The Manhattan Declaration was a controversial ecumenical statement signed by Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestants in an effort to join together in the defense of traditional marriage while opposing the influx of homosexuality in the Church and culture. While the declaration certainly held to biblical beliefs on marriage, in many ways the manifesto was a compromise of the gospel. The signers of the document had to, in essence, agree that all parties were believers and part of a genuine expression of Christianity. This essentially put Protestant signers on the hook to affirm Orthodox and Roman Catholic religions as true Christianity.

It is, however, being reported that Al Mohler has asked to have his name removed from the declaration and Reformation Charlotte has confirmed that he had his defense of his signing of the statement removed from The Gospel Coalition’s blog, which was previously at this link.

For now, the Google cached version of the defense can be found here. Chuck O’Neal has reported on Twitter,

Originally in Mohler’s defense, he wrote,

I signed The Manhattan Declaration because I lead a theological seminary and college, serve as a teaching pastor in a church, and am engaged in Christian leadership in the public square. Thus I see the threats to Christian liberties that now stare us in the face. The freedom not to perform a same-sex marriage is one thing, but what about the freedom to hire employees according to our Christian convictions? What about the right of Christian ministries to conduct their work according to Christian beliefs? What about the freedom to preach and teach against the grain of the nation’s laws (for example, after the legalization of same-sex marriage)? When do hate crimes laws slide into definitions of “hate speech?” The threats to our religious liberties are immediate and urgent.

Check back as we will update this story later.