Leader of Saddleback Church Isn’t Sure If ‘Married’ Gay Folk Who Get Saved Should Divorce
In a newly unearthed clip, Andy Wood, the new pastor of the 25,000-member, 14-campus Saddleback Church that recently raised eyebrows after ordaining several women’ pastors’ and having a “Blacks Only Worship Service” where no white members were allowed in, so the “black fold” could have a “safe space” to “heal,” says some troubling things about homosexuality.
We discussed Saddleback Church a few days ago after revealing they have gay-affirming pastors on staff and that they promote and partner with the pro-LGBTQ+ ministry ‘Embracing the Journey” which seeks to counsel parents of children confused about their sexuality.
In the snippet, which is several years old, Wood says that he doesn’t know if a homosexual couple should divorce if one of them becomes saved, and later says he’d attend a gay wedding/ marriage and even get the couple a gift.
Q: I have gay friends who came to Jesus after they were married and adopted children. God hates divorce. How would you approach the situation?
Andy Wood: “I don’t know.”
Stacie Wood: “It’s really hard.”
Andy Wood: “I don’t know if there’s a black and white answer. And I think I would sit with them in it. And I would pray with them. And I would try to wrestle through that decision. And I think it’s such a life- it is such a massive, massive decision that I would probably say, ‘read the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you, and I will journey with you with it, in it.’
And as you journey through it with them, I would have an ongoing conversation to ask them how the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding them, I think is how it would handle it. Because I don’t, I don’t know.“
He continues:
Andy: “You know, Laurie and Jason, our friends are on the line. They were missionaries overseas, and they would see people come to faith who had in polygamous cultures, and they had five spouses. And so what do they do? Do they divorce four of the spouses and keep one of them? Or… I don’t, I don’t know.
So I think, read the bible, pray, ask the Holy Spirit to speak. That would be my encouragement, and then journey with them through it.”
Staci: “Yeah. I think that people that draw hard, strong lines, and it gets really difficult. It doesn’t take into account how complicated the individual situation can be. (Andy: “Yeah”) , it has to be navigated with nuance, and a lot of wisdom and grace.”
Andy: “Yeah. And I think that part of what the enemy does in our minds is that there are some situations that are black and white and there are some that are gray. And I think that the situations that are more black and white, call for a decision, and situations that are more gray call for more discernment, prayer and scripture, I mean, processing and talking through it.”
Reacting to the video, prominent scholar Robert Gagnon notes on Twitter: “The level of theological ignorance here is stunning. Do they honestly think that, had the incestuous man in 1 Cor 5 “married” his stepmother, Paul would have faced a conundrum about whether to insist on dissolution of this egregiously immoral union?”
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Stacie Wood is demon-possessed. Andy Wood is a sod.
There literally IS a black and white answer – it’s called the Bible. If their congregants would READ it, this “church” would wither and die, as it should.
He apparantly fears the opinions of a sick and fallen culture more than the Holy God He purports to serve. He is utterly unqualified to be a shepherd of God’s people and appears unaquainted with the God whose authority He so blantantly ignores. Disgraceful.
The Bible leaves no room for “homosexual” marriage, thus it doesn’t exist. What doesn’t exist can’t be forced to exist so that it can remain in its supposed state-that of a marriage. This is not that hard to understand.
When the leader of a congregation is confused about clear biblical teaching, he has no business being a leader. There is zero…ZERO…recognition or affirmation of homosexual marriage or relations in any form in Scripture. In fact, it’s listed as one of the sins that cause people to have “no part in the kingdom of heaven.”Homosexuality…AND Adultery…are among the sins repeatedly listed as “an abomination” to God. Marriage is a sacrament…a picture of Christ and the Church. There may be a civil reason to formally divorce, but a homosexual divorce is not a sin because the civil union is not, never was, and never can never be recognized by God as anything but the besetting sin that must be abandoned. This man is a deceiver…not a shepherd. Christianity cost something. Sin is NEVER OK with God.
God hates the abomination of homosexuality. God gave marriage to man to be a man and a woman so that they could have a family and help each other through life. God speaks out against homosexuality over and over and over again in both the old and new testaments. I’m a liturgical Christian and I read and understand the Bible and the doctrine of my faith. No marriage between two people of the same faith would ever be condoned or blessed in the biblical world, and hasn’t until the past 30 or so years. So any such marriage would be invalid to begin with. This pastor is useless.
Quite the improvement over Rick Warren isn’t it?
When Pastor Rick & Kay Warren supported BLM, it was controversial since God views us all equally. The Wood’s woke sympathy bends to the worldly rather than working to save souls. Isaiah’s ‘evil is good & good is evil’ comes to mind.
Standing up for God requires bending a knee for Christ not the woke mob. You cannot have two masters as a Christian, let alone lead a church.
I suggest they resign & find biblical based leadership.
Rick Warrens legacy. Sad how they have no answers to what’s the Bible calls an abomination. Homosexuals must be called to repentance like every other sinner. God will forgive sin that is confessed and repentance to life is available to those who come to the cross without demands. Paul even said, and so were once some of you. Past tense.
REPENT means to turn around and go in a different direction. So the answer is very clear. Secondly, scripture says in Matthew 19:6 “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
To call unions entered into by homosexuals “marriage” is to say that GOD has joined them; that HE did that. That is blasphemy.