Dr. Mohler’s Thoughts:
The controversy over President Barack Obama’s speech to America’s school children scheduled for Tuesday morning continues to incite controversy. On the surface, this seems incredible. Why would a speech calling for students to remain in school and set personal goals for themselves incite any controversy at all? Is this just another eruption of the Culture War?
At first glance, that seems to be exactly what this fracas is all about. Much of the controversy is reckless, baseless, and plainly irrational. Some have called the speech an effort to recruit America’s children into socialism. Others have argued that any presidential speech piped into classrooms is illegitimate. But a presidential speech to students is hardly unprecedented. This speech by this president has led to an unprecedented uproar.
At this level, the controversy is a national embarrassment. Conservatives must avoid jumping on every conspiracy theory and labeling every action by the Obama administration as sinister or socialist. Our civic culture is debased when opposing parties and political alignments read every proposal by the other side as suspect on its face.
Instead of gushing over Obama’s words why can’t Mohler say something like,
The problem with Obama’s speech to America’s school students is not so much in the content as in the presuppositions behind the speech. There was a time when Parents understood it was their responsibility to raise, educate and motivate their children. Now, not only have we turned to the state to educate and raise our children, but we find it perfectly acceptable for the President to play the role of “Parent in Chief.”
The great Dr. J. Gresham Machen understood this. Machen, speaking of education could say,
“The most important Christian Education institution is not the pulpit or the school, important as those institutions are; but it is the Christian family. And that institution has to a very large extent ceased to do its work.
~ J. Gresham Machen, in Education, Christianity, and the State.
But instead of taking the opportunity to once again emphasize to his natural constituency the necessity to get their children out of government schools, Mohler takes the opportunity to lament over cultural war resistance to a man who desires to implement his Marxist ideology on America.
Certainly Obama’s speech is not the most sinister thing he has yet done but Obama, unlike many Christian spokesmen, doesn’t compartmentalize his belief system. All that Obama does, including speaking to America’s children is done with a view towards the cultural Marxist end he desires to achieve. As such, any resistance to Obama in anything that he does is a necessary resistance.
The fact that Mohler can warn people against finding something sinister or socialist in every deed Obama is a warning that reveals a great amount of naivete.
John Piper’s take:
This is the speech I expected the President to give to our children—excellent.
Given that he is not directing them to Christ, which would be the best counsel, his advice is a wonderful gift of common grace from God to the students of our land.
If you settle for the news headlines that say the president tells the kids to wash their hands and take care of the environment, you will miss the wisdom and courage in this speech. Within its spiritual limitations it is simply amazing.”
Like Mohler, Piper doesn’t seem to realize what is going on in government schools. Why would Piper refer to this as common grace? Given the worldview that America’s children are learning in government schools, the encouragement to children to do well in government schools would seem more like the doctrine of common damnation.
Would Piper have spoken this way if Joe Stalin had given the speech? Would Piper have gushed about Stalin’s speech being simply amazing? No, Piper wouldn’t say that because he would realize how hypocritical it would be for the Murderer of millions to be blathering on about the necessity to do well in school. Yet Piper speaks in glowing terms about a man who has voted repeatedly to deny babies born from botched abortions medical care. Piper speaks in glowing terms about a man who shares the same exact ideology and faith system as Joe Stalin.
If one realizes the stakes there is nothing irrational about opposing Obama at every turn. I don’t want America’s children admiring Obama any more than I wanted them admiring Bush or any number of other leftist politicians.
Brother Bret:
Piper and Mohler are high priests of the Temple of Pietistic Churchianity. Chrisitans are to disregard their counsel when it comes to social, economic, and political issues (those themes that these men call “secular” and “worldly”). These men lack the knowledge and discernment to view the above subjects in a Biblical Worldview framework. I wouldn’t be suprised if Albert Mohler and John Piper were indocrinated at the Secular Youth Propaganda Camps when they were young. Sadly, most Christian leaders are like them: retreatist and minimalist when it comes to their understanding about the relationship of the Christian Faith and culture.
I am a Postmillenialist but I have lost hope for a true Biblical Reformation under the present political and societal conditions. I think that the Christian Church will not be able to compete with a ever increasing behemoth secular state. The ungodly have control over the centers of power, law, culture, and education. The minds and hearts of the great majority of the youth are centered on worldliness rather than holiness. I have observed the youth of many churches. My limited observations are disheartening. The youth are just as worldly (sometimes more so) than the children of Satan. The signs that I see all around me point not to blessing but the hand of God’s judgement upon an unrighteous and perverse nation.
Piper reminds me more and more of a Reformed Joel Osteen. I shut him off when he made some not very wise remark regarding Gun, I mean People control. He makes my skin crawl with his oozing happy talk. Sorry, just my take on the man. Maybe if I had never heard his voice and only read his prose. I hate to say it but he strikes me as slightly effeminate. I don’t mean that as slander, it’s just the way he strikes me. Please feel free to edit.
Mohler is a Baptist.
Piper is a Baptist and senile.
And on this issue both are idiots. Blithering even.
He makes my skin crawl with his oozing happy talk.
No Kidding. Someone tell him to wipe that syrup off his chin.
“Mohler is a Baptist.
Piper is a Baptist and senile.”
One could stop right there. Enough said.
A year after my conversion, I read Piper’s Commentary on Romans 9 (The Justification of God) and I considered it an excellent book. My view of Him as a Teacher at that time was positive. However, my view of Piper drastically changed when I discovered soon after that he was friendly towards Charismaticism and his emotionally-driven, pietistic spirituality of “Christian Hedonism”. I have actually never listened any of his sermons in full. I agree with the posters’ comments about Piper’s sticky and syrupy persona. I also disagree with his view on miscegenation.
When speaking about Particular Baptist Preachers, I consider John Weaver and William O. Einwechter as faithful Expositors and Manly Men.
Hello,
As a parent of a homeschooler, we opted-out of the speech. As a parental rights activist, I have some important comments to add to this discussion.
Post-hoc we can agree that the speech was relatively benign. However, the greatest concern lies in three things. First, our President could have laid to rest many fears and attacks by simply releasing the speech text earlier and never introducing the lesson plan. Rather than silence it, he permitted it to brew. Second, it was not the speech that causes a parental rights activist alarm. It is a president who believes that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is good for American children. President Obama supports this treaty which, if ratified, would subjugate parent’s right to educate children according to their own worldviews to the federal government’s oversight. Look at our website. If you disagree with me concerning this UN treaty, I welcome dialogue in a common mutual for truth.
Third, our federal government is extending its reach farther into our private lives. I am actually more concerned about our President’s other actions than his speech to children.
Sincerely,
Dr. Eric Potter
Tennessee Director for Parental Rights.Org
Eric,
I agree w/ each and every one of your points! People can not analyze the speech apart from who Obama is and what he supports.
Actually, I am most disheartened and stunned at the shallowness and lack of understanding, and the utter lack of Biblical wisdom displayed by John Piper and Al Molher.
They don’t get it. They are apparently blinded by the darkness. Obama is a through and through radical Marxist (and puppet head) with no allegiance to the Constitution or anything Biblical. Yes, he sounds good on some things, but that is simply deceptive window dressing.
I am ashamed at both of these “doctrines of grace” Christian leaders whom I have much praised and admired (at least in some solid and sound regards) in the past.