There are guys who really dig Andy Stanley.
I am emphatically not one of them.
I’ve never dug his whole “one point preaching” thing which assumes (among other things) that Christians (or at least, non-seminary-graduated-pastor-types) are idiots who need to have Biblical truth premasticated for them and spoon-fed in only the gentlest, most non-challenging way possible.
Ergh.
Ed Stetzer recently interviewed Andy on his blog (thanks for the heads-up, Brian)
Guys that preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible– that is just cheating. It’s cheating because that would be easy, first of all. That isn’t how you grow people. No one in the Scripture modeled that. There’s not one example of that.
Yeah. Not one example.
Like, for instance, not Nehemiah.
Look, Andy…we don’t see very many examples of “one point preaching,” either. And…?
V-B-V isn’t the only way to teach the Word; it is however an amazingly effective way.
Contrary to what Andy says. “That isn’t how you grow people.”
…darn. And here I thought that people were growing just fine in expositionally focused churches and movements like Calvary Chapel, Acts 29, Harvest Bible Chapel, Johnny Mac and Grace Community, and others. Darn those pesky facts getting in the way and blowing up a perfectly good baseless assertion! Darn them to heck!
I honestly don’t know why anybody takes this guy seriously – oh, no, wait, I do…he’s a chief Growthinista. For the Growthinista, apparent results in the nickels-‘n’-noses department trumps all. Alrighty; allow me to revise and extend my remarks. I honestly don’t know why anybody who self-identifies with one of the aforementioned expositionally focused churches and movements likes this guy.
Seriously.
Another gem from Andy:
All Scripture is equally inspired, but not all Scripture is equally applicable or relevant to every stage of life.
Oy.
Apparently, all Scripture isn’t in fact profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, or instruction in righteousness; to be thoroughly equipped unto every good work, the man of God had to wait nearly 2000 years for the Lord to finally and graciously raise up Cap’n One-Point-Preachin’.
Give me multiple-point preachin’ Spurgeon any day over this character.
Again: Why does anybody take this guy seriously…?
mikescape 
March 5, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Mike,
if you guys at SMP aren’t having this conversation you need to be. This seems to be one area in which you and CC will be in agreement with the Reformed.
COme to think of it, you should say something over at Stetzer’s blog.
I will take issue with you over why people should take Stanley seriously, however.
1. He is a very influential figure amongst pastor-types. I fear that many of them will dismiss expository preaching because Andy Stanley said what he did.
2. He’s actually a good preacher. Topical, but a very good communicator. Like father, like son.
3. I don’t disagree with his one-point theory. Not everyone takes in multiple points from a talk; I myself sometimes struggle to remember one single point from a sermon or talk.
March 5, 2009 at 10:36 pm
I won’t, however, take issue with you over the last quote of Stanley’s in your post.
Oy, indeed.
March 5, 2009 at 10:42 pm
I would hesitate to say he’s a good preacher. I’d hesitate a very, very, very long time to say that. He is a great communicator…but to be a preacher is to declare the Word of God to the people of God…not to spoon-feed a lowest-common-denominator pabulum, assuming God’s people are too shallow to wrestle with the deep things of the Word and are therefore to be protected from that at all costs.
I’m not into a Piperian sermon, necessarily (“…and eleventhly, we see…”), but I’d get more from Piper than Stanley (and Piper, honestly, doesn’t impress me too much, either, but for other reasons).
You’re right, though, sadly; he is influential among many in today’s church.
Sigh. More’s the pity.
March 5, 2009 at 10:52 pm
BTW – I seriously like most Reformed preachers that I’ve read/heard. I disagree with their soteriology, obviously, and much of their eschatology, but I love how seriously they take the Word.
I’ve always liked, for instance, Sproul. Dever. Schlissel. MacAruthur. Driscoll. Packer. Spurgeon. Etc.
Too much of modern “preaching” is insipid pabulum.
March 5, 2009 at 11:01 pm
BTW – question – is the point of a sermon to give you points to remember? Or is the point of the sermon to engage not merely the mind but the spirit? Is it important that I remember the points of any specific sermon, or is it the point that the aggregate affect of multiplied hundreds of faithful, expositional sermons through the Word over time reshape my noetically wrecked mind, mend my wearied spirit, and focus me not so much on the spiffericious points the preacherman pontificates profusely and profoundly upon but rather on the Word itself, which over the course of years of being immersed in it changes me?
Not saying it’s not important to practice good homiletics; I’m just wondering out loud if we put the emphasis on the wrong thing (the sermon, rather than the Word the sermon is supposed to be pointing to)…?
March 6, 2009 at 12:52 am
“I would hesitate to say he’s a good preacher. I’d hesitate a very, very, very long time to say that. He is a great communicator”
Duly noted. And corrected.
I have always thought the purpose of the sermon to communicate God’s truth to people. It engages the mind and the spirit, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, who opens the minds and hearts of people to hear the Word being proclaimed.
I hear you on the aggregate effect of sermons. I would say that some people will benefit more from aggregate effects of sermons with one point/one Big Idea. Some will benefit from however many points are made from the verses being taught on any given Sunday.
There is such a thing as putting the emphasis on the wrong things.
March 7, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Mike, nice…. tell us how you really feel. I have really enjoyed Andy’s father’s ministry. He is pretty simple and effective at teaching the bible. Several years ago we received an audio CD from Andy’s ministry. It was all about teaching giving. It was terrible in my opinion. I really don’t follow him, but the idea that just teaching the scriptures somehow isn’t enough, well that is hogwash. You can tell him for me next time you see him. 🙂
March 7, 2009 at 7:22 pm
BTW, I would love to see you write this up for SMP
March 7, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Jim – Yep, I really liked Andy’s father’s ministry.
March 9, 2009 at 11:58 am
Totally agree Mike. Andy is a great teacher and we can learn from that, but his statements concerning bible teaching aren’t true. I can point out many revivals in church history that were driven by indepth Bible Study. They typically go hand in hand.
I would argue that it’s actually harder (and more work) to teach/preach an engaging series through the Bible than it is to do a ONE-point topical teaching. I believe that it produces greater depth in churches in the long run.
March 9, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Mike – another vote for this on SMP. It’s going to tick at least one off in particular, but it needs to be said.
March 9, 2009 at 1:02 pm
That would be interesting to see how it went… but I wouldn’t want to get banned and kicked off again just for being a spectator…
March 9, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Steve Aspinall – International Man of Troublemaking.
March 9, 2009 at 10:48 pm
What is SMP?
March 9, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Is it “small minded preacher”?
Ouch!
March 10, 2009 at 12:13 am
People in America are results-driven. Therefore, if a pastor has delivered on numbers people perk up. The sad thing is that if you apply this to the Bible you end up inviting Jonah to preach at your conference instead of Jeremiah.
March 10, 2009 at 12:17 am
Ok… get it now SMP stands for “Simple minded preacher” the website!
errr duh 😉
March 10, 2009 at 7:54 am
I like that, Mike:
March 10, 2009 at 8:00 am
“Is it “small minded preacher”?”
“Ok… get it now SMP stands for “Simple minded preacher” the website!
errr duh 😉 ”
Indeed but…. well… I …. err…. I’m saying nothing.
March 10, 2009 at 8:11 am
I would think Dad would be on the phone correcting the young man regarding those quotes.
Sad to see such an assault from within evangelicalism from an influential voice in the ‘newer’ generation of pastors.
All of the banter of RW and RB – I have hardly encountered Stanley being raked over the coals. I wonder why that is?
March 10, 2009 at 8:24 am
Rick Warren – I’ve never been as uptight about him as some are. He’s not the enemy, and his teaching doesn’t lead explicitly or implicitly to Kundalini Jedi mind-trick Ashram navel-lint pondering grokking of any sort. To me, he’s as big a non-issue as you can get, he’s just had the bad luck of becoming the modern whipping boy. Granted, I’m no fan of his, and I don’t like his political activity (hence my sometimes referring to the dude as Rick “Syria’s A Great Nation!” Warren).
Bell – different story. I live & minister in his back yard, and I’ve had to undo a lot of damage that boy’s done to the faith of many here on the Glorious West Coast of Michigan. I hesitate to label Rob “Jesus’ Dad Was Larry!” Bell an outright wolf…barely.
Andy – I’ve no desire to rake him over the coals; prior to this Stetzer interview, he was only a minor, peripheral annoyance to me. But with that drop-o’-th’-gauntlet interview, the annoyance factor ratcheted up to near-maximum. Now, he’s entitled to his own views. Everybody has the right to be wrong. And if he wasn’t so well-liked and influential among some of those of my own communion (Calvary Chapel), I’d probably still largely dismiss him as yet another passing Growthinista fad. But given that there are those in my tradition who fawn over the guy and pour out regular libation at his “one-point preaching” altar, I suppose I got irritated enough to say something.
Especially since some in CC are apparently re-thinking the whole issue of inerrancy.
Again:
Makes
Me
Want
To
Smack
Somebody.
March 10, 2009 at 9:33 am
SMP
March 10, 2009 at 9:35 am
Some re-thinking inerrancy? Wow, that is a big word to have to re-think.
I can’t even imagine anybody even thinking that and not getting a phone call. Recently, I got accused by someone of it and it spread like wildfire, certainly it wasn’t and isn’t true. The same thing happened awhile back when someone told someone else I disagreed with something Pastor Chuck said regarding expositional consistency, I didn’t but it stuck and I got a call and sanctioned.
March 10, 2009 at 11:56 am
“I didn’t but it stuck and I got a call and sanctioned.”
From whom, and what exactly is “sanctioned?”
March 10, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Jim,
Sanction: A penalty, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.
From whom? I won’t go there – It snowballed as time went on and I got the boot. That’s as far as I’ll go with it, publicly anyway only those who need to know, know about it.
March 10, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Jim – I’m very sorry you got sanctioned for nothing. Very sorry. That’s quite disturbing.
August 24, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I went to Northpoint CC for almost 10 years because our children were growing up and they had a good department (with live bands every week) for them. I attended 1st Baptist downtown for several years before Andy graduated from seminary and still love Dr. Stanley’s teaching.
I tend to agree with most of the comments here. There is a certain point of discipline (character) that should be modeled to make yourself go to church on Sundays, though. It shouldn’t be entertainment driven. There are many many people who attend Northpoint because of the music and drama and emotions stirred up by seeing the “show”. I have said over and over how I wished Andy would preach the bible, instead of making me feel I was sitting in Oprah or Dr. Phil’s audience.
The musicians and actors are paid. There is no invitation at the end of any of the sermons and a friend of mine became upset and actually cried, that she was told to re-word and omit some of the things she wanted to say in her testimony that they record to play before each baptism. I just feel like Andy is catering to one specific group of people, young yuppies, instead of who we are as a whole in the body of Christ. There are no choirs, no children’s choirs (and I would love to see a bunch of young children up there singing…out of tune and all, that is who we really are as a body, anyway!
My husband & I have been in several small groups. As of the last several years, the church pretty much insists that all small groups use Andy’s made materials for their first bible study they do. (And suggest they continue to use them…(because, folks, the church store has many many written by Andy now!)
At the small group leadership meetings, they have actors portraying different different senerios. They say that if you have a member that has any type of problem and if effects their emotions, that you should take that person aside, send them out to couseling and get them out of the group as soon as possible. This problem is portrayed, and talked about as if it were the number one teaching problem for small groups.
One of the reasons I took offense to this, is I know just about everyone on earth has problems! Are we going to have small groups that strive to stay on the surface of each other, because that is not real growth to me. What about James 5?
I personally had 4 abortions before my 26th birthday, not a day has gone by that I have not suffered some consequence of the sin. I am so humbled that God still loves me. I guess having that in my past would actually disqualify me from being in a small group at Northpoint, if i shared it right away. I love the Lord with all my heart, and my soul and mind, and I stay in the word. I seek out Godly counsel every single day and cling to the promises that God has given me through Jesus’ life and his death for us on the cross. In my late twenties and early thirties I went through special bible studies for people who have had abortions and I grew so much in the Lord. I can not wait to see those babies one day. I have to acknowledge that I have fought depression for 20 years, also, if I were to be honest, there would be nothing satan would love more than for me to take my own life. But he will never win. I stay hungry for the Lord and it is good.
But, back to Northpoint, according to the way they want small groups run, I would be excess baggage (as it is called there) and probably if I were to tell my story would be taken out of a group and put into counseling. It just seems unjustified to me. And I want the bible taught more, not everyday senerios all time. I feel that if the bible were just taught…that many people would NATURALLY see themselves in the stories there. That is where God’s power to transform people is. It’s sharper than a two edged sword!!
I worked for LifeWay Christian Bookstore in Alpharetta/Roswell GA for a quite a while when my children were teenagers. Several ladies from other churches would come and look so tired…looking curriculum material for their Wednesday night classes for children. Once they shared with me that they love the fact that they have so many children to teach, many of who go to Northpoint CC. Their parents wanted them to learn the scriptures more so they send them to the Baptist Churches on Wednesday nights! This made me feel alittle embarrassed with the size of church that Northpoint is…
I am sorry if this sounds as if I am bashing. I will write the letter I have planned to write for many years, to Andy, and let him know my thoughts. Don’t know if it would matter or not to him, but I hope it would.
Praying the next thing I see is NOT a billboard sign with Andy’s picture on it!,
Lynn McIntosh
September 18, 2011 at 1:46 am
Obviously a bit bitter… This is a poor dig at Andy Stanley. It is such a shame that he is making the word of God practical for the every day church-goer isn’t it! Disgraceful! He should bombard them with thick theology, contextual imagery and deep doctrine so they are bored out of his church!
I think you need to re-read the last quote you have mentioned because you have clearly misinterpreted it and I really can’t see how you get your conclusion from it…
I would love to see the fruit of your ministry as I can with Andy Stanleys… Oh wait, complaining and bagging people that aren’t like you doesn’t bring about much fruit does it?
April 1, 2012 at 10:37 am
I agree with certain things you’ve said here, but your approach is absolutely terrible. Why would you bash someone who is obviously TRYING to reach people for Christ? He may be going about it in a different way, but if he has good motives and truly wants people to experience God, then why are you bagging him in such a rude way? Lynn^ has had experiences with his church/small groups etc… And I love that she is speaking from her personal opinion because of what she experienced.
I agree with a lot of what Brad^ said also… When I read that last quote I never would have gotten out of it what you did, but that’s just me…
June 18, 2014 at 9:15 am
Buckhead church is also known by locals as Jesus club, people dress up and flirt like a summerball