Me defending Andy Stanley? Hey a broken clock is right twice a day...

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Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. - Romans 13: 1-4 (ESV)

Open Letter to Andy Stanley: Churches Should Not Be Handcuffed -- Charisma News

The purpose driven mind believes in the cult of personality pastor. This person is vitally important for the success of the growth model. In most cases, the pastor becomes the church. Just look at the recent fall of Ravi Zacharias and you will see a church that did not dare question their cult of personality preacher. He wrote over thirty books! He preaches all around the world! Think nothing of the fact that he brings a female massage therapist with him on all international trips but not his wife. Pay no mind to the two Bangkok apartments he owns. Contrast that with the life and ministry of Paul who was not gifted in speech and once a congregation turned their eyes toward him he quickly redirected them back to Christ by exclaiming - was Paul crucified for you? Shane Idleman is a pastor from California who firmly believes in the purpose driven pastoral role as well as NAR dominionism. It is a shame because before he got twisted into politics, it seemed that he had a decent grasp on the Gospel. No more however as he spends his days now writing articles like one linked above defending churches that defied authority to reopen in the middle of a lethal pandemic. In doing so he not only shames himself but all of Christendom. Let us reason once more beloved.

"In a recent interview, Andy Stanley, pastor of Atlanta's North Point Community Church, said he is "embarrassed" by churches that engaged in "spitting matches" with state and local governments over COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, lamenting that far too many churches "abandoned the mission for the sake of the model." No, we haven't abandoned the mission because the mission is to be salt and light, to bring truth to a lost and perishing world and to stand boldly for the Word of God. We need to abandon fear and stop believing falsehoods leveled by those with an agenda to silence the pulpits and stop the spread of the gospel. What makes me think it is an agenda? I don't have time to go into all the inconsistencies, but let me present just a handful: Why did numbers drop substantially after the inauguration on Jan. 20 and the language about the virus change? Why are cases of the flu and pneumonia nearly extinct? Why are Walmart and Costco packed every day of the year, while small businesses are being strangled? Why can people gather to protest the police, but more than 10 at a Thanksgiving dinner is a "super-spreader"?" - Shane Idleman

This is what is so embarrassing for the "church" today. Faced with state ordered lockdowns and a growth model that cannot survive without in-person flock fleecing, pastors were faced with a choice of potentially losing their fiefdoms or violating Romans 13. They were faced with endangering the very lives of their sheep or being forced to find real jobs. Many, like Shane Idleman, made the selfish, ruthless and wrong choice. Make no mistake about it beloved, people are dead because of those choices. Then when faced with just criticism, they regurgitate Facebook memes as fact, as Shane does here. Why are the regular flu numbers nonexistent? Because we are wearing masks and socially distancing! This isn't rocket science. People wearing masks at an outdoor event such as a protest are demonstrably safer than gathering with a small group to hug and eat and not wear masks. These are not inconsistencies. They are easily answered by logic. The same go for the Costco example. When people go to Costco, they wear masks and stay socially distanced. The vast majority of small businesses Shane references are socially related. Restaurants and bars require not wearing masks and are thus far more dangerous. A store such as Costco was also deemed necessary so people could get food. It is not that experts downplayed the risk but rather that the risk was worth making sure you still had food to eat. I am not getting into silly conspiracy theories regarding Inauguration Day. The numbers are changing because there is actual leadership now regarding this pandemic. As I said though this is just embarrassing because anyone with a discerning brain in the world could see through these political talking points and see that Shane is speaking nothing but rubbish. Andy Stanley is still a rank heretic but he got this one right. Stanley also spoke directly to the fact that some churches are engaged in spitting matches with their local governments. This is also very true.

"What about masks? One day they tell us to wear two masks, but the next, they tell us not to wear them at all (as in this video, which has since been removed to hide the evidence). Why are law-abiding citizens being harassed and arrested, while those breaking the law, destroying property and attacking innocent people are declared to be part of a "summer of love"? This is why so many Americans are beyond angry, and I believe it may be a righteous anger. We have been subjected to skewed numbers, fake pictures and elevated statistics with the undeniable goal of instilling fear. And what about all the COVID-positive illegal immigrants crossing the border?" - Shane Idleman

Why must those claiming the mantle of Christian leadership be the stupid ones? The video was removed because it LIED. Just like Shane is LYING right here. The fact that as the virus progressed the scientists changed their recommendations is not an indication of some tinfoil hat conspiracy theory. When the state says you cannot open your church and you do anyway, you are no longer law-abiding citizens Shane. Just stop with the absurd Fox News talking points! COVID positive illegal immigrants? Did Sean Hannity write this article for you? You are supposed to be a pastor for heaven's sake!

"Yes, COVID is real, but it's also being used to push an agenda. There are numerous stories of doctors being told to write COVID as the cause of death even if it was not. The San Diego Tribune ran a story in 2020 quoting county supervisor Jim Desmond as saying, "We've unfortunately had six pure, solely coronavirus deaths--six out of 3.3 million people." I'm not minimizing even one death, but there is mounting evidence that the lockdowns themselves have caused as many, or even more, deaths than the virus itself. These are not my words--these are the words of the World Health Organization's special envoy on COVID-19: "In the United States alone, lockdowns have been tied to increased thoughts of suicide from children, a surge in drug overdoses, an uptick in domestic violence, and a study conducted in May concluded that stress and anxiety from lockdowns could destroy seven times the years of life that lockdowns potentially save." Over the past year we have learned a lot about this virus--and nearly as much about those who would seek to use tragedy to further a political or social agenda. As the church, it is our responsibility to stand against the deceptions rather than surrender to it." - Shane Idleman

Shane Idleman is the only one here with an agenda. That agenda is he wants to be able to open his church and collect his tithes. The only deception here is what Shane is trafficking in. Or maybe he is just willfully deceived. It took me all of three minutes to debunk the story about the WHO special envoy who is quoted as saying that his comments were taken completely out of context. The type of lockdowns he was referring to we have never had in this country. The San Diego Tribune story is equally debunkable. Mr. Desmond is making an asinine point which was denounced after he said it. The argument he is making is that the only cases that should count as COVID are those who have no other medical complications at the time of death. So someone who has asthma, catches COVID and dies would not be counted as a COVID death according to Mr. Desmond. Except he is a fool of course. This is not how we ever count mortality rates. If the person with asthma had never contracted COVID he would still be alive! That is the point! There is ZERO proof of any doctors being forced to wrongly attribute death to COVID. So spare us the notion that you are not minimizing the deaths of 500,000 people Shane because that is exactly what you are doing. The worst is that you do it in the name of Christ for the most carnal and craven reasons. Do you honestly expect us to believe that you sincerely believe there are only six victims of COVID? Six? You cannot be that stupid Shane.

"Andy Stanley continues, "The thing that has been concerning to me about the local church is how quickly so many local churches felt like, 'We've got to get back in our building, shoulder to shoulder, doing what we've always done.'" So "quickly," Pastor Stanley? We are now a year into this. Irrational reactions, inconsistent policies and a severe overreach of authority are crippling the church and devastating our nation. We must remove the veil of deception. Sadly, the new deception is that if you stand for freedom, then you are selfish. Pastor Stanley's words, even if it was not his intention, degrade the brave men and women who have determined that God's Word requires us to get back to being "shoulder to shoulder, doing what we have always done." It's called the gathering of the saints--and we are not to forsake it. A pastor, of all people, should recognize this." - Shane Idleman

Ugh. I feel dirty defending Stanley but I assume he was referring to when the outbreak first started. Back then many churches were thumbing their noses at the state as early as March, just one month after the outbreak. Stanley also gets close to a fundamental truth that escapes Shane Idleman. The church is not your building Shane. The church does not cease to exist of it does not meet for an hour and a half on Sunday. As previously indicated, only the purpose driven mind thinks like this. Is it humanly possible for a pastor to still lead his flock remotely? Of course it is not the desired situation but we are talking about making sure that people do not die. This is not some bold stance for freedom. It is a selfish stance for not caring if your perceived freedoms kill me or not. A pastor, of all people, should recognize this.

"Since the 1600s, America has experienced health-related epidemics such as typhoid, scarlet fever and yellow fever every 15 years or so, but we have never taken such extreme measures as we did for COVID-19. We are to love our neighbor but also contend for what is right. What about all the families who are deteriorating because of abuse and addiction? What about the escalating suicide rate? What about loving those neighbors? Pot shops, liquor stores and abortion clinics are open, so why are churches still closed? Why is there no outcry about that?" - Shane Idleman

Ahh, nothing like a little whataboutism to muddy the waters. Typhoid killed about 25,000 people over the two-year outbreak in the early 1900s. Scarlet Fever killed less. Yellow Fever goes back to the 1700s and killed hundreds per outbreak. For context, COVID has killed over 500,000 in one year in this country and 2.6 million worldwide. That is WITH the extreme measures we have taken. I cannot imagine the devastation if we had not taken those measures. As for increases in abuse, addiction and suicide, I would lay those failures at the feet of a church that is more interested in public gatherings and political statements than truly leading their flocks. This pandemic was a perfect opportunity for a caring pastor to have one on one outreach or even small groups. This could have been done virtually or in person without violating any laws. Again, only in the demented purpose driven mind can loving thy neighbor only be achieved by meeting for an hour and a half on Sundays. As for the point of pot stores and liquor stores being open - what are you a child Shane? They're open so you should be too? Do you think that justifies exposing your sheep to a deadly virus? Get over yourself.

"God established the legal system to protect the innocent. Paul appealed to Caesar for this very reason (Acts 25:11). It's not only permissible for churches to challenge the lockdowns; it's a necessity. Had bold pastors capitulated in 2020, the church may never have opened in many areas. Thank God for men like John MacArthur, Jack Hibbs and Rob McCoy, who by their courage in opening their churches motivated us to open ours on May 31, 2020. With a congregation size considered to be that of a large church, we had zero COVID deaths, and very few people became sick. I'm certainly not minimizing the virus, and I would not want people to get sick. We take precautions when warranted, but this is all no longer about science but, rather, as a way to stir up fear." - Shane Idleman

No Shane. It is about the virus. If you have had no deaths over the past 10 months I would be shocked. MacArthur has. Johnny Mac himself was sick recently for a month as well. I have seen story after story about pastors who have died from COVID after mouthing off like you and opening their churches. Challenging lockdowns made the church sound petty and petulant. It also made it sound hypocritical since the church leans so heavily on the key verses in Romans 13. The facts are simple. There is a virus that has caused a worldwide pandemic that has killed millions of people. One of the greatest opportunities for this virus to spread are indoor gatherings, such as church services. This is entirely about the science. The mega church business was threatened because if you think tithing rates are low, try them remotely. Combine this with a bloated sense of self-importance on the part of the pastors, and the challenges to authority were expected. Without a scientific fact to stand on however, they are reduced to finding out what the Internet troll population has to say. They smear science. They smear the medical experts. I remember one pastor claiming that he should be allowed to determine on his own when it is safe for his congregation to meet. Are you insane? I love my pastor and will call him first to understand the complexities of Hebrews but he is not a virologist or and epidemiologist. I am not getting my health advice from a Facebook meme repackaged by a greedy pastor who then will dare to tell me that he is not minimizing the virus.

Yes, you are.

"As I wrote in my article, "An Open Letter to Silent Pastors-Fight or Fade Away," "over the last few decades, Americans have seen the destruction of the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, the removal of God's Word in several areas, and the blatant murdering of millions of babies." "This is an indictment against America and the pulpit is partially responsible--our silence speaks volumes. The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of God's people, which affects the nation. ... Sadly, many pastors are exchanging truth for passivity, boldness for cowardliness, and conviction for comfort." They aim "to be motivational speakers rather than preachers of righteousness." In my opinion, most pastors who are not opening their churches are upset at the ones who are simply because they are convicted. Instead of repenting for cowardliness and a lack of boldness, they open friendly fire. Pastors, we are not just cheerleaders; we are game changers. We need men filled with the Spirit of God, not passivity and political correctness. Granted, there are many wonderful pastors and churches--and I appreciate their ministry--but too many American churches have drifted off course. They have lost the compass of truth and the boldness of the Spirit." - Shane Idleman

You are not a game changer Shane. You are a hopeless NAR shill who sells dominionism instead of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now you are also a science denier who seemingly does not care a whit about the actual health of the people you are entrusted to lead. You have a complete disregard for the truth. At best now you are a propogandist who takes solace in disobeying the bible and authority. It is not the spirit of God that fills you Shane but rather the spirit of error. Despite your claims of perfect congregational health I would wager you also now have actual blood on your hands because you thought it was more important to meet for an hour and a half on Sundays than obey the law. I hope the tithes were worth it.

Reverend Anthony Wade - March 9, 2021

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.