A few days ago, Andy Stanley, a popular pastor from Atlanta, made some questionable comments about the Old Testament. I have next to no desire to interact with his comments, but I do know they were enough to provoke a bunch of American Christians towards giving Andy Stanley an old fashioned American smackdown. Phil Johnson, James White, and a few others said some stuff about Stanley. Even Babylon Bee took note.
I once heard Canada described as the apartment above the party. When the Yanks throw a shindig, we dance on our own apartment floor to the music blaring from downstairs’ boombox. Up here we even take sides when there’s a donnybrook down there. That’s just the way it is in the Northern Dominion.
When the hoedown south of the 49th had started over Stanley’s comments, a few Canadians quickly took to square dancing. The barnburner went, and our folks were cheering. What I mean is that Canadians started chattering about Stanley a few days later.
That does make sense: Stanley has a following in Canada, after all. 
That said, I’ll point a few things out. First, Stanley is way less influential in Canada than popular Canadian pastor Bruxy Cavey. Second, Stanley has already been dealt with by Americans. Third, Stanley’s statements, though concerning, are not nearly as dangerous as Bruxy Cavey’s. Fourth, Bruxy Cavey, in proportion to his influence among Canadian churches, has not received the scrutiny he deserves. Fifth, it’s a lot safer for Canadians to deal with Stanley than Cavey.
Bruxy Cavey has called the authority of Scripture “unscriptural,” “made up,” and “weird.” Cavey has undermined the inerrancy of Scripture. Cavey has openly said he’d like to covert everyone away from penal subsitutionary atonement. Cavey has called the fight for so-called gay marriage “godly” and “beautiful.” And Cavey has invited at least one of America’s most notorious heretics to the GTA to sow doubt from the Meeting House’s very influential pulpit. Just consider Cavey’s attack on the Gospel late last week:
Only a few days ago, Cavey dismissed penal subsitutionary atonement (PSA) as a theory mistakenly equated with the Gospel. Then he smeared those of us who still hold to this old Gospel, accusing us of being threatened by the love God. He’s had a free pass for a long time.
Stanley preached a sermon thousands of kilometers away in another country and made some questionable comments about the Old Testament. Many of us are close enough to take GO Transit to Cavey’s church. There was chatter about Stanley.
Hear me out: Stanley’s comments need to be dealt with. I’m even thankful to see some Canadians saying stuff. But, it seems to me that Cavey still deserves a lot more scrutiny in the colder part of North America.
Stanley’s statement might be a gnat on our neighbour’s couch, but Cavey’s are a few camels on our own chesterfield. We can do a much better job at getting our house in order.
