We have Albert Mohler, president of Southern
Seminary, the guiding citadel in the SBC for graduate work, being asked to come
and speak at Brigham Young University, the guiding citadel for educating Mormon
young people. And what brought about this meeting? Why, the heated debate
concerning marriage, of course. Because of the ungodly push to pervert the
institution of marriage, Mohler was invited to BYU to speak on behalf of
traditional marriage. Now some who call
themselves fundamentalists have chimed in to say that there’s nothing really
wrong with this picture, that Mohler at BYU to speak on marriage is just
perfectly fine (see here
and here)
or not wise (see here
and here).
Now this same professor also stated once that he too could speak at a Mormon
gathering without any qualms, given certain caveats which it seems Mohler was
given or at least took since he distanced his theology from Mormon theology.[1] Mohler
sound so similar to another evangelical, actually the father evangelist of
evangelicalism, Billy Graham. Graham had this to say in his autobiography concerning
the controversy over the 1957 New York crusade, “My own position was that we should be willing to work with all who
were willing to work with us. Our message was clear, and if someone with a
radically different theological view somehow decided to join with us in a
Crusade that proclaimed Christ as the way of salvation, he or she was the one
who was compromising personal convictions, not we.” (Just As I Am, pp. 303, 304)
Mohler is to be applauded for his unwillingness to
share any theological commonality with his audience. And far too many are quick
to laud him and let this incident stand as something quite acceptable. We must
however, look at what brought Al Mohler to BYU. The issue at stake that brought
Mohler to BYU is the onslaught of damage being done to the institution of
marriage by our modern culture. True enough, a worthy topic to be spoken on by
Christians. But do we have common ground with Mormons concerning Biblical
marriage? The answer is a clear, unequivocal, NO!
What is Biblical marriage? Well, let’s let the Bible
do its own speaking. Genesis. 2:18-24 records the first marriage, instituted
and instigated by God Himself with Adam and Eve. We see that it was one man,
one woman, for life. They were to leave their parents and embark on a new life
together as one. In the Gospels we find Christ reiterating this understanding
of marriage (Matt. 19:3-6) and we find that marriage is for this present life
only, there are no continuing effects of marriage in heaven (Matt. 22:23-30).
Now, is this also the Mormon view of marriage? And
the answer is…NO. What was the audience thinking when Mohler spoke of marriage?
Well, Mormon doctrine taught them that we were initially spirit babies begotten
by our Heavenly Father and Mother. Eventually, these spirit babies make it into
the temporal world as humans living on this earth. The Mormon understanding of
marriage is that they are to make their marriage a celestial marriage by having
a wedding ceremony in a Mormon Temple which will seal their marriage for time
and eternity.
“Celestial Marriage essential to exaltation Another
thing that we must not forget in this great plan of redemption and exaltation,
is that a man must have a wife, and a woman a husband, to receive the fullness
of exaltation. They must be sealed for time and all eternity in a temple; then
their union will last forever…
“Parents will have eternal claim upon their posterity
and will have the gift of eternal increase, if they obtain the exaltation. This
is the crowning glory in the kingdom of God, and they will have no end…No man
shall receive the fullness of eternity, of exaltation, alone; no woman shall
receive that blessing alone;…No man can obtain that exaltation without
receiving the covenants that belong to the priesthood.” (Doctrines of
Salvation, vol. 2, pp. 40, 43 &44 {as quoted in The Bible and Mormon Doctrine, Sandra Tanner, p. 8})
So, were Al Mohler and the Mormons actually talking
about the same thing when talking about “marriage”? Like so many other common
words used by Christians and Mormons, they don’t mean the same thing to both
groups. Believers, or more specifically the Bible has one meaning for words and
Mormons, using those same words, have a completely different meaning. Mohler
and the Mormons were not even on the same page in the conversation that they
had. Which ultimately begs the question, Why DID Al Mohler accept the invitation
to speak at BYU?
Now, for some marriage is a social, cultural issue, or
at least they are trying to paint it as such so as to avoid any theological
entanglements with some. But is it just a social, cultural phenomena? Well,
here are the passages of Scriptures cited earlier which speak on the subject of
marriage.
Genesis 2:18-24
18 And the
LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an
help meet for him.
19 And out of
the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the
air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever
Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam
gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the
field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the
LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one
of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the
rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her
unto the man.
23 And Adam
said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called
Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh.
Matthew 19:3-6
3 The
Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful
for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 And he
answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the
beginning made them male and female,
5 And said,
For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore
they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder.
Matthew 22: 23-30
23 The same
day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and
asked him,
24 Saying,
Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry
his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there
were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife,
deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise
the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of
all the woman died also.
28 Therefore
in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus
answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the
power of God.
30 For in the
resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the
angels of God in heaven.
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage is
honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God
will judge.
Is it not possible to view from the Scriptures a “doctrine”
of marriage? Do we not gather other portion of Scriptures and label them, “the
doctrine of _________”? Is not the very
concept of one man+one woman=one flesh (marriage) a Biblical truth and not just
a social construct? We get our understanding, our beliefs concerning marriage,
what it is, what constitutes it, etc., from the Bible and as such, it is then a
teaching, a doctrine, if you will. Al Mohler went to BYU to arguably unite
together with Mormons to push back at the societal devolution of the definition
of marriage. He yoked himself together with Mormons on the topic of marriage.
This is not just an “unwise” decision. With the differences of beliefs as to
what “marriage” is that exists between the Bible and Mormon doctrine, one then
really wonders just what was Mohler doing there in the first place. He spoke of
the differences that exist in other beliefs yet he ostensibly seeks to equate
the Biblical definition of marriage with the Mormon definition since he does
not address the vast differences between said beliefs as he speaks of marriage.
Should we really be esteeming this man Mohler?
[1] “Yes, anywhere
means anywhere. If the Mormons seriously invited me to their
Tabernacle to defend biblical Christianity (including Fundamentalism), I would
go—subject to certain considerations. First, I would have to be free to say
whatever I thought was the truth, including that Mormonism is a cult. Second,
they should never expect me to recognize them in any way as Christians, or to
imply that we were seeking some common ground. Third, they should never expect
any return invitation from me, especially not if it would give them an opportunity
to present their views” (taken from comments at SI, can be found here).
