Thursday, November 06, 2014

(in)Frequently Asked Questions About the SBC (excursus)

One friend suggested that I address the question: When can we expect the formation of a Log Cabin SBC?

Some of you may have encountered consternation regarding comments reported by various media outlets and attributed to some SBC leaders in the ERLC's "The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage" conference held last week. Huffington Post, WSJ, MSNBC, and One News Now all report some sort of shift within the SBC on matters related to homosexuality.

A couple of them purport to quote Al Mohler–or someone else purportedly quoting him—repenting for "denying that homosexuality was legitimate," or something similar. None of them actually agree on his exact words. Actually, they all get them wrong. See for yourself. You can access all the videos of the conference talks and panels here. Here's Mohler's keynote:
 
And this link should take you directly to the most relevant portion of the talk, though I'd ask that you watch the entire video for full context if you want to quibble over minutiae.

This panel discussion includes an exceptional answer from Rosaria Butterfield to a question about problems in the term "sexual orientation":
 
Here's a direct link to that relevant portion as well.

Now, I don't like to admit that I'm surprised, but I really wouldn't have expected Mohler to be presumed guilty of "serious compromise" based on reports from socially liberal media outlets. Granted, I've made mistaken comments based on false reports on occasion, but let me ask one question: Shouldn't we be a bit more skeptical of media outlets with a vested interest in creating an illusion of SBC softening than we are of someone like Al Mohler, who's been crystal clear for years on a whole array of issues related to biblical morality?

And whose credibility really ought to suffer here?