The controversy

If you haven’t heard, Albert Mohler,  president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, successfully introduced an amendment at the June 2026 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. 

The amendment adopts a traditionalist, or what is sometimes referred to as the “hard complementarian” position on women in the ministry. This means they are prohibited from serving as pastors or preaching to the assembled congregation.

As a result, people are mocking Mohler. Even Evangelical leaders are mocking Mohler. I’ve even heard people I deeply respect mock Mohler. It’s tempting to do, if for no other reason than the cultural pressure.

First, let me say that my purpose here is not to defend the traditionalist position, the egalitarian position, or any positions in between. My goal is to set the discussion on a more honest foundation.

Mohler is no idiot

First, Mohler is neither an idiot nor a neanderthal. He has Doctor of Philosophy degrees in systematic and historical theology.  

Systematic theology is the study of what the whole Bible teaches about  particular subjects. A systematic theologian is trained to synthesize all relevant biblical passages into a consistent theological framework, while also interacting with the church’s historical teaching.

Historical theologians study what Christians have believed throughout history and how those beliefs developed. A historical theologian usually reads original sources, often in Greek, Latin, German, French, or other languages.

These two disciplines naturally complement one another, particularly with regard to the study of a subject like women in the ministry.  Historical theology provides perspective by showing how faithful Christians have wrestled with doctrine across the centuries. Systematic theology seeks to determine what Scripture teaches and to present those teachings in an organized way.

To obtain a Ph.D. means the person has gone beyond coursework and completed original scholarly research. It usually involves writing a book-length dissertation that makes a new contribution to the field. They are trained to conduct research, evaluate historical sources, and interact with academic literature. This includes defending theological arguments at a high scholarly level—a higher level than a blog post, for example. 

In short, Mohler has exactly the type of training and recognized expertise to address the very issue that has landed him in the news. One could hardly imagine better credentials.  

Of course, people can be well-trained and be wrong. But again, we are not here to decide whether he is right or wrong but whether he is an idiot or a neanderthal. He clearly is not. I suspect he is better trained than just about everyone mocking him.

After years of study and research sufficient to earn not one but two Phd’s, Dr. Mohler has concluded the Bible teaches that women should not be pastors or preach to assembled church congregations. He is not alone in this conclusion.

Mohler stands in good company

The Catholic and Orthodox churches have believed the same thing for nearly 2,000 years. Protestant churches for their first 300 years overwhelmingly held the same position. 

Mohler is also in good company insofar as the greatest theologians in history are concerned. He stands in agreement with Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, John Knox, John Owen, Matthew Henry, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, and B. B. Warfield.

The response to this is usually, “Well, all those theologians were driven by their own cultural biases about women.” Besides being demeaning to those we readily rely upon regarding other doctrinal issues, this response begs the question, “What is motivating you to take the position you are now taking if it is not cultural pressure?”

I am confident that Mohler’s motive is not to “keep women in their place,” although that is the motive most often attributed to him. I bet Mohler believes he is arguing for the integrity of Scripture and against what he sees as the same hermeneutic that would ordain homosexuals and sanction same-sex marriages. 

After years of training and study, he apparently believes it is no coincidence the following churches first decided to ordain women and then followed later to ordain homosexuals and/or sanction same-sex marriages: The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church. Mohler appears to see his role as defending historical Christianity. And if that is the case, he is no Cretan. He is courageous, even if he is wrong.

Another reason to be cautious

Lastly, it is good to remember that the Bible usually connects mocking with pride. Proverbs 21:24 says, “‘Proud,’ ‘Haughty,’ ‘Scoffer,’ are his names, who acts with insolent pride.”We should be particularly cautious when we find ourselves in agreement with the world in mocking other Christians because when we do, we are almost certainly not inspired by the Spirit of God but the spirt of the world.

Is Mohler right? Reasonable people can disagree. 

What Christians should not do is mock him. GS