Al Mohler responds


by Rachel Held Evans Read Distraction Free

Al Mohler has responded to my piece on the Washington Post’s religion blog about evolution and Christianity. 

Read my piece: When Atheists and Baptists Agree

Read Mohler’s response: Evolution – When Atheists and Baptists Agree? 

Mohler seems to agree with my premise (that both atheists and young earth creationists present faith and evolutionary theory as incompatible), but not my conclusions (that perpetuating this dichotomy is harmful to the future of the church). 

I am honored that someone as influential as Mohler would take the time to engage me on the issue. My attitude toward Mohler is the same as my attitude toward Ken Ham: We can disagree on the age of the earth and still have peace with one another, for at the end of the day we can affirm together that Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. I would gladly break the bread of communion with both of these men, and I can only hope that they feel the same way about me. 

I thought Mohler’s piece was fair, except perhaps for this statement: 

“Her glib and superficial endorsement of evolution and its reconciliation with Christianity is all too common and all too irresponsible.”

If only Mohler knew how much time I have spent in doubt, prayer, tears, sleepless nights, research, questioning, listening, and worship as I’ve wrestled with this tough issue! Of course there are serious theological implications to embracing evolutionary theory; it’s just hard to cram them all into a 700-word blog post! 

I’ll touch on some of these theological issues in a post on Wednesday, but I don’t feel the need to respond to Mohler any further. Like I said, I’m honored that someone important enough to grace the cover of this month’s Christianity Today would take the time to interact with my ideas. 

So, what do you think of Mohler’s response?

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