Are some pastors and evangelical leaders conveniently ignoring many social and moral cultural issues — but then willing to jump into the fray when it’s deemed safe and even politically popular to do so?
After a firestorm erupted last week over an offensive social media share from President Trump (one that he later condemned, deleted and said he had not seen in its entirety), a good many Christian leaders denounced the post. Yet some of those same individuals have remained otherwise largely silent on a host of horrific and culturally destructive developments.
Then there is Dr. Albert Mohler, one evangelical leader who reliably and consistently offers pastoral perspective and cultural guidance on a wide range of issues. He doesn’t shy away from difficult topics or stories. To borrow the old sporting phrase, he calls it like he sees it.
Earlier this week on The Briefing, the Southern Seminary president’s daily podcast, Dr. Mohler, relevant to President Trump’s post, opined on the importance of preserving and maintaining the dignity of the presidency:
The President also needs to understand that in order to maintain the political authority he has, even the political authority in his own party, the political authority that emanates from the Oval Office, he needs to add dignity continually to his administration, rather than to allow by any source that dignity to be subverted and minimized and compromised.
I think this is a good lesson for all of us, regardless of the responsibility we bear. The President of the United States bears an entirely unique responsibility on behalf of the entire nation. But as Christians, I think we do understand that dignity in this respect, again, human dignity in the Imago Dei that’s non-negotiable.
Dr. Mohler enjoys enormous credibility and influence because he’s a fearless, dependable, and unapologetic defender of the faith. He’s blunt and forthright but also possesses Christian charity — he recognizes human foibles, gives individuals the benefit of the doubt, and works every day to translate the world through the lens of God’s Word.
It remains both curious and frustrating when pastors or evangelical leaders ignore the unfettered killing of preborn children, the hijacking of marriage, and the sexual mutilation of minors as part of the transgender revolution. With their silence they’re not only forfeiting their platform but also abdicating their responsibility as spiritual shepherds of their flocks.
Moral issues are not partisan. The world may have politicized the subjects of abortion, marriage and human sexuality — but that doesn’t mean those topics are forbidden to be discussed in the pulpit.
In fact, it’s all the more reason they should be unpacked and explained. People in the pews are hungry for relevant and practical cultural translation. The Bible can speak to everything that is unfolding. It makes no sense why a pastor should stay silent while speaking inside his church about what’s happening outside its doors.
We need Christian leaders who will speak up consistently and not just when they may have a political ax to grind.