The Briefing with Albert Mohler – Episode Summary
Date: February 24, 2025

Host: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Podcast Description: Cultural Commentary from a Biblical Perspective

Introduction

In the February 24, 2025 episode of "The Briefing," Albert Mohler delves into two pressing issues: the portrayal of an evangelical pastor's transformative stance on LGBTQ matters in the New York Times (NYT) and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Mohler offers a critical analysis of these topics from a steadfast biblical worldview, highlighting the tensions between traditional evangelical beliefs and contemporary societal shifts.

1. Evangelical Pastor's Transformation on LGBTQ Issues

a. NYT's Front-Page Story

Mohler opens by scrutinizing a NYT opinion piece titled "My father is an evangelical pastor who struggled mightily when I came out to him. This is how he changed his mind." He expresses concern over the NYT's amplification of a narrative that he believes signifies a departure from biblical fidelity within the evangelical community.

"This is not going to be an evangelical pastor who turned to a more biblical position. This is going to be an evangelical pastor by identification who has abdicated biblical fidelity." [00:04]

b. Profile of Pastor Bill White

The story centers on Bill White, an evangelical pastor from Long Beach, California. Initially, White held firm convictions against LGBTQ lifestyles, viewing them as sinful. However, after his son comes out as gay, White undergoes a profound personal and theological journey.

• Diary Insights: Early entries reveal White's prayers for his son's "prospective wife," a poignant irony given his son's sexual orientation.

• Theological Reassessment: In a September 5, 2015 diary entry, White confesses:

  "My theology is changing, Father... I no longer know how to read the Scriptures... How much does that change the rest of my morality?" [09:15]

  This marks White's shift towards questioning the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible, aligning more with neo-orthodox interpretations rather than traditional evangelical orthodoxy.

c. Mohler's Critique

Mohler vehemently criticizes White's theological shift, labeling it as heresy and a rejection of foundational evangelical principles.

"Here you have a pastor dated in an entry in 2015, and it's clear he's already made a massive jump... He has already basically denied the Scripture principle, which is at the heart of evangelical Christianity." [Time Stamp Needed]

He underscores the dangers of subordinating Scripture to personal understanding, arguing that such moves lead to fragmented faith communities and empty churches.

d. Implications for Evangelical Christianity

Mohler warns that the NYT's favorable coverage of Pastor White serves as a societal endorsement of abandoning scriptural authority. He emphasizes that true biblical Christianity cannot compromise on the inerrancy of Scripture without essentially redefining the faith itself.

"Faithful Christians can't say that we have any access to Jesus apart from Scripture." [Time Stamp Needed]

2. The Israel-Hamas Conflict and the Nature of Evil

a. Atrocities Committed by Hamas

Mohler shifts focus to the brutal violence perpetrated by Hamas, highlighting the murder of a mother and her two young sons, including an infant, during the October 7, 2023, attacks. He references perspectives from Bernard Henri Lévy in the Wall Street Journal and Jake Wallace Simons in The Telegraph, both condemning Hamas's actions as emblematic of pure evil.

"Imagine the life of a baby trapped in dark, damp tunnels... Who could justify it?" [Time Stamp Needed]

b. Critique of Western Left's Moral Relativism

He critiques portions of the Western left that exhibit sympathy towards Hamas, citing Rivka Brown's controversial social media posts that initially praised Hamas's actions under the guise of supporting democracy and human rights.

"This encapsulates the moral void of the Western left, which happily expends its every intellectual resource in the service of the worst evil on earth." [Time Stamp Needed]

c. The Biblical Understanding of Evil

Mohler asserts the necessity of unequivocally recognizing and labeling evil as such, opposing the moral relativism prevalent in contemporary discourse.

"Biblical Christianity doesn't say look away from evil. It doesn't say call it something other than what it is." [Time Stamp Needed]

He emphasizes that confronting evil requires a clear moral vocabulary rooted in Scripture, asserting that only divine intervention can ultimately eradicate such profound malevolence.

d. Call to Moral Sanity

Concluding his analysis, Mohler calls for a steadfast commitment to biblical truth in the face of overwhelming evil, urging Christians to recognize the limitations of political solutions and to hold onto faith in divine justice.

"We become more consistent over time. It is one of the issues of apostasy and heresy as well." [Time Stamp Needed]

Conclusion

Albert Mohler's February 24 episode of "The Briefing" presents a robust defense of traditional evangelical doctrines against perceived contemporary shifts towards inclusivity at the expense of biblical authority. Simultaneously, he underscores the imperative of recognizing and combating unequivocal evil in the world, as exemplified by the horrors of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Mohler's insights serve as both a critique of modern societal trends and a reaffirmation of a biblically anchored worldview.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Pastor White's Shift:

  "This is not going to be an evangelical pastor who turned to a more biblical position... I believe that we have far more to lose by deviating from Scripture." [Time Stamp Needed]

• On Biblical Inerrancy:

  "The Bible doesn't just contain the word of God. The Bible is the word of God written inerrant and infallible." [Time Stamp Needed]

• On Recognizing Evil:

  "Biblical Christianity doesn't say look away from evil. It doesn't say call it something other than what it is." [Time Stamp Needed]

• On Moral Consistency:

  "We become more consistent over time. It is one of the issues of apostasy and heresy as well." [Time Stamp Needed]

Final Thoughts

Mohler's episode serves as a clarion call to evangelical Christians to remain vigilant in preserving the authority of Scripture amidst societal pressures towards inclusivity that may conflict with traditional biblical teachings. Additionally, his reflections on the Israel-Hamas conflict emphasize the importance of moral clarity and the recognition of enduring evil in the world, reinforcing the need for a steadfast, biblically grounded response to global atrocities.

For more insights and discussions, listeners are encouraged to visit Albert Mohler's website or follow him on Twitter/X.