Christianity,  Politics

Albert Mohler on NBC Nightly News

NBC Nightly News produced a feature on the emerging church in which Tom Brokaw interviewed Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It’s a short, but interesting bit. Dr. Mohler does a great job, as usual.

I would make one observation about this piece. It seems to me that the media’s interest in the emerging church is almost entirely political. Brokaw’s coverage in this segment is a case in point. Underlying Brokaw’s attention to the new movement is a curiosity about how this new section of evangelicalism will affect electoral politics. I suppose that this should not be very surprising. But it is interesting to note nonetheless. Anyway, watch the video, and you be the judge.

Update: Ed Stetzer sets the record straight here.

10 Comments

  • D. Taylor Benton

    The political agenda or bent on this piece, but I think what could fall under the radar was the undertones in which Brokaw painted the “elders” of the church as fundamentalists that are bent on power. Especially with his last few comments about “what worries the elders is the effect of the ECM on the mega churches”. Brokaw makes is seems as if the Mega churches are afraid and are against ECM only because it is taking away from their congregations.
    Brokaw earlier tries to make Mohler sound like he is against the ECM because of their edgy look and feel, but I am sure Mohler gave his input on the relativistic nature of truth in a lot of ECM churches which is the scariest part of them and not the fact that they may vote democrat….man…the dinosaur media is ridiculous

  • Jason Allen

    Another issue that should be mentioned, at least, is the sheer fact that Grandstaff and Mohler are pitted against each other, or at least in significant contrast to one another by their placement in the same piece. But it should at least be asked if Grandstaff is leading the kind of church that Mohler is so concerned with (issues of relativistic truth brought up by the commenter above for instance).

  • Charlie Wallace

    Once again, their is confusion on just what is the Emerging Church. Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle has defined the EM as consisting of three streams

    1. The Cool Church Crowd – those Evangelicals that do what ever it takes to be hip, trendy, and relevant.

    2. The Relevants – those churches that are just re-packaged liberalism

    3. Christ-centered – those churches that preach Christ and Him crucified, buried, resurrected and ascended.

    I agree with the younger pastor that we should preach what we are for and not against. What so many younger evangelicals are fed up with is going to church and not hearing about Jesus.

  • Brett

    We’re living in a postmodern world, deal with it and reach out to it…don’t slander it and try to keep everything the same. I guess if people aren’t Southern Baptists or worshipping in a building with a steeple and pews then they are not Christians. Lets just keep preaching our sermons and making our public appearance slandering anything that is not right-wing, it’s seems to be working so far…right?

  • D. Taylor Benton

    Brett,

    I don’t quite get what you are trying to say. I hope your not assuming that anyone that has commented, Denny, or anyone on that video would even get close to what you are mocking.

    If that is an attempt to characterize Mohler, you obviously have no idea who you are talking about. This is the man that sat down and a completely secular forum and spoke about biblical masculinity to an almost entire audience of homosexuals at a debate against a prof at the University of Louisville, and that is just to mention one instance of “reaching out”. That is being the light in the darkness, IMHO.

    So I come back to my original question.. who are you attempting to mock?

  • Bradley Cochran

    If shoddy scholarship is scholarship that doesn’t do it’s homework, then this media clip is shoddy journalism (slander aside). If I were going to do a peice, I would at least read a few articles, interview a couple of the more recognized leaders like Brian and Doug (I would at least dialogue with more than just ONE church). I’m disappointed in Tom.

    I for one find much of the criticism against Brian, Doug, and others exaggerated. I wish there were breif two-part book entitled, “Emerging and Emergent Churches, the Good and the Bad,” where someone focused on nothing but actual quotes (from sermons, books, and blogs) from the most influential of the emerging and emergent leaders. The first chapter would be entitled, “The Worst Quotes [in context] from the Emerging and Emergent Leaders,” where the absolute worst things these guys have said is compiled (so we can see just how “bad” it really is), and a second chapter entitled, “The Best Quotes [in context] from Emerging and Emergent Churches” which compiles the best of quotes from the same guys (starting with quotes about the gospel), so that the reader could have a balanced view.

    (yes, I’m already aware of Carson’s treatment)

  • MatthewS

    Bradley,

    Awesome idea. But living as we do in a sensationalized, soundbite world I am afraid such a balanced, thoughtful work wouldn’t sell so well. I think it is almost inborn in us to want to draw sides and fight the fight of good vs. evil to the exclusion of hearing, listening, thinking, respectfully disagreeing.

    It would be a good idea for a running blog item, though: keep updating a list of the good quotes and the bad ones as one reads various literature.

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