Rev. Albert Mohler -- the most public voice of the Southern Baptist Convention, a frequent TV go-to source for Christian perspective on the news and someone whose blog and tweets are followed by the entire religion news press corps along with 27,000 other folks -- is surprised that a tweet beginning with "Dear Congressman Weiner" was noticed by people beyond his core flock of traditionalist evangelicals.

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What he told the Jewish congressman was:

There is no effective 'treatment' for sin. Only atonement, found only in Jesus Christ."

In a Sunday F&R posting, I described this as evangelism riding in Weiner's woes and Weiner's announcement that he would "seek treatment." That drew a thoughtful column from Mohler putting his tweet in context.

First, Mohler laments that in contemporary U.S. culture people think therapy, not theology, is the answer to every problem including a moral crisis. Then, showing understated irony (Weiner was exposed when he learned how un-private Twitter can be), Mohler writes:

As far as I know, Rep. Weiner is not among my "followers" on Twitter. I did not assume that he was reading my posting. My message was mostly directed at my fellow Christians as a reminder of this very concern -- that the American impulse is to seek treatment when our real need is for redemption.

So, Mohler wasn't targeting Jews, he was using a Jewish person in crisis as a sermon springboard to preach to his known flock to return to traditional faith. Right?

But he didn't begin "Dear Christians..." He addressed his pitch to someone he knows is Jewish and then professes to be shocked when people notice. Mohler writes:

I never mentioned Judaism. Rep. Weiner's problem has to do with the fact that he is a sinner, like every other human being, regardless of religious faith or affiliation. Christians -- at least those who hold to biblical and orthodox Christianity -- believe that salvation is found through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him alone.

... We also understand that other religions claim "routes to restoring righteousness." But biblical Christians cannot accept that these "routes" lead to redemption, and the only righteousness that saves -- the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer, who is justified by faith in Christ alone.

Now, this is not a surprise. Evangelism is Mohler's job description: He is charged with preaching the Good News, as Christians believe it, to the world and using every vehicle he can, even the sad case of #Weinergate in Twitterspeak...

So, it would be no surprise if many read the a message that starts, "Dear Congressman Weiner," as a turn-or-burn message addressed to a Jewish person in the public domain.

The Jewish news agency JTA picked up on this exchange and added some background, noting:

In 2003 Mohler caused a stir with his staunch advocacy of evangelizing Jews. He had explained that warning non-Christians of the "eternal danger" they face in not embracing Jesus "is the ultimate act of Christian love."

DO YOU THINK ... Weiner and other non-Christians see this as a message of love?