Can Ministry Be Unhitched From Theology?

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW142223567 BCX4"> <p><span data-contrast="auto">For the last few weeks, all eyes, at least evangelical eyes, have been locked on Atlanta. When North Point Community Church announced the “</span><a href= "https://www.embracingthejourney.org/unconditional-conference.html"><span data-contrast="none">Unconditional</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">” conference, held this past weekend, many noted that two of the speakers were men “married” to other men. Many of the rest were on the record as “affirming” same-sex relationships, recognizing LGBTQ as legitimate categories of human identity, and describing their work as hoping to convert Christians to their ideas about sex, identity, and marriage. Would this conference mark Andy Stanley’s final departure from historic Christian teaching on human sexuality? </span><span data-ccp-props= "{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Stanley, who is among America’s most prominent pastors, defended the conference and choice of speakers due to the focus of the event. In his</span> <a href= "https://protestia.com/2023/10/01/andy-stanley-unpublished-sermon-adresses-his-gay-affirming-conference-we-have-the-audio/"> <span data-contrast="none">Sunday sermon</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">, he responded to the criticism, stating that this conference was not about the theology of human sexuality, or even about talking someone out of an LGBTQ identity. Rather, he said, it was aimed at “parents of LGBTQ+ children and ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children;” in other words, parents who had already tried (and failed) to talk their children out of these identities and now only wished to stay in relationship with them. </span><span data-ccp-props= "{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Even if the conference was intentionally designed to</span> <em><span data-contrast= "auto