Al Mohler has been the most influential Southern Baptist for the last 30 years. And in an effort to cement his legacy as the hero of the story, he introduced the Mohler Amendment to ban female pastors. But after hearing a tidal wave of feedback, Al Mohler has decided to neuter his own amendment to ban female pastors, instead codifying a glaring loophole.
Original vcrsion:
 [A cooperating Southern Baptist Church] Does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor, elder, or overseer, such as preaching to the assembled congregation.
Updated version:
 [A cooperating Southern Baptist Church] Does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor, elder, or overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.
The new version allows female pastors as long as the job title isn’t too obvious and they preach not to the regular Sunday congregation. All other preaching is within bounds, and all other functions, exercising authority, are in play because of Mohler’s reductionist view of what a pastor is.
Al Mohler pitches this as a truly unifying addition. But many backers of the original will back out at the updated version because if it passes, female pastors would be here to stay in the Southern Baptist Convention, just under a different name, and the messengers will not allow further reform, thinking that the battle has been won.
Al Mohler sees himself as the hero in the Southern Baptist Convention, but his toothless amendment is an ego-driven subversion of a Southern Baptist distinctive.
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3 Responses
Any church that allows a woman pastor is not a true church. It’s like Korah’s rebellion all over again. It’s almost as if God knew what He was talking about way back in Genesis 3.
This is the Al Mohler we all know and love. His original amendment wasn’t much better. Scripture says a woman is not allowed to teach or have authority over a man. There is more than preaching in a church that falls under this Scripture. His original left the door open for a woman to teach men in a church setting. This would be a loophole for women teachers to go through in their upward fight to preach as well.
The main issue is a large and influential organization focused on self-sustenance for sake of it. This is the natural fate of every large org when it is past its peak and shrinking. First let us get the ecclesiology right: So-called “baptists” are not part of an episcopal church, so the issue of ordination is being resolved by leaving the “conference” until only “churches” with female pastors are left in it. There is no other way to do this ecclesiological sound, as Al Mohler is not a pope and guys voting on an amendment are not a magisterium. They cannot pretend they are without violating fundamental baptist beliefs.
However that these steps haven’t been taken by member congregations decades ago speaks volumes about the membership of the SBC. And that alone is a good enough reason for any baptist congregation to just escape the SBC.