“Repentant sinners can be forgiven of any sin, at any time, on the basis of the life and blood of Christ. That’s the gospel.” That’s a tweet sent by Russell Moore, the head of the Southern Baptist’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He wasn’t just tweeting religious slogans. This one had a point.

And the point was that Pope Francis is wrong.

Abortion and Mercy

Readers may remember that last week Francis issued a letter about the Jubilee Year of Mercy he’s declared. It was an in-house set of instructions, but of course, nothing the pope says stays in-house. The press picked up the part about abortion.

The tricky line the press picked up on was this: “For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it.”

After a great deal of confusion, and some really brainless news reports that told the world the pope approves of abortion, a few Catholics explained that Francis was only extending to every priest the authority to pronounce God’s forgiveness for the sin of abortion. Abortion is considered so grave a sin that the authority has for centuries been restricted to the bishop. Priests already have this authority almost everywhere in the United States.

You get the essence of Francis’ instruction in his closing remarks: “May priests fulfill this great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence.”

Moore’s Teaching Moment

Moore clearly saw this as a teaching moment, and teach he did. Two more tweets followed the first:

Those who repent of abortion in faith: you are forgiven. Full stop.
For the Priest who forgives you, it's always Jubilee year (Lk. 4:18-21).

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) September 1, 2015

If you've repented & sought mercy in Christ, for any sin, the response of @Pontifex (and all the rest of us) should be "Who Am I to Judge?"

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) September 1, 2015

The third, I admit, I think a cheap shot, with that misapplied quote from the pope. He knows the pope is not judging in that sense, but offering forgiveness in the way the Catholic Church believes God has instructed her to offer it. The theology and practice of confession in the Catholic Church expresses a serious attempt to speak of judgment and mercy and to be faithful to the Lord Jesus. Moore knows this.

As a Catholic I want to respond to that last quote with “Look, buddy,” followed by a stern lecture, but I respect him for asserting something he believes fundamental. The practice of confession really does point to very deep and pastorally important differences between Catholics and Protestants. Moore saw all the news about the pope’s letter as a teaching moment and took it. That’s what a public figure who’s also a pastor does. He’s not being nice, and that’s admirable. In the same situation, I’ve not been nice either.

This has some personal importance for me. I met Russ many years ago at an annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, when I was a senior editor of an ecumenical magazine called Touchstone. I was impressed by his insight and his respect for other Christians, even Catholic ones. I got him to write for us, when no one outside the Southern Baptists had heard of him. I will admit to being proud of that.

A few years later when I became the editor, I nominated him for the editorial board, which he joined, and on which he still serves. I did so because he is principled but generous-minded. He plays well with others, but he plays hard. And, okay, as the third tweet suggests, sometimes too hard.

Christian Friendship

As a Catholic, I think Russ is wrong about confession, and he would return the favor. But he is not only a friend, he is a Christian friend. Part of Christian friendship is recognizing and accepting that other Christians will take advantage of teaching moments that you will find annoying. You’d do the same, and fair is fair.

And if you accept that, you have to accept that sometimes they’ll go too far. You might do the same thing to them, and again fair is fair. That mutual patience and forgiveness when you’re arguing about urgent matters is obeying the Lord you both serve, when he said, “Turn the other cheek.” That’s the way real friendships work, and the reason they grow.