Stanley Needs To Re-Tool

Andy Stanley is one of America's most popular mega-pastors. Apparently, he's fallen into the celebrity trap and is spreading untruth from the pulpit.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:41

Hey there, welcome, or welcome back, if the case may be to, because I said so the only podcast on the entire worldwide web where you will hear the truth about psychology and the mental health professions in general Children, child-earing, family life. I'm your host, john Rosemond, and welcome, and I hope you enjoy it and I hope you tell all your friends and your co-workers and your relatives and your next door neighbors, even if you don't like them. So during the peak years of my ongoing career as a public speaker, I was fairly often invited to speak in Atlanta, georgia. When that was the case, I generally stayed in Buckhead, at a hotel right across from the Buckhead campus of Andy Stanley's North Point Church. It's safe to say that, purely in terms of numbers, stanley is the most popular pastor in Atlanta and in the Atlanta area in fact, and one of the most popular nationwide.

Speaker 1: 2:00

Whenever I was in Atlanta on a Sunday morning, standing outside my hotel drinking my coffee, inhaling the day, I couldn't help but notice that hardly anyone going into North Point was below the age of, by my estimate, 35. Tattoos abounded A young hip crowd for sure. I wondered, then about Stanley's message. Was the point of his preaching to appeal and appease his customer base? Or was it to tell young people the truth about Jesus? All too often in the post-modern megachurch, the exceptions are becoming rare. Numbers are the goal, emotion is the medium and the message is quote Jesus loved everybody, and so should we. End quote. The problem concerns the definition of love, which, in the case of pastors like Stanley and churches like North Point, amounts to a recycling of the late 1960s mantra I'm okay, you're okay, everybody's okay. Well, that sounds really nice. I guess nice is the word Sort of pastel nice that leads almost inevitably to everything is okay. So North Point recently sponsored the unconditional conference. Unconditional conference aimed at LGBTQ plus persons, their parents, family members, members of the clergy and healthcare professionals. According to the Christian Post, in his sermon of October 2nd 2023, stanley said that LGBTQ plus persons quote beg God to take it away. End quote. Because they are, according to Stanley, quote again literally afraid. They are going to hell, not because of anything they have done, but because of who they are. End quote.

Speaker 1: 4:33

Stanley obviously believes the postmodern progressive narrative that would have us all believe that LGBTQ plus people are involuntarily compelled by their biology to have sexual relations with members of the same sex, slash gender. That narrative is informed by fake science, usually conducted by researchers who are themselves members of the LGBTQ plus community, or outspokenly LGBTQ plus sympathetic, and just happened to find quote evidence and quote that compulsive, aberrant, self destructive sexual behavior is indelibly stamped into a person at birth. The truth is, the evidence in question is not evidence at all. It's ideology masquerading as objectivity. The truth is no objective researcher, none using proper scientific methodology, has ever found compelling evidence to that effect.

Speaker 1: 5:55

The my biology makes me do it chant is a postmodern construction. It's a postmodern myth, and all postmodern myths absolve people of responsibility for their behavior. Instead of being a sinner in need of Christ, one becomes a victim in need of the government, specifically the very sort of socialist government of by and for the elites the Democrat Party is gunning to bring about by mass deceit. Or the people in question are in need of the victimology, of diagnosis and medication, or diagnosis, medication and the government. The fascinating thing about this entire phenomenon the Democrat Party elite knows they are selling nothing but lies, but they keep on lying because their governing motto is quote the ends, justify the means. End quote Is the rare human being who does not think he can figure things out on his own, of his own understanding. For a biblical reference of that, go to Proverbs 3.5, that requires believing. There is no rung on the latter higher than the one labeled humanity. Well, there is zero humility in that worldview, and people without humility are not socially attractive, unless one's goal in life, that is, is to stand next to celebrity. In full knowledge of that, the dems fake humility. They sell themselves as the saviors of the environment, the LGBTQ plus crowd, blacks and every other victim class they can propagandize into being, when their true goal is power, and the ends in the search of that power justify the means.

Speaker 1: 8:08

In my late 40s and early 50s, my thought process arrived at three inclusions First, god is real. Second, the Bible contains no untruth. And third, jesus is who he plainly testified to being. That worldview is startling at first, to tell you the truth, that upsets all of one's apple carts. It can even qualify as disorienting. But when the dust settled, I understood that the Bible clarifies like nothing else clarifies. The Bible is an instruction manual for thinking straight, and that's what I want to tell Andy Stanley, andy, I'd like to tell him you're just not thinking straight. Andy Stanley is no prophet. He is more like a carny. He draws people into his tent, he dresses up a postmodern message in biblical trappings to appease his customer base and they in turn continue to fill seats and give Northpoint money. Personally, I think Stanley is addicted to their approval, which is contingent upon his preaching a progressive message. At the least, andy Stanley is misled. He is put not only the salvation of others in peril, he is also put his own salvation in peril.

Speaker 1: 9:49

Jesus told his disciples that in the last days many false prophets would come, twisting the truth, preaching falsehood. He wasn't referring to fire and brimstone preachers in America's rural heartland, many of whom have congregations of less than one hundred. Jesus was pointing to the megachurch phenomenon. I'm not suggesting that all megachurch preachers are false teachers, but I am most definitely saying that Christians need to wake up and smell the coffee. The megachurch is a dangerous institution. Many megachurch pastors have attained idolhood and believed that their idolhood was meant to be, that their celebrity is our heavenly Father's will, upon which they become idols unto themselves. Jesus was not pointing to doom and gloom street corner preachers the one occasionally finds in downtown big city America. He was warning of preachers whose message would reach the entire world Because of the inflated self-image that is pervasive to celebrity culture. The megachurch preachers in question are not able to fathom that they are doing not the will of God, but the serpents. They put telegenic before truth way, way in front of truth, in fact and in so doing they become their own worst enemies and the enemies of their flock as well.

Speaker 1: 11:46

So back to the LGBTQ plus community and LGBTQ plus issues. On many more than several occasions, liberals and conservative in name only, I call them Koninos have told me in the midst of such a discussion, that quote everyone is a sinner. Come on, john, everyone's a sinner. What's the big deal? Okay? Well, that's indubitably true. What they really mean is that LGBTQ plus persons are no different from anyone else who sins. But they are.

Speaker 1: 12:28

Lgbtq plus persons are different from other people who sin and that, unlike sinners who believe authentically in Christ Jesus, they refuse to admit their sins and repent of them. They even celebrate their sinfulness in brazen public displays. According to an equally applied psychological definition, those characteristics that I just mentioned are sociopathic characteristics. Sociopaths are incapable of admitting to even themselves that their antisocial, self-destructive behavior is wrong. Sociopaths are given to various means of self-celebration. I believe they are beyond reproach. Am I saying that LGBTQ plus behavior is sociopathic. I'm saying certain aspects of LGBTQ plus behavior fits that definition. Indeed, spiritual health is not being sinless. That's an impossible dream. Spiritual health consists significantly of admitting to sin and offering genuine repentance.

Speaker 1: 13:53

Homosexuals etc. Absolutely refused to admit they are sinners in needs of God's grace. They refuse to confess and repent because of people like Andy Stanley, who dispenses the falsehood that they are fine, just fine, just the way they are. Because, like a person can't do anything about the color of their eyes, lgbtq+ persons supposedly, according to the postmodern narrative can't do anything about the nature of their sexual attractions and compulsions. They can't help it. And then they want the rest of us to believe that they knew they were whatever they claimed to be when they were young children. I mean, give me a break. A 20-something male homosexual told me a few years ago he was sexually attracted to other boys when he was four years old. Really, I don't think so.

Speaker 1: 15:08

Research into human memory consistently finds that people often construct what are called false memories for the seeming purpose of denying responsibility for and justifying ongoing or recent, usually antisocial behavior. It's called false memory syndrome. It's well researched. These false memories of being same-sex attracted in early childhood are ludicrous. I've asked lots of heterosexuals above the age of 40 if they remember being sexually attracted to girls in their early childhoods. Without exception, the answer has been no, and then, more often than not, the person breaks into giggles, laughter. I then ask when did you feel your first sexual stirrings for a girl? The fourth grade is the usual answer, not four years old, but the fourth grade, that's like age 10. The mean is between fifth and sixth grades, which is 11 to 13. This ludicrous claim made by many in the LGBTQ plus world is merely a flailing attempt at proving they can't help being same-sex attracted. They have no choice in the matter.

Speaker 1: 16:41

It's relevant to this discussion to note that the most esteemed behavioral geneticist of all time, the late Richard Lewanton of Harvard University, went on record as saying that the idea of homosexuality is genetically determined is wrong. Not probably wrong, but wrong. That from the most esteemed behavioral geneticist ever, the man who basically developed the field, according to the Bible, common sense and science, andy Stanley, is dead wrong. The Bible, god's holy word, uses the word quote abomination, end quote, to describe male homosexuality. Was God being a little over the top? Should he do some serious rethinking about the subject? I mean, come on, andy Stanley, come on. Stanley. Recently as much admitted unwittingly, I'm sure that his focus is selling Christianity to the masses, and if truth must yield ground in the process, well so be it.

Speaker 1: 17:57

Stanley recently said that people who condemn same-sex relations as sinful are driving other people away and even out of the church. Ok, people who condemn disapprove of same-sex relations as sinful are driving other people away and even out of the church. Ok, let the violins commence. Does Stanley think that when hundreds of followers left him because he was claiming to be the Messiah, jesus wondered if he'd said the right thing? Did Jesus tone down or change his message because his message was driving people away from him? Nope, in fact, he ramped it up. There is no compromise, folks, when it comes to truth.

Speaker 1: 18:58

Stanley also recently said that LGBTQ plus persons quote find themselves in a battle not against a behavior. They find themselves in a battle against a defining attraction that they did not choose, but somehow has chosen them. Then, after being an apologist for LGBTQ plus people, stanley turns right around in the same public statement and says he is committed to teaching a quote New Testament, sexual ethic. End quote a New Testament, sexual ethic. And that he agrees that marriage is reserved for one man and one woman. I wonder what does Stanley mean by a New Testament sexual ethic? I mean, what is the New Testament's sexual ethic? Does he mean that what God said about same sex relations in the Old Testament is no longer binding, it's no longer relevant that the New Testament somehow, by some spiritual alchemy, trumps the Old Testament? It turns out that the answer to that is yes.

Speaker 1: 20:40

Stanley has been public about saying he does not think Christians need to be paying attention to the Old Testament, that the New Testament has effectively replaced it. I will simply point out to Andy Stanley that well after Jesus' death on the cross, his disciples were quoting the Old Testament, his disciples, Pastor Stanley, just keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself. Folks, to mix my metaphors, he's gotten way, way too big for his britches. So what is the relevance of this discussion to the subject of childrearing Folks? What I'm trying to tell you is there is no LGBTQ plus gene. There is no LGBTQ plus hormone. There is no LGBTQ plus biochemical, no LGBTQ plus brain.

Speaker 1: 21:48

Lgbtq is not stamped into a person at the moment of conception. Being some version or variation of LGBTQ plus is a choice. It is often said that no one in their right mind would choose a lifestyle that sizable numbers of other people think is depraved, really. So then we're to believe that if a person makes a choice that other people think is depraved, that he must not have been able to help it. I mean, that's the reasoning behind that and that's absurd. Consequently, we are asked, in effect, to believe that murderers and serial rapists and chow molesters can't help doing what they do, because no one in their right mind would do something that other people think is depraved. That reasoning is ludicrous to the maximum, folks.

Speaker 1: 22:48

What I'm saying is that children are not biologically predestined to be some version or variation of LGBTQ+. I don't care what they say about themselves, I don't care what they want to believe about themselves, I don't care if they can persuade their parents and family members of this ludicruosity. That's even a word. It's not true. So why do people adopt that lifestyle? I don't know. There's lots of speculation along those lines, but speculation is speculation. Was it something about their childhoods? Nah, not likely, not predictably.

Speaker 1: 23:32

Certainly, contrary to popular belief, parenting is not deterministic. How one is raised and their adult persona are not cause effect. Parenting is an influence on adult behavior, surely, but that relationship is not consistently predictable. We do know, however, that fatherless homes are highly associated with antisocial behavior in adolescents and young adults, especially males. And indeed, as the fatherless home has increased, we've seen a corresponding dramatic increase in LGBTQ plus numbers. But again, correlation doesn't prove cause.

Speaker 1: 24:17

However, I your host, john Roseman, I think there's a connection. A father's role can't be replaced, it can only be imitated. A father's responsibility is to teach his sons how to properly treat a woman and teach his daughters what kind of a man they should look for in a husband. I'm going to say that again because, man, you don't hear that today. A father's responsibility and I would dare say it's almost his top responsibility after his responsibility to be a good husband A father's responsibility is to teach his sons how to properly treat a woman and teach his daughters what kind of a man they should look for in a husband. He's to be that role model. When that influence is not present in a child's life, it puts the child at risk for all manner of behavioral pathologies.

Speaker 1: 25:18

Fathers homes, I think, explain a lot when it comes to the rapidly growing, exponentially growing, lgbtq plus phenomenon. I think that if we're going to begin making America great again, the rehabilitation must begin with restoring authentic fatherhood to the home. By pandering to his base instead of telling people uncomfortable truths, andy Stanley is not helping the cause and that's a wrap. You've been listening to because I said so the only podcast on the entire universe, multi-universe size, worldwide web contradiction there. You know what I mean. The only podcast in the entire mega universe that will give you the truth about psychology and the mental health professions in general children, child ring, family issues, etc. Etc. Thanks for listening, folks, and, as always, keep on rockin' in the free world.