Baptist Albert Mohler's Controversial Comments on Trump and Race
At Religion News Service, I wrote two articles about Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The first was an article exploring his flip-flop on Trump, who Mohler lambasted as a “sexual predator,” among other things. He now says he’s changed his mind:
“The leader’s about-face has mystified many, given that none of his current justifications for endorsing the president address his previous criticisms. But others, including some of Mohler’s friends and colleagues (full disclosure: I have known Mohler since childhood), have pointed out that his decision is consistent with a career marked as much by ambition as conviction.”
CONTINUE READING: “Mohler’s Turn to Trump is the Crowning Flip-Flop of His Career”
My second article on this topic explores Mohler’s past and current views on race. I came across a mention of comments Mohler made in 1998 on CNN claiming that runaway slaves like Harriet Tubman sinned because the Bible teaches slaves must obey masters. After reporting this story out, I spoke with Mohler, who apologized for his “stupid” comments:
“Many Southern Baptists — and others outside the convention — will find it alarming that the president of one of the nation's largest seminaries recently believed that an estimated 100,000 slaves who passed to freedom through the Underground Railroad were sinning. Yet it may give them solace knowing that he has now repudiated that view.”