I have had a few folks write to me and ask why I gave Dr. Al Mohler a “pass” in the blog article on the Dobson program. While I did not mention Dr. Mohler’s participation in the program by name (which, given that there were two priests and Dobson, did not amount to a major portion of the show), I did say that the position of the program was set in its opening comments, and there was really nowhere to go as far as the truth was concerned at that point. Since Dobson closed the door on the reality of the situation at the start, it was simply painful to hear Dr. Mohler attempt to say anything meaningful in an already compromised situation. Since it had already been established that the gospel was off the table as far as defining the faith, what more could be said? Dr. Mohler is on the board of Focus on the Family. The issue of Rome’s gospel should have been dealt with in that context, not the context of a national radio program with two Roman Catholic priests on the line. Hence I did focused solely upon the real issue: the fact that a large portion of “evangelicals” have concluded, not by serious reflection upon the gospel itself but due to social and cultural concerns alone, that all the additions to the gospel that are reflected in Rome’s teachings, and embraced by John Paul II in his life and teachings and practice, do not in fact vitiate the gospel, but amount just to “differences” that are not definitional. The gospel has been whittled down to the LCD (remember that from school? Least Common Denominator) of “Jesus.” Don’t try to ask who Jesus is; don’t ask what He did. Just as long as a person “believes in Jesus,” all is well.
I personally appreciate what Dr. Mohler has said on his blog. He has a massive audience, so I can just imagine the response he has gotten for attempting to bring any kind of biblical thinking to the topic. I will never be asked to be on boards and do the things he is doing or has done, so I have it “easy.” We are a small ministry because 1) I’m not bright enough to have a big one and 2) the bigger you get the more you have to think about “constituencies.” I can say what I need to say when I need to say it, and for that, I’m thankful.