Pure Church

Well, first, the good news. Our brother Al Mohler reviews an interesting piece from Jennifer Senior in New York magazine entitled "The Abortion Distortion--Just How Pro-Choice Is America Really?" Mohler writes:

In “The Abortion Distortion — Just How Pro-choice is America, Really?,” writer Jennifer Senior offers an incredibly insightful and important essay on the moral status of abortion in the American mind. Senior is clearly writing to a New York readership — expected to be overwhelmingly pro-choice and settled in a posture of abortion advocacy. Given the passage of the so-called “Stupak amendment” to the health-care reform bill adopted by the House of Representatives, many in the pro-choice movement responded with amazement that a pro-life minority has been able to muster such support. Jennifer Senior posed the most awkward question for her readers: Is America really pro-choice

The good news from this piece is that Americans are significantly less pro-choice than a small, aging minority would have us believe. Senior's work goes back to the 1970s documenting that Roe was significantly out-of-step with public opinion and abortion as a practice continues to be. May it not only be out of step but out of existence in our lifetime.

Now the bad news. Or, at least the cute bad news. Turns out most children are unrepentant sociopaths. Mockingbird links to a very funny piece from The Onion. An excerpt:

MINNEAPOLIS—A study published Monday in The Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry has concluded that an estimated 98 percent of children under the age of 10 are remorseless sociopaths with little regard for anything other than their own egocentric interests and pleasures.

According to Dr. Leonard Mateo, a developmental psychologist at the University of Minnesota and lead author of the study, most adults are completely unaware that they could be living among callous monsters who would remorselessly exploit them to obtain something as insignificant as an ice cream cone or a new toy.



"The most disturbing facet of this ubiquitous childhood disorder is an utter lack of empathy," Mateo said. "These people—if you can even call them that—deliberately violate every social norm without ever pausing to consider how their selfish behavior might affect others. It's as if they have no concept of anyone but themselves."

"The depths of depravity that these tiny psychopaths are capable of reaching are really quite chilling," Mateo added.

Read the whole thing here.

Related Posts:
Two Year Olds Are Sneaky Little Sinners
The Joys of Talking with Little Kids

Here's audio of Al Mohler speaking at the University of Louisville about his book, Atheism Remix. Mohler comments on the event itself here.

Al Mohler comments on a story about churches who are having special services for people and their pets. I've long heard of Roman Catholic churches that have a special service where pets are blessed. But this particular story features Protestant churches doing the same, and a handful having not an annual "special" service but regular services complete with treats and trinkets for the animals. One pastor featured in the report says he hopes that having these services will help revitalize his aging church and help people love God as much as their pets.

Wow.

Well, we must eagerly desire the revitalization of churches that have experienced decline--whether the decline comes from an aging congregation or other things. We love the church. And so, we pray for her vibrancy and power.

But c'mon. "Woof 'n Worship" and "Canines at Covenant." Depending upon pets to put the power in the gospel is beyond desperate. And it's the wrong kind of desperation. It's an unleashed pragmatism.

We want that kind of desperation that pleads often and long with the Lord to send laborers into the harvest, to enlarge the work of His Holy Spirit, to stoke burning zeal in the hearts of His people, to touch the preacher's tongue with burning coals from off the altar. We ought to be desperate, but the means of expressing our desperation should be the means established by God Himself in His word. After all, it's God who both creates the longing in our hearts and satisfies it with his presence.

I read Mohler's commentary and I was made freshly grateful for the over 95% of churches who don't stoop to such things, but trust God in more biblical fashion. I was made thankful for the churches that hold differing ministry philosophies than my own, but who nonetheless stay far away from such gimmicks. I'm thankful the Lord has a very large remnant that has not bowed the knee to Spot and Fido.

Lord, we praise you for everyday, mundane faithfulness and trust in your Word. And Lord, please fill our desperation with more of Yourself.

The NY Times published a couple days ago a story called "Believers Invest in the Gospel of Getting Rich." (Now doesn't that just about sum up everything you don't want teach to a perishing world?) The article covers the Copeland's recent meeting of 9,000 strong, gathered to learn from and participate in the heretical ministry of the Copelands.

Prosperity theology is a False Gospel. Its message is unbiblical and its promises fail. God never assures his people of material abundance or physical health. Instead, Christians are promised the riches of Christ, the gift of eternal life, and the assurance of glory in the eternal presence of the living God.

In the end, the biggest problem with prosperity theology is not that it promises too much, but that it promises far too little. The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers salvation from sin, not a platform for earthly prosperity. While we should seek to understand what drives so many into this movement, we must never for a moment fail to see its message for what it is -- a false and failed gospel.

...on the R. Albert Mohler Show today at 4pm EST. Should be a good discussion.

Al Mohler reflects on President-elect Obama's decision to have Episcopal Bishop Eugene Robertson lead the prayer at the Lincoln Memorial part of the inauguration festivities. The concluding paragraphs:

"The crisis in the Church of England," wrote Clive James in The Dreaming Swimmer, "is that too many of its bishops, and some would say of its archbishops, don't quite realize that they are atheists, but have begun to suspect it."

The "God of our many understandings" is a confused composite -- a very postmodern idol. Clive James is quite right about the theological crisis of unbelieving bishops - but you need go no farther than New Hampshire to find an example.

Mohler offers a very good review and critique of the Newsweek Magazine's new cover story offering a "religious" case for same-sex marriage. Excellent response as usual.

A partial transcript of Eric Redmond's discussion of Jeremiah Wright on the Al Mohler radio show is available here. The radio interview is here.
Read more about Redmond here, and about the church he serves, Hillcrest Baptist Church, and the SBC here. And, here the brother share his views on pastoral ministry here and preach here.

Yesterday, the Lord granted the great privilege of spending some time with my brother and friend, Dr. Al Mohler. We had a great time on his radio program discussing The Decline. I pray it's encouraging for any who decide to listen. Let me know what you think.

I've not known Dr. Mohler for very long, perhaps three or four years. I first met him during a visit to Washington, D.C. He spoke at a Henry Forum and took a ton of questions afterward.

Because Mark Dever is who is, some of his friends have become my friends. I am grateful to count among the men who have influenced me--sometimes from a distance, other times close--Dr. Mohler.

Here's why I am grateful to God for Al Mohler.

1. The man has a big brain.

He's easily one of the smartest men I've ever met. Do you remember Cliff Claven from the TV show Cheers? Cliff was full of trivial information always awkwardly injected into some otherwise edifying conversation. Well, Dr. Mohler is like Cliff Claven--except what is stored in his mind and heart are the always relevant and edifying treasures and precious truths about the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Open almost any subject and he's read about it, thought about, written a commentary on it, or included it in a talk somewhere or some time. He's a walking encyclopedia. The last time I saw him, he actually recommended a couple books on the history of darkness and light in Europe! Who reads about darkness and light and how candles and electric lights changed society?! Al Mohler. And write it down, that seemingly obscure knowledge will one day surface in a powerful illustration or commentary that changes how we think about an issue or culture. I am grateful, deeply thankful, that the Lord has given the Church an Al Mohler who loves the Lord with all of his mind.

2. The man is steadfast.

I'm searching for the correct adjective here, but "steadfast" keeps coming to mind. Many of you will know of Dr. Mohler's part in the "conservative resurgence" in the SBC. And some of you will know of the tremendous heat and pressure that comes along with any movement of that sort. And still others, even if you know nothing of the resurgence, will know that Al takes a lot of hits because of his engagement with the culture and ideas of our day. Homosexual advocates on the left. Moderates and liberals in the convention. Secularists on TV. Intellectuals in ivory towers. The man faces slings and darts from all around, and he does it by God's grace with biblical resolve and steadfast commitment to the gospel of our Lord. He's not moved by changing opinions and faddish winds. He's steadfast in the Lord.

3. The man is tireless.

I'm learning from Dr. Mohler that I can run harder, longer, and at times faster for the Lord. The Lord has worked in him a unique stamina and endurance. Dr. Mohler is a full-time husband and father, a university president. host of a syndicated radio talk show, author, and blogger! He's no stranger to hard work and he is redeeming the time, and I am grateful for his example.

4. The man is funny.

Trust me. When the smoke settles for the day's battles, you want to be in earshot of Dr. Mohler. A quick, sometimes satirical, sometimes anecdotal, always side-splitting humor emerges. I appreciate men who can laugh and who can make others laugh. Of the times I've been around Dr. Mohler, I can't think of one where I didn't hear a truly funny story or an occasional impression.

5. The man is caring.

This should be evident, but sometimes I think this gets lost when we think about public figures and the various causes they're addressing. I appreciate Dr. Mohler's deep gospel-centered and practical compassion for people. He appears to me to be moved by Christian love, empathy and concern. The most recent and moving example of this for me came at a Southern chapel back in March. Homosexual activists had staged a surprise protest on the campus the day before. The campus was abuzz from the day's events. The following day was chapel. I can imagine 100 ways that the situation could have been mishandled or poorly addressed. The protestors could have been met with any number of unkind comments, cold stares, or angry rants. Instead, Dr. Mohler closed the chapel service with words that at once convicted the assembly of its need for a much deeper, Christ-like compassion and stirred affection and concern for the lost. He could have "run for the door" or left the gathering unsettled and undirected. But with great pastoral warmth and care, he led us well with words of instruction and a time of rich prayer. I'm deeply grateful for his example of compassion and grace.

There aren't many Al Mohlers in the world as far as I can tell. That the Lord has placed him among us as a champion for the gospel should make us deeply grateful. And, indeed, I am grateful for our brother.