I hadn’t really planned to endorse Dr. Albert Mohler when he announced last week his much-expected bid for the SBC presidency later this spring, as if my backing had any measurable weight to begin with. But when I read a post by Wade Burleson a few days ago, something didn’t look right. I’m not sure yet what it is, but I just have a hunch from the way things look at first glance that I intend to put my “sizable” weight behind Dr. Mohler.
The Endorsement
Why should we want Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention? Well, let’s start a list:
- Dr. Mohler is smarter than a tree full of owls. I have never met Dr. Mohler. My experience of this man is through his week-day radio program, The Albert Mohler Radio Show, his daily articles on his web log, his On Faith articles in the Washington Post, and his frequent preachings in chapel at Southern. As I read and listen to him on a regular basis, I don’t know of a man in the SBC better informed or more widely read on today’s cultural issues. The only area Dr. Mohler is deficient in is sports, to which I say “finally!” It is refreshing to see a man of God who is confident in his manhood and doesn’t have to be a “jock.”
- As Brother Burleson himself pointed out in his post “Al is well known in the evangelical world, serving on the board of Focus on the Family, appearing often on secular television shows, and weighing in regularly on the political and social issues of our day. Al is ubiquitous, but…” To the non-SBC and non-Christian public, Dr. Mohler is the face of the SBC. The above quote is actually an understatement of Dr. Mohler’s face time on major secular television shows such. Here is just a small bit of Dr. Mohler’s bio:
Widely sought as a columnist and commentator, Dr. Mohler has been quoted in the nation’s leading newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution and The Dallas Morning News. He has also appeared on such national news programs as CNN’s “Larry King Live,” NBC’s “Today Show” and “Dateline NBC,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS, MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country” and Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor.”
- Dr. Mohler is a godly man, above reproach. No scandal has touched his personal or public life. He is well spoken of and well liked by most. He is a strong family man, taking an active role in the raising and educating of his two children. I realize that this last point is an observation from a distance, but again, from his words both spoken and in print, I have detected a family life, in spite of a hectic public life, that is real and vibrant.
The Next Post: Looking at the “Negatives”
I’m all out of time for now, so I will have to save for a day or two a look at what Pastor Burleson views as negatives.