Al Mohler posted recently concerning two interviews on the Bible and contemporary culture. Both perspectives appeared on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.
Ray Suarez interviewed Dr. Peter Gomes, Minister of the Harvard Memorial Church and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University, about his new book, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus.
Gomes make the following comments in the course of the interview.
But I would think that, if Jesus came today, the people he would be most interested in dealing with would be homosexuals, racial minorities, people who would be thought to be less than the most upright and righteous people in the contemporary community. If the New Testament is any model, that’s where he would hang out.
Then Suarez presented an interview with Mohler about his new book, Cultureshift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth [due to be released January 15].
In response to Gomes’ above statement, Mohler posted the following.
I agree with that statement, in the sense that Jesus did indeed associate with sinners in his earthly ministry, very often scandalizing the self-righteous. Jesus came to save sinners, and He was opposed by those who trusted in their own righteousness.
Where Dr. Gomes and I profoundly differ is about what Jesus would say to these on the margins of society. I believe that Jesus would offer grace and redemption to those associated with any sin — but He would also call for repentance and a turning away from sin. When it comes to an issue like homosexuality, this is where Dr. Gomes and I are in profound disagreement.
You can find the audio versions of both here. The full transcript of the Mohler/Gomes interview is here.
Posted in Apologetics, Church, Philosophy, Politics, Pop Culture, Southern Baptist, The Gospel
