Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, has posted a lengthy blog post explaining why he signed the Manhattan Declaration. I suspect that this explanation was offered in response to a bit of criticism he likely has received from some of his fellow Southern Baptists who are far from being Catholic-friendly.
Here’s a snippet:
I signed The Manhattan Declaration because it is a limited statement of Christian conviction on these three crucial issues, and not a wide-ranging theological document that subverts confessional integrity. I cannot and do not sign documents such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together that attempt to establish common ground on vast theological terrain. I could not sign a statement that purports, for example, to bridge the divide between Roman Catholics and evangelicals on the doctrine of justification. The Manhattan Declaration is not a manifesto for united action. It is a statement of urgent concern and common conscience on these three issues — the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage, and the defense of religious liberty.
My beliefs concerning the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches have not changed. The Roman Catholic Church teaches doctrines that I find both unbiblical and abhorrent — and these doctrines define nothing less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But The Manhattan Declaration does not attempt to establish common ground on these doctrines. We remain who we are, and we concede no doctrinal ground.
Mohler made his beliefs concerning the Catholic Church known during a 2000 interview with Larry King. During that interview, Mohler declared:
“As an evangelical, I believe the Roman church is a false church and it teaches a false gospel,” Mohler said. “I believe the pope himself holds a false and unbiblical office.”
So, it is interesting to see Al Mohler sign on to a document which clearly counts Catholics, Evangelicals and the Orthodox as Christians who comprise the Christian community here in the United States. And it is interesting to see Mohler affix his signature to a list of leaders described as “Christian” which include representatives of what Mohler has described as a “false church” that “teaches a false gospel.”
In the words of Sarah Barracuda, it’s just “politics as usual.”
It is unfortunate that the document supports the idea that the Catholic church is a Christian chuch when it clearly is not. All Bible believing Christians realize that. However, if they are willing to stand against gay “rights” I can hold my nose with one hand and sign with the other.
BDW,
Why not applaud Mohler for separating recognizing the separation of things church and things state?
Sometimes, what presents as a healthy wholesome document, has an edge to it that can be used by manipulative people in ways that are, how shall we say, ‘unwholesome’.
If people wanted to celebrate marriage between a man and a woman, why not work towards fostering healthy marriages. Right now, this country’s kids are reeling from the on-slaught of divorce-remarriage-divorce-remarriage. Kids are the real victims of our blindness to our own faults in this matter.
If people wanted to save the unborn, why not work towards a society that is more welcoming to the unborn. Right now, if you are poor and have few resources, this is not the country that is known for its care for its kindly care for the least of its own.
Quite the opposite.
Screaming at the darkness won’t end it. It won’t even begin to end it. It doesn’t work that way.
It never did.
L’s
If people wanted to celebrate marriage between a man and a woman, why not work towards fostering healthy marriages.
Or, since homosexuality is immoral, why not pass laws that say homosexuals cannot marry. We have laws that say you can’t steal, kill (unless they’re in the womb), or are those things we should be allowed to do, too?
If people wanted to save the unborn, why not work towards a society that is more welcoming to the unborn.
Or, since murder is immoral why not change the law so that all murder is illegal and not just murder outside of the womb since man doesn’t have the right to pass a law that makes something legal that God’s word says is wrong?
Oh, and L’s
Certainly there are folks in this country who cannot care for themselves and we as a country can and should (and do) help them. However, it is not the job of this country to take care of people who don’t want to work or to guarentee everyone a certain standard of living. You don’t like how your life is? Go out and work for a better one. It’s all up to you.
Putting everyone on the government handout roll won’t end poverty. It won’t even begin to end it. It doesn’t work that way.
It never did.
Problem is, Joe, you are suggesting that I support things that I don’t support. Why is that?
I support anything that promotes healthy family life so that children can grow up without the trauma of divorce. They can’t handle it.
I support a decent environment for a mother to bring her new-born home to, not the hell-holes that pass for shelter in the ghettos of our cities. If this makes me a liberal, then so be it. I’ve seen enough tragedy when I was teaching in the inner city to last me a life time, Joe, and I am passionate about caring for the children of the inner cities. They are MY CHILDREN too. Why do I say that? I don’t need to have a reason. They are my children, too.
You know I love you, Joe, and I rejoice that you do not suffer like the poor. But don’t ever, ever look down on them. Don’t do it, Joe. And don’t look down on the people that try to help them either. You are better than that.
Love you dearly, L’s