Andy Stanley is a majorly popular preacher in Atlanta who has sold numerous books and influenced a swath of evangelicalism in America. The son of the also-famous preacher Charles Stanley, he has received criticism from conservatives over the last few years because of his progressive drift in his preaching.

Earlier this week a clip from a conference at his church last year grabbed the attention of many people.

Watch:

His argument seems to be that the church needs to hold homosexual "Christians" on a pedestal because they are more enthusiastic about serving. And they have more faith because they still come to churches where they aren't "welcomed."

A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way the church has treated the gay community, I'm telling you, they have more faith than I do. They have more faith than a lot of you. A gay person who knows, "I might not be accepted here, but I'm gonna try it anyway"- have you ever done that as a straight person?

Because of "bravery" and because of their willingness to not be accepted, gay people need to be the example of how to live as a Christian?

You may have heard about this last year when it made some headlines, but obviously many people didn't, because Stanley's comments drew a lot of thoughts this week:

A thread from a pastor who met with Andy Stanley years ago also begun making the rounds this week. He claims that Stanley has espoused heterodox views about homosexuality for years but has only slowly begun to trickle them out from the pulpit.

If you want to read the entire thread, which is corroborated by other pastors present, click through.

Some other thoughtful responses:

This stuff really matters.

Why?

Because it isn't just about accepting sinners and showing grace. It's about twisting the very words of God to try and synchronize His moral virtues with the moral virtues of a powerful subset of 21st-century American culture.

After you capitulate on one point of God's Word, the entire thing soon goes and the Gospel becomes meaningless to you. There is no need for grace in a world where you believe there is no such thing as sin.

My friends, this has eternal consequences that affects the lives of billions of people. For those of us who know better and know the Gospel: Do you think God will hold us blameless for our aberration of duty?

The Bee said it best: