Faithful America, a radical “Christian” organization that describes itself as “the largest online community of Christians putting faith into action for social justice” has amassed over 11,000 signatures for an online petition in an effort to fire Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler for “enabling racism and attacking the Episcopal Church” as well as for “failing to condemn systemic racism and police violence”
The petition, which was first posted on June 8th, reads:
In a podcast, Mohler used Trump’s blasphemous Bible photo-op at St. John’s Episcopal Church as an excuse to ignore Black lives, pivoting to bizarrely and offensively argue that the Episcopal Church’s use of Scripture (presumably in its embrace of LGBTQ rights) “adds to the pain and the consternation” of the moment.
Not once between the May 25 death of George Floyd and the June 7 launch of this petition has Mohler, likely the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention, used his daily podcast to condemn white supremacy or police violence. Instead, he has often focused on condemning protesters, never even mentioning the word “racism” except to disagree with a progressive Black writer.
All of this comes just two weeks after reports that Mohler defended slavery as recently as a 1998 CNN interview. It’s enough to make you wonder: Does Mohler feel like Black lives don’t matter?
If enough Christians speak out now, it could create enough controversy around Mohler to prevent him from becoming the next leader of America’s largest Protestant denomination — an embarrassment that Christianity does not need.
Directed at “Pastor Clint Pressley, Dean John Montgomery, Pastor Nick Floyd, Mr. Keith Daniels, Mr. Rick Staab, and SBTS Trustees, ” the petition asserts:
Dr. Albert Mohler’s failure to condemn systemic racism and police violence in his recent daily podcasts — despite his condemnation of protesters — enables white supremacy and ignores the God-given dignity of Black lives. This failure is made even more conspicuous by Dr. Mohler’s use of President Trump’s St. John’s photo op to change the topic away from racism and to an unprovoked attack on the Episcopal Church.
Faithful America boasts that it has 160,000 dedicated to the cause, and has as it’s mission statement:” We stick up for courageous Christian voices acting for fairness and freedom in every denomination, and we work together for immigrant and refugee rights, climate justice, and full LGBTQ inclusion, among other important social and economic justice issues.”
Their “successes,” if they could be called that, include convincing Google to drop World Vision, defeating the fracking industry, and fighting Hobby Lobby on contraception.
According to the Courier Journal, Mohler was “not available to talk” about the petition, according to a spokesman. Caleb Shaw, director of communications for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sent the following statement:
Dr. Albert Mohler has consistently condemned racism his entire tenure at Southern Seminary and has been a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention in condemning the sin of racism in any form. This so-called petition is a bald-faced lie originating from a far-left organization that has no regard for truth. The effort was then fueled by internet trolls. It deserves no further comment.”
While we would love to see Albert Mohler fired from SBTS for reasons that are manifest, as he demonstrates that he’s clearly the wrong person to halt the theological downgrade happening at SBTS, we don’t need a heretical, unorthodox group doing it or taking up the case for us.
It’s our mess. We’ll take care of it.
