"Gay Married" Speaker Strikes Back at Al Mohler for Criticizing Andy Stanley's Queer Conference
Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and arguably one of the most influential theologians in the Southern Baptist Convention has been repeatedly criticized for his failure to lead in a timely manner by conservative Christians. As a matter of fact, most of the time Mohler ends up landing on the right side of theological issues, from Ed Litton's plagiarism to homosexuality in the Church—but his voice is always too little too late. The term coined to describe his leadership is "leading from behind."
If you've been following the Andy Stanley saga on social media and the blogosphere, especially, here at The Dissenter, you're probably aware by now that Stanley has been under fire by a small but vocal minority in Evangelicalism for his apparent shift toward affirming homosexuality over the past several months. In fact, this has been out in the open for over a year, yet very few theological names with large platforms have spoken to it. It's been left to the little guys, like us, Protestia, and various names on Twitter.
Next week, Stanley is hosting a "gay Christianity" conference at his church, called Unconditional, which claims its purpose is to teach "parents of LGBTQ children" how to love their children. The theology behind the conference is heavily informed by what is known as "side A Christianity"—a movement that is fully affirming of homosexuality and active, practicing homosexual relationships. This is contrast to "side B," which affirms that one can "identify" as a homosexual and experience attraction to and have intimate relationships with people of the same sex so long as they stop short of bodily penetration. "Side B" is synonymous with the Revoice movement prominent in Southern Baptist and Presbyterian (PCA) circles.
"Side A," however, is synonymous with names like Matthew Vines and the Reformation Project, Brandan Robertson, a self-described "gay pastor," and various spin-off organizations that are fully affirming. One of those names is a man named Justin Lee, who not only affirms homosexuality but is married to another man and actively living a practicing homosexual lifestyle while naming the name of Christ.
In a recent article published at WNG, only one week before (again, too little too late) the upcoming Unconditional Conference where Lee will be speaking, Al Mohler criticized Andy Stanley and this conference, along with its speakers. The article, titled The train is leaving the station, Andy Stanley’s departure from Biblical Christianity, Mohler writes:
Scheduled speakers for the event include two men who are married to other men, at least according to current civil law. Biographical background on speakers Justin Lee and Brian Nietzel indicates that both men are in what are now described as “same-sex marriages.” Lee is well known as a platform speaker who argues for the legitimacy of “monogamous same-sex relationships.” Nietzel presents seminars on “restoring LGBTQ+ faith.” Just to be clear: This is not “the quieter middle space.”
Mohler then says that Andy Stanley, being one of the most influential pastors in the US, but his theological views on this issue are "clouded by confusion and the deliberate avoidance of clarity." Of course, Mohler is right—Stanley has not come out and openly stated that he affirms homosexuality. But his actions, associations, and the people he platforms clearly demonstrates that he is. The question, of course, is why is Al Mohler just now speaking up? Why didn't he say something when Russell Moore platformed him at an ERLC conference in 2016? But I digress—at least he finally said something.