Mohler to have surgery, forego presidential bid

Dr. Mohler suffers from poor health generally (it seems). I pray that all goes well during his next surgery.

 

We are praying for

Bro. Mohler.God can does heal. We are praying for a miracle in his life.

 

Certainly I am praying for him but I also wonder where his calvinist theology fits in with his situation?

 

Huh? What do you mean?

 

He has been a huge proponent of Calvinist theology. I have always disagreed with him simply because I fail to find Calvin in the Bible but rather I find that we are to focus on Jesus.

So often we think we have our theology in the bag until we get in the hospital or something severe happens to us. It is amazing how God really gets our attention and our theology is perfected when we are in humble circumstances.

 

I'm sure his theology has not changed. Since Calvinism stresses the sovereignty of God, I'm sure Mohler is strengthened in this situation from the fact that his God has a master plan. I don't see any reason to think otherwise.

 

I think you are probably right. He reacted in this fashion when he was last in the hospital for a blood clot (?) in his lung.

 

Bringing up Mohler's theology in relation to his illnesses seems a bit tawdry to me.

 

Agreed. Its equivalent to a kick in boxing.

 

The fact is that everyone dies and that is part of God's plan.

I am unable to find Calvin anywhere in any Bible. So I spend zero time following him. However my Bible communicates that we are to focus on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.

Most who claim to be Calvinists have never read Calvin's Institutes but rather ascribe things to Calvin that he never wrote.

I believe the best thing that could happen to the SBC is for it to completely die so godliness can take over instead of their politics remaining enhancing division and making the national news about ungodly acts. What is happening in the SBC now is typical of organization which forget God and focus on preservation and politics.

 

And there is the under lying motivation for this unnnecessary and inappropriate attack on Dr. Mohler.

 

It is not at all an attack on Mohler but rather the direction the SBC is going. The SBC has become a godless political machine full of fighting and debate rather than winning people to Christ and making disciples. At this time there are other groups which are godly and getting stronger. I believe that in the future we will see a weak SBC just like what we see among groups of the past which spent their time fighting. Many groups that were strong 50 years ago are much smaller in numbers today.

If one believe that Mohler's situation is part of God's plan may be absolutely wrong. I have no way of knowing but His condition may have nothing to do with God's sovereignty. Who knows if he encountered something in his earlier years.
The fact is that he has health troubles and we should care for him.

If one drinks and develops a bad liver is that part of God's plan? God's plan is not that we be stupid and do things we should not.

The fact is that I do not find Calvin in the Bible. Calvinism is about as good as death. The Bible declares that we are to focus on Christ. So why should anyone spend on second focusing on Calvin and his teachings?

 

Mohler

I see no attack on Mohler. I do think there is some hypersensitivity showing.

In fact I think it a rather interesting question, how does ones theology show itself in adversity. How does a Calvinist view his/her own sickness, terminal period and forthcoming death? How does an "free will" believer view the same? I think this could be an interesting discussion.:tonofbricks:

 

I agree. While I'm no fan of Mohler, I hope his theology is better than other Calvinists I have known who see Mohler as one of their theological heroes. For instance, I used to work with a seminary student who was a hardcore Calvinist and he believed that everything that happened to a person was the direct will of God for that person (not the result of living in a fallen world). I talked to him at length about the problems with that kind of thinking a discovered that he believed that negative things that happened to people were God's way of punishing people for their sin. Then a few months later his wife gave birth and their son died within a few hours of being born. His faith fell apart because his theology could not reconcile his beliefs to the reality of a world when children have hidden birth defects and die at birth.

A few years ago a prominent Calvinistic journal (perhaps Founders Journal) ran a cover story against Open Theism that claimed that God was behind the 9/11 attacks because human actions are controlled by God.

I thoroughly reject that kind of thinking and believe it undermines true faith in God.

Regarding Mohler's health troubles. God may be sending him a message through his troubles, but it is probably more likely that his health issues result from being part of a fallen world. As one whose appendix ruptured less than three weeks ago and spent a week in the hospital, I have enormous sympathy for his troubles. I am praying for him.

 

I agree with your thinking. To say that 9/11 or any such event is God's will as punishment is, to me, an abominal thought and surely a heresy. The "evil one" does not get the credit deserved in such thinking.

And, I am very sorry to hear that your friends faith fell apart when he was faced with the death of his child. That is such a difficult event in the life of anyone. I sincerely hope that later he was able to find a faith in Christ./