Pastor Charles Andy Stanley’s Tweet About The Bible Is Seductive And Harmful

Pastor Charles Andy Stanley’s Tweet About The Bible Is Seductive And Harmful

Andy Stanley, the son of the late pastor emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, tweeted something like this recently, but it has since been deleted:

We cannot judge the validity of the Christian faith based on the correctness of 66 antiquated writings. Jesus of Nazareth is the pivotal figure in all of this.

On March 6th, Stanley preached at Browns Bridge Church in Cumming, Georgia, where he quoted from a sermon he had just delivered.

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I was horrified and sickened when I first saw this tweet on social media. I’ve heard this type of statement before, and it sounded familiar. The moderates and liberals in charge of the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1980s made this argument frequently. At a period when my support for the Bible as divine and fully error-free was in the minority and marginalized in the Baptist Associations where I worked, I defended the faith.

Andy Stanley’s Tweet About The Bible Is Seductive And Harmful

The Southern Baptist Convention was saved from this kind of doctrinal mistake by conservatives who worked and sacrificed to do so. Furthermore, several denominations that embraced Stanley’s teachings ended up in the garbage can of spiritual impotence or outright apostasy.

To hear such a prominent preacher with Stanley’s stature, who has publicly stated his conviction in inerrancy, say something so contradictory to that belief was heartbreaking for me.

Unfortunately, Stanley’s interpretation of the Bible is still prevalent in many seminaries and mainline churches, even among those that used to be devout. One can be accused of Bible worship by arguing for a high view of Scripture like that which was held by the Church of Christ in the past; this is a sort of idolatry, placing the Bible above Jesus. As a result, the Bible can be elevated to a status greater than that of Jesus Christ. You can elevate the Bible to a level of prominence that the Lord himself did not.

Pastor Charles Andy Stanley’s Tweet About The Bible Is Harmful

For people who don’t know any better, this is an appealing and damaging argument. In reality, it’s a deviation from the theology of the Church, which has always held that Christ, the Living Word, so closely identifies himself with the Holy Scriptures, that no teacher can diminish one without simultaneously weakening the authority of the other.

Until Jesus, no one had a higher regard for the Bible. In reality, Jesus repeatedly exhorted his followers to evaluate his life and deeds in light of the Scriptures. As Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (Mt. 5:17-20).

After leaving the pastorate to become the executive director of the Christian Action League, I became a member of a church where a guy was being considered for the position of pastor. The candidate first stated his views on theological and church policy, then answered audience questions.

One thing the candidate said threw me for a loop. To him, it seemed as though Southern Baptists had placed the Bible over Jesus. As a result, in front of the entire congregation, I asked him to explain what he had just said.

Pastor Charles Andy Stanley’s Tweet About The Bible Is Harmful

Even to the point of humiliation, the candidate repeatedly avoided answering the question directly by talking about irrelevant topics. Rather than providing a specific response to the question, he offered generalizations instead, which amounted to nothing.

In the end, I tried to tie him down and urged him, “Please tell us plainly. What do you believe about the Bible? “Is it true or not?” When he said, “No, I don’t,” his answer was both honest and informative.

Angry at this point, the candidate launched into a tirade of insults, claiming to believe in the Bible as much as I did. His lack of faith in the Bible was even worse than mine; he didn’t believe it like the members of that church, either. To which he retorted, “Yes, but you don’t believe the Bible includes all the Word of God.” Correct?” My judgment of his beliefs was correct, and he agreed.

One lady sprang to her feet and declared, “Well, I agree with the candidate,” as she stood up to defend him. It’s true! I believe our denomination has placed too much emphasis on the Bible rather than Jesus Christ.” To which I said, “Please tell me how any of us can know anything authoritative about Jesus outside of the Bible?”

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“I know! “, the candidate chimed in. “I know this from personal experience!”

Pastor Charles Andy Stanley’s Tweet About The Bible Is Harmful

“Experience?” I was the one who spoke up. With no Bible that does not err, and that is authoritative in everything, how can we determine the truth or reality of our own experiences? I inquired, of course. Is there a way to know if what we are experiencing is from God or Satan? Are we to assume that our experience can never lead us astray—that our experience will never lead us to a counterfeit Christ?”

The applicant withdrew his name from consideration, claiming that he couldn’t be in a church with someone like me because of his religious beliefs. The church was rescued, according to some, because of my intervention.

If you’re able to think and look to the Scriptures, the core of the issue is quite evident. In terms of biblical authority, Stanley’s views diverge significantly from those of Jesus and the apostles. It’s important to remember that Jesus was a model of obedience to the Scriptures. Our Lord made it clear that the more one accepts the Scriptures, the more one can know Him.

As Christians, we should be alarmed whenever someone has a different understanding of God’s Word than Jesus Christ. It eventually leads to the devaluation of God’s revelation in favor of our own ideas, beliefs, and experiences. Error and compromise are the only outcomes of this.

JESUS IS COMING SOON!!