Theological Liberalism Has Become A Dangerous Rival To Biblical Christianity

Theologian Al Mohler condemned Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's (D) recent use of the Bible on "The View," presumably to explain why he vetoed legislation banning transgender procedures for minors, and warned that theological liberalism has become a rival religion to biblical Christianity.

"These days, it's hard to be astounded by something absolutely ridiculous, or worse, coming from an officeholder when it comes to political office," Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, said in a Monday X post.

"And frankly, if you're coming up with a catalog of stupid things said on programs like ABC's 'The View,' you'd better get ready for a very long list. But I don't care how long your list is, this one's going to rank at the top of stupid."

Mohler went on to show a clip of Beshear's Monday appearance on "The View," where the governor claimed his actions in office are driven by his Christian faith. "Most of the decisions I make are based on that Golden Rule that says we love our neighbor as yourself, and that parable [of] the Good Samaritan that says everyone is our neighbor," he said.

"And so, when I've taken actions like vetoing the nastiest piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation that ever came through my state, I described it in those terms. I said my faith teaches me that all children are children of God, and I didn't want people picking on those kids," he added to audience applause and approving nods from "The View" co-hosts.

Though Beshear did not specify which legislation he was referring to, Mohler suggested he was likely referencing Senate Bill 150, which banned prescribing puberty blockers and opposite-sex hormones for minors while requiring students in public schools to use the bathroom that aligns with their biological sex. The Kentucky General Assembly overruled Beshear's veto of the bill in 2023.

Last year, the General Assembly also overruled Beshear's veto of House Bill 495, which banned taxpayer-funded transgender procedures and rescinded his executive order restricting so-called "conversion therapy." Beshear accused the legislature at the time of behaving unconstitutionally and promoting "a dangerous and discriminatory practice that has led to the deaths of Kentucky children."

Noting that Beshear is vague in defining his faith apart from the Golden Rule and the Good Samaritan, Mohler said that the governor epitomizes one of the "two rival religions" that have emerged with opposing views of Scripture and reality.

"You have historic, orthodox biblical Christianity, and you have theological liberalism and whatever it produces next," explained Mohler, who believes the cultural battles over "the LGBTQ+ revolution" have underlined the differences between the competing faiths "perhaps more than anything else in the modern age."

"One of them, Christianity, is consistent with creation order and Scripture and the history of the Christian church, and the other one, which, frankly, is a new religion. It's cut the Bible down to size. It doesn't begin with Genesis 1, evidently, just the Golden Rule and the Good Samaritan," Mohler added.

Beshear, who is a member of the liberal mainline Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has consistently used Christianity to affirm his liberal political positions. During an address to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, he echoed the line he used on "The View" nearly verbatim by appealing to the Golden Rule to suggest those who oppose abortion are lacking "underlying empathy" and not loving their neighbor as themselves.

"How we treat people transcends party lines. It goes right to the heart of who we are. My faith teaches me the Golden Rule -- that I am to love my neighbor as myself. And the parable of the Good Samaritan says we are all each other's neighbors," Beshear said regarding pro-life policies that he alleged "give rapists more rights than their victims."

The Family Foundation, a Kentucky-based pro-life nonprofit, accused Beshear at the time of "completely twisting the Scripture to advance and support his radical agenda."

"To biblically love one's neighbor, one must desire and act in ways to see our neighbor flourish. Championing the murderous practice of abortion that does not lead to a flourishing life, but rather to the termination of one's life, is the complete opposite of loving one's neighbor. Misrepresenting Scripture in this manner must be condemned," the group insisted.

Before abortion was banned in Kentucky in 2022 upon the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Beshear had also vetoed legislation to restrict abortion, including a 2020 Senate bill to protect infants born alive during an abortion attempt. A similar bill became law without his signature in January 2021.

In his 2025 State of the Commonwealth address, delivered to what NPR affiliate WUKY called "a notably small audience," Beshear used the Nativity story to admonish Republicans to be "thoughtful" regarding how their legislation might affect the marginalized. He described Mary as "an unwed teenager" who "people in those days would judge, would look down on, would pass legislation against."

Beshear's implication prompted outrage from Kentucky state Rep. TJ Roberts, who said in an X post at the time that "Beshear using Mary, the mother of God, to attack pro-life, pro-family, pro-faith, pro-freedom Kentuckians was beyond shameful -- outright blasphemous."

Originally published at The Washington Stand