Andy Stanley's North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, is hosting the "Unconditional" conference later this month. The two-day conference, which is put on by a group called Embracing the Journey, is meant to help Christian parents deal with LGBTQ+ children, and to equip ministry leaders in supporting those parents. North Point Pastor Andy Stanley will be one of the speakers, along with several gay-affirming presenters.
M.D. Perkins, research fellow for church and culture at American Family Association, says it's becoming a common heresy in that church. "Everyone looks to come from some intent to say that the Bible actually condones homosexuality and that Christians just need to 'adjust' their theology in order to fit with what people are saying about themselves," he tells AFN.
But according to Perkins, the conference is consistent with where North Point Church has been going for the last few years.
"It doesn't surprise me to hear that Andy Stanley's church is capitulating on this," he offers. "We've seen a number of things from them over the years that have made little compromises and little erosions along the way."
While Perkins points out the Bible is clear that homosexuality is a sin and a dishonorable passion, he acknowledges that the question addressed by the conference is valid: What should a parent do if their child says he or she is gay?
"If the child knows what the boundaries are and what the expectations are of the parent, and then sees that the parent actually loves the child, there will be some willingness to restore that relationship," he says.
But the deck will be stacked against the parents, he cautions. "Most of the mainstream talking points on this put all of the emphasis on the Christian parent doing things wrong or inappropriately, when very oftentimes the gay child is using a lot of emotional manipulation and has been coached," he states.
Perkins is author of the book "Dangerous Affirmation: The Threat of 'Gay Christianity'" – and an eBook confronting challenges to historic Christian teaching on sexuality.
Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
