Megachurch pastor says Christianity doesn’t hinge on Jesus’ birth, and a debate rages | The State:
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| Apostates love to preach in their dirty, wrinkled jeans and get selfies with floozies. |
"BY KATE SHELLNUTT, THE WASHINGTON
The pastor of one of America’s largest megachurches stirred up Christmas controversy after preaching that the story of Jesus’ virgin birth is not crucial to the Christian faith.
“If somebody can predict their own death and resurrection, I’m not all that concerned about how they got into the world,” Andy Stanley said in a Dec. 4 sermon at North Point Community Church, which draws 36,000 attendees across six locations in suburban Atlanta. “Christianity doesn’t hinge on the truth or even the stories around the birth of Jesus. It hinges on the resurrection of Jesus.”
In the days leading up to Christmas, fellow Christians defended the significance of the virgin birth. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler addressed Stanley’s remarks about the Virgin Mary on his podcast, saying: “If Jesus was not born of the virgin then the Bible cannot be trusted when it comes to telling us the story of Jesus, and that mistrust cannot be limited to how he came to us in terms of the incarnation. The fact is that biblical Christianity and ultimately the Gospel of Christ cannot survive the denial of the virgin birth. Because without the virgin birth, you end up with a very different Jesus than the fully human, fully divine savior revealed in scripture.”
The Baptist Press wrote that Stanley “doesn’t have a problem” with the people who doubt the biblical Christmas story. In his sermon, Stanley acknowledged that some people dispute the miracle of the virgin birth as a later addition or because it does not appear in two of the Gospel accounts, those of Mark and John.
“I am often misunderstood because of my communication style. I frequently verbalize what I know unbelievers and those who have left the church believe, assume or remember a college professor saying,” Stanley said in a response Friday to The Washington Post.
[GJ - Here's a hint, Andy old boy. One can voice those doubts and then address them with the Word. That is called Apologetics or a defense of the Word. "Always be ready to defend the hope that is within you," as Peter said. And yet WELS adores this gasbag and worships with him.]
Some of the common arguments against the virgin birth he referenced in his sermon were raised by Nicholas Kristof on Friday as he interviewed New York pastor Tim Keller in his latest New York Times column. Kristof has questioned this particular Christian teaching in his writing since at least 2003 (and Mohler has faithfully come to its defense)."
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| So-called worship at Andy Stanley's Northpoint Stealth Babtist Congregation. Ski, Glende, and Parlow worshiped here. |
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