Faced with a public reprimand from Richard Land, Al Mohler has modified — slightly — his position on evangelical Christians and the Constitution of the United States of America.
During a debate on Christian nationalism at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho, Mohler asserted that officeholders should make “public and authentic acknowledgment of the nation’s formal commitment to the God of the Bible, specifically the Holy Trinity,” and “an acknowledgement of the binding moral authority of the Bible, including both the Old and New Testaments.”
That panel was created as a promotional tool for a new book published by Doug Wilson’s Canon Press titled Five Views on Christian Nationalism. Mohler is a contributor to the book.
Al Mohler
What Mohler proposed is a “religious test” for political office that is directly prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, said Land, a former leader in the Southern Baptist Convention’s “conservative resurgence.”
Under Mohler’s view, “Thomas Jefferson, a Unitarian, would be disqualified from holding office, much less being president,” Land said.
In a Sept. 14 piece for World Opinions, Mohler says he was quoted while answering a hypothetical put forward in the debate, which made his answer sound more controversial than it should have.
“The setup for the book was a bit awkward for me, since it asked the contributors to respond to a hypothetical future scenario in which the United States has failed and small regional nations have emerged. In one of these nations, evangelical Protestants comprise about 75% of the population. The U.S. Constitution no longer operates. What order should be put in its place?”
Mohler declared: “I am not built to address hypotheticals like this.”
He then leaned on his use of the word “acknowledgement” as an answer to his critics.
“As a Baptist, I would never want to coerce religious belief — period.”
“My purpose is to make clear that, as a Baptist, I would never want to coerce religious belief — period. The concept of acknowledgment would not bar Thomas Jefferson or any other president from the White House, since it is not a test of personal religious beliefs. I stand by my argument on acknowledgement, though it is at this point in history, in the real world, not a matter of political possibility. It is, I think, a fruitful tool for thinking through the issue.”
In the videotaped panel discussion, Mohler said Christian foundations are essential to America’s political order.
The Aug. 7 event was held at the University of Idaho and titled “Which Way America?” Mohler was joined on stage by Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho; Georgetown University professor Paul Miller; Joe Rigney, a conservative scholar who famously has said empathy is a sin for Christians; and Jared Longshore, associate pastor at Christ Church Moscow.
“Acknowledgement” also was a key theme of Mohler’s comments at the event. He said the United States should acknowledge the Christian and theistic foundations underlying its political and legal system.
Without “some form of theism,” the American system could collapse into what he called “legal positivism,” the idea that law derives its authority primarily from the state, he warned. He appealed to natural law and “creation order.”
Natural law cannot be detached from Christian theology, he said. “I think it’s never natural law alone. I think it’s never naked.”
The Christian understanding of natural law is rooted in creation and therefore in God, he asserted.
America should recover and acknowledge the Christian and theistic foundations that underlie natural rights, law and government, he said. However, he stopped short of calling for a formal Christian nation by saying national leaders should “acknowledge” Christian foundations and influences whether they believe in them or not.
In the World Opinions piece, Mohler says he “blew it” by appearing to suggest one thing Land challenged, having to do with blasphemy laws.
“I was not calling for conventional blasphemy laws, and I have never advocated or supported any such legislation,” Mohler said. “I have supported religious liberty for all citizens energetically and forcefully. Needless to say, I fully support our current constitutional order. That is not in question.”
Related:
Richard Land says Mohler’s views defy Baptist principles
Al Mohler cozies up to Doug Wilson | Analysis by Mark Wingfield