What Does John Piper & Al Mohler Have in Common? Rick Warren!

In March 2010 I broke the news that John Piper had invited Rick Warren to be a keynote speaker at that years Desiring God conference.1

In subsequent articles I questioned what the reaction and/or pattern might be of Piper’s fellow so-called “conservative” evangelicals.

“What will be the reaction of the T4G men: MacArthur, Dever, Sproul, et. al.? Will there be some public negative reaction from the other T4G men? Will, for the sake of T4G/TGC fellowships, all be forgotten? At T4G will all embrace one another as if nothing is amiss?”2

Today we have Al Mohler’s reaction to Piper’s embrace of Rick Warren. From recent personal Twitter accounts of Al Mohler and Rick Warren we learned that Al Mohler brought the SBTS executive committee to visit with Rick Warren at Saddleback.  Al Mohler has followed John Piper’s lead and himself now embraces Rick Warren in Christian ministry.

Rick Warren @albertmohler Thanks for bringing your SBTS Executive Team to visit. I enjoyed our time. Albert Mohler Thanks so much for your time, hospitality and open conversation, Rick. @ Rick Warren.

The 5PT.SALT blog posted the details of the Mohler/Warren convergence.  I encourage each of you to read the story at 5PT.SALT.3 From this point I have a related issue to address.

In 2009 Al Mohler signed the Manhattan Declaration (MD).4  With that Mohler compromised the gospel and gave Christian recognition to the deadly enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil. 3:18).

In their reactions Drs. Kevin Bauder and David Doran excused Al Mohler for having signed the MD.  Bauder dismissed the issue by stating that Mohler singing the MD was, “an occasional inconsistency…single episode.”5 Dave Doran said it was merely a “wrong decision based on bad judgment.”6 These men knew that signing the MD was no “single episode” of “bad judgment.” When Al Mohler signed the MD I said then that that would not be the end of his ecumenical compromises. There has been a series of high-profile compromises in the ministry of Al Mohler.  Among them was his sitting as chairman for the 2001 Billy Graham Crusade in Louisville.

In reference to the Mohler/Graham cooperative ministry Dave Doran said, “…he [Mohler] does not…embrace the ecumenical evangelism of Billy Graham.”7 In light of Al Mohler embracing Rick Warren isn’t it reasonable to assume that Al Mohler can no longer be given benefit of the doubt on ecumenical evangelism?

Al Mohler, furthermore, has never publicly, biblically repented for having signed the MD. In the obscure Four Views book, co-authored by Kevin Bauder, nowhere in the brief paragraph, in which Dr. Mohler gives glowing praise for the MD, does he apologize or repent for having signed it.  Yet, Kevin Bauder said that that single sentence shows that Mohler “reverse[d] course entirely” on the MD.

In March 2010, at the pseudo-fundamentalist Sharper Iron,* Dr. Gerald Priest posted an extended comment that including the following excerpt. “Kevin Bauder has been quite lavish in his praise of conservative evangelicals….”8

For several years Dr. Kevin Bauder, and to a lesser extent, Dr. David Doran, et. al., has been heaping lavish praise on high profile “conservative” evangelicals, including Al Mohler. With the latest revelation- isn’t it high time for these men to rethink and retract their praise for Al Mohler? Isn’t it about time that Drs. Bauder and Doran begin to warn those in their sphere of influence about Al Mohler. Shouldn’t Drs. Bauder and Doran recognize that Al Mohler is irretrievably bent on ecumenical compromise and is a man to be marked and avoided (Romans 16:17-18)?

There is a Trojan horse being allowed access to IFB circles and seminaries.

“Kevin [Bauder]…has spent very little time warning us about the pitfalls and problems of conservative evangelicalism…. What I fear is that we may be allowing a Trojan horse into the fundamentalist camp. And after a while, if we keep going down this track, any significant difference between conservative evangelical and the fundamentalist institutions may disappear.”9

Dr. Doran identified as the “biblical obligations” (2 Thess. 3:15; Phil. 3:15-17; Rom. 16:17) for Gospel-Driven Separation. He wrote,

“For the sake of the clarity of the gospel, believers and churches must separate from those who compromise the faith by granting Christian recognition and fellowship to those who have denied essential doctrines of the faith (Rom 16:17; Phil 3:17-19; cf. 2 Thess. 3:6-15).”10

In his subsequent article Dr. Doran wrote, “If they’ve denied or compromised the gospel, then we say no to cooperation and fellowship.”11 Only days later it was learned that Al Mohler signed the MD.  Today, we see Al Mohler in partnership with Rick Warren, whose New Evangelical compromises of Scripture and the Gospel are many.  Just as Kevin Bauder did, Dave Doran’s reaction was to excuse Al Mohler signing the MD. Today’s question is: Will they ignore or excuse Al Mohler ecumenism again?

Based on a long time pattern of tolerating, allowing for, ignoring or excusing the aberrant theology, ecumenical compromises and worldliness of the evangelicals can we reasonably expect Dr. Bauder or Dr. Doran to say something by way of warning about the Al Mohler/Rick Warren convergence? 

To what extent, if any at all, will Kevin Bauder and Dave Doran publicly disassociate themselves from Al Mohler? 

Will Kevin Bauder and Dave Doran obey the Scriptures? Will they be doers of the Word they have expounded? Or, just as they responded to Al Mohler when he signed the MD will they make yet another exception and excuse (or possibly ignore all-together) Al Mohler partnering with Rick Warren?

I’ll close with a short series of questions to Dr. Bauder and Dr. Doran:

1) Is Al Mohler’s embrace of Rick Warren an evidence of “fidelity to the gospel?”

2) Will you retract previously given and cease from any future lavish praise for Al Mohler?

3) Will you vigorously warn believers to avoid Al Mohler as enthusiastically as you have been praising him and his fellow “conservative” evangelicals?

We hope that both Kevin Bauder and Dave Doran have seen enough.  Believers are obligated to obey the Scriptures! Al Mohler’s latest excursion into ecumenical compromise is an excellent opportunity for Dr. Bauder and Dr. Doran to demonstrate fidelity to the Scriptures by openly rejecting the brand of “conservative” evangelicalism exemplified by Dr. Al Mohler.

LM

Foot Notes:
1) John Piper to Feature Rick Warren at DesiringGod

2) John Piper to Feature Rick Warren: What arethe T4G Men For to Do?

3) Brothers in Arms: Al Mohler & Rick Warren, 5PT. SALT blog (hyper-link removed)

4) Al Mohler Signs the Manhattan Declaration: Is This a Clear Case for “Gospel-DrivenSeparation?”

5) Kevin Bauder Discussing Al Mohler’s “Occasional Inconsistency?”

6) Dr. Dave Doran: A Bronx Declaration, Glory & Grace.

7) Dr. Dave Doran: All Over Manhattan, Glory & Grace, 11/25/2009.

8) Dr. Gerald Priest, Full Comment at SI.

9) Ibid.

10) Dr. Dave Doran: Starting at the Right Spot, Part 1. Glory & Grace, 11/23/2009

11) Dr. Dave Doran: Starting at the Right Spot, Part 2. Glory & Grace, 11/24/2009

* Sharper Iron: The Facade & Veneer is Stripped Away