Is there a “quieter middle space” when it comes to gender, sexuality, and marriage? Well, the individuals behind the Unconditional Conference taking place this week at Pastor Andy Stanley’s North Point Community Church seem to think so. But as Christians, we should always be comparing what anyone says—including a popular, influential pastor such as Andy Stanley (who is presenting at the conference)—against the authority of God’s Word. So when we start with God’s Word, is there a “quieter middle space”?
According to the event website, the Unconditional Conference is designed for:
Parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children in their churches. You will be equipped, refreshed, and inspired as you hear from leading communicators on topics that speak to your heart, soul, and mind. We deeply desire this time will bring about healing and restoration. No matter what theological stance you hold, we invite you to listen, reflect, and learn as we approach this topic from the quieter middle space.
Notice that the event description says this is for those looking for “ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children” (emphasis added), not “ways to point people toward Christ” or “ways to encourage those struggling with sexual sin or a sinful identity to live according to God’s Word.” While the event page doesn’t explicitly detail what “support” means, the speakers at the event certainly heavily imply that “support” means “affirm and celebrate” LGBTQ identities.
As others have pointed out, the speakers include “two men who are married [so-called] to other men”—one known for arguing for the legitimacy of “monogamous same-sex relationships” and the other for his seminars on “restoring LGBTQ+ faith”—as well as a speaker who wrote a book called Changing Our Mind: Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBT Christians.
So, yes, we know what the “quieter middle space” looks like to those behind the Unconditional Conference—it means taking what the world says about sexuality, identity, and marriage and trying to dress it up in Christian language. It’s compromising God’s clear Word with the pagan religion (sexual humanism) of our day!
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Indeed, it’s not even possible to have a “quieter middle space.” This idea of middle ground implies there can be neutrality, but there is no neutrality! Consider what the Word of God says:
- One is either for Christ or against him. One either gathers or scatters (Matthew 12:30).
- One either walks in light or darkness (Ephesians 5:8).
- One is either on the broad way or narrow way (Matthew 7:13–14).
- One either builds their house on the rock or the sand (Matthew 7:24–26).
- One not for God is hostile to God (Romans 8:7).
- One who is not righteous is unrighteous and suppresses truth (Romans 1:17–19).
No, there can be no “quieter middle space,” because there is no neutrality. As believers we will either start our thinking with God’s Word or we will listen to the lie of the serpent: “Did God really say?” and try to be our own gods, leaning on our own wisdom and understanding. Those are the only two options!
This week, the Unconditional Conference attendees have likely heard session after session about God’s love for everyone, his heart for those who are “outcast,” and his willingness to sit and be with those whom society (or the church, as the presenters likely say) marginalizes. But what they likely won’t hear about is how God defines love in his Word, how God calls all people everywhere to repent of their sin, and how Jesus ate with sinners but never left them in their sin—instead he called them to deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow him. In other words, the attendees won’t be hearing the true, unadulterated, biblical gospel!
Sadly, these LGBTQ-affirming professing believers are not pointing anyone toward Christ (the real Christ, not the cherry-picked version they have invented themselves) but rather are leading others away from Christ, away from repentance, and away from freedom from sin—a freedom that could be theirs in Jesus. How utterly tragic!
Sadly, it doesn’t surprise me that Andy Stanley’s church is hosting a conference like this (and that he is speaking at it). He compromises Genesis with man’s evolutionary ideas, and that produces a domino effect of compromise elsewhere.
What these conference attendees really need to hear is 1 Corinthians 6:9–11: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Did you catch that? “Such were some of you” (emphasis added)! Apart from Christ, we all are the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God, but the church is made up of those who were the unrighteous. We are no longer identified by our former sins and struggles! We are new creations in Christ, with freedom by God’s Spirit to say no to sin and to live for holiness! That’s the beautiful truth of the gospel . . . no “quieter middle ground” required.
