A Christian leadership guru sues the best carnal wisdom he can muster to defend heresy...

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And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. -- Acts 2: 42-47 (ESV)

https://careynieuwhof.com/why-andy-stanley-is-right-about-reaching-post-christians/

Churchianity is a billion dollar enterprise across this world beloved. Mega-churches, cult of personality pastors, and international record labels are the fuel that keeps this cash cow producing. If anyone tries to mess with the product the complex reacts to defend the brand at all cost. Even if you are caught in a serious scandal the complex will always push for your swift return through a bogus "restoration" usually overseen by other members of the complex. If you have proven you can make money then you can bet that restoration will be blessedly brief. That is how someone like Todd Bentley was "restored" by Bill Johnson, so shortly after divorcing his wife to marry the secretary he was having an affair with. That is how someone like Mark Driscoll can have a new church with the ashes from his last church are still smoldering. You stole $250,000 to cheat the NY Times bestseller list? No worries. You openly mocked the people you hurt in ministry by referring to them as a "pile of dead bodies." Hey we forgive you. Now get back out there and make some money for Jesus, wink wink.

One of the most popular mega-church cult of personality pastors for the complex is Andy Stanley. A strict Rick Warren adherent, Stanley is fond of promoting the notion that we should not use the term shepherd anymore because it is no longer culturally relevant. Not a surprise since Andy does not adhere to the value of Scripture anymore. He preached last year that we needed to convince our kids with carnal arguments why the bible is right instead of relying on biblical inerrancy. He followed that blasphemy up this year by preaching that Christians needed to "unhitch" the Old Testament from their faith. Needless to say, Andy received a fair amount of proper scorn for such ludicrous statements and teachings. The complex was a little silent on the matter. That is until now. The above link is to church growth guru Carey Nieuwhof. We often spotlight Nieuwhof because of the utter carnality he offers up as Christian leadership advice. One view of his webpage reveals so much that is wrong with the church today. Getting advice from the world about how to run the church. So the story linked above is Nieuwhof trying to tell us why Andy Stanley is right. Let's walk through the depraved mind trying to prop up the indefensible positions of Andy Stanley.

"If you want to reach post-Christian, post-modern people--in other words, the next generation--how do you do it, effectively? Although you might not know it if you just perused social media, the majority of churches are plateaued or dying. And even among growing churches, not all growth is coming from people with no church background. Some--not all, but some--growing churches are just consolidating the Christians who are still around and giving them a new place to gather. If you really analyzed what percentage of churches are truly attracting post-modern, post-Christian people, you might be a little surprised at how low that number is. Three typical responses to this problem include taking pot-shots at growing churches, criticizing church leaders and lamenting about how bad current culture is. But none of these responses is in any way productive. So, instead, what if we focused on the real issue, namely, figuring out what it takes to reach people who don't know Jesus?" -- Carey Nieuwhof

As always the foundation of the complex is built upon shoddy terrain that is simply unbiblical. Their established belief is that there are so many people out there just seeking after God and our responsibility as the church is make the connection as painless as possible for them. That is biblically absurd because we know that none seek after God. Sure we may get to low points in our life but Romans teaches us that salvation is achieved only through the preached Gospel. What is the first thing that gets compromised in the seeker friendly system? The Gospel. Churches are dying because people are not stupid. The average time spent in a mega-church is just under three years because by then most have figured out the scam. When you can get the church entertainment at the local club and the sermons from YouTube motivational speakers you soon realize that you do not need to get up early on a Sunday. Others realize after reading their bible for a couple of years that they are simply being sold a false bill of goods. I place the blame squarely where it belongs -- on people like Carey Nieuwhof and false pastors like Andy Stanley for not understanding that the only thing that can reach people who don't know Jesus is the Gospel.

"That's why I'm so grateful for Andy Stanley's recent contributions to the conversation. Andy's new book, Irresistible: Reclaiming the New That Jesus Unleashed on the World, does a deep dive into exploring the kind of message Christians need to focus on to connect with unchurched and de-churched people. You can listen to an interview I did with Andy on his new approach to apologetics here. Whether or not you agree with everything Andy says in the book (Andy's had a few critics as he's made his arguments), what the critics seem to miss is that the current generation of church leaders is losing the conversation with non-Christians. In fact, often, we're not even in the conversation anymore. That's why what Andy has to say is so valuable. We need to change the conversation because the current conversation is making less of a difference every day. Something fundamental is changing in our culture, and many Christian leaders are missing it. Arguing among ourselves or rehashing apologetic approaches from generations ago isn't going to reverse the growing indifference Christians face when we share our faith. Radically different times demand radically different approaches. The apostle Paul varied his approach depending on his audience. Speaking to Greeks in Athens required a different line of argument than speaking with Jews. I think Andy is right in sounding the cultural alarm bells that our current approach isn't working. Here are five reasons what a lot of us are doing today won't advance the mission the way we hope tomorrow." -- Carey Nieuwhof

It is so pitiful to watch two people stumbling around in the dark who claim the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Paul never changed the Gospel. Let me say that again beloved -- Paul never changed the Gospel. Sure he might begin talking about things that were relevant to his audience and we should strive for connectivity as well as speakers but there must be a non-negotiable Gospel that is preached. You see what Carey and Andy are saying is that we need to alter the Gospel message so as to not offend someone they think might be "seeking." Stanley's mentor, Rick Warren' once taught pastors to not preach the Gospel on Easter Sunday so the unsaved listeners would "have a reason to come back." We are not supposed to change the Gospel according to culture. The same Gospel that saved the man in Athens during Paul's day is the same Gospel that saved a British soldier during the Revolutionary War and the same Gospel that saved me over a decade ago at a Pentecostal Church in New York. The Gospel transcends time and culture. It overcomes the world and is not beholden to it.

1. Your Voice Is No Longer The Only Voice. Just a generation ago, the majority of people went to church, North American culture was at least nominally Christian, there was no internet, information was harder to come by, and most people simply trusted what they heard from their local pastor. In some cases, the pastor was the most educated and most listened to person in the community, and certainly in a church attender's life. It could hardly be more different today. The internet means you can learn about anything, anytime, anywhere. And people do. Of course, you know all of this, but in most churches, we still behave like it wasn't true. Most of the people who attend your church and everyone you're trying to reach has googled their way to an opinion on almost everything. They've binged listened to Joe Rogan, Sam Harris, and a host of others, and come to you with pre-formed opinions on almost everything. It's not just going away to college that crumbles faith anymore. Many teens and young adults have YouTubed and Reddited their way to their own views on God, Jesus, spirituality and the church. Do all of these views hold water? Of course not. But that doesn't stop people from holding them." -- Carey Nieuwhof

It is true that the expansion of media and social media means more competition for our attention. It does mean that as pastors we need to be even more careful lest someone Google what we say and discover we have erred. The reference to college crumbling faith is the exact complaint that Andy Stanley had when he abandoned the sufficiency and infallibility of Scripture. He said he was tired of seeing his youth come back from college as atheists because science crumbled their faith. His mistake was in assuming his youth were saved from all of the pizza parties and veggie tales they must have received at Andy's church. When you compromise the Gospel, no one gets saved. If people hold contrary views then the Gospel will expose that. Many will fall away as the bible has said. Narrow is the way beloved; narrow.

"2. Hostility is Giving Way to Indifference. If you look at the way many Christians are approaching the culture today, you'd think the church is under siege from critics. And in some respects, that's true. But look more deeply, and you'll see the real issue isn't hostility, it's indifference. And indifference is a much harder issue to deal with. Hostility means the person angry with you is still engaged. Indifference means you've lost them"at least for now. Indifference is a very different opponent than disagreement or hostility. Maybe it's rooted in the fact that the church has largely stopped caring about the world. And when the church no longer cares about the world, it should be no surprise that the world no longer cares about the church." -- Carey Nieuwhof

I am unsure what church Nieuwhof is seeing but the church in America is enraptured with the world. It gazes fondly at Sodom as Lot once did. It loves the excess and the sin Sodom has to offer. It loves that it controls the levers of power in through religion. This is the result of poor teachings and the infiltration of the NAR through the purpose driven industrial complex. Stopped caring about the world? The entire church is now revolving around the world, trying to not offend the world and desperately seeking approval from the world.

"3. People Are Looking for Love"Not Judgment. A lot of Christians are upset with the cultural changes that have happened in the last decade. And I'm not saying we shouldn't be alarmed. But it seems like our response to the culture is to judge it. I think that's God's job. If God so loved the world, who gave Christians permission to hate it? When someone attends your church (and mine), they're hoping to find Jesus. And underneath it all, they're hoping to find love. Too often, they tell us, they find self-righteousness, judgment, arrogance, and indifference. It's heartbreaking. Andy's argument about love is compelling because it really is the heart of our faith. In fact, I seem to recall both Jesus and the Apostle Paul saying that without it we don't have anything. And it creates this tragic irony: the love that is so palpably absent from so many churches is the very thing the world is searching for. Before you get defensive, ask yourself this question: when was the last time you stood in line hoping someone would judge you? Exactly. Judgment is a terrible evangelism strategy." -- Carey Nieuwhof

The very first word of the ministry of Jesus Christ was repent. I guess He had a terrible evangelism strategy. This is all humanistic gobbledygook. This is the premise off the sloppy agape preaching of Andy Stanley. Love without the Gospel is no love at all. The modern church is going to love millions of people right into hell. As for the bible butchering when it says God so loved the world, it is obviously talking about the people not the world itself. When the Apostle Paul speaks about love in the referent it is in relation to the spiritual gifts, not what Carey is thinking. Now I do agree that the church can get very judgmental regarding the sins of the world. That blocks the Gospel message. The answer however can never be love that refuses to expose their sin and demand repentance from it. There is no love in that.

"4. The Church Increasingly Feels Like a Club To Which No One Is Invited. As the culture becomes more and more post-Christian, a growing number of people aren't sure how to even engage church. The sign on the lawn might say "All Welcome," but that doesn't really register. Think about it: if you're a practicing Christian, how comfortable would you be randomly walking into a mosque next weekend, or a synagogue, or a Buddhist Temple? Right. First, you'd think you need an invitation to go"that new people aren't welcome. Second, you're not even sure when they meet, how to dress, what the customs are, what to do, where to go. The list is endless. So it's really no mystery as to why truly post-modern, post-Christian people aren't flocking to most churches. As someone who lives in a country (Canada) that is 20-30 years more post-Christian than America, I can assure you that, to outsiders, churches seem more and more like private clubs to which no one is invited. The bridge, of course, is a personal invitation. And that invitation is only likely going to be effective if the person you're inviting likes you and loves you. And that brings us back the previous point. It's really hard for non-Christians to believe you love them if you behave like you don't like them." - Carey Nieuwhof

As the key verses today highlight, the plan that God set up in Acts was for the church to be for the saints, not the unbelievers. The shepherd is supposed to tend to the flock entrusted to him -- no constantly be looking to replace them. God sees to the number that grows the body horizontally, not man. It is the job of the pastor to grow the flock vertically. Now as we have discussed the increase in media and social media can contribute to less interest along with the moral decay of society. The question is what is the church supposed to do? God has a plan that He outlined in the Bible and it is only the arrogance of man and NAR theology that think He needs us to figure out a new plan. Is the Gospel sufficient anymore? Narrow is the way so we must ditch the mega church mentality that has dumbed salvation down to three sentences and a Shape application. The church seems like a club? Good! We are supposed to a people set apart! We are supposed to be a peculiar people! The Gospel is meant to divide! Stop following blind carnal leaders trying to grow a monument to worldly greatness. God has given us the only thing with the power to save and that is the Gospel.

"5. Too Many Of Us Are Answering Questions No One Is Asking. Too many preachers are answering questions no one is really asking anymore. For example, many times in messages I've outlined the manuscript evidence that shows the scriptures we have today are in fact, with only tiny, minor variations, the scriptures that were written long ago. In other words, we're quite certain that the version of the first letter of Paul to the church in Corinth that we have is what Paul actually wrote. That's important to know (and important to me) for many reasons. And a generation ago that would be enough to convince people to lean in a little harder. Today, though, a growing number of post-Christians would say "I don't care whether what you're reading was the original letter from Paul himself. So what?" That's an entirely different line of questioning. So many preachers are still covering the what of Christianity, (which is important), but ignoring the so what. In every area of our communication, we should be drilling down the core issues. If you fail to answer the 'so what', you fail to answer life's deepest questions. For all of these reasons and more, I think Andy is right: we need to reach back the origin of our faith to help reach the next generation." -- Carey Nieuwhof

Beloved the act of salvation is a supernatural act of God. Not a result of questions and answers among men. The preacher presents the Gospel and the Holy Spirit draws the sinner to repent. If you want to get into the manuscript evidence that is great window dressing but you cannot convince anyone to become saved. Notice the argument Carey is making is that there is some design or strategy he can implement that will lead to church success but there is not. Andy is not right; he is a heretic. Carey is not right; he is the heretic's marketing strategist. It may sound harsh but it does not matter what the goats want. It has always been a matter of what they need.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- October 2, 2018

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.