The Disappearance of God: Dangerous Beliefs in the New Spiritual Openness

Is God changing his mind about sin? What is good or bad about the Emergent movement? Are churches selling out to keep members? Battling to preserve the foundations of Christianity, Dr. Mohler confronts contemporary teachings and "feel-good" ideas. Combining a careful study of Scripture with wit and wisdom, he'll help you defend the faith! 176 pages, hardcover from Multnomah.

“From grade inflation to global calamities, Albert Mohler is a steady guide. From the psychological coddling of the American ego to the hollowing of the American conscience, Mohler is unremittingly clear-headed. From Nineveh to New Orleans, Mohler holds the mirror at a blazing forty-five-degree angle between heaven and earth. The burning light of divine wisdom illumines a hundred shadows of our human folly. And at the center of the blaze is the mighty cross of Jesus Christ defining the final meaning of everything. I thank God for Albert Mohler.” — JOHN PIPER, pastor for preaching and vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

“Al Mohler is a unique gift to the church. His writing combines penetrating theological discernment and insightful cultural analysis with a passion to faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m delighted that Al’s wisdom is now available in this book. May it be the first of many.” — C. J. MAHANEY, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“In The Disappearance of God, Dr. Mohler has provided a striking, biblically-based treatment of a coterie of compelling issues which threaten the religious public at every turn. With his usual incisive and scintillating analysis, he sorts out healthy from unhealthy influences and charts a path for future church development. If you are serious about navigating our contemporary world, this is a necessary read.” — PAIGE PATTERSON, President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Fort Worth, Texas

“Here is a picture on the life of the church where it is being troubled, seduced, and attacked by today’s dominant cultural forces. Its analysis is clear and to the point., and its answers are biblically framed, thoughtful, and helpful. I wish there were more books like this!” — DAVID F. WELLS, Distinguished Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Has God really disappeared? Mohler, who serves as president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, lays out his case that the modernization, and ethical and religious neutering, of religion has caused the Christian church to retreat into a place of mediocrity, rendering it ineffectual within its own ranks and in society at large. The disappearance of hell as a reality in the minds of people, the lack of proper discipline within the church, the trend toward what he calls “a generous orthodoxy”—a wider acceptance of divergent views—have all, he argues, contributed to the decline of the church. He acknowledges that this flies in the face of the current trend toward mega churches and doctrine-neutral fellowships, but he insists that the journey toward inclusiveness and universal acceptance constitutes “an age in which all constraints and restraints are to be thrown off—all in the name of the liberation that does not liberate but enslaves.” Mohler is a passionate and eloquent proponent for his cause and merits a fair reading. (May 19)Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

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Reviewed by Timothy Smith (Ferndale, WA), December 14, 2009

A great book showing how churches have strayed from holding to the full Gospel - Makes one think about how Biblical is my life, my understanding of God. Do we really call sin - sin? OR are we making excuses for our and others' conduct? A must read for those who are serious about serving and living for God.

Reviewed by Christy Lockstein (Oconto Falls, WIsconsin), June 18, 2009

The Disappearance of God by R. Albert Mohler Jr is a stark look at how the church has been transforming into the image of popular culture instead of the other way around. Mohler tackles some tough issues like the emerging church, discipline within the church, and moral relativism. The book has some terrific points, but it felt much like a college lecture. I wanted Mohler to start speaking in layman's terms and create more of a conversation than a lecture. If you can wade through the high language, you'll find some excellent arguments about how the church is failing its people and vice versa. I learned a great deal about the emergent church and how church discipline is supposed to work. I am concerned with how Mohler is addressing this topic however. I think that a lot of older members of the church will love this book and it will be preaching to the choir. However, the younger members of the church do want a more loving, compassionate church. Generations X and Y tend to communicate in a different way than previous generations, and while that doesn't excuse forgetting about the core of what Christianity is about: Christ's divinity and the Trinity, the church does need to find a new way to speak so those members will listen and want to be a part of it. Mohler's church seems to exclude them and want to discipline them right out the door.

Reviewed by Sandra Hill (Rochester, NY), June 07, 2009

This book is a real eye-opener. It alerted me to all the changes going on even in the "evangelical" world that are undermining "those doctrines most central and essential to the Christian faith." The absence of sin, hell and a redefining of the sovereignty of God are just a few of the subjects Dr. Mohler discusses in this book. The chapters on "Darkness at Noon" were especially meaningful to me as he deals with the subject of compliance by the church. He says "The entire biblical truth-claim is under assault in today's culture. We see the tightening grip of tenacity of all this onslaught. We see a culture that increasingly loves darkness rather than light. We can see the logic of the culture, and we can see that the church has beeen compliant too long." This book calls us to be alert and discerning in a world where God is most definitely disappearing.

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