In Mark 9:42, Jesus Christ Himself delivers a sobering and forceful warning that should echo in the ears of anyone daring to distort the truths of Scripture: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” There’s no mincing of words here. There’s no room for ambiguity. The gravity of leading the young and vulnerable into sin is met with a dire, divine penalty.

It’s this striking verse that brings us to scrutinize the recent “Embracing the Journey” conference hosted by Andy Stanley’s North Point Church. This was not just any conference—it was a platform that gathered a roster of speakers who not only contradicted the clear teachings of Scripture on sexual ethics but openly defied them. Some of the featured speakers included Brian Nietzel and Justin Lee, both of whom claim to be “married” to same-sex partners and openly endorse homosexual activity. Alongside them were various activists from the Reformation Project, an organization infamous for its blatant attempts to twist Scripture to affirm homosexual behavior and identities. To be clear, the conference and its speakers were unreservedly affirming of a lifestyle that the Bible declares sinful.

It’s in light of this admonition that we must consider the profound foolishness of Andy Stanley’s recent “Embracing the Journey” conference. Don’t be fooled by the palatable phrasing or the claims of inclusivity—the conference was aimed at instructing parents to affirm and embrace their children’s sexual deviancy. What’s most disturbing is that the focus wasn’t on adults making their own choices, but on shaping young minds—a manipulation that begins at an age when children are most impressionable and least equipped to discern biblical truth from emotional rhetoric.

To be completely forthright, such teachings are not merely misplaced or confused interpretations or simply benign disagreements among Christians. They are spiritually corrosive doctrines of demons that systematically lead “little ones” into sin. They not only blur the lines of moral boundaries established by God, but they also dare to move them, essentially claiming that the Creator Himself got it wrong. This isn’t compassion, it’s arrogance of the highest order, substituting fallen human reason and sinful desires for God’s holy ordinances.

Stanley and those who joined him on that platform are symptomatic of a broader epidemic eating away at the heart of evangelical Christianity—a cancerous doctrine that sacrifices eternal truths on the altar of social approval. And it’s not just the outright heretical teachings we saw at Stanley’s conference. There’s also another false doctrine creeping its way into more mainstream evangelical circles. As pushback to the rank heresy found at Andy Stanley’s church, organizations like Revoice and Living Out and its various leaders are now being seen as a the “voice of reason” in this movement. But they are not, they are merely promoting a set of lesser-affirming doctrines, saying that while homosexual activity is sinful, those struggling with same-sex attraction should embrace a life of celibacy.

Prominent figures like Sam Allberry are pushing this doctrine of “celibacy” onto people who haven’t been gifted with celibacy, wrongly confining them to a life without the experience of a godly marriage and intimacy within the bounds of Scripture. While these teachings may seem less harmful on the surface, they still undermine the clear guidance of Scripture, which teaches that those with “burning desires” should find their satisfaction in a covenanted marriage between one man and one woman. So, whether it’s the open endorsement of sin or the sly manipulation of God’s guidelines for intimacy, both paths depart from Scripture and have the potential to lead people—especially the young and vulnerable—into sin. There’s nothing loving about propagating beliefs that lead to spiritual death.

We should be horrified that the church—God’s institution for eternal truth—is becoming a breeding ground for teachings that fly in the face of Scripture. This conference didn’t just miss the mark, it annihilated it, and in doing so, declared war against the God-given warning in Mark 9:42. Those who were in positions of spiritual authority, tasked with leading the young and pointing them toward Christ, instead chose the point them to the path of destruction.

This is not just something the be overlooked, it’s an abomination before God. We can’t afford to tiptoe around the matter, for the eternal fate of our young ones hangs in the balance. The rise of such doctrines should terrify us, not because they challenge our comfort zones, but because they put souls at risk. When the millstone of divine judgment eventually falls, it will be weighty, final, and devastatingly just.

The core of the issue here is that leading others—especially impressionable children—into sin isn’t just unloving, it’s spiritually criminal. And many have made an enterprise out of it. As defenders of the faith, we must rise against such corrosive teachings with the unyielding truth of God’s Word. The stakes really couldn’t be any higher. We are, after all, talking about the eternal destination of souls that Jesus specifically warned us not to lead astray.