Erick Erickson at RedState.com blasts, misquotes, and takes Andy Stanley’s comments out of context in his redstate.com column today. Many commenters were not so kind. While it is not my job to defend Andy, this controversy is central to the key point of Jesus’ ministry: loving your neighbor.
The title of the column was changed from the obviously inaccurate “Andy Stanley Seemingly Thinks Jesus Would Turn Water to Wine For a Gay Marriage” to “Andy Stanley’s Quote is Troubling.” Perhaps Andy meant it to be troubling. He certainly does not think Jesus would turn water to wine for a gay marriage. It is apparent that redstate.com is using Andy’s good name to further their position – truth be damned.
At the end of his column, where a majority of readers rarely venture, Erickson comes clean, admitting the title was “more bombastic than it should have been.” A paragraph was deleted because “it read more harshly than intended and presumed more about Andy’s specific position than is in evidence.” Yet collateral damage remains.
Inaccurate statements in the column include: Stanley did not say anything about Christians not having the right to petition their government to stop this, or even doing so. Andy did not say he thinks its ok for Christian merchants to provide goods and services to a ceremony they think is sinful. He did not say Jesus would provide goods and services to a gay wedding.
Todd Starnes of Fox News was quick to join the Andy ambush. Having followed Starnes on social media the past few months, I have learned he quite often blows things out of proportion and takes things out of context to make his point. Starnes tweeted: “Shocking news from Andy Stanley. Shocking.” and “Andy Stanley opposes law to protect Christian business owners from militant groups.”
Did he?
What Andy did say: He finds it “offensive that Christians would leverage faith to support the Kansas law.” He said, “Serving people we don’t see eye to eye with is the essence of Christianity. Jesus died for a world with which he didn’t see eye to eye. If a bakery doesn’t want to sell its products to a gay couple, it’s their business. Literally. But leave Jesus out of it.” This was the quote in Kirsten Powers’ USA Today editorial. Doesn’t sound like the entirety of Andy’s statement, but at this point we’re way past that. To me, the key phrase is “that Christians would LEVERAGE FAITH to support the Kansas law.” Is fighting for this law worth turning people off from God?
Erickson is saying Andy must agree with him and take up the same cause. Andy does not work for redstate.com or Fox News. Andy’s job, and as a follower of Christ, mine, is to win souls for God’s Kingdom, to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus. To love as Christ loved me. Those who rarely see or hear Andy often misunderstand him.
Wednesday afternoon Andy tweeted what could be considered a response: If your belief permits you to mistreat you are guilty of misbelieving as well as misbehaving. When someone questioned his Christian leadership, Andy retweeted: Me too! I’ll start a petition. He correctly points out that followers should always question whether their leaders are leading in the right direction. No one said God’s Word, and the Christian life, was going to be easy.
Certainly not me.
No comments:
Post a Comment