R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
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R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (born 1959) is the ninth president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Mohler hosts The Albert Mohler Program, a nationwide radio show devoted to engaging contemporary culture with the biblical truth.[1]
He is a member of the board of James Dobson's Focus on the Family and a member of the governing body of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Mohler formed Together for the Gospel with Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever and CJ Mahaney.
He is married to the former Mary Kahler, with whom he has two children, Katie and Christopher.
[edit] Early life, education, and publicity
Mohler is a native of Lakeland in central Florida. As a child he attended Lake Yale, a Florida Baptist campground. During his Lakeland years he attended Southside Baptist Church.[2]
Mohler attended college at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida as a Faculty Scholar. He then received a B. A. from Samford University, a private, coeducational Baptist-affiliated college in Birmingham, Alabama. His graduate degrees, a Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in "Systematic and Historical Theology," were conferred by The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, also known as Southern Seminary.
Christianity Today recognized Mohler as a leader among American evangelicals and Time called him the "reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S."[3]
Mohler also serves Professor of Christian Theology at Southern Seminary. His writings have been published throughout the United States and Europe. He has contributed to several books including Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, Here We Stand: A Call From Confessing Evangelicals and The Coming Evangelical Crisis. He served as General Editor of The Gods of the Age or the God of the Ages: Essays by Carl F. H. Henry and served from 1985 to 1993 as Associate Editor of Preaching, a journal for evangelical preachers. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. Forthcoming book projects include works on the future of evangelical theology and on the evangelical responses to what he terms a "crisis" in American culture.[citation needed]
Mohler has presented lectures or addresses at a variety of conservative evangelical universities including Wheaton College and Samford University.
[edit] Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Mohler joined the staff of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 1983 as Coordinator of Foundation Support. In 1987 he became Director of Capital Funding, a post he held until 1989. While still a student he served as assistant to then-President Roy Honeycutt.
In February 1993, Mohler was appointed the ninth President of the Seminary by the institution's board of trustees, succeeding Roy Honeycutt.
[edit] Conservative resurgence
Though founded upon its Abstract of Principles, since the 1950s Southern Seminary was believed by many Southern Baptists to have grown increasingly liberal and to have moved away from the tradition of Biblical inerrancy that it had once held. Given the statements made in 2000 by Wake Forest divinity school dean Bill Leonard (a former member of the Southern Seminary faculty) on Wake Forest divinity school admissions, Southern Seminary apparently did include faculty members more liberal than many members of the denomination they were affiliated with.
Through the election of conservatives at the national level, Southern Baptists initiated a process to return the seminary to traditional teachings. The appointment of Mohler to the office of president by the trustees indicated a significant shift had occurred towards a more conservative biblical theology (a move toward "confessional fidelity").[4][5] This led to a significant and swift change in the staffing of the organization — more than 90 percent of the faculty left or were fired. Supporters of Mohler believed that this was necessary to maintain Biblical integrity. The Carver School of Social Work, which was considered too liberal, was eventually dissolved. It has now been replaced by Southern Seminary's undergraduate program, Boyce College.
Paige Patterson, a former Southern Baptist Convention president and fellow seminary president, said Mohler's leadership “will mean that they recover their evangelical emphasis there” and that Mohler's Presidency meant that “the worst of the problems” were over: “Al Mohler has the brains of Erasmus and the courage of Luther.”
Mohler was also instrumental in the mid-1990s restructuring of the Southern Baptist Convention, which saw an increase in the influence of conservatives. After the restructuring had occurred, Mohler and others sought to enforce these doctrinal changes in spite of controversy and some opposition. This led to the drafting of the 2000 revision of the Baptist Faith and Message, which added an exhortation for wives to "submit graciously" to their husbands and for husbands "to love his wife as Christ loved the church",[6].
Membership in the Southern Baptist Convention has increased in recent years following these changes in the Convention and Seminary. Southern Seminary saw its largest enrollment in its history during the Spring semester 2006. The seminary is now one of the most endowed and largest seminaries world-wide.
[edit] Media and editorial work
Mohler served as editor of The Christian Index[7] the biweekly newsletter of the Georgia Baptist Convention.[8] From 1985 to 1993 he was Associate Editor of the bi-monthly Preaching Magazine.[9]
Mohler served on the Advisory Council for the 2001 English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible.
Starting July 29, 2003 and continuing to the present (June 2006), Mohler blogs on Crosswalk.com, a web site maintained by Salem Web Network of Richmond, VA.[10]
[edit] Theology and relationship with other faiths
Shortly after his term as President began, Mohler drafted a policy (which was ratified by the trustees) that the Seminary would only hire professors who agreed to sign an Abstract of (theological) Principles. Those who refused to sign it were dismissed or resigned.
Theologically, Mohler represents an intellectual, conservative, evangelical Christianity. He advocates a complementarian position on gender, the sanctity of human life, and opposes homosexual marriage. [1] . He believes in the "verbal plenary inspiration" of the Bible, and that it is the inerrant, infallible Word of God and as essential for every aspect of every Christian's life.
Mohler often appears on the same platform at conferences with several Reformed pastors and theologians such as C. J. Mahaney, charismatic-Calvinist and founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries, Mark Dever, Southern Baptist pastor and founder of 9Marks Ministries, Ligon Duncan, a Presbyterian (PCA Moderator), R. C. Sproul of Ligonier ministries, John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church.
Mohler is an Evangelical which for him means that he believes Jesus is the only way through which an individual can attain salvation or communicate with God the Father. As a Calvinist, Mohler believes that human salvation is a free gift from God which cannot be earned by human action or will and is only given to the elect. He has publicly advanced this position with respect to Judaism, Islam, and Catholicism. He recently stated that "any belief system, any world view, whether it's Zen Buddhism or Hinduism or dialectical materialism for that matter, Marxism, that keeps persons captive and keeps them from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, is a demonstration of Satanic power."[2]
In the months after the events of September 11, 2001, Mohler spoke about the differences between Jesus as seen in Christianity and Jesus in Islam. Mohler characterized Islamic views of Jesus as false and destructive :
I'm no specialist in Islamic theology. I'll let those who are debate whether or not there is that kind of militancy and warrior culture within Islamic theology. But I want to say as a Christian theologian, the biggest problem with Islamic theology is that it kills the soul.
The bigger problem with Islam is not that there are those who will kill the body in its name, but that it lies about God [and] presents a false gospel, an un-gospel...These are difficult things to say. This is not polite.[3]
On March 17, 2006 he said on the Fox News Channel, that Muslims are "motivated by demonic power" [4].
Mohler's approach to Muslims is driven by his belief in the relevance of the Christian Gospel to all people. In an interview given in 2003 he said
"The secular world tends to look at Islam as a function of ethnicity which means seeking to convert these people to Christianity is an insult to them. But Christianity is a trans-ethnic faith, which understands that Christianity is not particular to or captured by any ethnicity, but seeks to reach all persons. The secular world tends to look at Iraq and say, well, it's Muslim, and that's just a fact, and any Christian influence would just be a form of Western imperialism. The Christian has to look at Iraq and see persons desperately in need of the gospel. Compelled by the love and command of Christ, the Christian will seek to take that gospel in loving and sensitive, but very direct, ways to the people of Iraq."
Mohler is a critic of Catholicism, saying, "it is a false church and it teaches a false gospel."[11]
Mohler is a member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.
[edit] Media appearances
Mohler appeared on MSNBC's Donahue on August 20, 2002. [5]. The subject was Christian evangelization of Jews. The show's host along with members of both Catholic and Jewish clergy criticized Mohler's insistence that salvation lies exclusively in the personal acceptance of Christ before the afterlife.
On April 15, 2003, Mohler granted an interview [6] published in Time Magazine. The subject was the issue of evangelizing of Iraqi Muslims in the form of Christian aid groups.
On May 5, 2003, Mohler appeared on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, also discussing the issue of evangelizing of Iraqis. At issue was whether the coupling of evangelizing with basic human aid relief might be perceived as aggressive or coercive by the Iraqi people, and whether such a perception, if widespread, might place other relief workers in jeopardy. Mohler argued that biblical, evangelical Christianity is not uniquely American, but exists as a movement throughout the world, so that Christian witnessing is not, in his view, to be interpreted as a move on the part of any single nation against the religion of another. At the same time however, Mohler acknowledged the need for "sensitivity," and distanced himself from the idea that religion coerced. When pressed, Mohler expressed support for the idea of religious freedom as a theoretical matter of law. (Debate Over Christian Aid to Iraq Nationally Aired in The Christian Post)
On December 18, 2004, Mohler debated retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong on Faith Under Fire, a program hosted by Lee Strobel and appearing on PAX, a Christian television network. The subject was the historicity and truthfulness of the Bible.
[edit] Speaking engagements
On June 17, 1999, Mohler preached to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in Louisville, Kentucky. He prefaced his remarks, in part, by saying "As a citizen of Louisville, I'm so glad to have a Presbyterian group here that doesn't have a gay and lesbian caucus." This comment was a jab at the PC(USA) based in Louisville. Mohler has written article(s) entitled "Homosexuality & the Bible". [7] [8]
On October 31, 2004, Mohler spoke at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia on the subject "Deciphering the Da Vinci Code." Mohler has written several articles about the Da Vinci Code. [9] [10]
On November 5-6, 2004, Mohler spoke at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, giving a presentation for men entitled "Being Men and Raising Men," and one for married and engaged couples "Embracing God's Design for Marriage" where he described his complementarian position.
On November 8-9, 2004, Mohler spoke at the annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention. [11]
On May 21, 2005, Mohler gave the commencement address at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. Mohler told graduates they could display the glory of God by telling and defending the truth, sharing the gospel, engaging the culture, changing the world, loving the church and showing the glory of God in their own lives. [12]
[edit] Justice Sunday
Mohler is on the board of directors of Focus on the Family. In this role he was one of the principal organizers of Justice Sunday, a nationally televised event broadcast from Highview Baptist Church, Mohler's home church, in Louisville, Kentucky on April 24, 2005. Mohler shared the stage with Charles Colson, and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. U. S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist appeared at the event via videotape. Another host of the program was Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.
The purpose of the broadcast was to mobilize the conservative base in lobbying the United States Senate to curtail debate on the nominations to the Federal Judiciary made by George W. Bush.
We want to communicate to all that we are not calling for persons merely to be moral. We want them to be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, because we don’t just need instruction, we need salvation. Now, because of that, something has to explain why we would take this time on a Sunday night to talk about something like the federal judiciary. I want to make clear why there is such a sense of urgency that we would do this. It’s because so much that is precious to us, so much that is essential to this civilization, this culture, this great democratic republic is in the hands of the courts. And we know that means that much is at risk. Because we have been watching. And we have been learning. For far too long, Christians have been concerned to elect the right people to office, and then go back home. We have learned the importance of the electoral process, and yet we’re also discovering that that third branch of government, the judiciary, is so very, very important. We have been watching court cases come down the line. In 1973, Roe v. Wade, just declaring a woman’s right to an abortion. We now know in the aftermath of that decision, that Justice Blackman, who was the author of the majority opinion, even has admitted that they were determined to legalize abortion, and they just went to the Constitution to try to find an argument that would get them where they wanted to go. And they did. Now, that was a wake-up call for Americans to say, now wait a minute, there’s nothing in the Constitution about abortion. By no stretch of the imagination did the founders of this nation and the framers of that document intend for anyone to be able to read those words and find a right to kill unborn children. -- April 24, 2005
[13] (Democracy Now, May 5, 2005) Full Text at American Rhetoric
[edit] Notable views
[edit] Deliberate childlessness
Mohler spoke in June, 2004 about married adults who choose not to have children.
- The Scripture does not even envision married couples who choose not to have children. The shocking reality is that some Christians have bought into this lifestyle and claim childlessness as a legitimate option. The rise of modern contraceptives has made this technologically possible. But the fact remains that though childlessness may be made possible by the contraceptive revolution, it remains a form of rebellion against God's design and order.[12]
[edit] Torture
On December 20, 2005, Mohler addressed the problem of whether torture should be used by American military forces in order to gain important information from terrorist suspects. He spoke out against any form of legal codification of torture but stated the following:[13]
- Under certain circumstances, most morally sensitive persons would surely allow interrogators to yell at prisoners and to use psychological intimidation, sleep deprivation, and the removal of creature comforts for purposes of obtaining vital information. In increasingly serious cases, most would likely allow some use of pharmaceuticals and more intensive and manipulative psychological techniques. In the most extreme of conceivable cases, most would also allow the use of far more serious mechanisms of coercion – even what we would all agree should be labeled as torture.
- …I would argue that we cannot condone torture by codifying a list of exceptional situations in which techniques of torture might be legitimately used. At the same time, I would also argue that we cannot deny that there could exist circumstances in which such uses of torture might be made necessary.
- …We are simply not capable, I would argue, of constructing a set of principles and rules for torture that could adequately envision the real-life scenarios under which the pressure and temptation to use extreme coercion would be seriously contemplated.
- Instead, I would suggest that Senator McCain is correct in arguing that a categorical ban should be adopted as state policy for the U.S., its military, and its agents. At the same time, I would admit that such a policy, like others, has limitations that, under extreme circumstances, may be transcended by other moral claims. The key point is this – at all times and in all cases the use of torture is understood to be morally suspect in the extreme, and generally unjustified.
[edit] Abstinence from alcohol
In 2005, Mohler spoke at a forum at the Southern Baptist Seminary on the subject of "Alcohol and Ministry." While he agreed that the Bible does not explicitly condemn alcohol, he gave the following practical admonition to his audience, most of whom were seminary students:[14]
- I can assure you of this: if you are associated with the use of beverage alcohol, I think I dare exaggerate not to say that 99% of all doors of ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention will be closed to you. And I do not believe that is an exaggeration. And let me tell you why...you may think, 'That just shows high-bound and unthinking the Southern Baptist Convention is.' Why should the Southern Baptist Convention or a local church take a risk? Why should it be in the position of deciding whether this is a problem or not. I mean, you have to understand, why would the church take that on?
Mohler has praised the efforts of Daniel Akin, President of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, who, like most Southern Baptists, is opposed to even moderate consumption of alcohol.[15]
[edit] Homosexuality
If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin.
—R. Albert Mohler, Jr., [16]
Mohler was frustrated by the public response to his statement.[17]
[edit] Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Marxism
According to Albert Mohler, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Marxism are "demonstration[s] of satanic power".[18]
[edit] Other quotes
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- "When a denomination begins to consider doctrine divisive, theology troublesome, and convictions inconvenient, consider that denomination on its way to a well-deserved death." (Southern Baptist Convention meeting, July 1995)
- "Don't Just Do Something: Stand There. Don't Just Stand There: Do Something." [14]
- "I want to assist churches and to assist pastors in training pastors. But, after fourteen years of service in this capacity, I am absolutely certain that the finest theological seminary on earth is absolutely incompetent at replicating the actual life of a Gospel congregation. I want to train a generation of pastors who will train pastors, and I want to help them in that task." Interview with Albert Mohler
- "I can only hope that every minister could come to know friends as true, as faithful, and as genuine as I have come to know in C. J., Mark, and Lig. We are exhilarated in being together, and we take tremendous delight in each other. One of the problems we face in today’s church is that men are not often sustained by authentic friendships. This is especially deadly for pastors." Interview with Albert Mohler
- "Mr. Osteen can be assured that his weak and evasive non-answer to this reporter's question will put him at very little risk for arrest. But then, pandering prophets are rarely at much of a risk from the public anyway. There was no conviction in his answer; no clear declaration of biblical truth; no Gospel, no judgment, and no promise. Just a non-answer with a smile. Pathetic . . . simply pathetic."[15] (regarding Osteen's failure to declare homosexuality as sin)
[edit] Resources
- "Modeling Modesty" by Mary Mohler [16]
- "Transforming Culture: Christian Truth Confronts Post-Christian America" [17]
- "Ministry is Stranger Than it Used to Be: The Challenge of Postmodernism" [18]
- "The Urgency of Preaching" [19]
- "Biblical Pattern of Male Leadership Limits Pastorate to Men" [20]
- "Does God Give Bad Advice? The "Open" View of God Stakes its Ground" [21]
- "Keeping The Faith In a Faithless Age: The Church As The Moral Minority" [22]
- "The Compassion of Truth: Homosexuality in Biblical Perspective" [23]
- "The Scandal of the Empty Tomb: The Glory of the Resurrection" [24]
- "Consider Your Calling: The Call to the Ministry" [25]
- MP3 on "The Nature of True Beauty" [26]
- "The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage" PDF and MP3 [27] [28].
- MP3 address on "Justice Sunday" [29]
- Links to Mohler's favorite bloggers [30]
- Russell D. Moore, Senior Vice President of Academic Administration, and Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary, presented an article at ETS [31] entitled "After Patriarchy, What? Why Egalitarians Are Winning the Evangelical Gender Debate" [32]
[edit] Selected bibliography
[edit] Books authored by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
- Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth (Today's Critical Concerns) ISBN 978-1590529744
[edit] Books edited by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
- Gods of This Age or God of the Ages? Essays by Carl F. H. Henry (Editor) ISBN 0-8054-1548-3
- Theological Education in the Evangelical Tradition (Editor, with D. G. Hart) ISBN 0-8010-2061-1
[edit] Books to which R. Albert Mohler, Jr. has contributed
- Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching ISBN 1-57358-144-5
- The Coming Evangelical Crisis: Current Challenges to the Authority of Scripture and the Gospel by R. Kent Hughes (Editor), John MacArthur, Jr. (Editor), R. C. Sproul (Editor), Michael S. Horton (Editor), Albert, Jr. Mohler (Editor), John H. Armstrong (Editor) (Moody, 1996) ISBN 0-8024-7738-0
- The Compromised Church John H. Armstrong (Editor) (Crossway Books, 1998) ISBN 1-58134-006-0
- Why I Am a Baptist Tom J. Nettles and Russell D. Moore Eds. Chapter 6 (p. 58), entitled "Being Baptist Means Conviction" (Broadman & Holman , 2001) ISBN 0-8054-2426-1
[edit] References
- ^ The Albert Mohler Radio Program. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
- ^ Speakers say heart of Gospel is to show God’s glory. Florida Baptist Witness (2004). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ Interview: Missionary Work in Iraq. Time (2003). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ Mohler, Albert. The Cost of Conviction (part 1). Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
- ^ Mohler, Albert. The Cost of Conviction (part 2). Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
- ^ Ephesians 5:22-33
- ^ The Christian Index
- ^ Georgia Baptist Convention
- ^ Preaching Magazine
- ^ Albert Mohler's Blog on Crosswalk.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
- ^ Larry King Live, March 2000
- ^ R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (2004). Deliberate Childlessness: Moral Rebellion With a New Face. gender-news.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (2005). Torture and the War on Terror: We Must Not Add Dirty Rules to Dirty Hands. albertmohler.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ Transcription from Steve McCoy (2005). SBTS: Alcohol and Ministry Audio. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ A Statement from the Heart — Danny Akin on Alcohol. conventionalthinking.net (2006). Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It? (2007-03-02). Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ R. Albert Mohler, Jr. (2007-03-16). FIRST PERSON: 'Is your baby gay?' — setting the record straight. Baptist Press. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ Not to be outdone by Robertson, Mohler claimed that Buddhism, Hinduism, and Marxism are "demonstrations of satanic power". Media Matters for America (2006). Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
[edit] External links
- AlbertMohler.com Official website
- Henry Institute Carl F. H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement
