Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has become one of the go-to fundamentalists of our age. If you need a quote defending creationism or explaining how progressives aren’t really Christian, he’s your guy.
So it was surprising to here that on Jim Daly’s Focus on the Family radio broadcast, Mohler accepted that gay marriage will soon become “normalized, legalized, and recognized.”
Right Wing Watch caught it. You can hear the audio at their site, but they’ve also provided a transcript:
Daly: Do you think, as we look at those demographics and the polling data and all the other things, as the Christian community, is the something that is inevitable? I know this is a tough question here on Christian radio but I think it’s time to start talking about what if.
Mohler: Well Jim I appreciate your candor in that because I think a lot of Christian conservatives are going to try to deny the obvious. I mean, when we talk about same-sex marriage, we talk about something that is already legal in one form or another in basically twelve states. So whether they call it marriage, as they do in a few states, or marriage lite as they have now in twelve states, the reality is that a good number of Americans are living where they’re already facing not just the inevitably, but the reality of same-sex marriage. I think it’s clear that something like same-sex marriage – indeed, almost exactly what we would envision by that – is going to become normalized, legalized, and recognized in the culture. It’s time for Christians to start thinking about how we’re going to deal with that.
I think in the United States, Evangelical Christians in particular, have kind of grown accustomed to having our beliefs and moral convictions and ways of life supported by the state, by the larger culture and we’re going to have to learn what it means to live faithfully as Christians when we do not have those supports. You know, it’s one thing to live believing that you’re in the majority position – everything comes pretty easy that way …
Daly: A Christian nation.
Mohler: That’s right. But when you live in a situation where we’re clearly a minority holding to certain convictions that the larger culture either doesn’t hold or doesn’t hold tenaciously or very important, we’re going to find out just where we stand as Christians.
This is probably the best we can hope for. But although Mohler has some clout, I don’t think we can expect all of his allies to accept minority status. Candace Chellew-Hodge has an article explaining how many others are doubling down in their opposition.
Yes, indeed. And they’re also going to have to learn to quit calling it “persecution” whenever their traditional special privileges are taken away.
Yeah I caught that part also. I do believe many christian do believe that the state is suppose to only support their views and no one else. I also caught the part where he played the persecution card by claiming to be in the minority. I guess if you eliminate all those christians who have different views on same sex marriage then you could be correct.
Forgive me if I am not devastated at the notion of conservative Christians in the United States not getting their way on gay marriage. Actually, I think it will be good for them to experience being in the minority position for once. As Mohler said, they are accustomed to their lifestyle supported by the state. Hell, not just supported, but legislated. Give them a taste of what it is like to be on the other side.
You folk are missing the point, what the press in the next few months, one of Mohler’s close relatives is going to come out of the closet. He is just preparing the way for face saving.
I’d laugh, but….
Not himself?
Ah yes the “Well you guys can call it marriage, but its not real marriage. Real marriage is not between man and wife, but man and wife and god! This is not like those filthy threesomes that one can have with hookers and rentboys with crystal meth or cocaine for a reasonable price if one picks them up from the street walkers of 7th street. Nothing like that! Jesus just likes to watch!”
(Yes I did have to look up where the red light district of Louiseville is)
“Deal with it”?! Why on Earth should they have to “deal with it”?! It’s none of their bloody business! They can accept it and move on or they can…. Accept it and bitch about it. That’s it. Those are their options.
Well, that and lobbying the state legislatures.
Maybe some LGBT groups should lobby the legislature to introduce laws that discriminate against fundies and see which amendments to the constitution they rely on then…
So Mohler accept facts. And he doesn’t thinks that the second coming will happen before homosexuals can marry. But it sounds like what he is doing is getting his sheeps ready for the fight; and again, playing the card of christians (Real Christians) being a minority in the US to movilize them.
Not so sure those are good news.
Its either that, or he is trying to accommodate so that the Southern Baptists can continue to attract younger members. I’ve known quite a few religious people in their 20s who have been turned off by anti-gay rhetoric to different churches or different denominations. However, inclusion can come at a price, since I’ve also known older people (including, sadly, my parents) who would rather change churches than have any pro-gay sentiments actually written down in the rules. And those old people are the ones whose contributions actually fund the church. So, Mohler is likely trying to run a line between present, which is funded by anti-gay, and the future, when all of those people will be gone.