The contents of that speech and its intended audience both matter enormously. They tell us a lot about how authoritarians model behavior for their followers — and warn them of the consequences of stepping out of line. Today, let’s examine Al Mohler’s 2010 speech for its authoritarian signals.
Hi and welcome back! Yesterday, I showed you the story of a quintessential, consummate yes-man for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC): Al Mohler, who leads their flagship seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). Very early on, he realized exactly how he was going to need to behave to maintain his Read more
Hi and welcome back! We’ve been talking lately about the re-erupting squabble in evangelicalism about women pastors. In particular, the leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) hate the idea. And in most particular, Al Mohler hates the idea. Long ago, he fully supported women pastors. But now he’s 100% against Read more
Yesterday, I showed you the re-eruption of a decades-old slapfight going on in evangelicalism: whether or not evangelicals should allow women to be pastors. This archaic-sounding squabble represents a central issue to the usual gaggle of Christian Right bigots-for-Jesus. And very few of them despise the notion of women pastors quite like Al Mohler. He fights against the idea with all the radicalized passion of a convert — because that is precisely what he is. Today, let me show you a very different Al Mohler: one who fully supported women pastors, and then, I’ll show you the force that brought him up short one fateful day.
There’s an extremely good reason why evangelicals are so stuck on this one question. It’s not a reason that flatters them or does anything good for their plummeting credibility, alas. But it at least explains why their opposing sides can’t ever find any common ground here. So today, I’ll show you exactly why evangelicals keep arguing about women pastors.
Last night, I was just thinking about how social media has made it so much easier and simpler for those with passions to connect with each other and share what they’re doing. It wasn’t like that when I was younger, that’s for sure. Today, Lord Snow Presides over one of the very best aspects of modern life: how the internet allows a labor of love to be shared so much more easily and widely than ever before.
Today, I’ll tell you what happened the night I finally lost my fear of Hell.
Hi and welcome back! Something about yesterday’s topic got me thinking about the Christianese concept of callings. In Christianese, a calling is something Christians think Jesus told them, specifically, to do with their lives. Today, let me show you how strange callings can get — and what happens when Christians must Read more
Hi and welcome back! As you likely know, Christians these days are quite distressed over how quickly teens and young adults are leaving the faith. One guy’s written what he claims will absolutely help parents keep their kids Christian for life. It amounts to instructions for the deliberate construction of a faith Read more
For a long time now, I’ve noted the increasing political activity and polarization of America’s Christian Right. As their religion’s decline continues, they’re increasingly frantic to get their waning religious privilege enshrined in law. However, a new study has emerged that confirms something I’ve suspected for a long time: If evangelicals do gain what the study’s authors called political privilege, it might backfire hard on them by accelerating their decline. Today, let me show you what this study reveals — and what evangelicals are likely to do in response to it.