Christian Leader Albert Mohler on Buddhist Steve Jobs
President of the Southern Baptist Theology Seminary Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. said in a tribute to recently deceased Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs that Christians can learn a thing or two from his life.
Although Jobs himself was not Christian, identifying himself as a Buddhist, Mohler said that Jobs used his creative genius to better humanity, something that all Christians should aspire to do.
"Christians considering the life and death of Steve Jobs will do well to remember once again the power of an individual life," advised Mohler in a commentary published Thursday.
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"God has invested massive creative abilities in his human creatures. These are often used for good, and sometimes deployed to evil ends. Steve Jobs devoted his life to a technological dream that he thought would empower humanity. He led creative teams that developed technological wonders, and then he made them seemingly necessary for life in the digital age."
Jobs passed away Oct. 5 at the age of 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. During his lifetime, Jobs revolutionized the digital world with products such as the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and the online iTunes store. He successfully marketed the first personalized computer and turned Pixar into a multi-million dollar conglomerate that produced box-office hits such as "Finding Nemo," "Toy Story," and "Monsters Inc."
Many Christians have taken to Twitter to show their support for Jobs and his life accomplishments, some thanking him for providing a more popularized means of spreading the word of God and Christianity.
In a blog post entitled "Steve Jobs – The Man Who Helped Bring the Gospel to Our Generation," Harvest Christian Fellowship pastor Greg Laurie stated, "Steve Jobs helped pave the way for more people to hear the Gospel."
"Even as the Romans built a road system and established a common language in all their territories that was used by the Apostles to bring the Gospel to their generation, Jobs did something similar for our generation."
Despite the importance of the contributions Jobs made to the world and the good he brought to humanity, Mohler states that Christians must go beyond creating a legacy for themselves in the physical world.
"We have to measure life by its eternal impact, even as we are thankful for every individual who makes this world a better place," said Mohler.
"But, don’t expect eternal impact to be the main concern of the business pages."
