When Albert Mohler called at 9:30 p.m., he had just arrived home from four 20-hour days at the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a towering figure in American evangelicalism for decades, has witnessed dozens of annual meetings. According to him, “drama and decision” defined this year’s gathering.
“Our grandchildren were with us at the convention this year,” Mohler said in an interview with The Federalist. “I said to a [very large group of pastors] last night, I said, ‘Don’t mess up. Don’t mess this up. I’ve got grandchildren. They need faithful pastors and faithful churches and it’s our job to make sure that happens.’”
Female pastors, sexual abuse policy, and, by Mohler’s initiative, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were all on the ballot this year.
“This meeting was so filled with moments of drama and decision,” he noted. “We had, you know, elections go into a third ballot. I mean, that’s a very unusual thing. But you know, the spirit of the convention was still very good.”
Mohler drafted a resolution condemning IVF and put it to a vote at the annual meeting. He had a classroom-worthy lecture prepared on the subject, fitting for a seminary president.
“I think there is no way that IVF can be performed without huge moral error,” Mohler said. “Quite frankly, even on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention today, there was evidence of the fact that there are people who [are] untroubled
