Posted on 06/18/2011 12:15:44 AM PDT by balch3
PHOENIX (ABP) – The president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said June 15 that Southern Baptists need to repent of a “form of homophobia” that keeps gays and lesbians out of their churches.
Albert Mohler responded during his report to the Southern Baptist Convention to a question from Peter Lumpkins, a Southern Baptist blogger, about whether comments attributed to him in a March 24 Christian Science Monitor article were accurate.
Writer Jonathan Merritt, a Southern Baptist minister and well-known social critic, quoted Mohler as saying “We’ve lied about the nature of homosexuality and have practiced what can only be described as a form of homophobia,” and “We’ve used the choice language when it is clear that sexual orientation is a deep inner struggle and not merely a matter of choice.”
Mohler said at the convention “there is no way anyone in fair mindedness can be confused about what I believe about homosexuality,” because he has written more than 200 articles about it, but that “the reality is that we as Christian churches have not done well on this issue.”
“Evangelicals, thankfully, have failed to take the liberal trajectory of lying about homosexuality and its sinfulness,” Mohler said. “We know that the Bible clearly declares – not only in isolated verses but in the totality of its comprehensive presentation – the fact that homosexuality not only is not God’s best for us, as some try to say, but it is sin.”
“But we as evangelicals have a very sad history in dealing with this issue,” he continued. “We have told not the truth, but we have told about half the truth. We’ve told the biblical truth, and that’s important, but we haven’t applied it in the biblical way.”
“We have said to people that homosexuality is just a choice,” Mohler said. “It’s clear that it’s more than a choice. That doesn’t mean it’s any less sinful, but it does mean it’s not something people can just turn on and turn off. We are not a gospel people unless we understand that only the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ gives a homosexual person any hope of release from homosexuality.”
Mohler said churches have not done their job until “there are those who have been trapped in that sin sitting among us.”
Lumpkin said in is blog June 16 that Mohler’s answer was not what he expected to hear and something “I’ll be digesting a long time.”
Mohler has appeared on television programs and been quoted in mainstream media many times over the years in opposition to gay marriage, ordination of gay clergy and other aspects of what he has called attempts to “normalize” homosexual behavior.
As recently as May Mohler described a decision by the Presbyterian Church (USA) Presbytery of the Twin Cities in Minnesota to ordain persons without regard to sexual orientation as “yet another tragedy in the sad history of mainline Protestantism’s race toward total theological disaster.”
In June Mohler objected to use of the term “clobber scriptures” to describe Bible verses that label
I agree. Anyone who admits an unrepentent person who practices homosexuality into the congregation is in violation of clear scripture. Anyone who keeps a person in the congregation who has gone back to practicing homosexuality is in violation of clear scripture.
God has chosen to put particular emphasis on this sin, and we would be wrong to ignore any sin that God, in scripture, has highlighted for us to be wary of.
This blurb about Mohler is injured by not reading the text of what Mohler actually said. Mohler, however, has been a lifelong stalwart against homosexuality, and since he says here that that hasn’t changed, then I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I think he’s criticizing Christians who don’t reach out to that kind of sinner. As I said, though, there is little in this article to go on, since the context isn’t fully presented.
I’ll see him in church this Sunday...I’ll be tempted to confront him on this subject.
Beside being a hoax, the Born Gay belief is illogical. In many cases deliberately removing those who believe it, from the gene pool. These would not be received as Darwin Awards on the website due to political correctness. But genetics would tend to screen such a thing out rather than promote it. A kind of reverse evolution if one could think of it that way.
The other untold story is that of Brokeback Mountian. It breaks up existing families and distresses young children (sometimes for life). It should be increasing the divorce rate, but I am sure they are keeping that statistic off the map.
The reason this philosophy is so prevalent is man suppressing the knowledge of God as it says in Romans 1. Men gave up the use of the woman and burned toward one another receiving the due penalties inherent in such a, so called, lifestyle. But the trouble is that as states and even nations subscribe to it, their days become numbered and their freedoms dim.
The truth is being suppressed. You can bet your bottom dollar on it.
I agree with you. Homosexuality is one of many manifestations of sin, and it is not the most grievous sin. However, it is a sin that some have to bear. I have no problem with a Christian with homosexual temptations, as long as those temptations are not acted upon, just like any other sin.
As I said, there evangelists. Christ went out to the people but It was just him and his disciples.
In the world, not of the world.
They’ll be empty anyway when the great falling away when those that are religious are corrupted enough to grow lukewarm.
The Church is not buildings nor denominations, but is where 2 or 3 gather together and have communion.
Those that fear the Lord will do exploits and many will repent, but the present church have no power of the spirit, only corruption.
The SBC supports illegal immigration so it’s not surprising to me that they support gay rights.
________
AH, NO. THe SBC does NOT support “illegal immigration,” nor does Mohler here support “gay rights.” That’s a rather ignorant leap to unfounded conclusions — based on nothing, I might add.
The SBC passed a resolution OPPOSING illegal immigration and specifically noting that the resolution could not be construed as supporting “amnesty,” though it did leave open how to deal with the illegals already here (I personally believe even that was too lenient, but, the issue is whhere the SBC stood — and it was NOT for “amnesty”).
With regard to homosexuality, the statement of Mohler, ONE MAN, does NOT reflect those of over 14 million other SOuthern Baptists in over 40,000 SBC Churches. Furthermore, Mohler HARDLY supported “gay rights.” He called it “sin.” His point was that homosexuality was more complex than a mere “choice,” and that Southern Baptists had not always dealt with Homosexuals in a Christian manor.
I think Dr. Mohler could have been clearer, and I’m not sure he was speaking from an emotional or theological perspective, so it would be interesting to hear more. It would also be interesting to talk with Peter Lumpkins (a friend of mine) to get his 1st person take). BUt to read into any of these statements by Dr. Mohler that the SBC supports either illegal immigration or gay rights is simply slander....
By the way, did you know the meaning of the term “Devil” is “slanderer”? Interesting....
Apparantly Albet Mohler has never read Leviticus or Romans.
My first comment on this thread was based on reading the headline only. What follows in the article is not remotely as bad as the headline makes it out to be.
More of a “love the sinner, hate the sin” kind of stuff. The kind of stuff that I can agree with, because my savior did.
Homosexual and heterosexual sex outside of marriage is a sin. Both homosexuals and heterosexuals have urges to have sex with others that must be stopped. Also, lusting is wrong regardless of the orientation.
That said, one can have either inclination, but cannot allow lust or fulfillment of that lust, and be okay with God as both having burdens to bear.
It is the sin that is the sin, not the inclination. That said, I wouldn’t want my kids around someone who had had sex outside of marriage, nor someone who had homosexual relations.
“Going wobbly?”
Hardly. Read the whole article.
You preach the cold bitter truth there regarding the modern day church brother. Like the pied piper of fokelore the modern church is leading much of their flock into and through the fiery gates of hell all the while in pursuit of the almighty dollar to line the pockets of many of the high and mighty of the modern church. Just find ways to put warm bodies in the pews.
Like others I could easily go on about the slippery downfall of our churches of today. I just finished recently watching a Bob Jones video production of Robert 'Bob' Sheffy titled 'Sheffy' (purchase) or (stream on NetFlix) and I would recommend it to all as a good lesson on this subject.
Home grown Bible studies is definitely worth the time where the Word can actually be studied and taught and not just mouthed by another of our modern day all warm and fuzzy church leaders pandering to the masses in His name.
Homosexuals belong in church.
Just like drunks, liars, swindlers and all the rest of us sinners.
1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils...
2 Tim 4:3 KJV - For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Pet 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies
Fogive me. I did not read through the entire article before writing this line and as a result I was wrong abot the man. Of course he has a valid point. As long as the sinner has truly repented from the heart s/he is welcome in the church as is any repentant sinner.
The labeling of anyone who should disagree with someone else's supporting a sinful way is used as a tool to cower and intimidate their spiritual opponent, either to shut them up or to impact their way of thinking or believing on the given subject. A clue, don't give in to the labeling and pray for that person.
You make a very valid point.
it is a fraud, being born gay, and the proof is that they teach it to kids in school, encourage them to “experiment” and the kids do. it is not a natural behavior by any means
Churches should be open to everyone, it is one of the main ways to hear about the Gospel. However homosexuals, like everyone else living in a life of sin, should not be allowed to become members of a church. Their is a huge difference between open doors and membership.
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