Imagine my surprise when several Baptist colleagues texted or called me over the past 24 hours to express their surprise, and even bewilderment, at remarks made by Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, concerning religious liberty and separation of church and state.
During a debate on Christian Nationalism at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho, Mohler espoused several governmental actions that appeared to contradict long articulated, deeply held Baptist beliefs on religious liberty and separation of church and state. My surprise and bewilderment stem from the fact that I have known and worked with Mohler for over 30 years on a host of issues in Southern Baptist life.
Perhaps most relevantly, Mohler and I were both privileged to serve on the committee assigned to propose revisions for what became the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), the official confessional statement of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subsequently, I participated with Mohler and Charles Kelley (president emeritus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) in writing a commentary on that Baptist Faith and Message (2000) confession for the SBC's denominational press.
Having interacted with Mohler for literally hundreds of hours over the years, specifically concerning both the importance of confessional statements and the precision of confessional language, I know how much Mohler values the importance and authority of confessional statements. This is particularly true for the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), which has been adopted as authoritative both by his institution (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) and his denomination (the Southern Baptist Convention).
First, what does the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) say? Article XVII, "Religious Liberty," states: "God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and