| Albert Mohler | |||||||
| Office: | 9th President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary | ||||||
| Predecessor: | Roy L. Honeycutt | ||||||
| Vicepresident: | Paul M. Akin | ||||||
| Birth Date: | 19 October 1959 | ||||||
| Birth Name: | Richard Albert Mohler Jr. | ||||||
| Birth Place: | Lakeland, Florida, US | ||||||
| Children: | Katie (daughter) Christopher(son) | ||||||
| Occupation: | Seminary President | ||||||
| Alma Mater: | Samford University (BA) Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Ph.D) | ||||||
| Spouse: | Mary Kahler | ||||||
| Known For: | Theologian | ||||||
| Module: |
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| Boards: | World News Group Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood The Gospel Coalition | ||||||
Richard Albert Mohler Jr. (born October 19, 1959) is an American evangelical theologian,[1] the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and host of the podcast The Briefing, where he gives a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.
Mohler was born on October 19, 1959, in Lakeland, Florida. During his Lakeland years, he attended Southside Baptist Church.[2] Mohler attended college at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in Palm Beach County as a Faculty Scholar. He then received a Bachelor of Arts from Samford University, a private, coeducational Baptist-affiliated college in Birmingham, Alabama. His Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in systematic and historical theology were conferred by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.[3]
In addition to his presidency at SBTS, Mohler was the host of The Albert Mohler Program, a nationwide radio show "devoted to engaging contemporary culture with Christian beliefs."[4] He currently produces a weekday podcast on the news, The Briefing, in which he provides commentary on current events from a Christian point of view, often providing a historical background as well.[5] He also regularly broadcasts interviews with various different people on a podcast called Thinking in Public.[6] He is former vice chairman of the board of Focus on the Family and a member of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.[7] Mohler has presented lectures or addresses at a variety of conservative evangelical universities.[3]
Mohler served as editor of The Christian Index,[8] the biweekly newsletter of the Georgia Baptist Convention. From 1985 to 1993 he was Associate Editor of the bi-monthly Preaching Magazine.[9] Mohler also served on the Advisory Council for the 2001 English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. Mohler previously blogged on Crosswalk.com, a web site maintained by Salem Web Network of Richmond, Virginia.[10] Mohler currently blogs on his website, where his podcasts can also be listened to for free.[11]
In 2018, Mohler labeled turmoil in the Southern Baptist Convention as the SBC's "own horrifying #MeToo moment" and said it stemmed from "an unorganized conspiracy of silence" about sexual misconduct and abuse. He wrote that the SBC's "issues are far deeper and wider" than the controversy surrounding Paige Patterson, who'd been moved that day from president to president emeritus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.[12]
In early 2019, explosive newspaper reports of sexual abuse by church leaders and volunteers shook the Southern Baptist Convention, and Mohler called for independent third-party investigations.[13] Just days after the Houston Chronicle's 2019 report of allegations of hundreds of sexual abuse cases (some of which were not reported to law enforcement),[14] Mohler apologized in an interview with the newspaper for supporting a religious leader who was accused of helping conceal sexual abuses at his former church.[15] Some have lauded Mohler, while others have questioned the timing and motivations of these comments. One day after Mohler's remarks to the Houston Chronicle, his Southern Baptist Theological Seminary office released a related statement by him.[16]
Mohler joined the staff of the 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. From 1983 to 1989, while still a student, he had served as assistant to then-President Roy Honeycutt.[17] In February 1993, Mohler was appointed the ninth President of the seminary by the institution's board of trustees to succeed Honeycutt.[3]
Mohler is an Evangelical and an exclusivist, a position that holds Christ is the only means of salvation.[18] [19] While identifying as an evangelical, he refused to sign the "Evangelical Manifesto" because the definition of that term was so broad as to be meaningless.[20] 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,[21] and Catholicism.[22] In 2006 he stated "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." He believes Muslims are motivated by demonic power and in the months after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Mohler characterized Islamic views of Jesus as false and destructive:
In a 2003 interview with Time magazine, Mohler further argued that faith must be differentiated from ideas of race or ethnicity:
Mohler appeared on MSNBC's Donahue on August 20, 2002.[23] The subject was Christian evangelization of Jews.[23] Mohler and Michael L. Brown, a Messianic Jew, debated this subject as well as Mohler's insistence that salvation lies exclusively in the personal acceptance of Christ before the afterlife with Donahue, a Catholic, and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an Orthodox Jew.[23]
On April 15, 2003, Mohler was interviewed by Time[24] on the subject of evangelizing Iraqi Muslims in the form of Christian aid groups.
On May 5, 2003, Mohler appeared on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross to discuss the issue of evangelization of the 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.[25]
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.
On December 19, 2013, Mohler appeared on CNN to discuss the controversy surrounding comments made by Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty. GLAAD National Spokesman Wilson Cruz was also on the program.[26]
On November 8–9, 2004, Mohler spoke at the annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention.[27]
On May 21, 2005, Mohler gave the commencement address at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. 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.[28]
On February 25, 2014, Mohler delivered a Forum Lecture in the Marriott Center Arena at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The title of Mohler's lecture was, "Strengthen the Things that Remain: Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Human Flourishing in a Dangerous Age."[29]
Mohler was 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, in Louisville on April 24, 2005. Mohler shared the stage with Charles Colson and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. US 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.
Mohler believes the Catholic Church is a "false church" that teaches a "false gospel" and regards the Papacy as an illegitimate office.[30] [31] During a March 13, 2014, podcast of The Briefing, Mohler stated that Evangelicals "simply cannot accept the legitimacy of the papacy" and that "to do otherwise would be to compromise Biblical truth and reverse the Reformation." Mohler has denounced Pope Francis for his perceived left-leaning leadership.[32]
Mohler stated that he was one of the original signatories to the Manhattan Declaration because it is a limited ecumenical statement of Christian conviction on the topics of abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage, and not a wide-ranging theological document that subverts confessional integrity. He emphasized that he signed the document in spite of his deep theological disagreements with the Catholic Church.[33]
Mohler spoke in June 2004, about married adults who choose not to have children.
Mohler has also been critical of emergency contraceptives that prevent implantation of the fertilized egg, which he believes "involve nothing less than an early abortion."[34]
On February 23, 2024, St. Patrick's Cathedral held a memorial in attendance by over 1000 people for Cecilia Gentili, a transgender activist.[35] Albert Mohler described the service as a "Transgender Celebration" that "Scandalized" the Church.[36]
In 2017, Mohler signed the Nashville Statement.[37]
He said of trans people "We cannot affirm someone in a delusion" when asked whether Christians should use a person's preferred name.[38]
He opposed the repeal of the US military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on the grounds of religious liberty.[39]
Mohler is a young earth creationist.[40]
According to Mohler, yoga practice is not consistent with Christianity.
After voicing his stance on the topic, Mohler stated that he was 'surprised by the depth of the commitment to yoga found on the part of many who identify as Christians'.[41]
Mohler has argued that libertarianism is idolatrous, and as a comprehensive world view or fundamental guiding principle for human life, is inconsistent with Christian ideals. He is a proponent of personal liberty, but believes such liberties can run into problems when applied in the political sphere. The more limited economic libertarianism, on the other hand, can be consistent with the "comprehensive world view that Christianity puts forward."[42]
Christianity Today recognized Mohler as a leader among American evangelicals, and in 2003 Time called him the "reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S."
Mohler received the 2023 Boniface Award from the Association of Classical Christian Schools, given to recognize "a public figure who has stood faithfully for Christian truth, beauty, and goodness with grace."[43]