, with conflicting influences and experiences, but this much is true: God spoke personally to each witness. What we have in the Bible is nothing less than a miracle, another witness of God’s love for us.
We must grab hold; we must have faith.
Blessings to you!
Thank you for you comment, Martha. God bless you,
Patricia, I was raised in a home where the Bible was scoffed at as being simply fairy tales. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I am that God plucked me from the muck and mire, and opened my eyes and ears to see and hear His truth.
Yes, the Bible is written by many different persons, with conflicting influences and experiences, but this much is true: God spoke personally to each witness. What we have in the Bible is nothing less than a miracle, another witness of God’s love for us.
We must grab hold; we must have faith.
Blessings to you!
I love your approach about taking a lawyer-like approach to controversy. There’s so much bantering and hurt in the kingdom of God today..we need to be able to listen fully to each person even in the end if we disagree., and like you said not make quick judgements if we haven’t fully read or listened to someone’s perspective. Visiting from next door at #raralinkup
Thank you for visiting and for your comment, Kathy! God bless you,
I love your approach about taking a lawyer-like approach to controversy. There’s so much bantering and hurt in the kingdom of God today..we need to be able to listen fully to each person even in the end if we disagree., and like you said not make quick judgements if we haven’t fully read or listened to someone’s perspective. Visiting from next door at #raralinkup
Thank you for visiting and for your comment, Kathy! God bless you,