Comments on the issue of homosexuality made by Southern Seminary President Al Mohler have been a hot topic recently. Having listened carefully to his comments several times and then read his explanation of those comments in Baptist Press, I must confess I'm a little mystified. The views he expressed seemed perfectly consistent with his previous clear writings on this subject. I fear that some may have fixated on his choice of words and ignored the intent of his message.
The Southern Baptist Convention formed a Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals in 2001. The motion which brought about the Task Force included this sentence: "to inform, educate, and encourage our people to be proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions."
While many of our churches have dynamic and relevant ministries to these strugglers, most of our churches are unprepared to confidently and competently stand with these men, women and young people and help them find their way out.
Lifeway Research did a survey for the Task Force in 2008. They found that only 26 percent of pastors and 8 percent of other church leaders acknowledged having any training in dealing with this issue. Given the enormity of the cultural challenges surrounding homosexuality, this is a disturbing statistic.
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