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This article is a perfect example of the problem with being the doctrinal police. At some point you start picking nits in your continual quest for horrendous heresy. You start to become consumed with every statement made by alleged false teachers. It's tunnel vision, where you're unable to see anything except the perceived violators of your doctrine.
So here the author is hammering Andy Stanley, not for doctrinal error, but because he based his sermon on an idea from a T.V. show. Apparently pop culture references are now considered errant teaching.
From this we are supposed to conclude that Andy Stanley is a false teacher for doing this unbiblical thing. But is it unbiblical? Well, no. It may shock you to learn that Paul employed the very same technique:
Ac. 17:22-23, 28 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD... 28 `For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, `We are his offspring.’
This is what we mean by tunnel vision. Under the guise of defending the faith, the author neglects what the Bible record reveals to us. He cannot see anything that contravenes his preconceptions.
Now, we must mention we am not defending Andy Stanley. We've never heard him speak until we watched the video below. Our purpose is to point out that there isn't necessarily a heretic under every rock.
One last thing. The author posts a 6 minute video, and directs his readers to a link to the entire sermon, implying that it's substandard. You can bet that few of his readers will watch the entire sermon, and will make their negative judgments solely based on the limited evidence of that 6 minutes.
The sermon centers on James 1:22-25, to not just be hearers but doers of the word, and Stanely spends a good bit of time talking about the passage. Hardly "window dressing." And interestingly, he also preaches Christ crucified (26:30). We're willing to bet that the author did not listen to the whole sermon himself.
Now, we must mention we am not defending Andy Stanley. We've never heard him speak until we watched the video below. Our purpose is to point out that there isn't necessarily a heretic under every rock.
One last thing. The author posts a 6 minute video, and directs his readers to a link to the entire sermon, implying that it's substandard. You can bet that few of his readers will watch the entire sermon, and will make their negative judgments solely based on the limited evidence of that 6 minutes.
The sermon centers on James 1:22-25, to not just be hearers but doers of the word, and Stanely spends a good bit of time talking about the passage. Hardly "window dressing." And interestingly, he also preaches Christ crucified (26:30). We're willing to bet that the author did not listen to the whole sermon himself.
Andy Stanley is trying to be clever (or something), when he begins his new "sermon" series by saying he got the idea of "Pack Your Bags" from a Jerry Seinfeld routine. He acts like it's no big deal to ignore God's Word and base his teaching on whatever he wants. In this "sermon," he eventually gets around to quoting a few Bible verses, but it's just window dressing on (yet another) motivational speech.
"No Gospel for you!"
This man is supposed to be the best of the best: his church has tens of thousands of attendees; his ideas are implemented by thousands of pastors; his books are a reference for many Christian leaders... and yet he blathers on about almost anything but the Word of God. Watch this 6 minute clip and contrast it to the Apostle Paul saying "I preach Christ and Him crucified." If you're really brave and want to waste even more time, listen to this entire (painful) "sermon" about how to do more and try harder here (you'll even get to watch a dramatic intro video about a duffle bag!)...
Listen to Chris Rosebrough talk about this on this episode of Fighting for the Faith
The Andy Stanley Cornucopia of False Teaching, Fast Talking & Postmodern Ambiguity
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